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RECOGNITIONS

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

• Three elementary schools who made the Texas Business and Education Coalition honor roll for 2009. Hamilton, Moore and Sampson elementary schools earned the honor based on three years of consistent high performance in all subjects compared to other schools serving the same populations. TBEC Honor Roll schools had the highest percentage of students rated as “commended” in all subjects. Of the more than 8,000 Texas public schools, less than 4 percent receive this honor. The three schools will be recognized at an awards presentation in San Antonio in November;

• Cypress Springs High School senior Raphael Akinsipe, who was elected Governor of Texas Boys State this summer. Houston Mayor Bill White will present a proclamation to Akinsipe on Sept. 29 at City Hall;

• Boy Scouts from the Cy-Fair area who teamed up with the district’s mobile library to donate 10,000 books to the district’s young readers. The Boy Scouts presented Pam Wells and Linda Macias with a framed copy of the 10,000th book in honor of the Boy Scouts of America’s centennial anniversary on Sept. 1 at the Boy Scouts Principals Appreciation Breakfast. Dr. Anthony recognized Pack 27 from Danish Elementary School and Paul Cowan, district director of the Copperhead district, for their service to the community and support of the project;

• Dr. Audrey Levy, the new president of Lone Star College-Cy-Fair, who is committed to providing a valuable educational experience to CFISD students and adults throughout the community. Dr. Anthony said he and Dr. Levy have agreed that one of their top priorities is to continue to build on CFISD’s and Lone Star’s strong partnership to increase the number of students pursuing post-secondary opportunities—whether it is at Lone Star Cy-Fair or another college. Dr. Levy has four master’s degrees and one doctorate with experience in both the K-12 and community college systems. 

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NAMESAKES
The Board approved the naming of Elementary No. 51 and Elementary No. 52.

Elementary School No. 51 will be named after Dr. Debbie Emery, who retired from CFISD in 2008 after 30 years in public education. Dr. Debbie Emery Elementary School is currently under construction at Plantation Myrtle Drive and Round Robin Drive. The school was designed by PBK Architects, Inc., and is scheduled to open in August 2010.

Elementary School No. 52 will be named after Betty Cody Rennell, who spent 28 of her 34 years in education working in CFISD prior to her retirement in December 2006. Betty Cody Rennell Elementary School is currently under construction in the Towne Lake development. The school was designed by Bay Architects and is scheduled to open in August 2010.

BUDGET PLANNING
The administration reported on budget planning for the 2010-2011 school year.

The district wants to collect more data from its stakeholders to prioritize the areas on which it needs to concentrate for future budget reductions. The goal of the process is to involve CFISD employees and community members in identifying areas of possible budget reductions for the 2010-2011 school year. Through this process, the district wants to: 1) consider the educational needs of the students; 2) reflect perceptions of needs and ensure they are fiscally sound; and 3) ensure an adequate, appropriate and safe learning environment.

The timeline for the process has already begun. The district is collecting information from administrators and working with departments to identify potential budget reductions and efficiencies. The district is going to use results from surveys and information from associates to design a tool to obtain input from a broader community.

The groups that will be used to gain information from are the Board of Trustees, principals, district support team, district educational improvement committees, the board of directors of Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce, Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Committees and Leadership Cy-Fair.

The data will be used to create an opportunity for anyone in the community to provide input in an open-ended section on the district website. The survey will be placed on the website between Oct. 5-30 and citizens will have the opportunity to e-mail in, receive an access code and complete the questionnaire. The data will be analyzed and summarized between Oct. 30-Nov. 9 and then review analysis of data and identification of priority areas for potential budget cuts by Leadership Cy-Fair.

The district will conduct meetings to provide budget information and solicit input from campuses, PTOs, CPOCs, faith-based leaders groups, students, personnel, services, curriculum councils and district leadership team. CFISD will provide information via CFTV Comcast Channel 16 and CFTV Online, and will use The Connection, INSIDE Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Infomail and Key Communicator Letters.

BOND UPDATE
The Board approved and/or authorized:

• construction proposals and contracts paid from bond funds to the recommended contractors and authorized the superintendent or designee to execute all necessary documents related to such contracts as follows:
• Package K-2009 – Renovations and Additions at Pridgeon Stadium/Fieldhouse and the Maintenance Center Renovations; and
• Package S-2009 – Hopper and Kahla Middle School Renovations;

• the superintendent or designee to enter into miscellaneous professional service contracts related to the following projects:
• Package K-2009 – Renovations and Additions at Pridgeon Stadium/Fieldhouse and the Maintenance Center; and

• the administration to execute construction contracts, miscellaneous service contracts and other related and legal documents regarding the construction or renovation of schools, sites and the development of real property.

SUPERINTENDENT’S BRIEFING
As of Sept. 8, the district’s student enrollment was 104,001. This figure represents a growth of 3,860 students when compared to last year’s post-Labor Day enrollment figures. Since Labor Day 2009, enrollment has continued to increase to 104,149.

Dr. Anthony presented the “State of the District” to business and community members at the Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce general membership luncheon on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Crowne Plaza Houston-Brookhollow.

The district will hold dedications for two new schools on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. The dedication of Jodi Blair Smith Middle School will begin at 1 p.m. at 19325 Cypress N. Houston Dr. The dedication of Deanna Swenke Elementary School will begin at 4 p.m. at 22400 Fairfield Place Dr.

Trustee Elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3 for Trustee Positions 3 and 4. A Candidate Forum is scheduled for Oct. 15 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 live on CFISD Ch. 16 for Comcast Cable subscribers. Each candidate will also have the opportunity to provide relevant information concerning his or her candidacy.

David Thompson of Thompson and Horton, LLP provided required Board training on the Texas Education Code changes as result of the recent legislative session in the ISC Board Room on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. Board members from other districts joined CFISD Board members in the training.

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

• bids and contracts to the recommended vendors and authorized the superintendent, respective associate superintendent or designee to execute all necessary documents related to such bids and contracts;
• the tax refunds of $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD;
• a contract between WCL Enterprise and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD to conduct a management and performance review of selected departments and functions;
• a contract between Texas Association of School Boards and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD to conduct a staffing review of all elementary and secondary campuses and selected departments; and
• the process for establishing attendance boundaries.

ADDENDUM
The Board authorized the superintendent to negotiate and execute an interlocal agreement and related documents with the Reid Road Municipal Utility District Number 2 for the development and maintenance of a park area by Reid Road MUD 2 on a portion of the surplus property located adjacent to Willbern Elementary School.