The CFISD board of trustees approved boundary changes in January that would populate Bridgeland High School with students from Cypress Ranch High School for the 2017-18 school year. The board made several other boundary adjustments to backfill the gaps in enrollment at Cy Ranch that will be created when students move to Bridgeland.
All students going into ninth grade who are affected by the boundary changes in the 2017-18 school year are required to transfer. Students going into 10th grade who are affected by the boundary changes will be given the option to stay at their current high schools and complete their education at those campuses.
However, current plans require all Cy Ranch students entering 10th grade who are affected by the boundary change to Bridgeland in the 2017-18 school year to transfer with no option to remain at Cy Ranch.
After multiple parents spoke out at the district's November board meeting against Cy Ranch ninth graders being required to transfer, the board decided to reexamine the requirement. At a Dec. 8 work session, Teresa Hull, associate superintendent of governmental relations and communications, presented four options to address the situation.
- Nothing would change. Cy Ranch ninth graders in affected residential zones would still be required to transfer to Bridgeland for the 2017-18 school year. Hull noted this option would still allow Bridgeland students to participate in varsity sports when the University Interscholastic League realigns in 2018, but it would create a small 10th grade class of roughly 350 students at Cy Ranch.
- The district would reverse its current policy. CFISD would provide all Cy Ranch ninth graders the option to complete their high school careers at the campus they started. Hull said this option could potentially create problems for varsity sports and enrollment relief depending on how many students decide to stay at Cy Ranch. If the number exceeds roughly 100 students, it could make Bridgeland ineligible for varsity sports once the UIL realigns in 2018. It could also delay enrollment relief for Cy Ranch.
- A compromise between options 1 and 2. The district would offer between 75 and 100 spots for Cy Ranch ninth graders to remain at their current school. If more than 100 spots to stay at Cy Ranch are requested, the district would implement a lottery system to determine who gets to remain and who must transfer to Bridgeland. Hull said this option would solve the problem of not having enough students at Bridgeland to become eligible for varsity sports, and it would ensure enrollment relief for Cy Ranch.
- Bridgeland High School opens with just ninth grade in 2017. This option was called the "least viable" by Hull, who noted that it would not allow Bridgeland to participate in varsity sports when the UIL realigns in 2018. This option would also delay enrollment relief for Cy Ranch.
Hull noted that any student who chooses to remain at Cy Ranch would not have district-provided transportation. In addition, younger siblings, who are often offered the option to continue to the same school, would not have this option at Cy Ranch and would be required to transfer to Bridgeland.
Trustee Don Ryan asked if the district could open up Bridgeland's 10th grade class to transfer students from other CFISD high schools. CFISD Superintendent Mark Henry said he worried doing so would create mayhem and would haphazardly deplete other classes across the district.
The board will approve the final recommendation, choosing one of these four options, at its Jan. 23 board meeting.
