Michael Urban was awake before the sun rose on Wednesday, ready to start his first day of junior year at Jersey Village High School.
The farthest thing from his mind was a vote taken by the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD board earlier this week to call for a 12-cent Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election and a four-proposition, $1.63 billion bond issue in November. Urban says he just wants to spend this year improving at his marching band instruments, the euphonium and trombone, and concentrate on academics.
“I’m looking forward to passing my classes and focusing on my education and my homework,” Urban said. “I was slacking off bad last year. I would like to have some really helpful teachers who will give us the grace and be like, ‘you can ask anything.’ I didn’t have that last year.”
Cy-Fair ISD is the third largest school district in Texas, behind Houston and Dallas ISDs, with an enrollment of more than 114,000 students. The district is facing enrollment declines and competition from charter schools, private institutions and homeschooling. Additionally, some families have withdrawn their children due to concerns about immigration enforcement.
Because of those enrollment declines, Cy-Fair ISD and other districts across Texas are struggling financially. Fewer students equates to less money provided from the state. The district has also battled unfunded mandates, inflation and a lack of reimbursement from the state on its 20 percent local optional homestead exemption. A $67.4 million deficit was reported by the district’s CFO in May.
Trustee Christine Kalmbach, who cast the lone vote against the tax hike proposal and bond issue ballot items, has said repeatedly that she’d like the state to offer more reimbursement to districts that offer tax exemptions.
The VATRE would generate about $103 million and allow the district to offer one-time staff stipends. Board member Justin Ray said at Monday’s meeting that trustees take the decision to ask voters for a tax rate increase “very seriously.”
“It does not escape any of us that affordability is an important consideration during these times, which is why we are going to the community for a tax increase plan, and it isn’t really something we all relish,” he said.
Five items will be on the November 3 ballot. Proposition A (VATRE) would cover teacher and staff compensation, campus safety personnel, instructional materials, programs and transportation.
Proposition B (building bond) would fund essential facility renovations, modernize technology and cybersecurity frameworks and allow for the acquisition of new school buses with three-point seat belts required by the state.
Proposition C (technology bond) would replace or update instructional technology devices and classroom displays. Proposition D (athletic bond) would pay for new artificial turf, resurfacing of competition tracks and updating stadium scoreboards. Proposition E (swimming pools bond) would fund the replacement of water filtration pumps and re-plastering of middle and high school pools.
Voters can cast ballots on each individual proposition and don’t have to vote yay or nay on the whole package.
Fort Bend ISD tried to pass a VATRE in 2022 to get out of a $46.8 million budget deficit, and the measure failed with 54 percent of voters opposing it. Bonds aren’t guaranteed to pass either. A $3.96 billion Houston ISD bond issue failed in November 2024, with about 58 percent of the voters casting ballots against upgrades for new construction, safety measures, HVAC and technology.
Cy-Fair ISD residents have already begun weighing in on the voter-approved tax hike and bond proposal.
The Cy-Fair American Federation of Teachers chapter wrote on Facebook that it was “proud to stand with the CFISD community as the board voted to put the bond and the VATRE on the November ballot. Now we roll up our sleeves and get to work!”
District resident Jen Chenette recapped the meeting in the CFISD Parents for Librarians Facebook group and pointed out that “this isn’t the board raising taxes. This is the board stating what the facts are. The community will get to decide by voting in November.”
Some supporters of the ballot measures say the tax increase, if approved, would add an amount to their monthly tax bill similar to the price of a “couple of lattes.”
One parent pointed out that “schools do not have full-time librarians [and] classes are being cut, which hurts our kids and their opportunities. I just ask before you assume that this is a bad thing, talk to teachers, get involved in our schools, and see how much they are in need of funding. Unfortunately, [Gov.] Greg Abbott thought spending $1 billion on private school vouchers for only 100k students was a good idea, but it hurts our public schools.”
But district resident Julie Rix wrote in the CFISD Board Discussion group that trustees should agree to “DOGE” the district before asking for any more money from taxpayers.
“Now the left has the majority of the board (shame on us for that), but we are NOT PAYING for your agendas and status quo of unnecessary programs beyond the scope of basic academics.”
High school students returning to school on Wednesday told the Houston Press that they don’t love not being able to use their cell phones during class anymore but the ban was in place throughout the entire school year last year and they’ve adjusted. It’s part of the reason some seniors arrived on campus well ahead of the 7:15 a.m. first bell on Wednesday. Several lingered in the parking lot snapping first day selfies and texting their friends.
Urban, however, said he was fine with keeping his phone in his backpack all day.
“The thing is with cell phones, it’s a huge thing for students, but you’ve got to get your priorities right in school,” Urban said. “The cell phone is not a priority. I don’t think an emergency is going to happen at this school. It’s a suburban neighborhood.”
Ava Wingate, who was attending her first day of junior year at Jersey Village High School, said she’s not concerned about the school district’s financial state or even aware that Ten Commandments posters are now hanging on the walls of every classroom in the district.
“I’m in cheer, and I’m excited to make new friends,” she said. “I’m looking forward to art class. I’m not looking forward to waking up this early every day.”
