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RECOGNITIONS

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

• Cy-Fair and Cypress Falls High School students, for winning first-place awards in district and state and third-place awards in nationals in Culinary Arts. Fifty-three districts competed in the national competition with three gold, five silver and five bronze medals awarded in total. CFISD had the only team from Texas in the national competition. The team consisted of Cy-Fair High School graduate Alexandra Ankney, Cypress Falls High School senior Samuel Kaminsky and Cypress Falls graduate Carlos Herrera.

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 Langham Creek High School Symphonic Band, for recently being named a national winner in the National Wind Band Honors Project. Band director Gloria Ramirez entered the contest with a recorded performance of the band, and was one of only five selected nationwide in Class 5A for this award;
• Four Cypress-Fairbanks ISD students whose artwork was selected to be part of the Texas Art Education Association’s TASB Exhibit. This exhibit was displayed during the Texas Association of School Board’s annual convention in Dallas at the end of September, and showcased works of art from 30 school districts in Texas. Students selected from CFISD were: Giovanni Argueta from Kahla Middle School and Ana Belman, Chad Maydwell and Kelsi Turner from Cypress Creek High School; and
• Cypress Creek High School senior Abby Estrada, who has been selected to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security in Washington, D.C. Estrada will join other selected students from around the country for the prestigious exploration of the fields of national security and foreign affairs, including American diplomacy, intelligence and defense.

BOND UPDATE

The administration provided a report of proposed changes to opening dates for schools designated in the 2007 bond referendum:

• Elementary School No. 51 was approved to open in 2010-2011 during the Sept. 8 Board meeting;
• Elementary School Nos. 52 and 53 will keep a 2010-2011 opening date;
• Elementary School Nos. 54 and 55 will open in 2012-2013 instead of 2010-2011;
• Elementary School No. 56 and High School No. 11 will open in 2012-2013 instead of 2011-2012;
• Elementary School Nos. 57 and 58 will open in 2014-2015 instead of 2011-2012;
• Middle School Nos. 17 and 18 will open in 2011-2012 instead of 2010-2011;
• Middle School No. 19 will open in 2013-2014 instead of 2011-2012;
• High School No. 12 will open in 2015-2016 instead of 2011-2012; and
• The second Alternative Learning Center will open in 2009-2010.

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

• New Alternative Learning Center; and
• Package P-2008, Cypress Lakes High School Science Additions and Package O-2008, Cypress Ranch High School Science Additions.

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

• New Alternative Learning Center:
• Material Testing Services: up to $50,000; and
• HVAC System Testing and Balance: up to $65,000.
• Package P-2008 Cypress Lakes High School Science Additions and Package O-2008 Cypress Ranch High School Science Additions:
• Material Testing Services: up to $40,000;
• HVAC System Testing and Balance: up to $48,000; and
• Roof Inspection Services: up to $40,000.

The Board approved the site, architect and completion date for Elementary School No. 52. The school will be located at the 174-acre multi-school site located north of FM 529, one mile west of Fry Road, and will be designed by PBK Architects, with a scheduled opening date of August 2010. Elementary No. 52, which will be built using funds from the 2007 Bond, will provide enrollment relief for Duryea, Walker and Warner elementary schools.

The Board approved the site, architect and completion date for Elementary School No. 53. The school will be located at Tuckerton Drive and Greenhouse Drive in the Towne Lake neighborhood and will be designed by Bay Architects, with a scheduled opening date of August 2010. Elementary No. 53, which will be built using funds from the 2007 Bond, will provide enrollment relief for Andre ' , Birkes, Copeland and Postma elementary schools.

The Board approved and executed the plat for Bleyl Middle School and Matzke Elementary School. The standard plat approval was presented on previous projects and will be funded through the 2004 Bond.

The Board approved and executed the plat for Cypress Creek High School. The standard plat approval was presented on previous projects and will be funded through the 2004 Bond. The plat includes the 19.64 acres of land previously acquired by CFISD that has frontage along Mills Road and is adjacent to Cypress Creek High School property.

2008 TAX RATE

The Board adopted the 2008 Tax Rate Resolution to support the 2008-2009 Budget, 2008 Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Tax rate and Interest & Sinking (I&S) Tax rate. The M&O Tax rate was set at $1.04 and the I&S Tax rate was set at $0.31. The new tax rate will raise taxes on a $100,000 home by approximately $16.90.

2008-2009 INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR

The Board approved modifications to the 2008-2009 instructional calendar as a result of seven student days lost due to Hurricane Ike. The following revisions were presented to several staff organizations and campus principals prior to being submitted to the Board for approval:

• All contract employees will be compensated for all days not worked due to Hurricane Ike (the Board approved compensation for all days not worked for non-contract employees at a Sept. 29 special-called meeting);
• The Jan. 5, Feb. 16 and April 13 professional development days will be converted to student instructional days; and
• The Jan. 19 staff/student holiday will be converted to a professional development day.

In addition to the calendar changes and three student make-up days for instruction, the district will scrutinize all out-of-class activities for students and staff members. Non-critical activities will be minimized in order to gain the lost instructional time. This includes field trips, teacher training, applying for a bus evacuation drill waiver and any other activities that take away from direct instruction provided by teachers to students.

DEAN INCENTIVE PLAN

The administration provided a written report on the results of Dean Middle School’s incentive plan funded by a Texas Educator’s Excellence Grant (TEEG). Staff members who returned to Dean Middle School in the fall of 2008 received incentive awards ranging from $200 to $3,250 in October of 2008 based upon factors such as teaching assignment, level of student performance and collaboration.

SUPERINTENDENT’S BRIEFING

The Salute to the Stars Gala is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Berry Center. During the Gala, CFISD’s 2008 Spotlight teachers, representing each school, will be recognized for their outstanding contribution to education. Salute to the Stars is a community event that, in addition to honoring outstanding teachers, also raises funds for student scholarships and innovative instructional grants for teachers.

The Heart Walk will be Saturday, Nov. 1 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Last year, CFISD had more than 900 participants and is anticipating even more this year. The walk will start at Lone Star College – Cy-Fair, located on Barker Cypress Road. This three-mile walk raises funds for the American Heart Association. CFISD employees should park at the Berry Center.

The district will host dedication ceremonies for the two newest elementary schools. The Hemmenway Elementary School dedication will be held on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m., and the M. Robinson Elementary School dedication will be held on Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.

CFISD will celebrate Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 18-26. This national campaign is designed to encourage healthy, drug-free and violence-free lifestyles among youth. The district asks parents to take special time this week to talk to their children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. This is a great time for the community to show a united commitment toward a drug-free America.

Elementary students celebrated “Your Mind, Your Future” on Oct. 8, a special focus day for college awareness. Teachers will present age-appropriate information and will discuss college majors with their classes throughout the month of October. They will use College Board information, lessons and materials aimed at helping young students and their parents make early plans for higher education. The CFISD guidance and counseling department is coordinating this event.

Parents, students and staff are invited to attend the district’s 17th Annual Health Organization of Physical Educators (HOPE) Fun Run, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Langham Creek High School track. Last year, more than 3,200 students, staff and community members participated in the HOPE Fun Run in an effort to help raise funds to provide scholarships for graduating seniors who plan to pursue degrees in health education, physical education, recreation or dance.

Employees and community members can exercise their right to vote during the Nov. 4 General Election and Trustee Election for Trustee positions 1 and 2. Early voting dates will be Oct. 20-31 . The early voting locations in or in close proximity to Cy-Fair ISD include:

• City of Jersey Village City Hall, 16327 Lakeview Drive
• Bear Creek Park Community Center, Bear Creek Drive at Patterson
• Barbara Bush Library, 6817 Cypresswood
• Lone Star College – Willowchase Campus, 9449 Grant Road

For more information on polling sites on election day, go to www.harrisvotes.org or visit the district website at www.cfisd.net.

The district opted to designate Tuesday, Nov. 4 as a student holiday/professional day during the November 2008 General Election and Trustee Election. Thirty-two CFISD schools serve as polling sites and school parking lots are not built to provide convenient parking for voter access. Additionally, the district cannot screen voters with its V-soft system so CFISD has heightened concerns for the safety of students, as well as the disruption of learning that occurs when accommodating a large number of voters.

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:
• DEA (LOCAL) COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Salaries and Wages;
• approved on first reading additions, deletions or revisions to district policies:
• GKD (LOCAL) COMMUNITY RELATIONS: Nonschool Use of School Facilities;
• approved and submitted to the Commissioner of Education a request to waive the bus evacuation drill due to the loss of instructional days as a result of Hurricane Ike;
• declared as surplus approximately 0.1607 acres of land described as lot 8, block 1, on Hilton Crest Street just south of Fallbrook Drive and just west of the BNSF railroad track in zip code 77064.

ADDENDUM

The Board authorized the administration to enter into interlocal agreements with local or regional public entities affected by Hurricane Ike for the sale and/or exchange of District personnel property declared surplus in accordance with local policy CI.