Congrats to the TASA Outstanding School Board

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Our 2015 TASA Outstanding School Board winners. Pictured (front row, L-R) are Christine Hartley, secretary; Don Ryan, president; and Tom Jackson, vice president; and (back row, L-R) Darcy Mingoia, trustee; Dr. John Ogletree Jr., trustee; Dr. Mark Henry, CFISD superintendent; Kevin H. Hoffman, trustee; and Bob Covey, trustee.

Last week, I joined a group of CFISD leaders who traveled to Austin for the Texas Association of School Administrators/Texas Association of School Boards Convention. It is an event that I look forward to every year, but the 2015 convention was particularly special because our Board of Trustees was a finalist for the state’s highest honor: the TASA Outstanding School Board. 

The Board was interviewed on Oct. 2, along with four other finalists, by a committee of Texas school superintendents chaired by the superintendent of the 2014 Outstanding School Board, Dr. Marcelo Cavazos of Arlington ISD.

What a joy it was to hear the announcement of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD as the winning school board later that afternoon! I am still beaming with pride over their victory, which confirms my long-held belief that this is the top group of trustees in Texas.

The selection committee’s decision was based on several criteria, including support for educational performance, educational improvement projects and school transformation initiatives, commitment to a code of ethics, and placement of the welfare of children served by the school system above other motives.

In a TASA release, Dr. Cavazos stated the following:

“The members of the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees demonstrate their commitment to the district’s slogan, ‘Every Student, Every Day.’ They continue to undergo tremendous change and growth while focusing on closing the achievement gap and meeting the needs of every student, every day. They have earned strong support from their community, as demonstrated by their recent $1.2 billion bond package. Their success is not surprising given that board members adhere to a standard of common sense and common courtesy.”

Please join me in congratulating our seven trustees, who earn no salary for their service to this district but simply care about the 114,000 students and 14,000 staff members they represent:

• Don Ryan, president;
• Tom Jackson, vice president;
• Christine Hartley, secretary;
• Bob Covey, trustee;
• Kevin H. Hoffman, trustee;
• Darcy Mingoia, trustee; and
• Dr. John Ogletree Jr., trustee.

Thank you, CFISD School Board. Your victory is proof of your commitment to Every Student, Every Day.

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.