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RECOGNITIONS

The Board of Trustees recognized the following students and staff members for their achievements:

• Cypress Ridge High School teacher Dawn McGuffin Nixon, who was selected as the Texas Council for the Social Studies High School Teacher of the Year for 2007, and who received the National Council for Geographic Education Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award; and

• Cypress Ridge High School teacher Allen Roberds, who was selected as the Texas Council for the Social Studies Outstanding NOVA Teacher of the year for 2007.

Additionally, the superintendent recognized a group of students and staff members for honors and achievements earned in recent weeks. Congratulations were extended to the following:

• Christie McWilliams , Language Arts teacher at Cy-Fair High School, who won the 2007 Carole Vermillion Adult Scholarship from the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. McWilliams will be honored at the Gifted and Talented Association’s annual conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday, Nov. 16. She said she will use the scholarship funds for her University of Houston tuition, where she is currently working toward her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction focusing on Gifted and Talented Education;

• The Cy-Fair, Cypress Woods, Cypress Falls and Langham Creek high school volleyball teams, who qualified for the playoffs. Cypress Woods and Cy-Fair both advanced to the second round, and Cypress Woods ended its season as a bi-district champion. Cy-Fair advanced to win the Class 5A Region III title and will play in the state semifinals on Friday, Nov. 16, in San Marcos;

• The Cypress Woods and Cy-Fair high school tennis teams, who finished in first and second, respectively, in district;

• The Cypress Falls and Cy-Fair high school boys cross country teams, who finished second and third, respectively, in district; and the Cy-Fair, Cypress Falls and Cypress Woods high school girls cross country teams, who finished first, second and third, respectively, in district, during the Oct. 26 district cross country meet. The following runners placed at regionals: Nicole Peters, senior at Langham Creek High School, won the district girls cross country title, placed fifth at regionals and sixth at state. Jordan Hopper, sophomore at Cypress Falls High School, was the district runner-up and placed ninth at regionals and 10th at state; and

• The record 938 CFISD participants and 79 teams who raised more than $32,000 for the 2007 Northwest Harris County Heart Walk, held Nov. 3 at Cy-Fair College and benefiting the American Heart Association. Cy-Fair ISD was the overall top fundraiser, and the district’s top teams were the ISC Super Steppers, Cy Springs Panthers, Thornton Patriots, Cook Heart Heroes, ISC Wellness Warriors and Black Bearcats. Cypress Springs had 54 walkers on its team. Dr. Anthony thanked all the employees who participated in the worthwhile cause of fighting heart disease and stroke.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSIGNMENTS

Sarah Harty , the current principal at Cypress Springs High School,was named the new principal for Cypress Lakes High School, which will open for the 2008-2009 school year. Harty has served as the principal at Cypress Springs for the last seven years, and has spent all 25 years of her education career with Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.

Darlene Medford , the current principal at Cy-Fair High School, was named the new principal for Cypress Ranch High School, which will open for the 2008-2009 school year. Medford has served as the principal at Cy-Fair for the last four years and prior to that was the principal at Truitt Middle School for three years. She has worked in education for 26 years—18 of which were in CFISD.

Stuart Snow , the former associate superintendent for financial and support services divisions at Spring ISD, was named the new associate superintendent for business services for CFISD. He takes the place of George Hobson, who will retire at the end of the fall semester.

ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS

The Board held a public hearing to discuss the 2007 accountability ratings for the district and its campuses.

Seven elementary schools received an Exemplary rating; 24 elementary schools and five middle schools received a Recognized rating; and 14 elementary schools, nine middle schools and eight high schools received an Academically Acceptable rating. No CFISD schools were rated Academically Unacceptable.

2008-2009 CALENDAR

The Board approved the Calendar Committee’s recommendation for the 2008-2009 instructional calendar, which includes the following key dates:

• Monday, Aug. 25, 2008 : first day of school;
• Sept. 1 : Labor Day, student/staff holiday;
• Nov. 26-28 : Thanksgiving holiday;
• Dec. 22 – Jan. 5 : Winter Break for students;
• Dec. 22 – Jan. 2 : Winter Break for staff;
• March 16-20 : Spring Break;
• June 3 : end of school year; and
• Oct. 13, Jan. 19 and April 13 : inclement weather days.

BOND UPDATE

The Board discussed the unofficial results of the Nov. 6, 2007 Bond Election. The school district drew a majority vote from the community, with the uncanvassed count at 12,388 votes cast FOR and 10,077 votes cast AGAINST the referendum. The approval rating for the bond referendum was 55.14 percent.

The Board approved the contract award for the construction of Jodie Blair Smith Middle School (No. 16) to be located on the 130-acre multi-campus site at Fry Road and Cypress North Houston.

The Board authorized the superintendent or designee to enter into miscellaneous professional service contracts related to Smith Middle School (No. 16) up to the amounts listed below: (1) HVAC System Testing and Balance: up to $100,000.00; (2) Material Testing Services: up to $85,000.00; and (3) Roof Inspection Services: up to $80,000.00.

The Board approved the 0.2146-acre water well easement with Harris County MUD No. 157 located at Hopper Middle School (No. 15).

SUPERINTENDENT’S BRIEFING

The Superintendent’s Student Leadership Conferences were held recently with 384 student leaders from district middle and high schools convening at the Berry Center. The theme of this year’s conference was “Believe-Achieve-Succeed.” Dr. Anthony shared with the students some of his thoughts and ideas about leadership and challenged them to make a positive difference on their respective campuses. The students worked with their principals to design an action plan to improve the overall climate and cultural experiences on their campuses. Dr. Anthony will meet with student leaders again in the spring to discuss outcomes and results of their action plans.

Schools will be closed Nov. 22-23 in observance of the Thanksgiving holidays. Support facilities, including the Instructional Support Center, will close Nov. 22-23. Dr. Anthony wished all students and employees a relaxing and safe holiday as we take this time to reflect on the many freedoms and blessings we enjoy in this country.

Last Tuesday, the community approved an important bond referendum. It was important for several reasons: (1) it provided the methodology CFISD will use to manage the growth we will experience over the next several years (24,000 in the next five years); and (2) the community re-confirmed their expectations that CFISD shall continue to provide similar programs and buildings for our students, regardless of the geographic location. Dr. Anthony thanked community members who studied the facts and voted in the November election. He said, regardless of how each voter voted, he/she demonstrated his/her commitment to the democratic process. Public education is founded on democratic principles, he added. Additionally, Dr. Anthony publicly thanked the Bond Steering Committee and Ed Hogan, chair. Numerous hours of study and meetings were contributed by committee members who were devoted to the process of analyzing countless data and information in order to make a sound recommendation based on real needs. Committee members also spent many hours communicating their knowledge of the facts to neighbors and community groups so that voters could make an informed decision. Dr. Anthony thanked the Board—who were the bottom-line decision makers—for their ability to keep the entire student body in their focus at all times. Any time CFISD goes to its taxpayers to ask for money, Dr. Anthony said the Board is always diligent in making sure it is a vital need for the students. The Board often takes the heat on tough decisions, fielding the hard questions and comments.

AGENDA ITEMS

In other action, the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees approved:

• bids and contracts to the recommended vendors;
• budget amendments for the period of July 1, 2007 through Sept. 30, 2007 ;
• tax refunds of $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and/or Harris County Education District;
• the sale of district furniture and equipment through a surplus Internet auction to be held in November 2007;
• calling a special-called Board meeting at 8 a.m. on Nov. 19, 2007 , to canvass the votes from the Nov. 6, 2007 , Bond Election;
• on second reading additions, deletions or revisions to district policies:
• BBFA (LOCAL) ETHICS: Conflict of Interest Disclosures
• DBD (LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS: Conflict of Interest;
• the adoption of a resolution to cast its vote for a candidate representing school districts to fill the position on the board of directors of the Harris County Appraisal District;
• the authorization for the Superintendent to enter into interlocal agreements with other school districts in order to provide resources in time of disaster and/or emergency;
• the auditor’s report on the district’s fiscal year ending June 30, 2007 required by provisions of the Single Audit Act of 1984, U.S. Office of Management and Budget Circular A-128;
• the district’s 2007 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and accept the auditor’s report on the district’s general purpose financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007 ;
• on first reading additions, deletions or revisions to district policies:
• CPC (LOCAL) OFFICE MANAGEMENT: Records Management
• DCD (LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES: At-Will Employment
• DFBB (LOCAL) TERM CONTRACTS: Nonrenewal
• DH (LOCAL) EMPLOYEE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT; and
• the 2007-2008 Campus Improvement Plans, including each school’s AEIS targets;
• an amendment to the district’s 2007-2008 Annual Action Plan to address HB 3693 requiring districts to establish a goal to reduce electric consumption by five percent each state fiscal year for six years beginning Sept. 1, 2007.

ADDENDUM

After a public hearing to receive input on a resolution adjusting Trustee terms of office in accordance with Senate Bill 670, the Board approved the adoption of a resolution adjusting Trustee terms of office in accordance with SB 670.

SB 670 calls for annual elections in November beginning in 2008. The November 2008 Trustee Election will be for positions 1 and 2; the November 2009 Trustee Election will be for positions 3 and 4; and the November 2010 Trustee Election will be for positions 5, 6 and 7. Due to the change from a May to a November election, Trustee terms will be extended to 18 months. Trustees will serve three-year terms.