The Cypress‑Fairbanks Independent School District board discussed creating a long‑range planning committee that will study facility needs, attendance boundaries, technology and transportation and make recommendations to the board that could feed into a bond proposal.

Why it matters: District staff said CFISD is roughly 92 percent built out, faces flat or declining enrollment in parts of the district and needs to weigh asset‑protection work (HVAC, roofs, bus fleet, sport facilities) against any new construction. Attendance boundary changes could extend or accelerate the need for new campuses and factor into bond timing.

Scope and timeline: Superintendent Dr. Killian and Teresa Hall outlined a process that would begin September with committee convening and run through January for a recommendations milestone. The district described two possible election windows if the committee recommends a bond: May or November. Staff noted that to meet a May election the board would need a call and final materials 72 days before the May election date, so the committee's recommendation should be ready by early January to inform registration and planning.

Committee composition and work: Staff proposed a community‑heavy committee of roughly 65 members, with the board appointing two members each; principals, classroom teachers and student representatives would participate but district central‑office staff would serve mainly as resource participants rather than voting members. The committee would receive demographic and geocoding data, hear from demographers and consultants (the presentation named PASA and a consultant called True North), study facility assessments and safety reviews, and prioritize needs for the board.

Public input and process safeguards: Staff said any preliminary boundary proposals from the committee would be posted for districtwide comment; an early meeting would be held to gather parent input before the committee finalizes recommendations. Trustees debated board presence at committee meetings. One trustee recalled a prior process in which board members did not attend committee meetings to avoid influencing work; another trustee requested that board officers be allowed to attend as observers to hear community input firsthand.

Budget and transparency questions: Trustees raised questions about total bond debt per student and asked for financial transparency — one trustee proposed a full audit or forensic‑style financial review to answer community concerns about legacy spending levels before seeking new bond authority. Staff did not commit to an outside audit during the discussion but agreed to include clear milestone reporting to the board. Trustees asked staff to provide monthly updates to the board on committee progress.

Next steps: Staff will recruit committee members and bring a formal membership proposal and final timeline to the board; committee meetings were proposed to be two hours each with additional community engagement steps built into the fall schedule. Staff said they would present interim updates to the board monthly and seek the committee's final recommendation in January.