As the superintendent of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Dr. Douglas Killian is continually inspired by the achievements of the district’s students and the continued support from the Cy-Fair community.
As he enters his second year as superintendent, Killian hopes to bring the school district into a new season of growth through community involvement and its programs that encourage success beyond the classroom.
What inspired you to pursue a career in education?
My dad was a career military man, and so I was raised in a family that valued service above self. My mom was very involved in our church and several other things in the community. It made sense that when I got out of my own military service, the direction I would go was public education, and I haven't been disappointed.
There are many examples of people who have had an effect and a big impact on my life. That's why I continue to serve and why I haven’t retired; because I enjoy the impact we get to have on kids’ lives.
What is your vision for CFISD? How have you brought that vision to life?
We've had a lot of challenges financially, but the focus in the district has always been on getting the kids to wherever they want to go. I want to take them to that level, and more, in a challenging environment. I want to showcase all the amazing things that are going on in the district and tell stories not just about our kids but also about the staff.
We've been able to do some incredible things under some tight constraints at the state and federal level. The one thing I've always appreciated about Cy-Fair is its community focus, no matter how big it gets. That’s really the vision I have for the district—to continue that focus on what makes it an amazing place to live, work, and attend school.
Where do you see the district heading in the future?
I think the state has moved toward looking at college, career, and military readiness—and that's really our focus right now. How can we get kids to where they want to be in life? Where are you going to go next to make a difference in the world? That could mean that you want to serve in the military, or you want to go to college.
Right now, students can take hundreds of courses in career pieces, everything from welding all the way to agricultural science, medical branches, and things in the business sector. Students can also get certifications before they get out of school. All those things are part of making the district a special place and helping kids to be excited about going to school and taking the next step in that educational process.
What are some immediate goals that you have for the district?
Obviously, we've been in the news a lot for finance. We've had some challenges. I think that's a statewide issue—not just a Cy-Fair issue. My immediate goal is to get that weight off our shoulders and try to get some legislation passed that puts us in a position where we can still make great choices for our kids and community in terms of the services that we provide. We’ve been talking to our legislators and some of our state leaders about what we need for funding. We've got a few bills that a couple of our local representatives have filed that would help us with those goals to bring more stable financing to our school district.
The district has been very frugal and conservative in terms of its spending. We get less money per student than other districts that are even smaller than us. We also give larger tax incentives than other districts around us. One of the things that the district has been very proud of is its low administrative cost ratio, but now we're getting to a point where we must worry about some of the programs and services we provide to our community and to our kids. We want to focus on what makes Cy-Fair wonderful and amazing to work and live in.
With the new accountability system and its focus on college, career, and military readiness, we want to make sure that we have lots of options for our kids to get that post-secondary readiness in whatever area they want to go into after they graduate from high school. We need to continue to grow our dual credit, AP, and certification programs. Our partnership with Lone Star College has been amazing, especially being able to watch more than 700 students graduate with college credit. We need to celebrate all the wonderful things we're doing in the career and technology education space.
How do you measure the success of the schools in CFISD?
It’s things like the AP and dual credit program, and how many of our kids are getting that credit and graduating with endorsements. I look for how many of our kids are going into the service academies or enlisting in the military and are getting certified in areas where they can immediately go into work and earn more money than with just a high school diploma.
Even though we have an expansive offering of services, we want to make sure what we're doing is cost-effective for our community. With a 20% local homestead exemption, that says a lot about how efficient the district is and how well it manages its money to make sure you get a superior product.
When I recently visited Rennell Elementary, they were celebrating their Destination Imagination team taking second place in regionals. Those are the kinds of things that make the district special. Those programs where kids get the opportunity to excel in several different areas—those are the things we look for.
What are some of the strengths of CFISD?
The community support and involvement on the campuses is a real strength that I've seen. We've also got a lot of schools that have businesses and churches that have adopted them.
One of the things that I keep getting impressed with is every time I go into a different school or department, I'm meeting people who graduated from CFISD. They've come back to give back to the school district, or a family member of theirs works in the school district too. Those are exactly the kind of accolades you're looking for in this climate, so it’s a big strength that this school district attracts so many people back.
I saw some teachers at one of the campuses who were in college and doing their internships for teaching, and they were coming to work for us. Every single one of them said they all had jobs starting in January and they were December graduates. Those kinds of things are very critical for a school district to continue being at the forefront of providing a good educational experience for folks.
What students or teachers helped shape your career?
The first teacher I taught with in first grade while at United ISD was Lorraine Correa. She really inspired me to be a better reading teacher. She took me under her wing. She wasn't my mentor, but she really made a difference for me about high standards, lifting kids up and getting them to perform at their highest.
There’s a couple of students I've had, too, that have really impacted me. One of them is in the public sector now. He spent a lot of time in my office, and we had to work to keep him in class. He's got a master's degree and is really making a difference in the public sector.
It seems like every year you come across somebody that you run into that just makes you say, ‘I've got to give back a little bit more,’ because they're giving back to you.
Do you have any goals for building relationships within the community?
I’m really looking forward to getting more involved in some of the things that are going on in our community. I just rejoined the Lions Club, so hopefully I'll be able to help them out quite a bit.
The biggest thing is that we're restarting the Superintendent’s Fun Run on March 29. It was put on hold last year before I got here, but we're launching it again. The money raised goes back to our kids. Since the inception of the Fun Run, CFISD has donated $1,000,000 to the Cy-Fair Educational Foundation, which helps support scholarships and grants for our students.
I know it was a challenge that I started here in the middle of the year, especially with the budget concerns and the couple of storms that we've had to deal with, but the community has been great. It's been wonderful. I'm looking forward to getting through the upcoming spring semester with the legislature back in session, solving some of our financial issues, and then taking it to new heights.