HISD administrators, staff and students will gather on Tuesday, April 3, for a ceremony to dedicate the new DeChaumes Elementary School (155 Cooper), one of 16 new schools designed with eco-friendly features. The school will feature new science labs, library and Smartboard technology in every classrom.
Take a look at the new DeChaumes Elementary in the gallery below:
[Gallery not found]HISD Board of Education Trustee Anna Eastman and Deputy Chief Academic Officer Alicia Thomas will be joining administrators, staff and students for a ceremony to dedicate the new DeChaumes Elementary School (155 Cooper) on Tuesday, April 3 at 10 a.m.
“I know this campus was highly anticipated and means so much to the community! DeChaumes has soared academically in recent years,” said Eastman. “Having an energy-efficient facility with state of the art technology will only further enhance learning for our current students, as well those to come.”
DeChaumes Elementary is one of 16 new schools designed with eco-friendly features and leading technology that HISD has opened since 2011. The district will soon be opening eight more.
“Our commitment to quality education goes beyond the classroom to the overall campus environment,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said. “Providing a safe building and the latest technology are key factors in enhancing our students’ educational experience.”
The new DeChaumes facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and is projected to have an 18 percent reduction in energy consumption and designed to use 50 percent less water for landscape irrigation. The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards.
“Our school community is so proud of the way the school looks now, and all our students are using the latest technology,” said DeChaumes Principal Sandy Gaw. “I am also delighted that we now have space to offer special activities and clubs, like soccer and robotics.”
The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made this project possible. The new school includes:
• New library;
• New science labs;
• New computer lab; and
• Smart Board technology in all classrooms.
For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org.
All Houston ISD middle school soccer games and high school baseball and softball games scheduled for today are being cancelled because of rain.
Heavy rains are expected to render outdoor field unplayable.
A third-party audit of the Houston Independent School District’s contracting practices has found HISD’s conflict-of-interest policies are more stringent than those used by most other school systems, although there are several potential areas for improving business practices.
The HISD Board of Education requested the audit as part of an ongoing effort to ensure that the district is making the best use of taxpayer dollars when deciding which businesses will be awarded contracts with HISD. The findings were presented to the board during an open meeting today by Charles Yaple, a partner with Null-Lairson Certified Public Accountants. The firm conducted its audit by reviewing district purchasing records, and by interviewing HISD staff members, former superintendents, and all nine elected board members.
“Following your existing policies should work very well for you,” Yaple told board members. “We’re recommending that you continue your procurement improvement initiatives.”
Those initiatives, which began in fall 2011, are aimed at addressing problems with HISD’s procurement process to ensure greater transparency and consistency for the public and those who are seeking to do business with HISD.
The auditing firm also said HISD should:
• expand annual board training on existing conflict of interest and related procurement policies affecting board members.
• simplify policies, including internal staff policies related to monitoring board activities and activities of procurement evaluation staff.
• involve the Procurement Department in all purchases in some manner, even those that are being handled in other functional areas.
• require board members to communicate benefits that might be received from existing vendors to the superintendent and evaluate exposing these services to market competition
Melinda Garrett, HISD’s chief financial officer, said work is already under way to improve the way HISD documents its contract-awarding process. Those changes include giving advance notification to those bidding on HISD contracts of exactly how their bids will be evaluated.
Garrett today introduced school board trustees to HISD’s newly hired procurement manager, Christopher Gross. Gross, whose first day on the job is April 2, most recently worked as contract manager for the University of Texas System Supply Chain Alliance.
HISD staff will now take these audit findings, along with the findings of a recent review of HISD’s purchasing practices conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools, and develop more plans for improving the process. Those plans will be presented to the Board of Education for feedback.
The Sharpstown High School Band will receive the rare honor today of performing with members of the Houston Symphony.
The performance takes place at 2p.m. at Sharpstown High School (7504 Bissonnet). The Sharpstown students will perform one of the musical arrangements from the Symphony’s rendition of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets – An HD Odyssey”.
“The Planets” is one of the Symphony’s most celebrated pieces. It tells the story of NASA’s exploration of the solar-system while high-definition images of the planets are shown on a screen behind the orchestra.
Today’s performance is part of an ongoing partnership between the Houston Symphony and HISD. The Symphony is donating a DVD copy of its performance to each of the district’s 279 schools. Teachers will also receive the educational companion disc, which will provide interactive-cross curriculum lesson plans for all grade levels.
“We’re very excited that our band has been chosen to perform with the Houston Symphony. This is a tremendous honor for Sharpstown High which speaks volumes about the hard work of our teachers and students,” said Principal, Rob Gasparello.
HISD Board of Education Trustee Greg Meyers and Houston Symphony General Manager Steven Brosvik are scheduled to speak at today’s event.
“The Houston Symphony and the Houston Independent School District have had a rich and deep partnership and we are pleased to continue to grow these opportunities,” Brosvik said. “As music is needed to provide a complete education for our children, we hope this resource will provide a synergy for learning across the curriculum.”
The Symphony’s generous donation is being made possible because of a gift from Marathon Oil.
Watch a performance by the Marshall Middle School Band at a recent “Fine Arts Friday” event at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center:
Click image to view video. If unable to access YouTube, go to: http://houstonisdtx.swagit.com/play/03262012-512
You can watch a different school perform every Friday during lunchtime at the cafeteria located inside district headquarters at 4400 West 18th Street.
The Sunnyside community, volunteers, students and HISD Board of Education Trustee Lawrence Marshall were on hand for the the official groundbreaking for the expansion and renovation of Evan E. Worthing High School on Wednesday, March 21. See photos from the event below.
[Gallery not found]
The first administration of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam began today, and students and parents took to social media sites to talk about the test. Here’s what some of them had to say:
As students in Houston ISD begin taking the new State Assessments of Academic Readiness, HISD’s Richard Blair talks about some of the chief differences between TAKS and STAAR, and how parents can help their children get ready for the tests. For a complete schedule of testing dates, click here.
Click image above for video.
Dear HISD Community:
I am writing to let you know in advance about an article that we expect to appear in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper on Sunday that analyzes test scores from school districts across America. The story comes nearly a year after a major cheating scandal in the Atlanta Public Schools. This national exam score analysis was done in an effort to identify schools in which student test performance increased or decreased significantly from one year to the next. The newspaper interprets such shifts in performance as signs of possible cheating. We have been alerted that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s analysis has identified such test score spikes at campuses across America, including some in the Houston Independent School District.
I want you to know that HISD takes these allegations seriously and does not tolerate cheating. We believe that adults who participate in cheating are robbing their students of the quality education they deserve. I also want you to know that I believe in the integrity of the overwhelming majority of educators working in Houston schools.
Almost 34,000 students who applied to one of the district’s 115 magnet programs will find out during the week of March 26 whether they have been accepted to the school of their choice. Letters alerting students of their admissions status will be sent out on Friday, March 23, and students and parents can expect to receive their notification letters beginning Monday, March 26.
“This is a very exciting time for HISD students. We want to ensure they get the chance to build up the special knowledge and skills they desire, whether that be Chinese or Spanish language, math and science, dance, or even aviation skills,” said Assistant Superintendent of School Choice Lupita Hinojosa.
Students who are “accepted” must indicate that they will attend the magnet school for the 2012-2013 school year by returning the enclosed signed Student Entrance Agreement no later than April 9th.
Students who have not been immediately accepted will receive a letter stating “waitlisted,” “out of district,” or “not qualified.”
Magnet coordinators will begin making phone calls on April 9 to offer spots to waitlisted students who move up the list if the school has any students who decline to attend.
Selection for out of district students will begin June 6, after all in-district candidates have been accepted.
Students who receive a “Not Qualified” letter for a particular magnet program are invited to attend the Second Annual School Choice Fair on Saturday, April 28, at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center from 9 a.m. – noon to learn about other schools.
“The fair will feature magnet, specialty, and neighborhood schools with space available for more students. Everyone will be able to find a school of choice for the 2012-2013 school year,” said Hinojosa.
• See how many students applied to each magnet school (.pdf)
All HISD ground beef suppliers have confirmed this week that they do not use lean finely textured beef.
Houston Independent School District officials contacted the suppliers soon after concerns were raised about lean finely textured beef, also known as pink slime. As of Wednesday afternoon, each vendor had supplied HISD with written documentation confirming they have not sent the district any of the controversial products. In addition, HISD officials have inspected about $800,000 worth of frozen ground beef stored at the district’s food services facility and confirmed it does not contain lean finely textured beef.
In the future, HISD will decline to purchase any products that contain lean finely textured beef.
HISD has scheduled 10 public meetings to gather community input on a plan to add 19 minutes to the average student’s school day by coordinating the bell schedule among the district’s 279 schools.
If approved, the extra 19 minutes of daily instructional time would be equal to an extra seven full days of school by the end of the school year. In addition, the plan would save HISD $1.2 million as the district seeks to address a $34 million deficit caused by the Texas Legislature’s decision last year to cut public funding.
Under this plan, every HISD school would have an instructional day that is 7 ½ hours long. Currently, HISD schools have about 20 different start and end times. Under the option presented, schools would operate on the following bell schedule:
The cost savings in this plan would come from a much more efficient school bus operation that would allow many buses to drive more routes than is currently possible. However before a final decision is made, HISD will be gathering input at a series of community meetings held in locations throughout the district. Principals are also being asked to meet with their communities to gather additional input.
The public meetings are scheduled for the following dates and locations:
HISD has created an online survey for parents, students, and community members to provide feedback for the proposal. The survey also includes an open comment section. It can be found on the website http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HISDTimeSurvey.
HISD administration plans to analyze all of this feedback before making a formal proposal for the Board of Education’s consideration by May 17. A detailed description of the plan can be found on the district’s website www.houstonisd.org.
The Houston Independent School District hosted some of the country’s most innovative education leaders on Monday, March 19 for the second meeting of the League of Innovative Schools.
The League is an alliance of school districts committed to working with entrepreneurs, researchers, thought leaders and leading education companies to dramatically increase student achievement. The League was launched in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and Digital Promise, the new national center created by Congress to advance breakthroughs in education with technology. The purpose of this initiative is to spur innovation in education and prepare all students to thrive in a 21st century economy.
HISD is one of 35 school districts across the country chosen to join this initiative.
Monday’s meeting explored the League’s role in transforming the education technology market. Some of the League’s key initiatives include: accelerating the innovation cycle with real-time evaluations of education technologies, scaling innovation and sharing best practices on how to effectively use technology, and improving the K-12 marketplace by informing consumers and aggregating demand.
Among the speakers were Brad Allan, program manager from Harvard Education Innovation Laboratory; Jonathan Guryan, associate professor of human development and social policy and economics at Northwestern University; and Zoran Popovic, director of the Center for Game Science.
Some of America’s most innovative education leaders gathered at the Houston Independent School District’s headquarters on March 19 for the second meeting of the League of Innovative Schools.
Fondren Middle School Principal Charles Foust (far left) explains to members of the League of Innovative Schools how his campus is using technology to drive instruction.
Designed to give educators a chance to dramatically increase student achievement through the wise use of technology, the league was launched by President Barack Obama in 2011 in tandem with Digital Promise, a new national education center created by the Congress and the U.S. Department of Education.
Superintendents from across the country attended the Houston meeting, where they—along with dozens of respected researchers and entrepreneurs—adopted the league’s membership charter, took part in break-out sessions on various topics, and toured one of five Apollo 20 campuses to see how HISD is using technology to drive instruction.
“Mr. McNairy, one of our history teachers, can get instant assessments and download data to his grade book immediately using the Classroom Performance System,” explained Fondren Middle School Principal Charles Foust, “while Ms. Perry can be anywhere in the classroom and her writing will appear on the SMART Board up front.”
UPDATE 9:35 a.m.:
After-school athletics activities (including baseball, softball, soccer, and track and field) scheduled for today at all HISD schools are canceled because of heavy rains.
UPDATE 9:08 a.m.:
Houston ISD officials are closely monitoring the storm system that has brought heavy rains into the region today. So far, no HISD schools have reported any significant weather-related problems. District officials will be keeping a close eye on weather conditions as we approach dismissal time to determine whether any action is necessary to protect the safety of our students and employees. HISD will be posting any weather-related updates here, so be sure to check back often for updates.
UPDATE 9:04 a.m.:
The National Weather Service has just issued a Tornado Warning for Harris County until 8:15 AM. At 7:41 AM NWS Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado. This storm was located near Bunker Hill and moving NE at 30 mph.
UPDATE: 8:05 a.m.:
NWS has issued a Flood Advisory for Harris County until 10:45 AM. NWS Doppler radar indicated very heavy rain was falling over SW Harris County to Jersey Village to the Woodlands. An inch of rain has fallen in last 30 minutes and another 1 to 2 inches will fall in next 90 minutes.
Per Transtar there are no current road closures due to high water of the major thoroughfares.
The friends and family of Judge James DeAnda were joined by noted jurists, community members, elected officials, and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier at the official dedication of James DeAnda Elementary School. The school is one of the district’s new campuses built to LEED specifications and made possible by public support of 2007′s $805 million bond program.
“We ought to name schools after those whose accomplishments are on the right side of history,” Ellis said. “This school is named for Judge DeAnda because he lived a life worth emulating.”
Attendees included Board of Education Trustee Manuel Rodriguez; former Houston City Council member Felix Fraga; Michael Solar of the legal firm Solar & Associates; U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison; federal judge, Louis De Anda, brother of Judge DeAnda and Michael Olivas, law professor at the University of Houston.
“He was our Thurgood Marshall,” said Olivas, who currently sits of the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, which DeAnda founded.
Louis J. DeAnda, Judge DeAnda’s son, thanked Principal Sindaco for his dedication to the school and its students.
“When I finished my tour, one thing I noticed is that as we were leaving the school, Mr. Sindaco greeted each parent by name. It’s not just a job for him, and that let me know that this school is going places.”
Judge James DeAnda was raised in Houston and attended Sherman Elementary School. He was one of the first Mexican American attorneys to argue before the Supreme Court, and was the second Mexican American to serve as a federal judge, nominated by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, and received his commission to the bench on May 10, 1979.
Administrators, staff, alumni, students and Sunnyside neighborhood residents will be joined by HISD Board of Education District IX Trustee Larry Marshall for the official groundbreaking ceremony for Worthing High School’s renovation and expansion on Wednesday, March 21 at 10 a.m. at 9215 Scott Street.
“Sunnyside is a proud community with close-knit ties to successful people across the United States,” Marshall said. “We are delighted to be able to welcome them to the site of the new and improved Worthing High School. It’s been a dream for these residents for a long time.”
State Senator Rodney Ellis, a distinguished graduate of Worthing, and State Rep. Borris Miles will be joining the Worthing community for this special ceremony.
The project includes a new two-story classroom addition, safety and security upgrades, technology improvements, and roof repairs, in addition to repairs of the athletic track.
“This new school building, with the renovated commons and auditorium, will definitely be a source of pride for the residents of Sunnyside,” said Worthing Principal Tod Nix. “Most importantly, this is something our students are going to be proud of and enjoy every school day.”
The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 has helped make this Worthing project possible. The expanded and renovated campus will include:
The campus’ old life skills building will become the new Worthing Community Learning Center, a student union-type structure that will include study rooms, recreation areas, and meeting space. This center will serve all the children of Sunnyside, including those attending some of the area elementary and middle schools.
For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org.
Principal Amy Simson welcomed HISD Board of Education President Michael Lunceford, Chief School Officer Sam Sarabia, and the grandson of E. O. Lovett at the elementary school’s official dedication held March 8, 2012.
A student on Lovett's WHO TV crew works with Aaron Casares from HISD's Multimedia Services team.
“We are delighted to welcome you to this lovely new space,” she said. “There is so much we have been able to do, we now have special practice rooms for our band, choir and orchestra programs, and through the window wall in our new band room, we can give outdoor performances.”
Lovett’s all-student WHO TV crew worked with HISD TV to cover the event, including holding the cameras, and shooting footage.
Chief Elementary School Officer Sam Sarabia congratulated Principal Simson for Lovett’s continued achievements, and recognized longtime band director Ginny Croft, whose 30-year tenure has earned numerous performing arts accolades, at both the district and state level.
HISD’s Green District Challenge energy conservation program was recognized with the 2012 Leadership in Action Award for Environmental Improvement earlier this week during the Leadership Houston awards luncheon. The annual award recognizes Houston corporations and nonprofits that have made extraordinary contributions to the greater Houston community, through programs and projects in 10 different categories, including Environmental Improvement.
“We are proud of our efforts to model for our students what it means to be good stewards of our financial and natural resources,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “Our schools are long term investments, so it’s important that we build facilities that use less energy. And through our Green School Challenge, our students are learning the important role they play in energy conservation.”
HISD Chief Operating Officer Leo Bobadilla accepted the award on the district’s behalf.
The District earned the Leadership in Action award for its precedent-setting implementation of a three-pronged initiative and comprehensive approach to energy efficiency, including capital improvements, process improvements, and behavioral change programs. The District initiative features energy-efficient building designs, green building practices, fuel-efficiency initiatives, and behavioral change programs at the school campuses, and is complemented by a new energy performance contracting program that will allow district wide retrofits of facilities with emerging technology in energy-efficient lighting, building controls, HVAC equipment, and other building systems.
HISD is also committed to building new facilities to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance “green” buildings.
In 2011, HISD’s transportation department was named as the top school district green fleet by Government Fleet magazine, a first for HISD. HISD’s energy-efficient programs in transportation include outfitting special GPS equipment for idle reduction and route efficiencies, the use of alternative fuels such as biodiesel and propane, and the installation of emission reduction devices on 490 buses.
This January, HISD implemented the Green School Challenge, a competition among schools, designed to inspire students to track their school’s energy use, and form campus ‘Green Teams’ to increase single stream recycling and decrease energy use.
For more information about the district’s single stream recycling program, and other information on energy efficiency, visit www.houstonisd.org/greenschoolschallenge.
