Dr. Carla Brosnahan, an accomplished educator, principal and district administrator who served a 39-year career in CFISD, was approved as the namesake for the district’s 58th elementary school during the regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting on March 6.
March 6, 2023—The CFISD Board of Trustees approved the namesake for Elementary School No. 58, Dr. Carla Brosnahan Elementary School, during its regularly scheduled meeting on March 6.
Dr. Brosnahan served her entire 39-year education career in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. She started as a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Lieder Elementary School in 1983, where she was soon promoted to assistant principal in 1987. She served in that leadership role for five years before opening Sheridan Elementary School as an assistant principal in 1992.
She was named principal at Sheridan in 1995 and led the campus until 2003. At Sheridan, she was selected by the superintendent to a core group of leaders to be trained by the American Productivity and Quality Center in Process and Performance Management (APQC). In 2003, she opened Birkes Elementary School, where she served more than 1,400 students and 130 staff members for 12 years—earning three Recognized ratings and nine consecutive Exemplary ratings from the state. At Birkes, she was selected as a mentor for new principals and led a principal cluster group, while being named Region 4 Elementary Principal of the Year in 2005-2006.
Dr. Brosnahan was named assistant superintendent of elementary school leadership in 2015, serving in that role until her retirement in 2022. In this role, she supervised and evaluated 29 elementary principals, while recruiting, interviewing and selecting new principals.
She left a lasting legacy of growing and serving educational leaders. Nine of her past assistant principals have been promoted to principals, and eight other past staff members are also principals. She continues to serve as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston, working with CFISD cohorts earning their master’s and doctoral degrees. She has been instrumental in the growth and success of CFISD’s leadership development program and continues to serve as a principal coach for CFISD.
“I am grateful and humbled to be recommended as a namesake in CFISD, the best district in the nation,” Dr. Brosnahan said. “Our CFISD namesakes have been amazing mentors during the course of my career and I am honored to be included in this distinguished group of educators.
“This recommendation is only possible due to the support of my family and the dedicated, outstanding staff and families which led to our students’ continued success. I’ve been blessed to work alongside our principals and Dr. Henry’s district support team, which were the highlights of my career.
“I am excited to serve and encourage the staff, students, and families of Elementary #58, helping to grow leaders for our future.”
Brosnahan Elementary School will be located at 20220 Clay Road in Katy and is set to open in the 2023-2024 school year.
