Cy-Fair ISD's board of trustees made decisions on boundary changes and the 2017-18 academic calendar at the Jan. 23 meeting.[/caption] The Cy-Fair ISD board of trustees convened Monday, Jan. 23, to decide on new boundary changes for several district schools, effective next year. Academic calendar structure for the 2017-18 year was another highlight of the meeting.

New high school boundaries

Bridgeland High School is on track to open in August for the 2017-18 school year, and many Cypress Ranch High School students and parents have expressed concern over impending boundary changes in recent months. The board presented four options in December to populate the new campus. At Monday night’s board meeting, the administration’s recommendation passed unanimously, which approves a set number of voluntary transfers for current Cy Ranch freshmen who would have been rezoned to Bridgeland to stay at their campus. The district will not provide these students with transportation, and younger siblings of approved students will not be eligible. “We want to make sure that students who have opportunities at [Cypress] Ranch have opportunities at Bridgeland,” Superintendent Mark Henry said at a Jan. 19 work session. “We’re trying to look out for the best of the most students possible.” Administration will determine the number of transfers and method for implementation based on the number of transfer requests and updated enrollment projections, which will be released at the beginning of February. Current projections report Cypress Ranch will have 386 10th graders next year, and Bridgeland would have 542 10th graders.

New elementary and middle school boundaries

The board also unanimously adopted the administration’s recommendation regarding Hoover Elementary, Wells Elementary and Matzke Elementary’s replacement campuses, which have not changed since December’s board meeting. The proposal will affect 3,329 elementary students (6 percent of the total elementary population) and about 40 middle school students, according to Kristi Giron, director of general administration. These recommendations were made based on the need to populate these three new campuses and relieve other campuses that were approaching overcrowding issues. Find a detailed description of the proposed changes here. “I can tell you, in not one instance did we move kids just to move kids,” Giron said Thursday. Elementary students will move from: Andre to Jowell Postma to Andre Rennell to Postma Hancock to Matzke Matzke to Hancock Matzke to Millsap Moore to Hamilton Swenke to Ault Keith to Ault Ault to A. Robison Keith to A. Robison A. Robison to Sampson A. Robison to Farney Owens to Hairgrove Hairgrove to Owens Danish to Bang Lowery to Holmsley Holmsley to Lowery As a result of the Matzke to Millsap change, about 40 Bleyl Middle School students will move to Hamilton Middle School to realign the school feeder patterns, Giron said. Although hundreds of parents have expressed concern over the attendance boundary changes, board members noted that when a child moves to a different campus within the district, they will not receive a lesser education. Many trustees went through boundary changes themselves or have children dealing with the same situation. “These changes, in a loving environment like all of our schools have, can actually…help these students to mature and learn how to deal with things later in life,” Trustee Christine Hartley said. Elementary students affected by the changes who are entering fifth grade in the 2017-18 school year can stay at their current elementary schools if their parents provide transportation. Similarly, incoming eighth graders can stay at their current middle schools next year if their parents provide transportation. In either case, this opportunity will not be available for younger siblings.

Annual grading periods for middle and high schools

In 2009, the board approved moving from six to four annual grading periods in elementary schools across the district. Linda Macias, associate superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability, said this has been a positive move, and the curriculum department supports doing the same in middle and high schools starting in the 2017-18 academic year. Secondary principals unanimously requested this change after roundtable discussions in December, and the board unanimously approved the request Monday night. Middle and high schools will end the first semester just before winter break, and the third grading period will end just before spring break. The fourth grading period will be the longest to accommodate for STAAR, EOC, AP and final semester tests. Teachers will continue to report grades every three weeks, but students will have more time to respond to each progress update before grades became final on report cards.

2017-18 academic calendar

The board also approved next year’s academic calendar. In the last legislative session, House Bill 2610 mandated that a school year is made up of 75,600 minutes, rather than the previously mandated 180 days. Each school day in CFISD lasts 435 minutes, surpassing the state’s minimum requirement of 420 minutes. Teachers are contracted to work 187 days. With this approved calendar, graduation ceremonies will take place from May 30-June 2. Aug. 14-18: Professional Days Aug. 21-25: Professional Days Aug. 28: First Day of School Sept. 4: Student/Staff Holiday Oct. 9: Professional Day Nov. 20-24: Student/Staff Holiday Dec. 22: Student/Staff Holiday Dec. 25-29: Student/Staff Holiday Jan. 1-4: Student/Staff Holiday: Jan. 5: Professional Day Jan. 8: Classes Resume Jan. 15: Student/Staff Holiday Feb. 19: Professional Day – Inclement Weather Day March 12-16: Student/Staff Holiday March 30: Student/Staff Holiday May 28: Student/Staff Holiday June 1: Last Day of School June 4: Professional Day – Inclement Weather Day

Other news

• The board unanimously approved a resolution to urge legislators to repeal the A-F accountability rating system.
• The board unanimously approved a motion to authorize the superintendent or a designee to finalize and execute an agreement to purchase a piece of land within the Dunham Pointe master-planned community.
• The board announced the first round of winners in an educator attendance incentive program. While 125 educators were selected, 4,462 full-time teachers and paraprofessionals were eligible for the drawing to win $1,600 by missing two or fewer days in the fall 2016 semester.
• The board recognized Virgil Maddox as Kahla Middle School’s new principal. Maddox is in his 14th year in the education system, and he has been with CFISD since 2007.