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RECOGNITIONS

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

• Joe Miller, Cy-Fair High School graduate, for winning second place at the 2008 National Skills USA Motorcycle Tech Competition. Miller has been a student in Don Kessler’s nationally recognized Auto Tech Program at Cy-Fair High School and is attending Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering in the fall.

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 Bleyl Middle School Symphonic Band, directed by Pat Patterson, for being named a Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) honor band, winning first at region and area competitions. Bleyl advanced to the state championship, which was held July 27-30 in San Antonio, where they competed against 13 other Region 27 3C bands and placed seventh in state. In addition, three choirs from Cypress-Fairbanks have been selected to perform at the TMEA convention next February: the Langham Creek Mixed Choir, directed by Cathy Wafford, the Goodson Middle School Boys Choir, directed by Tabitha Glass, and the Labay Middle School Boys Choir, directed by Amy Moore;

• Seven students from the Cypress Ridge High School debate team, who traveled to Las Vegas in June to compete in the National Speech and Debate Tournament with results as follows: junior Brad Rheinboldt placed in the top 60 out of 2,000 students in Humorous Interpretation, recent graduate Stephen Samaroo advanced to semifinals in Student Congress and Nick Cugini, who already holds two state championship titles, placed in the top 30 in Extemporaneous Speaking;

• Cypress Ridge High School senior quarterback Russell Shepard, who was ranked No. 2 by ESPNU on its list of the top 150 high school football athletes for the class of 2009. Shepard has committed to play for LSU after graduating;

• Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District , for earning a Recognized rating from the Texas Education Agency when it released district accountability ratings on Aug. 1, 2008. With 98,000-plus students, CFISD is the largest Recognized district in the state of Texas. Forty-nine of CFISD’s 70 campuses (70%) received either “Exemplary” or “Recognized” ratings in 2008, versus 36 of 67 (54%) in 2007. CFISD’s TAKS scores increased in each of the five subject areas tested (Reading, English Language Arts, Math, Writing, Social Studies and Science) and in all subgroups (African American, Hispanic, White and Economically Disadvantaged). Dr. Anthony congratulated students, teachers, staff and parents for working toward the common goal of success for all students.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSIGNMENTS

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

• Marie Keith , the coordinator of secondary programs and services, was named the new director of college and career readiness. Keith has 29 years experience in education, 11 of which have been in CFISD.

BOND UPDATE

The Board unanimously approved the namesake for Elementary School No. 50, Deanna Swenke Elementary School. Swenke, who retired as the associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction in June, spent 38 of her 44 years in education within CFISD.

Deanna Swenke Elementary School is currently under construction in Fairfield, located at Schiel Road and Fairfield Place Drive. The school was designed by Bay Architects, Inc. and is scheduled to open in August 2009.

The administration presented a report on the sale of $253,170,000 Unlimited Tax Schoolhouse and Refunding Bonds; the sale of $41,000,000 Tax Anticipation Notes, Series 2008; and the Conversion of $25,500,000 Adjustable Rate Bonds, Series 2002B (2023 and 2024 Maturities).

The Board approved construction proposals and contracts paid from bond funds to the recommended contractors as follows: Package N-2008, Press Box Renovations at Arnold and Watkins middle schools.

TAKS REPORT

The administration reported on the 2008 TAKS results related to the Student Success Initiative (SSI) in grades 3, 5 and 8. Students in grades 3, 5 and 8 have three opportunities to take TAKS Reading; additionally, fifth- and eight-grade students have three opportunities to take TAKS Mathematics. The state offers three test opportunities as part of the SSI, which requires students to meet certain standards measured by TAKS for eligibility to be promoted to the next grade.

From the first to the third test administration, students in all subgroups (All, African American, Hispanic, White and Economically Disadvantaged) showed gains by as many as 16 percentage points in SSI-related TAKS tests.

SUPERINTENDENT’S BRIEFING

Summer school has concluded and the district served 11,694 students in various programs at the elementary, middle and secondary levels. One-hundred seventy studentsmet graduation requirements and commencement exercises were held at the Berry Center on Aug. 1.

CFISD is ready for the start of the 2008-2009 school year beginning on Aug. 25 and expects an enrollment of approximately 100,788 students. Four new schools will open their doors to students for the first time—Hemmenway Elementary School, M. Robinson Elementary School, Cypress Lakes High School and Cypress Ranch High School. Many people have worked hard to prepare facilities for students and staff. Dr. Anthony thanked the Technology and the Maintenance and Operations teams. He said their planning and coordination have been critical to getting all of the buildings ready. He also thanked the Facilities Planning Department and the Purchasing Department, along with all principals and staff members, and CFISD’s curriculum staff for their efforts in getting the new schools completed and equipped with all the supplies and instructional materials. Dr. Anthony also thanked the Human Resource Department for working for the last year to ensure that CFISD’s students have the highest quality teachersto greet them Mondaymorning.

As students return to school, Dr. Anthony encouraged everyone to be aware of the speed limits while driving in all of our school zones. Safety continues to be the district’s No. 1 priority. Additionally, parents and students are encouraged to reserve some time to review together the Student Handbook and Code of Conduct that will be provided to each student during the first few days of school. The Code of Conduct includes a Safety Pledge that reminds students to immediately notify an adult should they become aware of any unsafe condition or situation occurring in their schools. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD believes that students are a vital component in helping ensure safety in and around its schools.

The Cy-Fair Bus Buddies program will again provide assistance to elementary students in exiting their bus at the correct location. As a partnership between the Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS), the Cy-Fair campuses and the district’s Transportation Department, Bus Buddies is designed to assist the district’s students and drivers during the first week of school. Interested volunteers can sign up to be a Bus Buddy by calling their campus, the Bus Buddies hotline (281-894-3949) or via the district’s website.

District staff and community members will participate in a Reach Out to Dropouts Walk on Saturday, Sept. 6, in an effort to bring students who have not re-enrolled back to school. The purpose of the event is to help raise graduation rates among Houston-area youth through community partnerships, aiming to ensure that all students have the skills for college, training or good jobs. CFISD is one of several school districts participating in Expectation Graduation’s outreach through Reach Out to Dropouts. Volunteers are needed to assist with phone banks on Sept. 2 and/or 3 and for the walk on Sept. 6. Please visit the district’s website for information on how to sign up as a volunteer.

A document chronicling the district’s history has hung in the main hall of the ISC for over a decade. However, on June 30, a video of CFISD’s history aired for the first time on CFTV. “Cy-Fair ISD: A Family History” is a documentary about CFISD as told through some of the district’s most beloved namesakes. It is now available as a video-on-demand on CFTV Online.

Monday, Sept. 1, 2008 will be a student and staff holiday in observance of Labor Day. All CFISD facilities will be closed. In the event of an emergency, contact Security at 281-897-4337. Students will return to school Tuesday, Sept. 2 and all other facilities will also re-open for normal business hours.

On June 29, Dr. Anthony represented Region 4 at the commissioner’s summit on school finance. Participants included superintendents and business and education association representatives from across the state. Several legislators were in the audience listening to the dialogue and conversations about the needs of school districts. TEA will use information from the summit for its Legislative Appropriations Request that will be submitted in late August. Robert Scott began the summit by stating that he does not believe the legislature would propose legislation that would provide a long-term fix in this next session. Instead, he believes short-term fixes to the current system are more politically and financially palatable and that a more comprehensive reform would be considered in the 2011 session. Dr. Anthony said he was pleased with the discussion because participants were able to identify many issues while the Commissioner listened and engaged superintendents in an open, honest dialogue. Topics included increasing the technology and transportation allotments, increasing EDA and IFA, raising the floor on target revenue and including an inflation factor, providing a teacher pay raise and giving districts two golden pennies per year (up to 4 cents for the biennium) without the need for voter authorization.

During the special-called meeting on June 26, the Board of Trustees approved an Election Order calling for a Trustee Election on Tuesday, November 4 for Trustee Positions 1 and 2. Interested candidates may file for a place on the ballot with Cindy Wright, secretary to the superintendent, from July 27 through Aug. 26, 2008. A Candidate Orientation is scheduled for Sept. 8. Candidates will meet district officials to discuss and understand the election process in CFISD. A Candidate Forum is scheduled for Oct. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Board Room at the Instructional Support Center. The Candidate Forum is a formal question-and-answer session in front of a live audience of interested voters and will be aired on CFISD Channel 16. Each candidate will also have the opportunity to provide relevant information concerning his or her candidacy.

AGENDA ITEMS

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

• approved bids and contracts to the recommended vendors;
• approved tax refunds of $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and/or Harris County Education District;
• approved on second reading additions, deletions or revisions to district policies:
• CI (LOCAL) SCHOOL PROPERTIES DISPOSAL
• DAA (LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT OBJECTIVES: Equal Employment Opportunity
• DBD (LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS & RESTRICTIONS: Conflict of Interest
• DBE (LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS: Nepotism
• DIA (LOCAL) Employee Welfare – Freedom From Discrimination, Harassment, And Retaliation
• FB (LOCAL) EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
• FD (LOCAL) ADMISSIONS
• FEA (LOCAL) ATTENDANCE: Compulsory Attendance
• FNF (LOCAL) STUDENT RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES: Interrogations and Searches
• FNAA (LOCAL) Distribution of Nonschool Literature
• approved the Memorandum of Understanding between Harris County Juvenile Board and the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD to participate in the JJAEP for the 2008-2009 school year;
• approved the endorsement of candidacy of Manual Guajardo Jr., Texas City ISD, on the TASB Board of Directors for Position 4-B;
• approved the administration’s recommendation to outsource the administration of the 403(b) plan to JEM Resource Partners, a subsidiary of TCG Group Holdings, LLP through an interlocal agreement with Region 10 Education Service Center for CFISD effective Jan. 1, 2009;
• approved on first reading additions, deletions or revisions to district policies:
• DEC (LOCAL) COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Leaves and Absences
• FNAB (LOCAL) STUDENT EXPRESSION: Use of School Facilities for Nonschool Purposes
• GE (LOCAL) RELATIONS WITH PARENT ORGANIZATIONS; and
• Authorized the superintendent or designee to negotiate the final terms and conditions of the lease agreements between T-Mobile and Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District and execute all documents for the installation of cellular telephone equipment to be located at various sites throughout the district.

JUNE 28 SPECIAL-CALLED MEETING

TRUSTEE ELECTION

The Board of Trustees approved an Election Order calling for an election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, for Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Board of Trustees, Positions No. 1 and No. 2. The election will be a joint election with Harris County.

The Board also approved submission of a request to the Texas Education Agency for a waiver for an additional staff development day on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2008.

BOND UPDATE

The Board authorized the superintendent or designee to enter into miscellaneous professional service contracts related to the following projects:

• Package B-2007, Bleyl Middle School Renovations;
• Package C-2007, Jersey Village High School Renovations;
• Package D-2007, Cypress Creek High School Renovations; and
• Package A-2008, Post Elementary School Renovations.

AGENDA ITEMS

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

• approved AP European History teachers’ textbook selection, The Western Heritage: Since 1300, 7th Edition by Kagan, Oxment, and Turner;
• approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and AVANCE Houston Head Start for the 2008-2009 school year;
• approved the implementation of activities and the application for the Texas Statewide Tobacco Education and Prevention Grant;
• approved the administration’s recommendation for out-of-district tuition for the 2008-2009 school year;
• approved the budget amendments for the period of April 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008;
• approved the tax refunds of $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and/or Harris County Education District;
• approved a resolution expressing its intent to adopt a budget which does not meet proposed expenditure targets established by the Commissioner of Education;
• approved on first reading additions, deletions or revisions to district policies:
• DAA (LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT OBJECTIVES: Equal Employment Opportunity
• DBE (LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS: Nepotism
• DIA (LOCAL) Employee Welfare - Freedom From Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
• FB (LOCAL) EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
• FNAA (LOCAL) Distribution of Nonschool Literature;
• approved the Professional Study Leave of Absence for Kristie Munger for the purpose of pursuing education study as deemed beneficial to the district;
• approved a request for a Texas Education Agency expedited waiver to allow the district to train staff on various strategies designed to improve student achievement in lieu of a maximum of three days of student instruction in 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011; and
• approved Board members to serve as delegate and alternate delegate to the 2008 Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) annual delegate assembly.