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Board approves Conroe Virtual School plan and purchase of Subject learning platform
Summary
After a lengthy discussion about enrollment, staffing and attendance rules, the board approved purchase of the Subject learning platform and the Conroe Virtual School plan, authorizing the district to operate a primarily asynchronous 5–12 virtual program using Conroe teachers of record.
The Conroe ISD board voted on April 21 to approve a formal plan for a district‑run Conroe Virtual School and to authorize the purchase of the Subject learning platform under the district’s preferred option.
District staff described the virtual school’s history and expansion plans: the hybrid program started in 2022–23 and the proposal would grow the model toward a primarily asynchronous 5–12 program while continuing options for athletics, fine arts and limited CTE in person. Administration recommended a model where Conroe ISD teachers remain the teachers of record using Subject as a platform (estimated at $300 per student under a district license), rather than contracting Subject as teacher‑of‑record at a higher per‑student cost.
Questions from trustees focused on enrollment projections, accountability under Senate Bill 569 (attendance tied to course engagement), support for special education students, staffing workloads and marketing. Dr. Lucas, the virtual school principal, said the district aims to begin with an in‑district enrollment of roughly 300 students and scale up, with a goal of open enrollment in later years. Staff emphasized onboarding, parent contracts and increased monitoring to reduce failure rates seen in earlier cohorts.
After discussion trustees moved and seconded a motion to approve the Subject purchase and the overall virtual school plan. The motion carried (recorded in the meeting as 6‑1 for the vote). The board directed staff to return with implementation details and to present a compensation and staffing plan in June as part of the 2026‑27 budget process.
The approval permits the district to move forward with vendor contracting and implementation planning; staff said they will continue to refine enrollment projections, staffing allocations and compliance details required under state attendance and virtual‑school rules.
