Frequently Asked Questions

1. Put together a committee
   • Made up of central administrators and teachers from the campus with the vacancy
2. Take in applications
3. Interview an initial pool
   • Nine people in the most recent vacancy, Ellis Elementary
   • Mix of external and internal candidates
   • Hour and a half each
   • Dr. Knowlton not in the room for the first round
4. Committee suggests 2-3 finalists
   • Not in any set order
5. Dr. Knowlton meets with each finalist and selects the best fit
6. Dr. Knowlton recommends the preferred candidate to the CISD Board of Trustees
   • Ellis preferred candidate is set for April 21 vote
7. CISD Board of Trustees votes on the candidate

1. Looks like Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) hav enough votes to pass in the House and the Senate
2. Though there are enough votes on paper, there is some nervousness about the vote
   1. There is a ghost bill/shell bill (SB 2618) that is a stand-in for ESAs, filed by the same author as SB 2.
   2. There are a lot of advertisements and direct contacts by pro-ESA congressmen

1. A committee substitute for House Bill 2 increased the basic allotment to $6,555
2. $7.7 billion total increase to public education funding;
3. Increase to basic allotment of $395, instead of originally proposed $220;
   1. 40% of BA increase must go to teacher salaries
   2. Now prioritizing teachers with 10+ years of experience, then 5+ years
4. Ongoing, automatic increase to BA at every biennium tied to property value growth;
5. Adds Pre-K to early education allotment, incentivizing full-day Pre-K for families;
6. $450 million increase to emergent bilingual categories;
7. One-time funding to expand teacher certifications

1. Selling bonds pays for construction projects, and we promised the community we would never sell bonds we couldn’t pay for.
2. We are monitoring property values to be able to pay for bonds.
   1. We get preliminary values in mid-April, and official values in July from Collin & Hunt County tax assessors.
3. There are some challenges ahead financially:
   • We are currently a predominantly rooftop community
     • The homestead exemption cut $100,000 per home of value from the District
     • Another $40,000 cut is possible in this legislative session.
   • Commercial growth is coming, but not quite as quickly as we would have hoped.
4. Next project is CHS additions.
   • We would love to build Phases 1 & 2 at the same time, but we'll at least build Phase 1.

1. Bonds are sold for the new CISD Ag Barn and the Community Trails concession stand

• The high school is currently overcapacity.
• With the addition that was made in 2022 and the temporary buildings in the cafeteria courtyard, there is space for 1,100 students.
• If you include the CTE building and the current Ag Barn, the building has enough room for 1,350 students.
• As of April 10, 2025, there are 1,314 students enrolled.
• We are projected to have almost 1,500 students enrolled at CHS by the end of October 2025.
• These new additions will bring the building up to a classroom capacity of 2,100 students, and include an expansion to the gym and the cafeteria as well.

1. We have a very large, spread-out school district - 89 square miles.
   • Wylie ISD is 40 square miles.
   • Caddo Mills ISD is roughly 69 square miles.
   • Frisco ISD is 75 square miles.
   • Royse City ISD is roughly 75 square miles.
   • Farmersville ISD is roughly 85 square miles.
   • Rockwall ISD is roughly 110 square miles.
2. Limits overcrowding on buses
3. Saves the District $1.2 million
   • A bus costs about $145,000, and takes up to a year to get one
     • We have already ordered three buses for next year
     • May not be here on time
     • Don’t have to buy as many buses

• Change is that students go directly to classes when they arrive, instead of going to the gym or cafeteria
  • Breakfast will still be available
• The day now starts with a “zero hour”, where tutoring and instruction and remediation is available
• These minutes count towards the state’s 75,600 required minutes

We would need to call one in 2026 or 2027 to meet the projected enrollment needs of the District, with Community ISD hitting 10,000 students by 2031-32, and over 20,000 students by 2044-45. Currently, there are 5,392 students enrolled in Brave Nation.

Yes it does. This number includes all staff including administrators, child nutrition, bus drivers, maintenance and operations, financial services, Special Education and Special Programs, teachers, and paraprofessionals.

We only applied for the Air Force at this time, but that is because the government doesn't want you to apply for all of them at the same time. If we do not get into the Air Force, we’ll apply for a different one.

• Basically what AlphaBest currently does.
  • Enhanced enrichment activities
  • Teachers at those campuses will lead it, along with education pathway students at the high school level.
  • STEM lessons
  • Time to be a kid
  • Some energy-burning activities as well
  • Housed at elementary campuses, and only open to Pre-K to 5th grade
  • Open from 3:30 to 6:30 pm
• Could also bring in Boys and Girls Club to Community Trails MS
  • Not confirmed yet

It is expected to be within $5 of AlphaBest's current costs.

• No, as only 14 kids are coming on Fridays right now.
• All of the daycares in our area are offering a Friday option.

• No. There is a process that has to happen, and the State does not like when districts split. They would prefer to consolidate districts and merge multiple existing districts into one larger district.
• By state education law, you have to have at least 8,000 students in each new district in order for a district to split. So we would have to have at least 16,000 kids enrolled total to start the process. That won’t be possible until at least 2038-39. At that point, we’ll have moved significantly forward in our plans to respond to growth.

When the bond was passed in 2022, the majority of Brave Nation wanted to stay a one-high school district, based on some informal polling we did at the time. As the District has grown and thousands more families have joined us, that sentiment has changed some. We would not be surprised by either outcome.

Yes, every time a new school opens we’ll have to re-zone at least a little bit to make sure all of our campuses are staffed correctly and are not overcrowded.

We will either have to play all of our games on the road, or rent a stadium for "home" games.

We have already brought in temporary bleachers, restroom trailers, and other measures, but we cannot make any permanent changes to the current stadium without being forced to bring the entire venue into current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. Updating the entire stadium would cost the District millions of dollars that we don't have at this time.

No, any school for any UIL activity can challenge the size of our stadium, and force us to relocate for their game or competition.

• Any timeline will take a significant amount of property growth to pay for it.
• Partly determined by what guidance the Task Force recommends to the Board.

The potential East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) City is located within the bounds of Community ISD, but this planned community has not yet filed paperwork with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). It is not permitted to start ground work until that paperwork is filed and approved. There are also investigations underway from Governor Abbott, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the Texas Rangers.

Yes, the homes and businesses will, but the mosque and other non-profit entities would not.

We will have 775 staff for the 2025-26 school year, not including substitutes.

Of our 775 total staff for the 2025-26 school year, 520 staff (66.8%) are directly related to the day-to-day education of students, including teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, counselors, instructional coaches, and Special Education professionals. Campus front office staff, including clerks, secretaries, and administrators, total 51 across Brave Nation, or about 6.4%. Our Child Nutrition department has 42 campus staff (5.4%), our transportation department has 60 bus drivers (7.7%), Technology has eight campus staff (1%) and our police department has eight officers and two sergeants (1.3%). That brings us to a total of 702 staff (90.6%).

At the District level, there are clerks, administrative assistants, auxiliary staff, and other professionals that total 41 people (5.9%). There are 27 administrators at the District level including Assistant Directors, Directors, Executive Directors, Chiefs, Assistant Superintendents, and the Superintendent (3.5%). Total staff working at the District level are 68, or 8.8%.

We also employ five students part-time across Community ISD, bringing us to a grand total of 775.

This varies at each campus, but across all campuses we're at roughly a 15:1 student to teacher ratio. This includes all classrooms on all campuses, including SPED classrooms and instructors.

• Yes, at the State and local levels we’re constantly researching possible programs that will best prepare students for the modern and future workforces.
• We always want to give kids as many opportunities as possible.
• We have been 100% CCMR certified four of the last five years.
   

• We hope the next project will be the expansion to the high school, Phases 1 & 2. This looks possible at the moment.
• We also currently have work underway on the new CISD Ag Barn and the concession stand at Community Trails Middle School.

Yes, we are currently exploring the possibility of a virtual high school option as soon as the 2025-26 school year. A new bill was passed by the House this legislative session that would make this possible. Pending final approval by the Senate and Governor Abbott, and that we find enough interest from our students and families, it could start as early as the 2025-26 school year.

The best way to encourage commercial properties to come to the District is to refer any interested businesses to your local and county government. Lavon has an economic development corporation, or EDC, that helps interested parties, and both Lavon and Josephine have local Chambers of Commerce. All three cities are happy to help any interested parties through the paperwork and other steps.

Businesses also check social media to gauge interest in an area. If they see negative comments about their businesses or similar businesses, they are less likely to come here.

As we open each campus there are various additions to the expenses of the district.  It is difficult to narrow down the exact impact.  Each year our budget increases due to inflation, cost of living increases, and additional students to serve.  

An additional bond would be needed to complete any projects that were not approved during the 2022 Bond.  We will  not sell the bonds until each amount is verified for financial capacity.  We are hoping that there will be continued increases in the property values will enable the district to move forward with the projects outlined in this bond, and give enough capacity to move forward with a new bond to build the facilities needed by the increase student body numbers.

Right now, we own the land we need to build the projects included in the 2022 bond program. We also own a second plot of land in the Elevon community that would need to be in a future bond, and we are exploring buying additional land if and when it becomes available.

At this time, that is not a concern. While no one can guarantee the future, we use professional services such as a nationally-recognized demographer that also operates in over 440 counties across the United States. So far, our demographer has only been off by about 10 students year-to-year. If you look at the data we presented back during the 2022 bond campaign, which we shared in April and May of 2022, the demographer projected us to 5,240 students on "Snapshot Day" in the 2024-25 school year. When we actually reached Snapshot Day in October 2025 - three years later - we had 5,284 students. Our demographer was within 50 students of predicting our growth - and that prediction was under, not over, the amount of students we actually had. So no, we do not foresee enrollment being very far off of what our predictions have been the last four years.

Yes, most but not all housing developers also develop commercial space. Elevon has multiple commercial areas zoned within their overall development. You can find their plans here: Elevon Community Map

Community ISD meets quarterly with the mayors and city councilors of Lavon, Nevada, and Josephine, as well as Commissioner Williams from Collin County, representatives from TxDOT, and staff members from Representative Candy Noble's office.

We also hold semi-annual summits with our local realtors and developers where we share data and ask them to provide any updates they can on future growth. Some developers meet more regularly with Dr. Knowlton and/or our demographer.

As you can see on our Task Force for Growth slides from the first two sessions, Community ISD has changed quite a bit demographically. We do expect these shifts to continue, as Community ISD is now a majority Hispanic population, and we now have 27 different languages spoken by students and parents across Brave Nation.

No, we love having the input and voices of a large number of stakeholders.  We truly want the recommendations from this committee to be the true will of this community.  It will take hard work and collaboration to get to a consensus, but we are confident that we can get there with this group.

A new stadium would take about a year to complete construction.  Renovating the current stadium would also take about a year to complete.  

So far, our demographer has only been off by about 10 students year-to-year. If you look at the data we presented back during the 2022 bond campaign, which we shared in April and May of 2022, the demographer projected us to 5,240 students on "Snapshot Day" in the 2024-25 school year. When we actually reached Snapshot Day in October 2025 - three years later - we had 5,284 students. Our demographer was within 50 students of predicting our growth - and that prediction was under, not over, the amount of students we actually had.

If you look at our 20-year build out projections, the demographer switched to an average prediction of roughly 1,000 additional students each year, instead of a specific number, after the 10-year mark. The 20-year prediction is less accurate than the one-year or 10-year predictions will be, but still provides a useful framework to make decisions.

We recognize that all of our cities are working hard to increase and enhance the utilities in each area.  We will continue to work with each of the cities to support those endeavors and determine the best ways to meet the needs of our facilities.  

When the bond was passed in 2022, the majority of Brave Nation wanted to stay a one-high school district, based on some informal polling we did at the time. As the District has grown and thousands more families have joined us, that sentiment has changed some. We would not be surprised by either outcome.

As for a split of Community ISD into multiple districts, it is not possible until at least 2038-39, according to Texas law. There is a process that has to happen, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) does not like when districts split. They would prefer to consolidate districts and merge multiple existing districts into one larger district. By state education law, you have to have at least 8,000 students in each new district in order for a district to split. So we would have to have at least 16,000 kids enrolled total to start the process. That won’t be possible until at least 2038-39. At that point, we’ll have moved significantly forward in our plans to respond to growth.

Yes, anything not included in our 2022 bond program will need to be approved by voters in a new bond election.

Financial capacity is generated by appreciating value of current houses and other structures, and the construction of additional houses, apartments, and businesses.

No, McClendon Elementary has enough room for all of its currently-zoned students and all of our dual language students.

The basic allotment from the State of Texas helps us recruit and retain great teachers. We also are a four-day week school, which brought us significantly more candidates with greater experience. As additional students come in, the State of Texas provides a specific amount (the basic allotment) for each student, plus additional funding for SPED needs or other areas. Local taxes also provide funding for us to bring additional staff for our new students.

There is a square footage per student formula used from the state to determine the total capacity. 

As we continue to enroll new students and expand programs, there will be a need to hire additional staff members.  We are continually evaluating the needs of our campuses and programs to determine the needs.  With the right funding from the state, we can move forward with additional staffing to meet the needs of our students.  

The short term goals are to have great discussions and get stakeholder input for important topics in the district.  The long term goals are for the committee to come to consensus on recommendations, and make a recommendation to the board on details for responding to the growth of the district in the future.  

If only a few of our campuses are overcapacity, we will correct zoning to make sure all of our campuses are not overcrowded and staffed appropriately. If all buildings are overcapacity, we will add temporary buildings, which must be paid for by our maintenance and operations budget, and cannot be paid for by the "interest and sinking" budget we use to finance permanent construction through bond sales.

We would need to start considering the next bond in the next two years to meet the needs of the population growth.

We have made great strides and progress in evaluating and enhancing the education in our classrooms.  We have established standards for all of our classrooms, and are now monitoring and evaluating the implementation of those standards.We are seeing improvements with student growth each year, and we expect to continue to see this in the future.

Community ISD meets quarterly with the mayors and city councilors of Lavon, Nevada, and Josephine, as well as Commissioner Williams from Collin County, representatives from TxDOT, and staff members from Representative Candy Noble's office.

As long as developers are seeing demand from homebuyers and businesses, they will continue to grow, as long as they are approved by Collin or Hunt County, and by state offices such as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Currently there are only location plans for #6, # 7 and #8.  #6 is planned for the Elevon community, #7 is planned for the Riverfield community, and #8 is planned for the second site in the Elevon community.  We will continue to monitor the locations of growth and determine the location of future campuses based on the needs.  

There are currently apartment homes called "Yardly at Elevon" in the Lavon area, and there are apartment complexes and other townhomes projected to open soon. Our demographer has predicted about 2,100 apartments in total to be open within the next few years.

At this time, there are not many private schools close enough to Community ISD to make much of an impact on our growth, and even fewer that are on the approved list of private schools to receive SB2/HB3 funding. However, if educational savings accounts (ESAs) or vouchers continue to be offered for the long term, eventually a private school could open in our area.

We would love to partner with all of the community.  We have lots of committees, booster clubs, PTOs, our Education Foundation, and other volunteer opportunities.  Our committee that will examine the growth specifically and make recommendations to the school board will be the Task Force for Growth.  Being part of that committee will give you a voice and input into what is recommended to our board.  As a member of the committee, we also ask that you spread the word around the community and bring back feedback so we have the voice and will of the community in the recommendations.

Currently, there are no plans for renovations or expansions of the Brave Center.  However, we are continually looking for ways to make all of our spaces better for our students and our staff.  Future plans include some transition behavior units on each campus to help our students with behavioral issues.  

The Copeville area is mostly in the ETJ of Farmersville, so knowledge of projects would be in the Farmersville city.  However, Collin County would be approving the permits for building in that area.  

The issuance of any bond would not add any tax rate to the current residents.  The I&S tax rate is used for all bond payments.  That rate is set at .50 cents already, and that is as high as it can go.  So the additional capacity and money for new bonds would come from additional property value in new residential and commercial buildings.  

We currently have portables at the high school campus only.