Ryan Tsamouris is running for Position 1 on the Conroe Independent School District board in the Nov. 3 election. Tsamouris is a cloud security architect and president of the Montgomery County Municipal Utility District No. 88 board.
Tsamouris said his wife, Denise, taught in Conroe ISD for 12 years before leaving the classroom, and that experience drove him to start attending board meetings and reading district budgets. "I am running to bring steady, transparent governance back to the board: real oversight, honest budgets, a genuine voice for teachers, and a consistent focus on student outcomes and wellbeing," Tsamouris said in a questionnaire response to Surround Sound News.
Candidate information
Office sought: Conroe ISD Board of Trustees, Position 1
Party affiliation: Nonpartisan. Tsamouris said Conroe ISD candidates do not appear on the ballot with a party label. He is running without a party endorsement.
Residence: Montgomery County, Texas, for 19 years
Family: Wife, Denise, a former Conroe ISD teacher who he said was twice named Teacher of the Year at her campus. Three children, all attending Conroe ISD schools.
Education: Bachelor of Science in biology and Master of Engineering in technical management, Texas A&M University
Occupation: Cloud security architect with roughly 20 years in information technology, mostly in the energy sector
Experience and public service
Tsamouris said he has about 10 years of board service across elected and volunteer roles. He is the elected president of the Montgomery County MUD No. 88 board, where he said the board reduced the district's tax rate by roughly 30% during his tenure.
He is president of the Bristol Lakes Homeowners Association and previously led the Legends Trace HOA board. He said he would resign his MUD and HOA posts if elected.
Within Conroe ISD, Tsamouris serves as parent co-chair of the district's 72-member School Health Advisory Council, which advises the board of trustees on student health, safety and well-being. He said the council produced more reports and recommendations than any previous SHAC, covering student mental health, suicide prevention, physical safety and teacher retention. He is also a member of the Conroe ISD Community Collaborative Cohort and a volunteer with Watch DOGS, or Dads of Great Students.
Tsamouris built Board Monitor, a free public site that tracks Conroe ISD board agendas, meeting summaries and policy changes. He has written about district governance and budgets at We Have Quorum, a Substack newsletter, since 2023.
On the issues
Board governance and transparency: Tsamouris said he wants to return the board to its role of oversight, accountability and public transparency. He said he would ensure executive sessions are used only when legally required, require committee review and public input for major curriculum adoptions, and review board policies to remove political and ideological language. He also pledged to review the district's legal representation to reduce costs, keep the tax rate flat or lower it whenever possible, improve the process for reviewing book challenges and keep the community informed about board decisions.
Teacher and staff support: Tsamouris said he would advocate for improved per-student funding, educator compensation and support for paraprofessionals. He pledged to ensure educators have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their classrooms and to promote clear communication from administration to staff.
Student safety and well-being: Tsamouris said he supports approaching student safety through data, research and broad community input. He said he would prioritize improvements to student behavior and discipline practices and explore policies addressing the impact of excessive screen time on student learning.
Educational technology: Tsamouris said his IT background would help ensure classroom technology enhances learning and protects students. He supports strengthening school cybersecurity, reviewing district technology adoption policies and supporting career and technical education programs, including AI and digital skills courses. He said he also supports traditional pencil and paper where it fits, noting technology can sometimes hurt student learning.
Voters can find more information on Tsamouris' platform at his campaign website.
