Board Highlights

Board Highlights
Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District	March 2001

RECOGNITIONS

The Board recognized the following students who won superior ratings at the 2000 Texas Thespian State Festival: Langham Creek -Justin Battin, Jamila Brown, Sarah Chmura, Stephen Daspit, Cadien Dumas, Jeremy Hoffman, Steven Kemp, Jenny Lucy, Michelle Martinez, Emily Miner, Jonathan Stokes, and Kelly Strauss; Cypress Creek-Elizabeth Berlinger, Keith Cochran, Jessie Douglas, Alex Garza, Breandan Jennings, Rachel Landon, Robbie McDonough, Jenny Martin, Ross Mohr, David Montoya, Allison Organ, Natalia Sinatora, Shannon Smith, Jenny Stone, Kate Sumrow, Jeff Taylor, Krystal Villarreal, and Jeff Wisnoski; Cypress Falls-Gregory Bonsignore, Craig Brown, Jonathan Burwell, Brook Costa, Jaron Davison, Sara Elsen, Adam Flunker, Rick Guerrero, Meghan Hammonds, Olivia Hawkins, Hillary Holcomb, Craig Jorczak, Adam Kirby, Joe Mabile, James Morley, Kym Ngo Sr., Kim Ngo Jr., Jessica Portlock, Melanie Price, Lisa Salazar, Sammy Schoenfield, Allisa Simmonds, Victoria Sloan, Ben Stay, Kevin TenEyck, Brandon Wyble, and Fred Yost.

The Board recognized the following students who received a Gold Key Award in the Scholastic Art Awards regional competition: Cy-Fair-Nadine Kelsall, Joe Ross, and Matt Ross; Cypress Falls-John Livas, Lyndsey Pase, and Kimberly Schaefer; Jersey Village-Edmundo Abasolo, Baylee Arrington, Crystal Cathey, Tamara Lewis, Andrew Mitcham, and Chinong Nanthavongdouangsy; and Langham Creek-Kristen Bradford.

The Board recognized June Jaronitzky, an eighth-grade U.S. history teacher at Watkins Middle School, for being selected Outstanding Middle School Social Studies Teacher 2000 for the Texas Council for the Social Studies.

The Board recognized Cypress Falls High School teacher Dena Johnson for being selected one of twelve high school teachers awarded The Texas Excellence Award for Outstanding Teachers 2001 from the University of Texas College of Education and the Texas Exes Association.

The Board recognized Dr. Cheryl Salyards for being selected Director of the Year for 2001 by the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education. The award was given to Dr. Salyards in recognition of her outstanding and dedicated service to students with disabilities.

The Board recognized the following students awarded the Gold Key Award for writing: Christi Bailey and Christian Carpenter from Cypress Creek; Laura Stewart from Cy-Fair; Florence Chen from Jersey Village; Justin Latiokaus from Langham Creek; Mat Orchard from Hamilton MS; and Angela Mao and Lauren Windle from Labay MS.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS

The Board approved the following summer opportunities for secondary students: TAAS Exit-Level tutorial (Windfern HS); Credit Plus (Jersey Village HS); Ninth-Grade Summer Academy (includes Algebridge) will be offered at each high school; Accelerate to Algebra (offered at middle school summer school locations); Carverdale Summer Reading Program (Macedonia Baptist Church); Willow Green Apartment Tutoring Program; Science Olympiad Summer Camp (Science Resource Center); Scholars Program, PSAT Prep (a session will be offered at each high school), and Teen Parenting Program (Windfern HS).

These opportunities address Board goal lA-l: Continue to provide for all students a well-balanced challenging curriculum with appropriate learning experiences which focus on identified priority objectives.

DISTRICT TEXTBOOKS
The Board approved the District Textbook Committee's recommendations for 2001-2002.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS

The Board approved the Administration’s request to solicit a waiver from TEA limiting the number of foreign exchange students for each high school to five (5) students for each of the following three years: 2001-2002, 2002-2003, and 2003-2004.

STUDENT TRANSFERS

The Board approved the Administration’s student transfer status for district schools for the 2001-2002 school year. District schools have been designated as (a) open for a specified number of student transfers; (b) regular transfer status following policy and regulations; (c) closed for all transfers except children of district employees; or (d) closed (N) for all new transfers. The superintendent or designee may make an exception for extenuating circumstances, as authorized by FE (Local).

The following schools are designated as:

Open (to 25 transfer students): Frazier, Hancock, Holmsley, and Jowell Elementaries; Arnold, Goodson, and Thornton Middle Schools;
Regular: Hamilton (Elementary), Holbrook, Kirk, Lowery, Millsap, Moore, and Wilson Elementaries; Truitt Middle School; and Cypress Springs High School;
Closed: Adam, Bane, Bang, Francone, Gleason, Horne, Owens, Post, and Walker Elementaries; Aragon, Campbell, Cook, Dean, Hamilton (MS), Labay, and Watkins Middle Schools.
Closed (N): Ault, Copeland, Emmott, Farney, Fiest, Hairgrove, Lamkin, Lieder, Matzke, Metcalf, Reed, Sheridan, Willbern, and Yeager Elementaries; Bleyl Middle School; and Cy-Fair, Cypress Creek, Cypress Falls, Jersey Village, and Langham Creek High Schools.

BOARD LONG-RANGE PLAN PRIORITIES

The Board approved the long-range plan priorities established for the 2001-2002 school year at the annual goal-setting workshop held February 23-24.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NO. 35

The Board approved the Administration’s request to award a contract to Gamma Construction Company for the construction of Elementary School #35 in the amount of $8,092,080. The school will have 92,654 sq. ft. at a cost of $87.34, which is among the lowest construction cost in the Gulf Coast Region, and will be a repeat of Gleason Elementary. The school will be built in the Coles Crossing subdivision and is scheduled to open in August of 2002.

ATTENDANCE BOUNDARY CHANGE
The Board approved an administrative recommendation for an attendance boundary change for the Villages of Cypress Creek apartment complex. The apartment complex will be rezoned from Matzke Elementary to Hancock Elementary effective immediately.

BOND ISSUE RECOMMENDATION

The board approved the process for developing a bond issue to research the five-year needs of the district. Chairman of the 30-member steering committee will be Mike Brezina, director of leadership development for Compaq Computer Corporation and a Cy-Fair parent. Co-chair/Liaison will be Pam Wells, who will be a non-voting member of the committee.

The first meeting of the Bond Steering Committee will be March 20, 2001, from 7-9 p.m. in the Board Room of ISC. Subcommittees will begin meeting Monday, April 2 at ISC.

CONTRACTS APPROVED

The Board approved the Superintendent’s contract recommendations for teachers and paraprofessionals as presented in the 2001-2002 Staff Recommendation Book.

STAFF APPOINTMENTS

The Board approved the Superintendent’s recommendation for the following new positions and replacements:

Kelli Durham, assistant to the superintendent, has been named assistant superintendent for communications;

Jodie Smith, principal of Cy-Fair High School, will assume the duties of assistant superintendent for secondary school administration.

Dan Troxell, principal of Jersey Village High School, will assume the duties of assistant superintendent of school and community relations. (He will replace Bill Carpenter who has taken a similar position in HISD.)

Colleen Wells, director of purchasing, has been named senior director of support services. (She will assume the duties of Norm Cunningham, who retired at the end of the 2000 school year.)

Robert Borneman, director of instruction at Arnold Middle School, will replace Vicki McComas as principal at Cook Middle School. Ms McComas will be the principal of Aragon Middle School.

Sarah Harty, associate principal at Cypress Springs, was named principal of Cypress Springs. She will replace Principal Allan Meek who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Susan Higgins, administrative intern, will replace Phyllis Hamilton at Arnold Middle School. Ms. Hamilton will be the principal of Goodson Middle School.

NEW SCHOOL NAMESAKES

Elementary school #35 has been named Nancy Marsh Sampson Elementary. Nancy began her teaching career at Matzke Elementary where she taught for two years, before becoming an assistant principal (at Matzke). She was the first principal of Adam Elementary, and later, opened Horne, then Hairgrove Elementary where she remained until her retirement at the end of the 2000 school year with 32 years of service in the District. Sampson Elementary will be built in Coles Crossing subdivision and will open in August 2002.

Elementary school #36 has been named Barbara Warren Birkes Elementary. Barbara retired in 1994 as principal of Jowell Elementary after 35 years in education, of which 30 years were in CFISD. She was a teacher at Bane and Lamkin, an assistant principal for one year at Bane, and a principal at Post for 10 years and at Jowell for 8 years. The site for Birkes Elementary has not been determined.