New Caney ISD trustees approve consent items, CTE paint booth change order, construction contract and superintendent contract extension

The New Caney Independent School District Board of Trustees on March 17, 2025 approved routine business and a set of project and personnel actions, including a CTE change order to add a paint booth, a construction contract for a learning center and roof replacements, an out-of-state trip for high school dance teams, and an extension of the superintendent’s contract.

Votes at a glance

- Consent calendar: The board approved the consent calendar (minutes, finance, purchasing, personnel and instruction reports). Motion by Mr. Trout; second by Mr. Alters. Outcome: approved.

- Out-of-state trip for dance teams: The board approved travel for the New Caney High School, Porter High School and West Fork High School dance teams to perform at Pearl Harbor and participate in cultural activities in Hawaii (proposed dates March 11–16, next school year). Cost listed: $2,600 per student; district cost $0; students to fundraise and use payment plans. Outcome: approved.

- Change order 53 — paint booth and auto shop equipment, New Caney High School CTE building (Bond 2023): The board approved a not-to-exceed change order amount of $350,000 to add a paint booth and supporting systems to the auto tech area. The unit price for the paint booth itself was described as roughly $172,000; the remainder covers HVAC, fire suppression and electrical. Presenters said industry partners (named in the presentation as Tasco and I-CAR) will support certifications and job placement. Motion by Mr. Trout; second by Angela (surname not specified). Outcome: approved.

- Construction contract — conversion of maintenance building to a TLC and roof replacements, Pine Valley and White Oak Middle Schools: The board awarded the contract to GTT Construction (lowest evaluated bidder) for conversion of the district’s Maintenance & Operations building to a Therapeutic Learning Center and for life-cycle roof replacements at Pine Valley and White Oak Middle Schools. Motion by Mr. Trout; second by Harold (surname not specified). Outcome: approved.

- Superintendent contract amendment/extension: After a closed-session evaluation, the board approved amendments and an extension to the superintendent’s contract. Outcome: approved.

- Appraisal district board nominee: The board approved submitting Arthur Bredenhoff as New Caney ISD’s nominee for the Montgomery Central Appraisal District board of directors and authorized allocation of 275 votes in that election. Outcome: approved.

Personnel and staffing notes

The consent calendar included announcements of retirements and cabinet changes. The board introduced Dr. Cesar Condarco as executive director of secondary education and Nicole Land as executive director of elementary education (both positions repurposed from retiring cabinet roles). Other personnel items announced included Dan Carr as director of maintenance and the hiring of football coach Sheldon Benite; retirements mentioned included Mr. Castleberry, Ms. Shoffner and Mr. Tim Battenfield.

Meeting follow-up

Board members and district staff said the demographic study and the bond-era projects will guide the timing and scale of future capital work. The board did not set specific new spending beyond the approved change orders and contract awards at this meeting.