January is School Board Recognition Month

The Houston Independent School District and school districts around the state are recognizing January as School Board Recognition Month to honor trustees for their dedication and willingness to serve as advocates for public schools.

School board members devote many hours to making sure students receive a high-quality education and are provided with schools that are safe and have the resources and instructional programs to educate them to their fullest potential.

“We proudly salute our Board of Education trustees as they provide vision and leadership for student achievement, academic programs, district funding, and school facilities,” Superintendent Richard Carranza said. “Their service ensures that decisions about local public schools are made by those most familiar with the needs of our community’s children and families.”

The nine members of HISD’s Board of Education serve staggered four-year terms—and, unlike their peers in other cities, serve without pay. They are elected from separate geographic districts, but as trustees they work closely with the superintendent to improve teaching and learning throughout the entire city.

After winning runoff elections on Dec. 9, Elizabeth Santos and Sergio Lira will be sworn in during the first 2018 Board of Education meeting on Jan. 18. Santos was elected to fill the District I seat being vacated by Anna Eastman. Lira will fill the unexpired term of the late District III Trustee Manuel Rodríguez Jr., which runs through 2019. The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. in the Manuel Rodríguez Jr. Board Auditorium at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St.).

Share tributes to your elected board member or what your campus is doing to recognize your board member by using #SchoolBoardMonth on social media. For more information about HISD’s trustees, visit the Board of Education webpage or click on their names below:

Current HISD Board of Education * Anna Eastman, Trustee, District I * Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Trustee, District II * Jose Leal, Trustee, District III * Jolanda Jones, Trustee, District IV * Michael Lunceford, Trustee, District V * Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca, Trustee, District VI * Anne Sung, Trustee, District VII * Diana Dávila, Trustee, District VIII * Wanda Adams, Trustee, District IX Board of Education’s updated Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals focus on equity, improving student outcomes