Fairfield campus to relieve middle school crowding

The Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District's 17th middle school will open in the Fairfield community next school year, and school officials have developed a first draft proposal for the attendance boundaries that will determine the neighborhoods zoned to that school.

The public can review and provide comments on the "Middle School #17 Starting Point Boundary Plan" at www.cfisd.net/boundary/ms17.htm.

Pam Wells, Cy-Fair ISD's associate superintendent of facilities, planning and community relations, said all comments will be forwarded to the seven board members, who will further discuss the boundary plan at a Nov. 15 board meeting.

Public can comment

The public can also comment on the plan at the Nov. 8 and Dec. 13 board meetings.

A final plan will be presented to the board for approval on Jan. 18.

"This is a starting point for discussion," said Cy-Fair ISD Superintendent David Anthony. "It is a clean feeder pattern, but probably could be better."

Middle School 17 is on Fairfield Place Drive in the heart of the master-planned Fairfield community north of U.S. 290 at Mason Road. Two middle schools near this community - and also north of U.S. 290 - are Goodson and Spillane.

Schools are crowded

John Fourqurean, Cy-Fair ISD's senior director of planning, research and evaluation, said both of those schools are crowded. Spillane has 1,731 students and a capacity of 1,450. Goodson has 1,753 students and a capacity of 1,480.

Students could be moved from Spillane to Middle School 17 to ease crowding at Spillane.

The neighborhoods proposed to be rezoned to Middle School 17 include Fairfield, Lakes of Fairhaven, Saddle Ridge Estates, Cypress Park, a section of Villages of Cypress Lakes west of the golf course, and the Grand Cypress Apartments.

Fourqurean said students could be rezoned from Goodson to Spillane to ease crowding at Goodson, including the neighborhood of Coles Crossing, which encompasses all of the area in Sampson Elementary School's zone.

If this plan were implemented, Goodson Middle School's projected population in 2011-12 would decrease to 1,107 students; Spillane Middle School's student population would decrease to 1,202; and Middle School 17 would open with 1,334 students.

Fourqurean said the plan is subject to change.

"This may not be best plan available, but it is a good one to start with," he said.

Board member Larry Youngblood said Cy-Fair ISD parents raised many questions and concerns during the district's previous attendance zone process about allowing students in the oldest grade-level to remain at their current school for their final year.

Fourqurean said it is the district's policy to allow students entering the eighth grade to remain at the current school if their parents or guardians can provide a method of transportation for them. However, the same would not be allowed for younger siblings.

Board member Don Ryan asked about the projected opening date for the district's 18th middle school.

Wells said the administration will discuss projected opening dates for future schools in November. She said the next middle school would probably open in the Towne Lake master-planned community at Barker-Cypress and West roads in four or five years.

For additional information about the boundary process, e-mail blanca.cooper@cfisd.net .