The Courier of Montgomery County reports that as Conroe ISD faces its first downward trend in enrollment in almost a decade, they are working to mitigate an $8 million budget deficit.
This week Conroe officials said that they are making cuts to programs such as Communities in Schools, its Japanese language program and its instructional coaches model to save money, but they aren’t reducing staff.
Conroe ISD’s public information officer, Andrew Stewart, said the district is eliminating its instruction coaches model and transferring those employees to other positions. The district at the same time, however, in order to support a growing student population as well as staff for three new schools that will open next year, will add Special Education staff.
Stewart said, “These adjustments are designed to provide a model that best supports our campuses while ensuring the most efficient use of district resources.”
Since February, the school has made moves to reduce expenditures. The district is moving away from the Communities in Schools program. It costs around $500,000 annually.
According to data from the district, in the next five years student enrollment is expected to grow by less than 100.
