Board Highlights - 01-21-2014

RECOGNITIONS

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

the 2012-2013 APQC Behavioral Energy Management Conservation Pilot Program winners:

Cypress Falls High School;
Aragon Middle School; and
Holmsley Elementary School; and

Faith Assembly Church and Academy for the donation of 955 bicycles to the students at Reed Elementary School.

In honor of Texas School Board Recognition Month, Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent of schools, recognized the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees for their dedication, leadership and continuing service to the children of the district.

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

Stuart Snow, associate superintendent for business, financial and technology services, for being inducted as the 2014 Chairman of the Board for the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce. Snow has been a member of the Chamber since 2007 and on the Board of Directors since 2008, serving as treasurer from 2008 – 2013;

Roy Sprague, associate superintendent for facilities, construction and support services, for receiving the Certified Educational Facility Planner (CEFP) designation from the Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI). An individual earning this mark of excellence has achieved the highest qualification in the profession;

the Cypress Woods High School engineering and technology department, for being selected as the Program of the Year Award recipient by the Texas Technology & Engineering Educators (TTEE). The application process for this award is very lengthy and time-consuming and only one school per state is selected for this honor;

CFISD, for receiving a five-star rating from the office of Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller, for academic and financial performance. CFISD is one of only 55 districts among more than 1,200 statewide to win the honor. This is the fourth consecutive year that CFISD has received this rating;

CFISD, for being the largest district in Texas without any Priority or Focus Schools, as identified by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Not being on the list indicates the dedication of CFISD teachers and administrators, along with a strong curriculum and a focus on individual instructional needs of our students; and

wrestling teams who represented CFISD in the 12th Annual Cy-Fair ISD Wrestling Tournament at the Berry Center, Jan. 3-4. The tournament is one of the largest in the nation, welcoming 75 teams from the top programs in Texas and Louisiana. The Cypress Ridge girls’ team won the tournament and the Cypress Woods boys’ team placed seventh overall. Five CFISD athletes won gold medals at the event.

PUBLIC HEARING

The Board held a public hearing to discuss the 2012-2013 annual report describing the educational performance of the district and of each campus in the district.

2014-2015 INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR

The Board approved the calendar committee’s recommendation for the 2014-2015 instructional calendar.

In the fall of 2013, a 42-member district calendar committee was organized with broad-based representation, including teachers, parents, campus administrators and district support staff.

The committee met to discuss various components of developing the instructional calendar before arriving at a consensus for the following calendar recommendation to be presented to the Board of Trustees:

students begin school on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014;
Labor Day, Sept. 1, is a student/staff holiday;
the calendar has a five-day Thanksgiving holiday (Nov. 24-28);
an 11-day winter break is scheduled for students (Dec. 22-Jan. 5);
a one-week spring break is scheduled for March 9-13;
Good Friday, April 3, is a student/staff holiday;
The school year will end on June 4, 2015; and
Feb. 16 and June 5, 2015 are designated as inclement weather makeup days.

SUPERINTENDENT’S BRIEFING

The Fourth Annual Cypress Hoops Invitational Tournament was held Dec. 12-14 at CFISD, raising more than $20,000 for the “Donate to Educate” program. Of the 24 teams participating, Cypress Woods High School placed fifth in the event. Dr. Henry thanked the corporate sponsors who supported the tournament and helped make it a success.

January is designated as National Mentoring Month, a monthlong outreach campaign focusing attention on the need for mentors—individuals, businesses, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, and schools—working together to mentor young people. Mentors make a difference in the lives of students struggling with academics, personal issues and/or staying in school. Those interested in becoming mentors can contact the Partners in Education office.

School counselors will be honored during “National School Counseling Week” Feb. 3-7. CFISD counselors can have a tremendous impact helping students achieve success and plan for a career.

A special-called Board meeting recognizing 171 National Merit and National Hispanic Scholar programs will be held on Monday, Feb. 3 at the Berry Center. The program will be broadcast live on the district website, www.cfisd.net, and replayed throughout February and March.

The 20th annual Cy-Fair ISD Livestock Show and Sale will be held Jan. 30 – Feb. 1 at the Exhibit Center at 11206 Telge Road. Approximately 600 student exhibitors and more than 800 student projects and animals will be exhibited and judged. A flyer is also available on the CFISD website showing the times and designated animals for the livestock judging. Students raised more than $690,000 last year due to generous corporate and individual participation in this sale.

The Cy-Fair Educational Foundation will present Salute to Our Heroes on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Omni Hotel Westside. This event honors the brave men and women who are serving, or have served, to preserve our freedom and liberty. Proceeds will create an endowment in the memory of fallen soldiers, which will be used for college scholarships for CFISD students. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Marie Holmes at the Cy-Fair Educational Foundation, 281-807-3591 or www.thecfef.org.

The Superintendent Fun Run will be held from 8 -11 a.m. on Feb. 15 at the Berry Center. The deadline to register is Jan. 31. Proceeds from the event will help fund scholarships and teacher development grants through the Cy-Fair Educational Foundation.

AGENDA ITEMS

In other action, the Board approved:

awarding bids and contracts and/or authorizing purchase orders as recommended in the posted agenda item;
tax refunds of $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD;
on first reading additions, revisions or deletions to district policies:

DBAA (LOCAL) Employment Requirements and Restrictions: Criminal History & Credit Reports (add)
DC (LOCAL) Employment Practices (revise)
DEC (LOCAL) Compensation and Benefits: Leaves and Absences (revise)
DPB (LOCAL) Personnel Positions: Substitute, Temporary and Part-Time Positions (delete);

adopting an order authorizing the issuance of Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Unlimited Tax Schoolhouse Bonds, Series 2014-A and 2014-B; setting certain parameters for the Bonds; authorizing the Superintendent and Associate Superintendent for Business, Financial and Technology Services to approve the amount, the interest rate, price, including terms thereof and certain other procedures and provisions related thereto; and
nominating Bob R. Covey as the large district member position on the TASB Board of Directors in TASB Region 4, Position F.