Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District March 2005
RECOGNITIONSThe Board of Trustees recognized the following students and staff members for their achievements:
Additionally, the superintendent recognized students and staff members for honors and achievements earned in recent weeks. Congratulations were extended to the following:
NEW PRINCIPALS Following the approval of employee transactions during its regularly scheduled meeting for the month of March, the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Board of Trustees recognized current Kirk principal, Linda Jefferson, as the new principal of Copeland Elementary and current Metcalf Elementary assistant principal, Christina Cole, as the new principal for Holmsley Elementary. Trustees also recognized Roy Garcia as assistant superintendent for secondary school administration. He is currently serving as principal of Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie ISD. LEGISLATIVE UPDATETrustees received a comprehensive update on federal and state legislation and how those proposals will affect public education. The administration engaged in an in-depth discussion on the committee substitute for HB2 which the administration feels has many negative implications for public education in Texas, including a possible reduction in funding, an increase in unfunded mandates, elimination of Instructional Facilities Allotment (IFA), uniform election dates, and a mandatory start of school date without the local waiver process that has existed the past few years. If the bill becomes law and a uniform start date is created, school would start after Labor Day and would have to end before June 7.
BOND UPDATETrustees approved the construction contract award to Gamma Construction Co. in the amount of $9,293,550 for Elementary School No. 45 located at the northwest corner of Fry Road and Longenbaugh. The recommended contract award is $1,065,450 under the established construction budget included in the 2004 Bond Program. This new school will open for the 2006-07 school year.
ADDITIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES Trustees approved additional summer opportunities for students. Programs adopted for summer school include ESL Enrichment, TAKS Remediation, Accelerate to Algebra, Moving Up in Math, Connecting to IP&C, Stepping Up in Science, Scholars’ Program (PSAT Prep), Carverdale Summer Reading Program, Willow Green Apartment Tutoring Program, Somerset Apartment Tutoring Program, SAT Prep, Middle School Summer Special Education Reading and Math Program, and High School Summer Special Education Reading and Math Program. These programs are in addition to the make-up and original credit summer school programs that will be available. Students will pay limited tuition with scholarships provided for eligible students in programs where tuition is charged.
ROTC APPLICATIONSTrustees approved the submission of applications for Air Force Junior ROTC courses to be offered at Cypress Creek and Langham Creek high schools. Once approved by the U.S. Air Force, students at Cypress Creek and Langham Creek high schools will have access to the 4-year JROTC program and will learn about aerospace science in addition to objectives in leadership, citizenship, community service, and an appreciation for discipline. The AFJROTC promotes academic excellence and encourages students to continue their education after high school. The AFJROTC program is currently in place at Cypress Falls, Cypress Springs, Cypress Ridge and Jersey Village and will be offered at Cy-Fair beginning with the 2005-06 school year.
SUPERINTENDENT’S BRIEFINGThe first meeting of the Legislative Study Committee was March 1 at the Instructional Support Center. This committee is an off-shoot of the School Finance Study Committee that met a number of times last year to study the current school finance system in Texas and the impact it is having on the Cypress-Fairbanks School District. The Texas Legislature is now in session and is considering legislation to address school finance issues and other education-related bills so Dr. Anthony has asked those committee members, along with some new members, to assist the district and community. The committee will stay abreast of the legislation and help plan for community-wide advocacy related to state legislative initiatives. The superintendent has appointed Earl Springer (who so adeptly provided leadership to the Bond Study process last Fall) and Pam Wells, associate superintendent for general administration, as co-chairs of this important committee. On March 2, Dr. Anthony had the opportunity to meet with the 96 high school students who attended the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Conference last October. The purpose of this follow-up meeting is to provide the students an opportunity to share the results of the action plans they designed last October that were aimed at improving the sense of belonging of all students at their school. Building Bridges for Self, Others and School has been the theme this year and the superintendent was looking forward to hearing about their successes and challenges. The agenda for the morning also included a “Town Hall” type meeting with the students where the superintendent had the opportunity to ask questions and receive advice from these young people. Dr. Anthony said that he truly believes that students hold many of the solutions for some of our challenges and he was looking forward to listening to their insights Dr. Anthony reminded the community that students and staff will be enjoying Spring Break next week, March 7-11. Students and staff will return to school on Monday, March 14, 2005. In the event that there is an emergency to be reported, contact the Security department at (281) 897-4337. The annual School Bus Safety Road-e-o will be held Wednesday, March 16 at the Barker Cypress Transportation Center from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This is a new time for the Road-e-o and will allow for more drivers to participate in this challenging test of driving skills and knowledge of traffic safety laws. Winners will represent the district at the regional competition to be held April 9 in Katy ISD. The superintendent has heard that in past competitions some Board members have tried their skill at maneuvering a “big yellow”. He said that he has also heard that Trustee Don Ryan will never be a bus driver in CFISD as he took out a number of the safety cones when he was behind the wheel. In accordance with regulations of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Texas will administer two English language proficiency assessments to measure the progress of our limited English proficient students, kindergarten through 12 th grade, in the domains of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Between March 21 and April 8, all limited English proficient students, kindergarten through twelfth grade, will be evaluated using the Texas Observation Protocol. The Reading Proficiency Tests in English, to be administered March 30th, will measure reading comprehension in English for students in grades 3 - 12. And finally, all 5th grade students will take the Math TAKS test on April 5, 2005. Dr. Anthony wished the students and their teachers much success on these exams and said they have all worked hard this year. Dr. Anthony informed the audience of the graduation dates and times for each of the district’s high schools. They schedule is as follows:
Principals will be providing seniors and their parents more detailed information about graduation activities and procedures in the months to come. The Superintendent encouraged parents to visit the school’s website for current information about graduation. All schools in Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District met the national standard for 2004 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Cy-Fair ISD is the largest district in Texas in which every school met the federal goals showing academic progress last year. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires all public school districts and campuses across the US to be evaluated annually for Adequate Yearly Progress. The AYP requirements in NCLB are based on the following principles for all schools: students’ test results on state-mandated tests; baseline performance standards for reading/language arts and mathematics; test participation standards; student subgroup performance and participation standards; and other measures including high school graduation rates. The district’s curriculum department, students, and campus staff should be congratulated for these results. Dr. Anthony saluted Deanna Swenke for her leadership, her focus and high expectations for all in the district.
AGENDA ITEMS In other action, the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees:
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