Members of Sterling High School's Project Advisory Team discuss plans for a new school under the 2012 bond program.

When Sterling High School students, teachers and community members joined the school’s Project Advisory Team, they already had an idea of what they wanted their new school to look like.

They envisioned state-of-the-art technology, customized coursework and flexible learning spaces as the southeast Houston school begins the planning and design phase under the district’s $1.89 billion 2012 bond program.

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Lamar High School was built in 1937 in a distinctive Art Deco style.

Lamar High School is known as a school that has graduated award-winning journalists and authors, and Nobel laureates and professional athletes over the years. While Houstonians embrace the school’s rich alumni culture, few realize that the building’s structure has its own legacy with a deeply rooted foundation in its surrounding community.

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Atherton Elementary on the city's northeast side is scheduled to open for students in August.

The school year is winding down for students, but for architects and construction companies working for HISD, the summer promises to be busier than ever.

More than 60 construction projects are slated to be in full swing when the school year ends June 6. The work will mark another milestone in the 2007 bond program, which has included more than 180 expansion, renovation and maintenance projects across the district.

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HISD’s Bond Oversight Committee heard a detailed update on the district’s 2012 and 2007 bond programs during its inaugural quarterly meeting on Tuesday that included the latest steps in planning, renovating and building dozens of schools across the district.

The independent committee was established to monitor the district’s bond programs, which includes ensuring that bond revenues are spent appropriately and evaluating the risks and controls of the bond program.

The district recently reorganized the group’s charter to give it more oversight responsibility, via independent and periodic reports to the superintendent, the Board of Education and the general public.

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HISD is soliciting qualifications from construction companies interested in supplying Construction Manager at Risk services on four schools being renovated or built under the 2012 bond program.

The projects include Waltrip High School, Worthing High School, North Early College and South Early College high schools.

“This is great opportunity for companies that want to work with the district and the architects as we plan and design these schools,” said Robert Sands, Officer of Construction & Facility Services.

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Prospective mentors and protégés exchange information at an information session last Thursday at Metro downtown.

HISD is kicking off a program to help small and minority-owned businesses develop the skills needed to compete for government contracts as part of an Interagency Mentor-Protégé Program sponsored with the City of Houston, Metro, and the Port of Houston Authority.

“Programs like this are going to help you take advantage of all the opportunities,” said Bernard Willingham, HISD’s team lead for Supplier Diversity, at an event last week to help introduce the initiative.

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Yates High School faculty, parents and community members got a chance to meet the architects that will design the new Yates campus under the $1.89 billion 2012 bond program.

More than 20 people turned out Thursday evening at the school’s auditorium, where attendees learned more about the planning and design phase of their campus and reviewed previous work from the Moody-Nolan firm, the nation’s largest African-American owned and operated architecture firm. Continue reading →

First-graders Isai Rogel, left, and Fatima Carranza prepare to recycle materials from their class at Lewis Elementary school.

Imagine a school building that can be used as a teaching tool. Or a campus with roof-top gardens, energy-saving lighting and a curriculum designed not only to help students learn, but to encourage them to be better stewards of the environment.

Through a partnership with The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) under NWF’s Eco-Schools USA program, HISD hopes to make this vision a vital part of the $1.89 billion 2012 bond that will replace or rebuild 40 schools across the city.

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HISD principals, teachers, and parents discuss ways to incorporate career and technical education into new schools being built under the 2012 bond program.

More than 50 HISD administrators, principals, teachers and staff from 2012 bond program campuses gathered Wednesday to learn about strategies for incorporating career and technical education into traditional classes.

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Students at Billy Reagan K-8 study in the library, which incorporates a large amount of natural light.

Gone are the days where librarians stock books on shelves according to the Dewey Decimal system. Today, librarians are considered information professionals who check out books to students through e-reader devices and facilitate learning through technology and collaborative groups.

“Think about the future of our libraries as a Barnes & Noble store combined with a traditional library,” HISD’s Manager of Library Services Liz Philippi said.

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Leo Bobadilla, HISD's chief operating officer, presents at the 2013 Council of Educational Facility Planners International Southern Region Conference in Austin on Friday about planning and passing a $1.89 billion bond referendum. Photo by Christina Burke

If any school districts are looking for some tips on how to plan and pass a bond referendum, HISD Chief Operating Officer Leo Bobadilla has some advice: Make the information engaging.

“We can’t tell people how to vote,” Bobadilla said.  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun communicating the information to voters so they can make informed choices.”

See more photos from the CEFPI Conference

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The Houston Independent School District is pleased to announce the selection of seven volunteers to serve on its newly reorganized Bond Oversight Committee as the district embarks on its $1.89 billion bond program approved by voters in November.

Administrators decided in December to revise the existing committee charter to give the group a more active role in monitoring the district’s bond program and keeping the public informed on new construction and renovation projects.

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Construction industry professionals network at HISD's Delmar-Tusa Fieldhouse on Wednesday as the district prepares to begin the bidding process on select 2012 bond projects.

More than 270 people turned out Wednesday night at Delmar-Tusa Fieldhouse to network with construction industry professionals as the Houston Independent School District prepares to start the bidding process on some 2012 bond projects.

“We were really pleased to see so many faces,” said Alexis Licata, general manager of HISD’s Office of Business Assistance. “This $1.89 billion bond program will create new jobs and opportunities for our diverse business community, and we want everyone to know how they can be a part of it.

Click here for more photos of the networking event

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Members of HISD's Hispanic Advisory Committee hears an update on the 2012 bond program.

A key part of the 2012 bond program is keeping Houston’s diverse communities up-to-date on what’s happening at their neighborhood schools.

Assisting in that effort is HISD’s Hispanic Advisory Committee, which heard firsthand Thursday about its important role in reaching out to the city’s Latino residents.

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HISD's Facilities Planning team members (from left): Kedrick Wright, LaJuan Harris, Princess Jenkins, and Dave Funk.

Growing up, Kedrick Wright wanted to be a construction worker because he loved building and remodeling things around the house. He eventually chose a different career, but as HISD’s new senior manager of Facilities Planning, Wright will be using his childhood interests to help replace or build 40 schools across the city.

Wright, who joined HISD on March 18, oversees a team of facilities planners recently hired to guide school officials, parents, and community members through the process of creating 21^st century schools as part of the $1.89 billion 2012 bond program.

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