Welcome back!
Aug. 11, 2025
Dear CFISD Community:
Welcome back! We are excited to kick off the 2025-26 school year in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD on Wednesday, Aug. 13. This year, we are taking our previous theme of The Path to Amazing a step further. We know that you have many choices when it comes to your child’s education, and we think the best choice is right here in CFISD. Help us share the great things happening in CFISD as we continue to Choose the Path to Amazing.
The school year begins with a celebratory tone after we received some positive preliminary 2025 accountability results from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). While these results are preliminary and awaiting final confirmation, they reflect the hard work of our students and staff. Every high school CFISD campus is expected to earn an “A” or “B” rating from the 2025 accountability ratings, and none of our campuses earned lower than a “C.” Kudos to all of our staff and students for the incredible work it took to earn this achievement! While the district came in as a “B,” we are committed to returning to an “A” this school year.
We were also pleased to announce in June the restoration of full transportation services to all homes in the district. While budget constraints in 2024-25 affected students living within 2 miles of their school, the Board made restoring full transportation a top priority for 2025-26.
With the addition of bus routes, our transportation team is hiring more drivers, attendants and technicians with paid training and new hire stipends. The Board also voted to increase starting pay, making now the perfect time to join our team. Visit the transportation page of our website for more information on how to apply.
Although additional funding was provided to public school districts during the 89th Legislative Session, CFISD continues to have a $45.5-million deficit due to high inflation and the Local Optional Homestead Exemption (LOHE). The 20% LOHE reduced the district’s taxable value by $8.5 billion, leading to a $63 million loss in property tax revenue.
This revenue would more than cover the anticipated deficit for 2025-26. Rep. Mike Schofield is to be commended for filing legislation during the regular session and the current special session that would remedy some of CFISD’s loss of revenue from the LOHE.
You may have heard that more money has been allocated to K-12 education than ever before. Although CFISD’s estimated gain from HB 2 is $62.6 million, much of the new funding is restricted or designated for specific purposes, such as the teacher retention allotment, which must go directly to classroom teachers. Therefore, only $23.5 million of the gain is available for flexible funding to address other district needs.
While no additional cuts are planned at this time, we will continue to review funding sources to ensure long-term sustainability.
Our strong fine arts programs gave us even more reason to celebrate this summer, as CFISD was named a “District of Distinction” by the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) for the fifth consecutive year! If your child is involved in the arts, that’s just one more reason to choose CFISD.
As we open our school doors to students on Wednesday, Aug. 13, we want to remind everyone to exercise patience and caution during your morning and afternoon commutes. Expect increased traffic during pick-up and drop-off. Please plan ahead, stay alert, and help us keep students safe.
Thank you again for joining us as we Choose the Path to Amazing in 2025-26!
In the best interest of children,
Doug Killian, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Scott Henry
President, Board of Trustees
Welcome back!
Aug. 11, 2025
Dear CFISD Community:
Welcome back! We are excited to kick off the 2025-26 school year in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD on Wednesday, Aug. 13. This year, we are taking our previous theme of The Path to Amazing a step further. We know that you have many choices when it comes to your child’s education, and we think the best choice is right here in CFISD. Help us share the great things happening in CFISD as we continue to Choose the Path to Amazing.
The school year begins with a celebratory tone after we received some positive preliminary 2025 accountability results from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). While these results are preliminary and awaiting final confirmation, they reflect the hard work of our students and staff. Every high school CFISD campus is expected to earn an “A” or “B” rating from the 2025 accountability ratings, and none of our campuses earned lower than a “C.” Kudos to all of our staff and students for the incredible work it took to earn this achievement! While the district came in as a “B,” we are committed to returning to an “A” this school year.
We were also pleased to announce in June the restoration of full transportation services to all homes in the district. While budget constraints in 2024-25 affected students living within 2 miles of their school, the Board made restoring full transportation a top priority for 2025-26.
With the addition of bus routes, our transportation team is hiring more drivers, attendants and technicians with paid training and new hire stipends. The Board also voted to increase starting pay, making now the perfect time to join our team. Visit the transportation page of our website for more information on how to apply.
Although additional funding was provided to public school districts during the 89th Legislative Session, CFISD continues to have a $45.5-million deficit due to high inflation and the Local Optional Homestead Exemption (LOHE). The 20% LOHE reduced the district’s taxable value by $8.5 billion, leading to a $63 million loss in property tax revenue.
This revenue would more than cover the anticipated deficit for 2025-26. Rep. Mike Schofield is to be commended for filing legislation during the regular session and the current special session that would remedy some of CFISD’s loss of revenue from the LOHE.
You may have heard that more money has been allocated to K-12 education than ever before. Although CFISD’s estimated gain from HB 2 is $62.6 million, much of the new funding is restricted or designated for specific purposes, such as the teacher retention allotment, which must go directly to classroom teachers. Therefore, only $23.5 million of the gain is available for flexible funding to address other district needs.
While no additional cuts are planned at this time, we will continue to review funding sources to ensure long-term sustainability.
Our strong fine arts programs gave us even more reason to celebrate this summer, as CFISD was named a “District of Distinction” by the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) for the fifth consecutive year! If your child is involved in the arts, that’s just one more reason to choose CFISD.
As we open our school doors to students on Wednesday, Aug. 13, we want to remind everyone to exercise patience and caution during your morning and afternoon commutes. Expect increased traffic during pick-up and drop-off. Please plan ahead, stay alert, and help us keep students safe.
Thank you again for joining us as we Choose the Path to Amazing in 2025-26!
In the best interest of children,
Doug Killian, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Scott Henry
President, Board of Trustees