Cy-Fair ISD held the first Community Connect meeting of the 2026-27 school year on Sept. 17, giving parents, community members and business partners an opportunity to engage with leaders of CFISD, per the district website.
The overview
Ahead of the upcoming election, Superintendent Doug Killian presented community members with the state of the district, detailing the district's financial plans as well as the $80.9 million shortfall the district is currently facing, per previous Community Impact reporting.
Killian also detailed the propositions community members can expect to see on the upcoming Nov. 3 ballot, which include the voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE. This proposition suggests a $0.12 per $100 valuation tax rate increase, set to help maintain the daily school operations by increasing the district’s revenue. Should the VATRE pass, it will generate an estimated $103.6 million annually, according to the district’s website.
In addition to the VATRE, the district detailed a $1.64 billion bond referendum split into four separate propositions that would fund improvements, repairs, replacements and additions to facilities, according to the district website.
The propositions are broken down into the following:
Prop. A: $0.12 tax rate increase for the VATRE
Prop. B: $1.3 billion for critical infrastructure, safety and transportation
Prop. C: $256 million for instructional technology
Prop. D: $60.8 million for maintenance of existing high school stadiums
Prop. E: $20.1 million for maintenance of existing district swimming pools
Public input
Parents and community members expressed concern about what will happen next, should the propositions not be approved, with some asking about the possibility of school closures in the future and how the district is preparing.
“There’s going to have to be rightsizing in our school district … we’ll have to downsize,” Killian said. “Where that will be is probably elementary school first because what I can tell you about the numbers is we’re not declining in high school.”
Killian said declining attendance rates, a lack of enrollment funding as well as a plunge in birth rates are major factors contributing to the need for these propositions on the Nov. 3 ballot.
“The biggest issue is the ADA decline—that's the average daily attendance,” Killian said. “[Students] aren't coming to school quite as much as they used to. [Those] are the things that have [affected] us on the revenue side. On the expenditure side, we’ve done about $94 million of cuts … a reduction in transportation and then of course the stuff we’ve had with librarians being cut. We’ve also cut a lot of other support positions.”
What happens next?
Parents and members of the community can find more information about the proposed bond and VATRE, as well as voting information, on the district’s website.
Voter registration ends Oct. 5. Early voting runs from Oct. 10 through 30.
The next Community Connect will be held at 9 a.m. on Nov. 5 at the Mark Henry Administration Building, located at 1440 Matzke Road, Cypress. Community members who are interested in attending can RSVP for this meeting here.
