Parents, students and residents raise curriculum, budget and wellness concerns at CFB ISD meeting
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Summary
Public commenters urged caution on the Bluebonnet curriculum for math, warned about potential revenue impacts from falling appraisals and immigration delays, and a middle-school student offered a digital wellness project and classroom resources.
Multiple members of the public addressed the board during the audience-for-guests portion of the Feb. 5 meeting, raising concerns about curriculum quality, district cost drivers and student well-being.
Zohair Bhamal told trustees local housing and appraisal values appear to be declining and warned slow processing of work authorizations for immigrants could reduce district revenues through lower appraisals and enrollment; he recommended trustees plan conservatively for potential revenue declines over the next one to two years.
Resident Lakshmi Ananthakrishnan spoke about math curriculum options under review and said she reviewed Bluebonnet workbooks and observed "spelling errors," confusing formatting and insufficient space for students to show their work; she referenced a Texas Tribune report alleging numerous errors in Bluebonnet materials and asked the board to prioritize quality over financial incentives.
Eighth-grade student Sean Huang described a student initiative, Project Restoring Digital Balance, which he said improved participants' understanding of healthy screen habits in pre- and post-surveys and offered bookmarks, mastercards and a website (www.projectrdb.com) as resources for schools.
Resident Nicholas Menelis commented on district staffing and said central administration headcount above state averages could represent potential savings (he estimated about $4.4 million) if aligned with state norms; he also asked the board to clarify what constitutes a formal grievance under board policies DGBA, FNG and GF.
Board President Cassandra Hatfield thanked each speaker and reminded the public that the board listens during public comment but generally does not deliberate on items not on the posted agenda.