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

• The approximate 344 student exhibitors and 490 student projects at the CFISD Livestock Show and Sale . The following students were awarded grand champion or reserve champion: f rom Cy-Fair High School, Brittany Weimann, grand champion rabbit; Brandyn Borden, grand champion swine; Cody Feagin, grand champion breeding heifer; Jessica Osborne, reserve champion turkey; Tyler Kridner, reserve champion goat and broilers; and Tiffany Drews, reserve champion steer; from Cypress Ridge High School, Sarah Owen, reserve champion rabbit; from Cypress Woods High School, Kyle Cox, grand champion broilers; Jessica Hernandez, grand champion lamb; Jessica Keene, grand champion steer and reserve champion breeding heifer; Garrett Rauder, grand champion breeding rabbit; Keith Stravoski, reserve champion swine; and Courtney Grape, reserve champion breeding rabbit; from Jersey Village High School, Bertley Taylor, grand champion turkey and Kevin Sullivan, grand champion goat; and from Langham Creek High School, WhitneyWalker, reserve champion lamb.

Gross sales for the 2008 auction were $407,150. In addition, $93,168 was raised from freezer sales and with $77,700 in donations, the grand total raised was $578,019. Dr. Anthony said the district truly appreciates the community’s continued support for CFISD students, and congratulated the winners, sponsors, parent volunteers, CFISD workers and all the students whose participation made the event successful;

• Winners in the 2008 Scholastic Writing Competition , coordinated by the Harris County Department of Education. The gold and silver level regional winners are:
• Cy-Fair High School: Gold winners:Lauren Boane, personal essay (teacher Christie McWilliams) and Kayla Jones, personal essay (teacher Christie McWilliams);
• Cypress Falls High School: Silver winner:Todd Davidson, poetry (teacher Kausam Salam);
• Cypress Ridge High School : Gold winners:Namrata Daru, personal essay (teacher Marsha Molden) and Duong Mai, personal essay (teacher Marsha Molden). Silver winners:Victoria Delgado, personal essay (teacher Marsha Molden) and Angeline Nguyen, personal essay (teacher Marsha Molden);
• Cypress Woods High School: Gold winners:Austin Baker, poetry (teacher Nikki Self); Patrick Davis, journalism (teacher Candace Tannous); and Katherine Nguyen, personal essay (teacher Susan McHenry). Silver winners:
• Austin Baker , short story (teacher Nikki Self); Esteban Castano, journalism (teacher Candace Tannous); and Lyee Chong, short, short story (teacher Stacy Leonard).

These students were recognized at a reception held at the Harris County Department of Education earlier this month and the gold winners will advance to Nationals in New York this spring;

• The winner and runner-up of the annual district-wide Elementary Spelling Bee, held Feb. 5 at the Berry Center. Rahul Kilambi, a third-grade student from Willbern Elementary, won first place by correctly spelling the words potency and opulent in round 7. Julia Santell, a fifth-grade student from Bang Elementary, was the district’s runner-up. Each elementary school was represented at the district competition and Dr. Anthony said he appreciated the encouragement of parents, teachers and administrators for this event. He congratulated all Spelling Bee champions, and wished the best of luck to both Rahul and Julia, who will advance to the Houston Chronicle Regional Spelling Bee on March 26, along with the winner and runner-up of the Middle School Spelling Bee. The district-wide Middle School Spelling Bee will be held this Wednesday in the ISC Board Room and the winner will be announced at the March Board meeting;

• Students from six CFISD high schools, who attended the Teen Summit on Race Relations at the Berry Center on Jan. 29. Total attendance was over 1,200, including 14 Texas districts, 67 public and nine private schools. More than 200 trained facilitators oversaw this event, including CFISD’s Mike Stirgus, Student Advocate, who is the current president of the Inter-ethnic Forum of Houston, and Chairman of the Teen Summit Committee;

• Jersey Village High School senior Edgar Quintana, who was selected as one of four student ambassadors out of 60 applicants from Houston-area school districts at the Houston Hispanic Forum’s 22nd annual Career and Education Day, held last Saturday. Selection is based on the student’s GPA, community involvement, level of Spanish fluency, communication and leadership skills. Quintana is ranked 58th out of 721 students at Jersey Village, is a National Hispanic Merit Scholar Finalist, Treasurer of the National Honor Society and secretary of the Sr. Student Council. He is a second-year Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Fighter and plans to attend the University of Chicago;

• CFISD students who will have their art showcased in the Ground Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol as part of the Texas Art Education’s Youth Art month Capitol Celebration. The following CFISD students will have their work showcased from Feb. 29 to March 8: Laela Ezzeddine, sophomore at Cypress Creek High School (teacher Sharon Day); Hayden Geary, second-grade student at Hancock Elementary (teacher Justin Gunter); Guadalupe Solis, fifth-grade student at Gleason Elementary (teacher Mary Moody); and Marianna Yoder, eighth-grade student at Hamilton Middle School (teacher Lynette Anderson).

These students have been invited to an awards program and reception on March 2 at the State Capitol in Austin; and

• District swimmers, wrestlers and basketball players, who have begun or are about to begin postseason competition.
  • The district swim meet was held Feb. 1. Varsity men’s results were Cypress Creek, first place; Cypress Springs, second place; and Jersey Village, third place. Varsity women’s results were Langham Creek, first place; Cypress Creek, second place; and Cy-Fair, third place. Regionals were held this past weekend and the following swimmers will advance to state:
    • Women: Jennifer Lamb (who has been named Region 5 Girls Swimmer of the Year) and Kaelee Mader from Cy-Fair; Seraphina Van from Cypress Woods; Paige Fults and Michelle Williamson from Cypress Creek; and Morgan Sharp, Stephanie Rovig, Rachel Olson and Ashley Hanigan from Langham Creek.
    • Men: Neil Caskey (who has been named Region 5 Boys Swimmer of the Year) from Cypress Falls; Peter O’Brien from Cypress Creek; Hunter Lane, Alec Bobst, Alex Carmona and Juan Jaramillo from Cypress Springs; Jonathan Edwards, Peter O’Brien, Stephen Conrad, Cameron Hudson and Patrick Noe from Cypress Creek; Eric Schneider, Hiro Matsumura, Kody Gagne, Eric Doyle and Hudson Rains from Cy-Fair; and Max Lewis from Jersey Village.
  • The district wrestling tournament was held Feb. 2. Varsity men’s results were Cypress Ridge, first place; Cy-Fair, second place; and Cypress Woods, third place. The following individuals will advance to state:
    • Tyler Lukes from Cypress Ridge, John DeMis from Cy-Fair and Derek Shaw from Langham Creek.
  • Varsity women’s results were Cypress Ridge, first place; Cypress Falls, second place; and Cypress Springs, third place. The following individuals will advance to state:
    • Jessica Nguyen and Kendra Lewis from Cypress Ridge; and Julie Smith and Ginger Lanza from Cy-Fair.
  • The regular season has ended for girls basketball, with results as follows:first place, Cy-Fair Lady Bobcats; second place, Langham Creek Lady Lobos; third place, Cypress Falls Lady Eagles; and fourth place, Cypress Springs Lady Panthers. Bi-district playoffs start tomorrow.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSIGNMENTS

The administration reported on the following administrative assignments and/or promotion:

• Barbara Levandoski , the former CFISD special education coordinator, was announced as the new director of elementary special programs and services. Levandoski replaces Pat Smith, who retired this year after many years of service to CFISD.

PUBLIC HEARING

A public hearing was held on Feb. 11 to discuss the required annual report describing the district’s 2006-07 performance on the Academic Excellence Indicator System. No patrons elected to speak at the hearing.

2008 SUMMER SCHOOL PLANS

The Board approved the 2008 summer school plans for elementary, middle school and high school. Elementary summer school will be held at Bang, Tipps, Walker, Willbern, Andre ' , Danish, Hairgrove, Holbrook, Lieder, Owens and Sampson elementary schools beginning on Wednesday, June 11 and ending on Thursday, July 3, 2008.

Hopper, Labay, Spillane and Watkins middle schools were approved for original credit, make-up credit and ESL classes for sixth- through eighth-grade students. High school summer school will be located at Cypress Ridge and Cy-Fair high schools for original and make-up credit.

The first summer session for original credit for both middle and high school students is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, 2008 through Tuesday, July 1, 2008; the second session for original credit is scheduled for Monday, July 14, 2008 through Friday, Aug. 1, 2008. The first summer session for make-up credit for both middle and high school students will be held on Monday, June 16, 2008 through Tuesday, July 1, 2008; the second session for make-up credit will be held on Monday, July 14, 2008 through Tuesday, July 29, 2008. Summer school will not be in session during the week of July 7 – 11, 2008.

BOND UPDATE

A Design Development Presentation was made by Bay Architects, Inc. to the Board for the final

design of Elementary School No. 50, which will be located on Fairfield Place Drive and Schiel Road , with an opening date of August 2009.

The Board approved construction proposals and contracts paid from bond funds to the recommended contractors as follows:

• Package H-2008 Horne Elementary School Renovations;
• Package I-2008 Adam and Moore Elementary Schools Renovations;
• Package J-2008 Dean Middle School Renovations; and
• Package K- 2008 Hamilton and Thornton Middle Schools Renovations.

The Board approved a resolution expressing its intent to reimburse the General Fund, from the proceeds of a future issuance of the District’s Bonds, for certain expenditures involving the purchase of school buses.

The Board approved the site, architect, and completion date for the second ALC.

The Board approved the selection of a new Construction Manager-at-Risk for the additions and renovations at Bleyl Middle School, established the preliminary construction budget for the project and authorized the Superintendent or designee to negotiate a final agreement and execute all documents.

The Board approved the engineer for the site infrastructure design for the 179-acre multi-campus site located at FM 529 west of Settlers Village.

The Board approved the granting of a 0.0429-acre water line easement with Spencer Road Public Utility District located at the northwest corner of the Owens Elementary school site for the total cost of the appraised value of $3,155 plus all related costs incurred by the district.

Cy-Fair ISD approved fundraising vendors have been invited to display their products at the Berry Center, located at 8877 Barker Cypress Road at West Road, on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008 from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the district’s annual Vendors Fair. The P.T.O. Presidents Council Annual Vendors Fair provides an opportunity for booster clubs, sports associations, school supply chairpersons and school spirit chairpersons to view the goods and services that vendors have available.

On Saturday, Feb. 23, the district will be conducting the annual Board Goal-Setting Workshop. The district will provide parents, employees and other citizens in our community with opportunities to provide input on priorities for the district. Input from two hearings regarding the budget will also be considered as the Board of Trustees makes decisions regarding the District Action Plan for 2008-2009. Those who have not yet provided input but wish to do so before the workshop can contact the Communication office at 281-807-8939. The workshop is open to the public. It will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 23 and will be held in the Board room at the Instructional Support Center , 10300 Jones Road . At the meeting, the Board and the administration will work to review, add and modify the goals necessary to provide a quality educational setting for the students in our district.

2008 TAKS testing for our students begins on March 3, to address the conflict between the date of the primary election and the first day of testing. Testing for students in grades 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 11 will occur as follows:

• March 5
• Grades 3, 5, 8 & 9 will take TAKS reading; some students in special education will take the TAKS-A or TAKS-M in reading as an alternate.
• Grades 4 & 7 will take TAKS writing; some students in special education will take the TAKS-A or TAKS-M in writing as an alternate.
• Grade 10 students will take the TAKS English Language Arts test; some students in special education will take the TAKS-A or TAKS-M in writing as an alternate.
• Grade 11 will take the TAKS Exit Level English Language Arts or the alternate test, TAKS-A.
• March 7
• This day is a make-up testing session for the grade 10 TAKS and TAKS-A English Language Arts test.

TAKS Exit Level retesting for English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies will occur on March 3, 5, 6 and 7. These are important tests for all of our students, and Dr. Anthony encouraged parents to help their students

• get a good night’s rest,
• have a hearty breakfast, and
• feel encouragement to do their best.

Dr. Anthony said he was confident that CFISD students are well-prepared for the state assessments and will do a fantastic job.

February is Black History month, and Dr. Anthony recognized and acknowledged the contributions of Black Americans to our country’s history. Curriculum activities and some cultural arts programs will focus on the influence of Black history and its impact on the diversity of our nation and world. A great way to celebrate is to spend a few minutes with early settlers of Independence Garden , which is currently known as the Carverdale community. You can do this by viewing the video-on-demand posted on the home page of the district website. Dr. Anthony said it is amazing to hear long-time community members sharing their memories of such an important part of the district’s history.

AGENDA ITEMS

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

• approved and submitted to the Commissioner of Education a Request for Maximum Class Size Waiver;
• approved bids and contracts to the recommended vendors: Instructional Aids and Supplies Annual Contract and Scientific Supplies and Instructional Materials Annual Contract;
• approved the tax refunds of $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and/or Harris County Education District;
• approved the budget amendments for the period of Oct. 1, 2007 through Dec. 31, 2007 ;
• approved the amended list of financial institutions and broker/dealers for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, that are eligible to provide investment services to Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District;
• approved the external auditors, Hereford , Lynch, Sellars and Kirkham, P.C., to perform the annual audit of the district’s financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008 ;
• approved the administration’s recommendation for the audit of medical and prescription claims for Cy-Fair ISD;
• approved on second reading additions, deletions or revisions to district policies:
• DGBA (LOCAL) PERSONNEL-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS: Employee Complaints/Grievances
• GKC (LOCAL) COMMUNITY RELATIONS: Visitors to the Schools; and
• GKG (LOCAL) COMMUNITY RELATIONS: School Volunteer Program;
• approved the superintendent’s contract recommendations for school year 2007-2008 of administrators and non-teaching professionals to 1) renew term contracts; 2) issue one-year term and probationary contracts; 3) not extend existing two-year term contracts; 4) terminate probationary contracts; 5) issue one-year (annual) contracts; 6) non-renew term and one-year (annual) contracts; 7) reclassify current administrators and non-teaching professional staff under contract and; 8) accept the resignations and/or retirements of administrators and non-teaching professional staff from contracts as presented in the Administrative Staff Recommendation Book (February, 2008); and
• approved the superintendent’s recommendation to take the appropriate action required by Texas Education Code, Section 21.104(a) to discharge a teacher, Jerry Tolbert.

ADDENDUM

The Board removed from the agenda the administration’s recommendation to enter into a facilities use agreement with Cy-Fair College to use space at Cypress Ranch High School for the 2008-2009 school year.