Board Highlights

Cindy Angle (Matzke); Kristine Berger (Sheridan); Joanne Bickford (Kirk); Julie Broussard (Emmott); Jane Ann Brown (Francone); Liz Bruce (Cypress Falls); Bunny Cherin (Hamilton MS); Ashley Clayburn (Post); Christie Coker (Thornton); Chaere Coriell (Millsap); Stacey DeLafosse (Lieder); Karl Dunn (Jowell); Stacie Everson (Arnold); Sherry Gary (Carlton); Holly Hays (Horne); Kathy Hoover (Labay); Beverly Howe (Lamkin); Jackie Jackson (Metcalf); Cindy Jones (Willbern); David C. Kastor (Farney); Jeanne Keyes (Moore); Carolyn Lacy (Holbrook); Beverly Lane (Bang); Andrea Lembcke (Lowery); Jimmie E. Lewis, Sr. (ABC); Judy Linville (Watkins); Sue McGeary (Ault); Jennifer Mack (Cypress Springs); Tara Magallan (Truitt); Valerie Manton (Wilson); Karen Miller (Jersey Village); Rebecca Mitchell (Langham Creek); Steve Morrell (Windfern); Jo Ness (Adam); Michele Osborn (Fiest); Malia Passmore (Owens); Debby Pellow (Holmsley); Marilyn Prine (Cypress Creek); Patty Queen (Cy-Fair); Ann McMillen Raines (Campbell); Judy Reidy (ALC); Kathryn Reily (Hamilton); Carol Rendall (Reed); Rebecca Renfrow (Yeager); Peggy Roberts (Watkins); Karen Robinson (Bleyl); Alison Schmidt (Copeland); Susan Shipman (Adam); Trish Smith (Hairgrove); Theresa Talbot (Cook); Melissa Tiegerman (Bane); David Vaughn (Gleason); Barbara Votaw (Dean); Julia Wolverton (Walker); Terri Womack (Frazier); Donna Woods (Hancock); and Angie Yurch (Truitt).

• The Board recognized the following students who earned membership in various all-state music organizations: Melissa Blassingame, Ben Schatte, and Darren Smith, Cypress Creek; Meredith Hemmenway, Jeff Loeffertt, Rachel Walker, and Kristilyn Woods, Cy-Fair; Erica Chung, Laura Proffit, and Audrey Ramos, Cypress Falls; Patrick Kelley, Robert Lynn, and Amanda McFarlin, Cypress Springs; Kathryn Nelson, Jennifer Norris, and Tej Paranjpe, Jersey Village; and Allison Bing, Charlsie Bondy, Garrett Bredenkamp, Misty Crowe, Robby Halsor, Amy Heidbreder, Steve Hicks, Jessica Irvin, Sarah Lopes, Brian Martin, Clayton Morgan, Ken Moses, Kevin Pan, Danny Struzick, Kelvin Wilkes, and Aimee Winkler, Langham Creek.
• Students who placed first and second place in journalism at the state Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC) were recognized by the Board. First place winners are Cypress Falls students Brent Bunger and Holly Sauer; Jersey Village students Neer Patel and Lindsey Randolph; and placing second are Arnold students Chris Condon and Sara Schutz; Cypress Falls students Bo Allaire and Crystal Villasana; and Cypress Creek student Sarah Tan.
• Langham Creek Athletic Trainer Tom Woods was recognized for being selected the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer for 200l by the National Athletic Trainers Association.
• The Board recognized Rufus (Ray) Cooper, electronic repair technician in the District Repair Center, for being selected the Educational Services Personnel Committee’s Spotlight employee for school year 2000-2001. Eric Roberson, head custodian at Hamilton MS, was chosen runner-up.
• The Board recognized the District Paraprofessional Services Committee’s 2000-2001 Spotlight employee Richard Perez, teaching assistant at ALC, and Spotlight runner-up Tawanna Liggett, a kindergarten aide at Lamkin.

In March, TEA officials from the Equal Educational Opportunity Unit visited Bane, Francone, and Frazier Elementaries because of their 66 percent minority student population. The data on these schools was based on the 1999-2000 PEIMS report. The purpose of the visit was to determine if students at these campuses are receiving educational opportunities equal to students enrolled on campuses with a minority population fewer than 66 percent. (Ault was visited as a comparison school.)

Areas reviewed and the recommendations made by the review team include: (1) Student Assignment to Campuses: Continue to develop strategies that will effectively reduce the presence of racially identifiable campuses; (2) Student Assignment to Classrooms: Consider ethnicity in assigning students to classes to the same degree as other factors such as gender, ability, and achievement; and (3) Recruitment and Faculty/Staff Assignments: Continue to examine district and campus hiring practices to determine personnel needs and to promote greater diversity, and strive to ensure the ethnic percentage of faculty on each campus reflects the district-wide teacher ethnic population. The District was commended for making excellent progress in the area of minority recruitment and for the availability (and equity of distribution) of materials, supplies, and technology.

The District has been awarded a grant in the amount of $13,254.00 to support our Advanced Placement Programs in math, science, and computer science. The Board gave its approval for the District to receive the funds (which is one of the requirements of the grant).

Dean Middle School has received a 21st Century Grant, which will fully fund a recreational summer program provided for identified at-risk students at Dean. Students will be provided with opportunities to participate in fun, physically stimulating, and creative recreational activities. In addition, they will have opportunities to develop and refine their problem-solving, critical, and creative thinking skills. The program will be held May 29-June 15.

The Board approved the Administration’s request to submit an application for an Air Force Junior ROTC unit at Cypress Ridge High School. This will enable students at Jersey Village and Cypress Falls, who are currently enrolled in the program, to have access to the four-year program when they move to Cypress Ridge at the beginning of the 2002 school year. Cypress Springs will imitate an Air Force Junior ROTC program this coming school year.

The Board approved on second reading Policy EIE (Local): Academic Achievement Promotion and Retention--Middle School. Changes in this policy include requirements for summer school attendance for students not meeting promotion standards, options for attendance in summer programs designed to accelerate student progress, and the requirement for a student who meets promotion standards to repeat a course when it is failed in two consecutive years.

The Board approved on second reading amendments to policy DEC (LOCAL) Compensation and Benefits: Leaves and Absences.

The Board approved staff promotions and appointments to the following:

• Martha Vardeman, director of instruction at Jersey Village, was named principal of Windfern HS, beginning with the 2001-2002 school year. She is replacing Principal Marvin Webster who will replace Labay MS Principal Bob Warner. (Bob will assume the duties of principal at Cy-Fair High School, when Jodie Smith begins her duties at the Central Administration Office.)
• Darlene Medford, assistant principal at Campbell MS, will be the new principal at Truitt MS, replacing Debbie Emery who will be joining Superintendent Rick Berry’s staff.
• Lesa Cain, assistant principal at Horne Elementary, will replace Dawn Triska as principal of Copeland Elementary. Dawn has taken a position in the District Personnel Department.
• The new director of purchasing is Nancy Green, currently the director of purchasing for Conroe ISD. Nancy is replacing Colleen Wells who was recently named senior director of purchasing.

The Board approved the District’s 2001-2002 Annual Action Plan designed to carry out the goal priorities established for the coming school year.

The Board approved the Administration’s request to establish the District as a freeport entity in an effort to encourage companies to relocate to the area. Companies that apply for freeport exemption will not be taxed on goods that are assembled, stored, manufactured, processed, or fabricated, and transported out of the state of Texas no later than 175 days after the date the company acquired the goods.

As of May 4, thirty-six companies have filed for freeport exemption status with the District, and 86 percent of the companies have provided payment for two years of taxes to make up for funds lost to the District for the first year of the exemption. This money will be budgeted over a two-year period--gaining interest--and used to fund the District’s maintenance and operation budget. (Districts offering a freeport exemption lose tax money the first year; however, the following year, the money is taken off the tax rolls and funding equalized by the state.) All companies--freeport approved or otherwise--are required to pay taxes on their facility and on inventory detained in Texas.

The District began studying the freeport exemption issue in 1990, and in 1993, the Board adopted a resolution to continue studying the issue. The Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce and several local businessmen financed a study on freeport exemption in 2000, which was conducted by Lynn Moak, with Moak Casey and Association, consultants in Austin, Texas.

The Board approved the Administration’s request to build two new facilities: Security Department and an annex to ISC. The new security facility will be located adjacent to Telge Transportation (across from Arnold MS), where it will be more centrally located in the District. The 5,000 square foot facility, which can be expanded another 1,700 square feet, will have 15 covered parking spaces for district vans. The estimated cost of the building is $948,243.00 and is anticipated to be completed around March or April of 2002. The DARE Department will be housed in a temporary building behind the new security facility.

A three-story annex to the Instructional Support Center will be built at the corner of Jones and Fallbrook Roads. An additional 27 parking spaces will also be built, bringing the total parking spaces on the ISC complex to 582. The new building will provide offices for Athletics, Staff Development, Student Services, Tax Office, and Technology Departments and should be completed by July 2002.

The Administration anticipates being able to go to the Board in September with a recommendation from the 30-member Bond Steering Committee. Allowing the Board’s input and comments in October and with the Board’s approval, a bond election could be called for December 8, 2001.

The District will face dire budget issues during the coming school year, due to the way the state is financing education and by placing more of the burden on the local taxpayers. The following are some of the concerns that are causing a reduction in budgets throughout the District:

• A change in state funding for students based on average daily attendance (ADA), will cause the District to lose an anticipated $20 million ($314 less per student).
• Because of growing property values state-wide, the state saved approximately $1.2 billion dollars of state equalization money. Instead of keeping it for education, it was "piece-milled" out to help with Medicare payments and for the state’s health plan for educators.

(For more information, read the May issue of the District’s internal newsletter, Employee Connection.)