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RECOGNITIONS
The Board of Trustees honored the following elected officials for their dedication and service:
· State Representative Bill Callegari, District 132, who was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, for his service to the Cy-Fair community.
In honor of Texas School Board Recognition Month, Superintendent Designee Pam Wells led district staff in recognizing the six members of the Board of Trustees for their dedication, leadership and continued service to the children of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. A small reception was held in the trustees’ honor.
Additionally, the superintendent designee recognized students and staff members for honors and achievements earned in recent weeks. Congratulations were extended to the following:
· Two Aragon Middle School students made it to the finals of the Barbara Jordan Public Speaking Competition sponsored by the Alley Theater. Out of four girls and four boys to advance, Ashley Arbilo, an eighth grader and Brock Burdyl, sixth grader, made it to the finals of the T.F. Freeman Competition. The students delivered their speeches Monday night at the Alley Theatre and were named as runners-up. This is the first time Cy-Fair students have entered this competition and Wells extended her congratulations to the students and their teachers, Amy Piotroswki, eighth grade Language Arts teachers and Eli Rodriguez, seventh grade Language Arts teacher and team leader.
· Aragon Middle School students also competed in the essay portion of the Barbara Jordan Competition. This contest is open to all seventh grade public school, private school and home school students in the greater Houston area. The purpose of this competition is to encourage students to think critically about Barbara Jordan’s rich legacy of community and justice and to reflect on these values in their own lives. Two Aragon students were among the top five winners. Danielle Brown won first place and Jenna Fahle placed fourth. Congratulations to these students and their mentor teacher, Nancy Hartman.
Ms. Wells reported the following results of the annual FFA Livestock Show and Fair held February 5-7:
· From Cy-Fair High School, Caleign Shockley had the grand champion hog; Rachel Wall had the grand champion lamb; Charles Bertani had the grand champion turkey; and Kenton Schwenke had the reserve champion fryer rabbit.
· From Cypress Creek High School, Zach Ivey showed the grand champion steer; Justin Clark showed the reserve champion steer;
· From Cypress Springs High School, Sarah Baker showed the reserve champion broiler;
· From Cypress Falls High School, John McMillen showed the reserve champion lamb; Riley Lawson showed the reserve champion goat; and Mark Hansen showed the grand champion fryer rabbit.
· From Cypress Springs High School, Naomi Allgood showed the reserve champion hog; Erica Robinson showed the grand champion goat; and Bryan Wilson showed the reserve champion turkey.
· From Langham Creek High School, Michael Seale showed the grand champion broiler.
In addition to the premium auction, the following students’ animals were recognized as winners:
· Cypress Creek student Zach Ivey had the grand champion heifer and Felicia Weaver had the reserve champion breeding rabbit.
· From Cy-Fair High School, Michael Baldwin had the reserve champion heifer and Rachel Wall had the grand champion breeding rabbit.
The gross sales for the premium auction this year were $330,700, which is an increase of $82,050 over last year. In addition, those who were not in the premium auction raised approximately another $100,000 from the freezer sale of livestock.
Ms. Wells congratulated all of the students who participated in the Livestock Show and Fair this year. She said they all learned a lot and worked very hard. She also thanked the high school staffs who supported the efforts of these students and for the staff in the Career and Technology Department at the Instructional Support Center, particularly Bob Singletary and Tom Schaeffer, who work hard every year to provide the students and community with a quality experience.
NEW PRINCIPALS
Following the approval of employee transactions for the month of February, the Board of Trustees recognized current Yeager Elementary assistant principal Howard Diacon as the new principal for Holbrook Elementary and current Ault Elementary assistant principal Michael Maness as the new principal for Jowell Elementary. The two men will replace current Holbrook principal Deborah Harbin and Jowell principal Patty Mooney who were named at the January 20 Board meeting as the principals to open Duryea Elementary and Keith Elementary, respectively.
TRUSTEE TRAINING
In accordance with Texas Education Code and State Board of Education regulations, Board President Bill O’Brien announced the name of each board member who has completed, exceeded or who is deficient in the continuing education required under law. Each trustee is required to complete three hours in team building and five hours in continuing education. O’Brien announced that every CFISD trustee has completed or exceeded the minimum number of hours for continuing education and commended newest trustee John Ogletree for leading the group with 50 hours of training.
BOARD MEETING CALENDAR
Trustees approved the official Board meeting calendar for 2004-2005. The July 2004 meeting was cancelled to facilitate vacations for Board members and district staff. Board meetings are scheduled for August 9, September 13, October 12, November 8, December 13, January 18, February 14, March 3, April 11, May 9 and June 13. Work sessions are scheduled for August 5, September 9, October 7, November 4, December 9, January 13, February 10, February 28, April 7, May 5 and June 9. The Board Goal-setting Workshop has been set for February 18 and 19, 2005.
ELECTION ORDER
The Board approved an order calling for an election on Saturday, May 15, 2004, for Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District trustee Position 1, currently held by Board Vice President Al Martinez and Position 2, previously held by Terry Newcomer, who resigned in June 2003. Following Newcomer’s decision to step down, trustees voted to leave the Position 2 seat vacant until the May 2004 trustee election.
In the subsequent agenda item, trustees also approved a joint election agreement with North Harris Montgomery Community College District to conduct its trustee election in conjunction with the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD election. CFISD and the college district will share election expenses. Additionally, the Board authorized the district to hire an election consultant to manage the May 15 trustee election.
EASEMENT AGREEMENT
Trustees approved the recommendation to grant a 0.4988 acre waterline easement and a 0.5050 acre temporary construction easement, which are located on district property adjacent to Taylor Road, to the West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA). The Authority will pay CFISD the appraised value of property ($2,184) in addition to all costs incurred by the district associated with the transaction as described in the written agreement between CFISD and WHCRWA.
WEST ORANGE COVE LITIGATION
Trustees briefly discussed the few updates related to the West Orange Cove Consolidated School District vs. Alanis lawsuit, which challenges the public school finance system in Texas. Board President Bill O’Brien reported that he was still unable to contact State Senator Kyle Janek, District 17, but would continue his efforts to speak with him about school finance issues and the ongoing litigation. Trustees chose to keep this matter as a discussion item for future Board meetings.
SUPERINTENDENT DESIGNEE’S BRIEFING
Superintendent Designee Pam Wells announced that TAKS testing for district students begins this month. The following testing will occur on February 24:
· Students in grades 4 and 7 will take the writing test
· Ninth-graders will take the reading test
· Students in grades 10 and 11 will take the English/language arts test
Seniors new to the district and those taking make-up TAKS tests will be testing on February 24-26. All third graders will be taking the TAKS reading test March 3. Wells reminded everyone that these are important tests for all students and asked that parents help their children get a good night’s rest, provide them with a healthy breakfast and send them to school with plenty of encouragement. She is confident that students are prepared and will do a great job on their exams.
Students and teachers will be observing Presidents’ Day Monday, February 16, 2004 with a school holiday. Classes will resume Tuesday, February 17, 2004.
Wells also announced that the annual Board Goal Setting Workshop is scheduled for February 20 and 21 in the Boardroom of the ISC. Parents, employees and community members have had opportunities to provide input to help the Board establish priorities for the district for the coming school year. Two hearings were held regarding the budget and long-range plan. Anyone who wishes to provide input before the workshop may contact the CFISD Communication Office at 281-807-8939. The workshop is open to the public. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, February 20 and resume Saturday February 21 from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
AGENDA ITEMS
In other action, the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees:
· received a report on a TASA and TASB communication campaign, Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools;
· received a written report on legislative issues and the activities of the State Board of Education, Texas School Alliance and the Fast Growth School Coalition;
· approved the superintendent designee’s contract recommendations for the school year 2004-2005 of administrators;
· approved the superintendent designee’s contract recommendations for the school year 2004-2005 of non-teaching professional staff;
· approved the budget amendment for the period October 1, 2003 through December 31, 2003;
· approved the submission of a class size waiver request to the Texas Education Agency for Yeager Elementary School;
· authorized tax refunds $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and/or the Harris County Education District in the amount of $5,614.15;
· approved bids and contracts from recommended vendors for goods and services; and
· approved 79 personnel recommendations, resignations, retirements, promotions, terminations and discharges. |
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