On Wednesday, Jan. 18, the High School Journalism Network (HSJN) January press conference was hosted by Cypress Ranch High School and welcomed the CFISD Associate Superintendent of Facilities, Construction, and Support Services, Roy Sprague. Managing the development policies and facility repairs within the district, Sprague explained the future plans for schools in the district, including Cy-Fair High School, the inclement weather process, and how schools deal with vandalism to student representatives, faculty and staff from around the district.

Sprague is a registered architect and interior designer and has twenty years of experience in CFISD. Cy Fair ISD is the fifth largest school district in the state of Texas and within the top 25 in the nation.There are over 3,500 employees in the areas Sprague supervises.

Though Sprague mainly deals with construction, his division is also responsible for transportation for all schools in the district, including getting students to and from school safely everyday. Sprague shared that about 8,000 students are transported on a daily basis throughout the district. Based on the 2015 to 2016 broad schedule, there are approximately 8.5 million miles traveled in terms of school transportation in CFISD each year, and it takes over 1.5 million gallons of fuel are purchased in order to transport these students.

While something as ordinary as a bus ride seems simple, Sprague proved how much effort must go into the process. Safety is always the team’s top priority. The ID cards that have been a recent addition to students across the district are commonly used for the school’s transportation system. The ID cards issued to students allow students to check in and off the bus sending a notification to parents cell phones as well as checking out library books, opening doors and are used for lunch purchases.

Although there can be minor flaws at times within the technology, Sprague and his team are always quick to solve the issues.

The January press conference with Sprague highlighted how hard the district works to make sure each school is secure and efficient. Sprague was very informative, sharing useful information to show what the district deals with on a regular basis. Delivering a broad understanding of what his job is and how it affects students, Sprague and his team work with underrated subjects such as transportation and security to keep CFISD one of the best.