Conroe ISD board moves to house Education Foundation under district oversight

The Conroe ISD board discussed and voted to enter a memorandum of understanding to transfer the Conroe ISD Education Foundation to be housed at district facilities while retaining its nonprofit status, trustees said.

Nelda Blair, introduced at the meeting as chairperson of the Conroe ISD Education Foundation, described the foundation's board meeting immediately following the district vote. "We voted on 3 people... and then we all resigned," Blair said, calling the handover "a very smooth transition." Liz Lindsay Ardawan, introduced by trustees as the foundation's new chair, told the board she is a full-time Conroe ISD employee and "will be directing the foundation." She said the foundation will continue as a separate 501(c)(3) governed by its own board but located within the district.

Board members said the move was intended to preserve scholarships and expand the foundation's activities under new leadership. Trustees noted the Blair Law Firm had supported the foundation for more than two decades but is not a nonprofit; Nelda Blair said the foundation had funds and scholarship history but lacked an endowment and that transfer to the district could help build sustainability.

Trustees asked staff to return with next steps for the MOU implementation and any operational details needed to ensure uninterrupted scholarship awards, and board members praised the outgoing directors for their service. The foundation's initial slate of three recruited trustees was described to the board by Ardawan as Katie Morton, Carol Durkee and Celeste Grabowski, who were recruited to represent different geographic portions of the district.