Board Highlights

The Board was presented with a review of public education-related issues that were passed following the close of the 77th Texas Legislature. George Hobson, associate superintendent of business services, said that the state will not be providing any new or additional revenues for public schools over the next two years as the focus for education during the latest session was to provide a state health care insurance plan for teachers. The bill that passed, effective with the 2002-2003 school year, requires that districts with 500 employees join the state’s plan but allows all other districts the choice to opt out.

A bill passed establishing a uniformed school start-date will require Texas public schools to begin no sooner than the week of Aug. 21. However, provisions in the bill will allow school districts to hold a public hearing and file a waiver with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to start school earlier if deemed necessary. Effective with the 2002-2003 school year, the bill will not affect the start of the 2001-2002 school year .

The Legislature also increased the Existing Debt Allotment (EDA) and Instructional Facilities Allotment (IFA) funding, improved benefits for current TRS retirees, added a state-funded math initiative, and created pilot programs for electronic Internet-based courses.

Harold Rowe, assistant superintendent of technology services, presented a report to the Board on the district’s Internet safety policies and procedures in conjunction with a public hearing held June 7, in which no citizens elected to speak. Rowe reported that the district has maintained a local policy on Internet safety for more than four years and was already in compliance with a new federal regulation that requires school districts receiving "E-rate" discounts on technology to adopt and enforce such policies. The district currently blocks and filters Internet access to students, has the Internet filtration system updated weekly, does not provide e-mail or electronic-chat programs to students, and requires that teachers monitor student use.

Trustees adopted the budget for the 2001-2002 school year that includes all expenditures mandated by the state and federal government, provides a 3-percent increase for teachers and sets the starting teacher salary at $34,000. Other district employees will receive an increase of 3 percent of the midpoint of their current salary schedule. Employees at or above the maximum will receive 1.5 percent of the midpoint. Nearly 89.36 percent of the entire budget has been allocated for payroll costs.

The budget also provides funding for new teachers and other positions that will be necessary to accommodate student growth, continues funding for at-risk campuses and TAAS programs, and provides for increases in security and safety.

Reductions to expenditures were made in nearly every department district-wide to bring the budget within range of expected revenues while maintaining the district’s goal of providing quality education to students, and attracting and retaining quality teachers. Still, instructional programs will not be impacted by expenditure reductions.

Energy conservation and other utility reductions are being reviewed as a possibility to balance the budget despite considerable increases in recent energy costs and the opening of two new middle schools.

An overview of a study conducted on the district’s Middle School HORIZONS program for the 2001-2002 school year was presented by Lisa Cottle, coordinator of testing and evaluation, and Mary Furman, coordinator of the gifted and talented program. The study was conducted by the district led by a 10-member team of Gifted and Talented experts from CFISD, Klein ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Navasota ISD, Fort Bend ISD and the University of Houston.

The review team considered the program’s design, the curriculum and instruction, and professional development for teachers. Study results were based upon information collected from observation forms for 63 random classroom visits and opinion surveys that were distributed to middle school students, HORIZONS teachers, and campus administrators. Commendations and recommendations were made by the review team and considered by the HORIZONS department coordinator and the district’s curriculum coordinators for implementation within the current budget allocations.

Reports on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) results on the exit-level exam for 2000-2001 juniors and seniors as well as a five-year summary of results for students in grades 3-8 and exit-level were presented to the Board by Bobbie Warner, coordinator for testing and research. For the Class of 2001, only 24 students need to pass one or more of the TAAS tests to receive their diploma. Those students represent 0.6 percent of the entire class, which means 99.4 percent of CFISD seniors who earned sufficient credits to graduate passed all three parts of the TAAS exam.

A five-year survey of the district’s TAAS results since 1997 showed improvements at all levels for all subjects tested, with 8th-grade students demonstrating the highest percentages of passing increases with 10-point gains in both reading and writing scores and an astounding 17-point jump in math scores.

None of the 10 campuses that completed surveys of parents’ opinions on implementing a uniform/standardized dress code for the 2001-2002 school year received the necessary 75 percent favorable rating. Of those completing the survey process, several sites came close to reaching the 75-percent approval mark. District administrators will continue working with principals at those schools to help them attain their goal. Those campuses conducting the surveys were Bane, Farney, Gleason, Holbrook, Horne, Jowell, Kirk, Lamkin and Walker elementary schools, and Jersey Village High School.

Campuses utilizing standardized dress guidelines for 2001-2002 include Francone, Frazier, Holmsley, Metcalf, Owens and Sheridan elementary schools, the Alternative Learning Center, and the Adaptive Behavior Center.

The Board approved an application for a waiver to allow 61 students to participate in physical education activities off-campus during each school year from 2001 to 2004. These courses are individual athletic endeavors taken on by the students with private sports organizations that may provide experiences otherwise not offered by the district. However, UIL guidelines on maintaining academic requirements apply to all students participating in off-campus physical education.

Superintendent Rick Berry said that budget restraints have forced the district to postpone the creation of a UIL wrestling program for another school year. Although Berry said that he considers wrestling as a viable addition to the district’s current athletic offerings, an evaluation of finances and facilities revealed that it will not be possible to add the sport before the 2002-2003 school year. Berry also stated that the wrestling program could begin as a minimal start-up program offered in conjunction with the Cy-Fair Sports Association, which has already extended offers for assistance. The extra year will allow the district to conduct a closer study of the wrestling programs currently being offered by neighboring school districts.