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Current Board term expires: 11/2013
Spouse's name: Julie Ryan
Children: Wesley (20 years)-Cy-Fair High School Class of 2009, Texas A & M Class of 2013, Allison (16 years)-11th grade Cy-Fair High School, Tanner (12 years)-6th grade Arnold Middle School
Occupation: Owner of Insurance Agency: Cy-Fair Insurance Group
Subdivision: Wortham Villages
Years lived within CFISD: 39 years
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Why did you choose to live in CFISD? I am a graduate of the district (Cy-Fair High School Class of 1981) and my decision to live in our district is based on the experiences that I had as a student in CFISD. I had teachers and coaches who were challenging, caring, and community oriented. I want my children to experience the highest quality education, and our district continues to provide that opportunity with teachers who are encouraging and schools that have
nurturing environments.
Describe your involvement in CFISD (i.e. PTO, district-level committees):
- CFISD Board of Trustees (10 years), President (3 years), Vice-President (2years), Secretary (2 years)
- Texas Association of School Boards Member
- Gulf Coast Area School Boards Member
- Volunteer and Lifetime Member of the Cy-Fair High School Athletic Booster Club
- CFISD Global Volunteer
Community organizations in which you participate:
- Member and Deacon at Metropolitan Baptist Church
- Cy-Fair Sports Association
- Wortham Villages-Architectural Committee and swim team volunteer.
Considering your skills and talents, what positive contribution would you make as a member of the Board of
Trustees? I'm a conservative republican that has worked with a team of volunteer board members that has consistently been able to balance our budget and remain fiscally sound. I have focused on providing quality relevant learning experiences for every child in our district. Over the past three years CFISD has been the largest 'Recognized' School District in Texas, and this has been accomplished while we have reduced our district budget by $70 million over the last 5 years. During this past year I voted to keep our optional homestead exemption for the tax payers of this community during these
tough economic times. I recognize the fact that our teachers and employees are our most valuable asset and the main reason for our successes, and I'm proud of the fact that I was one of a majority on our board that was able to provide them with a well deserved pay raise this year while balancing our budget.
In your opinion, what are the responsibilities of the Board of Trustees? The role of the board is to approve the budget, set and review goals, hire and evaluate the Superintendent, and work as team to make sure every child in our district receives the highest quality education possible.
In your opinion, what critical challenges face the district, and what are possible solutions to address those issues? Equity
in school finance continues to be a major challenge for CFISD. As previously stated, we have cut $70 million from our budget and also eliminated over 900 positions over the last 5 years. Future cuts will definitely have an adverse effect on our students, and if the quality of our schools deteriorates our home values will do likewise. Our school system is overly regulated at the State and Federal level, and we should continue to work with our Legislature to get local control. All un-funded and under-funded mandates from these government entities should be eliminated. CFISD is focusing on career readiness for our students instead of just graduation, and that will benefit all students. CFISD needs to use current technology to embrace the Digital Learning Environment that will allow our students access to course work 24/7. Our challenges are numerous, but our opportunities for success are endless.
The state does not fund CFISD at the same level as surrounding districts, which has resulted in budget reductions
of nearly $70 million in recent years. Given this information, what are your recommendations for recruiting and
retaining quality staff? The long term academic success in CFISD is due to our quality staff and we must continue to offer
a competitive wage and benefit package if we expect to not only recruit, but also retain the very best employees. As the student enrollment grows, along with the number of staff, it is important to keep our sense of family, comparable salaries, as well as highly effective leaders, in order for our district to retain and recruit the most qualified professionals in the state.
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