From the 1960 Sun:

When Dr. Frances H. Smith, Ed.D. addressed the Cy-Fair school board meeting on Aug. 8, it was with the hope of beginning a new school year with renewed goals for a stronger dialogue amongst teachers and administrators and more accountability in the education of the district's children.

As the president of the Cy-Fair Texas State Teachers Association/National Education Association local affiliate, the English IV teacher from Cypress Ridge High School presented superintendent Dr. David Anthony and the board of trustees with complaints regarding the No Child Left Behind law...

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Cypress-Fairbanks school board officials voted Tuesday to pay school district staff for one day of school not worked due to events surrounding the impending arrival of Hurricane Rita last month.

The Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District was closed four days because of the storm Sept. 22, 23, 26 and 27, but teachers and support staff will be required to make up three of those missed days this school year.

Those rescheduled staff development days are Dec. 17, a Saturday; Jan. 2, previously scheduled as an alternate staff development day in the event of inclement weather; and April 14, previously scheduled as a student/staff holiday.

Students also will make up three of the four missed days. They already attended school Oct. 7, previously a student holiday/staff development day; and will attend Dec. 16 and Jan. 3, also previously scheduled as student holidays/staff development days.

Marney Collins Sims, Cy-Fair ISD attorney, said, although the Texas Education Agency allowed the district to waive the four days missed without penalty, state law required the board to pass a resolution to pay teachers and staff for any days missed that will not be made up later in the school year.

The resolution must state a public purpose for paying the teachers and staff for the missed day of work, she said.

The administration made the decision to pay for the lost day of work, and asked board members to go forward with the passage of the resolution.

School board president Lida Woodul said the resolution said Cy-Fair ISD would pay for the missed day, and the purpose behind that decision is to retain quality employees.

Board member Lou Bertoli thanked the administration for compensating the district's employees for the time lost.

"It was not employees' decision to not work that day of school," he said.

David Anthony, Cy-Fair ISD superintendent, said the district made the controversial decision to have students and staff make up three of the four days of missed school, even though it was not required by the TEA, because of the hardship a shortened school year calendar would pose to student learning.

Also, Anthony said, the district has taken in approximately 1,500 new students due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita evacuations — and that poses other unforeseen challenges in the classroom.

Anthony said there are only 177 days of instruction in the 2005-06 school year calendar — 84 in the fall semester and 93 in the spring semester — and 10 additional staff development days for teachers.

"It is already difficult to teach the state-mandated curriculum in 177 days," Anthony said. "We felt it was important to make up the days missed by Hurricane Rita, even though it was very difficult to find those make-up days."

Anthony said it was equally important for staff to make up the missed staff development days.

"Student instruction is the only reason we are here," Anthony said.

Frances Smith, president of Cy-Fair TSTA (Texas State Teachers Association), said the organization supported the administration's decision.

Smith said teachers face enough challenges meeting daily instructional goals under an 84-day fall semester calendar. Cutting that down by four would pose undue hardship on teachers and staff.

"(However), we do hope the district creates a plan to involve and empower our teachers and staff in the decision-making process in the future," Smith said.

Dr. Debbie Emery, associate superintendent for school administration and HR, said she enjoyed an exciting day of reading with students at Owens Elementary School.

“They were all so eager to share the experiences they had that were similar to the character in the book,” Emery said. “I was reminded again of why we joined the education profession—to make a difference in the lives of children.”

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat,”, several of the CFISD representatives wore red and white striped top hats in the fashion of the Cat.

The day also marked the 10th anniversary of the nation’s largest reading celebration. For more information on Read Across America, visit www.nea.org/readacross.

Photo: CFISD Board member Bob R. Covey responds to a question from a Reed Elementary student while reading Dr. Seuss’s “The Cat in the Hat”.

"Good evening President Ryan, Board Members and Dr. Anthony. Through April, the teachers in public school districts in Texas will be focused upon testing. TAKS will determine what is accomplished in the classroom. Till then, elementary students will have benchmark tests to determine progress, and secondary students will be graded on the SFAs or the Secondary Formal Assessment. Not only is there student anxiety, but there is teacher, administrative, and parental anxiety also. No one wants a poor report card! The National Education Association and the Texas State Teachers Association both search for solid educational research and disseminate it to our members. Some of the most important research considers the parents’ involvement in their child’s education.

Their involvement is crucial to student success which begins whenever the child enters school. Study after study shows that when parents are involved in their children’s education at home, the children do better in school. Further more, when the parents are involved in school, the children go farther in school – and the schools the children attend are better. It only makes sense.

The family also makes critical contributions to student achievement from pre school through high school. Research shows that a home environment that encourages learning is more important to student achievement than income, education level, or cultural background of the parents. Parents are the greatest influence upon their children!

Reading achievement is more dependent on learning activities in the home than is math or science. Reading aloud to children is the most important home activity that parents can do to increase their child’s chance of reading success and then subsequently talking to children about the books.

In addition, when parents talk regularly about school, children perform better academically. Children learn that their parents know school is important.

Three types of parental involvement at home are consistently associated with higher student achievement: 1. actively organizing and monitoring a child’s time, 2. helping with homework and 3. discussing school matters. And, the earlier a parent becomes involved, the more powerful the effects. Positive results of parental involvement include improved student achievement, reduced absenteeism, improved behavior, and restored confidence among parents in their children’s schooling.

Whether it is reading to your child, checking homework, discussing your child’s progress with his/her teachers, voting in school board elections, supporting challenging academic standards, limiting TV viewing on school nights, or becoming an advocate for better education, be involved, so your child will benefit and reach his/her potential. To emphasize the importance of reading, we also invite Board Members and Central Office Administrators to participate in Read Across America on Monday, March 3."