Melissa Semmler for Conroe ISD

Melissa Semmler for Conroe ISD

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I'm a third generation Houstonian, with a career focused on education. Vote Melissa Semmler for Conroe ISD Board of Trustees, Position 6.

CISD students are the future of our community, so I want to make this district the best it can be!

01/01/2025
12/17/2024

It was a joy to see the hard work of so many CISD students culminate in Winter Graduation! I’m filled with gratitude at the opportunity to take part in the ceremony, and I want to thank all of the teachers, coaches, and administrators who worked hard to help these students meet their goals! What an inspiring night! 🧑‍🎓

12/04/2024

I was incredibly impressed with, and grateful for, our gifted Conroe ISD administrators last night. Karen Garza, our CFO, gave an illuminating budget presentation, and it came to light that she found a funding error in the funding calculations for our district. This error will bring Conroe ISD around $7.5 million a year in additional funding, and we will also receive back pay for the last two years. Mrs. Garza's work not only helps Conroe ISD, but it also helps other districts throughout the state. Kudos to our CFO and her amazing team for their hard work and persistence!

Mr. Chris McCord knows our 348 square mile district like the back of his hand, and he has been focusing on the multifaceted puzzle our growing district's zoning and transportation creates. Families get shifted around as we build new schools to accommodate new neighborhoods. If you ever want to conceptualize the issue, just cruise down I-45, and take a look at all of the new neighborhood signs. All of those neighborhoods will house families with Conroe ISD students. Mr. McCord is ever mindful of the impact re-zoning has on families, and he is constantly creating innovative ways to accommodate CISD's growth.

In just twenty-four hours, Dr. Bethany Medford crafted and presented a presentation that provided us with fantastic information regarding the formulation of a strategic plan. Dr. Null also had some great suggestions to add, and I am encouraged by their commitment to our district's future. Having a strategic plan will help set priorities and unite Conroe ISD under a common vision.

I am grateful to our administrators for working long days and late nights to support our district. It is my hope that we can work together and continue to improve student outcomes, so we aren't just one of the premiere districts in the area, but THE premiere district!

11/28/2024

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving, and don’t forget your stretchy pants! 🦃

Photos from Melissa Semmler for Conroe ISD's post 11/19/2024

As I was officially sworn in as a Conroe ISD trustee tonight, I felt proud to represent our outstanding community and I look forward to helping shape our exceptional district!

11/12/2024

Lindsay's emphasis on respect is key! As we navigate this transition, let's focus on constructive steps that benefit our district and students. Together, we can forge a vibrant path forward for Conroe ISD, driven by collaboration and optimism. Many thanks to the outgoing board for their commitment to our community!

11/11/2024
Photos from Melissa Semmler for Conroe ISD's post 11/06/2024

I am deeply grateful to the Conroe ISD community for this victory. Your confidence in me is a profound honor. Plutarch’s wisdom resonates: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” By educating our children, we cultivate a pursuit of truth about our world. My utmost desire is to bring our district together, so we can nurture the next generation of critical thinkers. Thank you to everyone who believed in me!

11/04/2024

Facts.

Hi Brenda Cooper, my office received a PIR (Public Information Request) last Friday. I didn’t want you to wait until this Friday’s deadline so I’ll release it publicly. You are also free to perform an additional PIR with the Texas Education Agency and Sarah Harrington. The results are the same.

Trustee Stacey Chase falsely claimed that the Texas Education Agency only provided $2 million for Safety expenditures for CISD. Over the past 3 years between Student Allotments and Grants it amounts to $18,904,278. for an average of $6.3 million per year or 3 times what she claimed in the Conroe Courier.

All the best Brenda!

11/03/2024

Today, I just want to take a moment to reflect on how grateful I am for the support and kindness many members of the CISD community have shown me. Working at the polls can be trying, and, as many can see from our opponents' posts, it can also become quite heated. I am grateful to the people on all sides who made working at the polls a joy. I truly enjoyed meeting everyone, and I am WOWED by Montgomery County's turnout. We've had a record number of early voters, and it was inspiring to see the passion voters and candidates are bringing to the electoral process.

That being said, there were a few rumors being spread I would like to counter:

-I have two children in the district, and my family moved here for the great CISD schools. It would hurt my children and our family if the CISD schools were "destroyed." My only intention is to keep our schools great.

-I have taken PhD level courses in research methods, statistics, and measurement, and, though I teach English, I am familiar with analyzing data. I also have experience in community college administration, and I served on community boards in that position. My opponent may have a financial background, but it should be noted that CISD has incurred a $12 million budget deficit on her watch, and her only solution is to ask the state for more money.

-I fully support our fantastic CISD teachers. Saying we want to keep poisonous ideologies out of classrooms is NOT an attack on teachers. These ideologies come from publishers, predatory training programs, and other subversive organizations seeking to undermine education and divide us. We need proactive policies to prevent disasters before they happen, not reactive policies meant to hastily patch up an incident.

-I am not, nor will I ever be, controlled by anyone. I have my own mind and my own voice. Saying I am controlled by politicians is a cheap way to undermine my opinions and values. I DO have great relationships with our local legislators and elected officials, and I am surprised people take issue with this considering my opponent has said it is imperative that Austin addresses CISD's legislative priorities. How does she intend to get these priorities addressed if she's never spoken to our legislators in her four years in office? It's one thing to have priorities, and it's quite another to take action to get those priorities addressed. I will make sure they are addressed, with the help of our local legislators.

-While this is technically a nonpartisan race, I am a Republican and my opponent is a Democrat. Historically, Democrats don't get elected in Montgomery County, so my opponent is quite insistent on the nonpartisan label.

-School boards have nothing to do with vouchers. Voucher legislation happens in the state legislature. The legislature is not currently in session, so there is no voucher legislation right now. The voucher legislation during the last legislative session focused on giving ESA's to underprivileged and special education students. It would have expanded their options in order to give them the greatest chance for success, AND it would have made whole any gaps districts had in funding from students who left their local school districts. It would have affected 40,000 Texas students out of 6 million. This was detailed in SB 2, authored by Senator Brandon Creighton, and it would have also raised teacher pay across the state. Though my opponent claims to be focused on CISD’s legislative priorities, the contents of SB 2 seem to have escaped her.

-I am an educator. When my opponent says she is the choice of educators, it appears she missed quite a few of us.

-My opponent voted to keep the book "Lily and Duncan" in our CISD schools. In the book, the main character struggles with being transgender. He wants to cut his p***s off with nail clippers, and his parents frequently discuss their concern over the likelihood he will commit su***de if not allowed to transition. I investigated the resources in the back of the book. One resource took me to an online therapist who radically affirmed me. Then, that therapist gave me resources to an online chatroom to connect to real, live trans people. No parental consent was required to speak with the therapist, and a kill switch was provided for children to quickly hide any discussions from parents. Activist Gabrielle Clark called this book, "A roadmap to a nightmare." The Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton has called medically transitioning minors child abuse. However, my opponent is committed to keeping this book in CISD libraries and labeling those of us who dare ask questions "book banners".

-No one on the CISD board removed AP books from the libraries or classrooms. People at the district level removed them because the board attempted to put a policy in place restricting s*xually explicit books, and the district decided to remove books like "Brave New World" in response to the policy.

-No one is claiming CISD is putting men in women's locker rooms. We are saying that a policy needs to be put in place in order to preemptively address this issue. Attorney General Ken Paxton states, "Texas law prohibits “secret” teacher-student relationships, mandates educators to inform parents about discussions had with their children, and forbids children from being exposed to members of the opposite s*x in private spaces, recognizing the potential for abuse in such situations." However, my opponent still sees no value in putting a policy in place, and, instead, says we are spreading lies about the dangers the Biden Administration's Title IX rewrite poses to women.

My opponent has not done what is best for CISD families, and that is why I am running for CISD school board. I'm happy to discuss these issues further, and I will remain committed to supporting our CISD schools, teachers, and families, no matter the outcome of this election. God bless America, and God bless Texas!

11/02/2024

My very favorite voter came to see me at the polls today! ❤️ Chris Semmler

10/31/2024

It’s a beautiful day to VOTE at South County Community Center!

10/31/2024

Come on out and save Democracy! Tomorrow is the last day to early vote. It’s open 7-7! Marianne Horton for Conroe ISD School Board

10/27/2024

So grateful for the support of these wonderful volunteers at the polls! 🇺🇸

Knowledge Is Power: Party Affiliation Gives Voters the Signal They Need in School Board Elections 10/27/2024

Vote for your Republican School Board Candidates! We are honest and upfront about our values, which is why we are endorsed by the Montgomery County Republican Party of Texas and the Republican Party of Texas.

"Non-partisan school board elections do not mean candidates are not political. Candidates do not leave their politics at the schoolhouse doors. In fact, research shows that candidates in non- partisan elections are often even more polarized about public policy than those elected in partisan races."

Knowledge Is Power: Party Affiliation Gives Voters the Signal They Need in School Board Elections States should require candidates to declare their party affiliation in all school board elections to better represent their communities.

Photos from Steve Toth's post 10/24/2024

We are truly blessed to have such great leadership in Montgomery County and in Texas!

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Riley Gaines Endorsement
This is my interview with Jimmy Barrett regarding the explicit books available in the Sora app.

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The Woodlands, TX