Julie Hinaman - CFISD Trustee

CFISD Community, please be aware of the District conducting a full-scale safety exercise at Rowe Middle School and the Berry Center tomorrow (June 3). You may see a large law enforcement and EMS presence as multiple local agencies practice and evaluate safety procedures together.
I appreciate the efforts of the CFISD Emergency Management Dept, CFISD PD, and local partners to keep students and staff safe.

CFISD reminds community about June 3 safety exercise June 2, 2026—Cypress-Fairbanks ISD reminds the community that its office of emergency management, in collaboration with the CFISD police department and local first responders, will host a full-scale safety exercise on June 3 at Rowe Middle School (7611 Westgreen Blvd.) and the Berry Center (8877 B...

Just a few days left in the 2025-2026 school year, CFISD! While celebrating students and staff this week, I’m reminded that CFISD focuses on serving ALL students and provides opportunities that can’t be found within charters or private schools. That’s just one of the things that makes CFISD special!
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Good morning, CFISD Community! ☀️We are in the homestretch for the 2025-2026 school year and there is so much to celebrate! 🎉
Looking through my pics from the past two weeks brings me joy and reminds me that students are at the heart of all that we do. ❤️

With all of the attention being given to public funds going to private schools (vouchers) recently, some have forgotten about the other state-funded education system in TX…charter schools.

A lot of people are confused…are charters public schools or private schools? The answer is Yes. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Charters are “public schools” that are 100% funded by the state (no pesky property taxes to collect just to pay the electric bill or make payroll), they do give STAAR tests, and do follow some state mandates for public schools. They also get more per-student funding than we do.

Charters are also “private schools” in that they are led by private organizations, not locally-elected Trustees. They may be run by a group of family members or people who don’t even live in the community. Charters can also open schools and sell bonds to pay for facilities without a vote by the local community. Charter schools do not have to accept all children but can pick/weed out kids through a “lottery” or application process.

Charters are approved by the appointed TEA Commissioner and the elected State Board of Education (SBOE).

I have testified twice to the SBOE in opposition to charter schools opening up more “franchises” in our area. Once, during a break while waiting to testify, I tried to visit with my elected SBOE representative. He did not have time to talk to me but spent time talking to a gentleman who owned interest in a charter management organization and who had contributed to the SBOE member’s campaign.

Just recently, I (along with Superintendents and school board presidents from multiple districts) received a letter from the TEA announcing the expansion of a charter organization with 7 new locations impacting CFISD, Katy ISD, Bryan ISD, College Station ISD, Spring ISD, Waller ISD, Tomball ISD, Klein ISD. Since it’s an “expansion”, there are no votes taken or opportunity to testify…it’s just a done deal by the TEA.

Why in the world is the TEA/state adding MORE schools without input from local communities, without transparency, and in areas where student enrollment is declining?

Why? Because charters are a step between locally-governed, community-based public schools and for-profit privatization of education in TX. That’s why the TEA pushes struggling school districts into partnerships with charters.

When I look around CFISD and see all of the many opportunities for students to learn, grow and succeed, I am so proud. Charter schools don’t offer CTE certification courses or the extensive range of Fine Arts, Athletics, FFA, or Associates Degrees through the College Academies at every high school like we do. Most charter schools don’t provide transportation to/from school or special education services.

I’m not afraid of “competition” because I believe we are providing exceptional educational opportunities for students …but as a taxpayer and believer in local control, I sure wish our state leaders would be more strategically focused and fiscally responsible.

In a district as large and diverse as ours, we are brought together often to celebrate and to comfort each other. Thank you, CFISD Community, for coming together again this week.
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Hi CFISD Community! It feels like the school year is flying by AND the days are long at the same time, doesn’t it? While there is so much to celebrate in our district, I also recognize that sometimes it feels disappointing, frustrating, or heartbreaking. This I know….we always strive to do our best and focus on students. Thank you to everyone in CFISD who keeps showing up, doing the hard work, and doing the next right thing. You are appreciated! 💛💙💜

While we were excited to follow the Artemis spaceship’s voyage through outer space this week 🚀, here on Earth, Texas public school students and teachers were working on conquering the STAARs. 🌟
Meanwhile, students were also participating in athletics, fine arts, & CTE because ALL CFISD students have access to many opportunities to grow & learn! 🎓
Thank you for another great week, CFISD Community!

Just saw this quote in a Houston Chronicle article about the new $1B voucher program:
"The state has deemed nearly 250,000 families eligible for the new $1 billion private school voucher program, according to data released after the application window closed this week. But most of them will likely be turned away, because the program is estimated to provide state-funded tuition subsidies to between 90,000 and 100,000 students."

Let's be honest. Many of the students who applied for vouchers will be turned away because 1. they are ineligible based upon current pre-K eligibility requirements and 2. they will not be accepted by a private school due to unacceptable grades/test scores, behavior concerns, inability for parents to provide transportation or to meet volunteer hour/fundraising requirements, inability to cover all "other" costs, special needs that most private schools can't serve, don't "match" with the school based upon whatever reason the school gives.
Remember....private schools select their students, it's the schools' choice. So while many applicants will be rejected, the students that private schools actually want/already serve will have access to tuition subsidies paid for by you and me.

Even though there seems to be plenty of our public tax dollars ($1B) to give away, the state legislature will use the inflated # of applicants vs. actual recipients as an excuse to try to grow vouchers next year.

Specific to the $10,500 vouchers being given by our state legislature using public funds.....why is private pre-K being funded at such a high level, but local public schools (that are required to provide full-day pre-K) are only funded at half-day funding levels? If pre-K is a priority of the state legislature, why are they intentionally underfunding mandatory public school pre-K while diverting funds to for-profit businesses? How does that make sense?

Also, why does the voucher program include subsidizing tuition for students of pre-K business employees, but that same subsidy or access to free pre-K is not given to all public school employees at a local campus (like paras, counselors, etc)?

While the state comptroller and legislators are bragging about the "huge" interest in vouchers, the reality is that it's a very small % of public school families - the majority of voucher applicants are already in private schools or are 4 year olds whose parents want a break on their private daycare cost for a year.

Texas families value and appreciate their local, public, community schools.

It will be interesting to see the data on who actually gets a voucher and what businesses/private schools benefit from the $1B Texas voucher program, including that virtual school in Florida that was approved. Why is Texas sending our tax dollars to Florida? Will there ever be financial transparency (audits, public documentation) on how private companies are using our tax dollars? So many questions....

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/private-school-voucher-program-22070689.php?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/school-voucher-loophole-florida-virtual-22183576.php?

Over 270K students applied for Texas' voucher program. Most will be rejected. Texas private school vouchers will likely go only to low-income students or students with disabilities because the demand is far higher than the available supply, officials say.