Conservatives Sweep All 4 Seats on Conroe ISD Board

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Despite a heavily contested race with 11 candidates vying for four school board positions, a slate of “conservative moms” easily rode to victory Tuesday, ousting incumbents Datren Williams and Stacey Chase to join the three conservative “mama bears” elected in 2022. This victory makes Conroe ISD the largest school district in Texas with full conservative control.

All four winners, Nichole May, Lindsay Dawson, Melissa Semmler and Marianne Horton were endorsed by both the Texas and Montgomery County GOP. “We are honored by the trust you have placed in us to be your trustees,” said the newly elected board members. “For too long, the board’s priorities have been centered on administrative interests over the needs of our classrooms and their teachers. That ends now. Valuing our teachers starts here, and they will no longer be used as political pawns in policy decisions beyond our control.”

The new trustees will be sworn in on Monday, November 18 at 4 pm and their first meeting is scheduled for November 19 at 6 pm.

The issue of “book banning” was hotly debated throughout social media posts during the campaign where over 300 volunteers actively campaigned against the four conservatives and claimed they were “attacking” teachers. Teachers widely supported incumbents Datren Williams and Stacey Chase, along with candidates Josh Webb and John Robichau.

Melissa Semmler refuted these claims in a Facebook post: “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.” Both Marianne Horton and Semmler have teaching backgrounds.

Incumbent Datren Williams said in a Facebook post that his opponents “falsely claimed” he wanted transgender books in libraries and that it was “awkward” for his opponents to acknowledge that educators overwhelmingly supported him. However, last April, both incumbents Williams and Stacey Chase voted to keep the controversial, sexually explicit transgender book ‘Lily and Dunkin’ in CISD schools. Local activist and mom Michelle Nuckolls exposed graphic quotes from the book along with details of that meeting in her article.

After the election Lindsay Dawson said, “I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support we have received. The community has spoken, loud and clear. Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey.” Marianne Horton commented, “There have been so many ups and a few downs, but at the end of the day, I am honored and humbled to be elected as a Conroe ISD school board trustee.”

Nicole May promised to continue her fight for dyslexic students as a trustee and “bridge the gap between parents and the administration.” As the mother of two dyslexic sons, she was actively involved in recent legislative efforts to help students with similar struggles.

Cassandra Crowe, local resident who supported the four winners said, “These ladies walked through a fiery furnace, with people and forces who attempted to set them ablaze. And thanks be to God, they have walked out without being burned; and they do not even smell of smoke.”

Final percentages of the vote released by Montgomery County are as follows. School board winners are determined by the highest number of votes, regardless of percentage thresholds that apply in other races.

Conroe ISD Trustee, Position 4
Datren Williams -- 39.67%
Nicole May -- 54.82%
Jamison Gentle -- 5.51%

Conroe ISD Trustee, Position 5
Kristin Guardino -- 18.32%
Josh Webb -- 36.06%
Lindsay Dawson -- 45.62%

Conroe ISD Trustee, Position 6
Scott Buzbee -- 17.81%
Stacey Chase -- 38.26%
Melissa Semmler -- 43.93%

Conroe ISD Trustee, Position 7
Marianne Horton -- 61.65%
John Robichau -- 38.35%