Recognizing lawmakers for prioritizing public ed

You may have read Monday’s story about the Senate Finance Committee passing Senate Bill 3, a piece of legislation that would provide annual $5,000 pay raises for all full-time classroom teachers.

Even though the bill doesn’t meet everyone’s expectations, I am extremely appreciative that our senators and representatives recognize the great contributions that teachers have made to the lives of our students. SB3 is a positive sign that our state leaders are serious about addressing the needs in our public school system.

As the 86^th Texas Legislative Session moves forward, I am confident that our lawmakers will also find a way to reward the essential contributions that our campus leaders, librarians, counselors, diagnosticians and other professionals provide to the success of our school system. We are grateful to have thousands of operations support personnel and instructional aides in CFISD. These hard-working employees make sure our campuses are operational and our students succeed in the classroom.

I applaud our legislators from both sides of the aisle for uniting on an issue that impacts more than 90 percent of the school-aged children in Texas who attend public schools. Government works best when our leaders work together!

When you get a chance, thank our state leaders for taking this first step toward helping Texas public schools be the best that they can be. You can find out who represents you by entering your address on the Texas Legislature website.

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.

State of the District 2017

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I delivered my annual State of the District presentation to the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 19, and was proud to share all the ways we live out our theme of Opportunity For All.

Dr. Henry addresses a roomful of guests at the 2017-2018 State of the District presentation for the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 19.

Among the highlights of the speech were:

• Opportunity for Achievement, with 153 Ivy League acceptances over the last two years;
• Opportunity for College Now, with a College Academy being piloted at Cypress Lakes HS that will allow graduates to earn an affordable associate’s degree;
• Opportunity for Extracurriculars, with student athletes who earned a 93-percent passing rate in 2016-2017;
• Opportunity for Equality, with a campus like the Carlton Center that provides a specialized vocational curriculum for special-needs students;
• Opportunity for Quality, with students on each corner of the district having the same access to top-of-the-line facilities, technology and instruction; and an
• Opportunity for Economic Growth, with our entire community benefiting from the economic stimulus we provide.

Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce luncheon guests browse the 2017-2018 State of the District booklet on Sept. 19.

Opportunities abound in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, and if you look through the resources on our State of the District webpage, I think you’ll see why.

Check out our State of the District brochure, fact sheet and video that will give you a glimpse into the wonderful things happening in CFISD. Look for the rotating State of the District homepage block to access this information.

The opportunities will continue in 2017-2018!

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.

Public Ed: The Grand Experiment

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“I have a dream …  that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Aug. 28, 1963

America is the grand experiment in which we accept all religions and races in one place. The greatest country in the world has been built by welcoming the talents of people from all different backgrounds.

One thing we have strived for in CFISD is to make all our students, staff and visitors feel welcome on our campuses. Our goal is to serve people, no matter where they come from or what abilities they might have. 

This is what makes the American public education system unique. Throughout the history of the world, no one has ever attempted to educate its entire citizenry. No matter what your zip code is, your income or your abilities, public education attempts to help you maximize the talents you were given.

I am proud to see those talents on display every day in CFISD as your superintendent.

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.