HISD’s Supplemental Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) program offers participants up to 30 additional leave days in the event of a catastrophic injury or illness resulting in an extended work absence.
SSLB membership confirmations and enrollment materials will be emailed to eligible employees during the week of May 12, 2014. Current SSLB participants are automatically re-enrolled. Enrollment forms and plan details are also available on the SSLB webpage.
Eligible employees may enroll or cancel membership during the pre-enrollment period through May 30, 2014. An open enrollment period will be held in September for employees to enroll or terminate membership. A benefits-concurrent enrollment period will be held in November for enrollment only.
Contact Employee Support Services at 713-695-5561 for additional assistance.
The Council of the Great City Schools is honoring HISD with a Special Recognition award to recognize the exemplary performance of the district’s Transportation Department.
The award states that HISD’s Transportation Department stands as a model for exemplary performance in the use of technology, staff development and training, quick and efficient service, and resource stewardship.
Read the full story here.
Rita Graves
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Roberts ES Principal Rita Graves, who is one of only ten principals in the country—and the only one from Texas—selected to share her knowledge and expertise on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Standing Principals Committee. Graves recently returned from the group’s first meeting in Washington D.C. Her NAEP appointment is for three years.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
Willie Coleman
It didn’t take long for Willie Coleman’s supervisors to recognize his value as an employee. Almost immediately after being hired back in 1984 as a custodian at Cullen Middle School, Coleman was promoted to the position of plant operator. He has been working in that capacity for Team HISD ever since, most recently at the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center.
Coleman is a proud member of Worthing High School’s Class of 1974, who came to the district after serving as the manager of an auto parts store. He says he never anticipated staying here this long, but stays year after year out of devotion to his students.
“There were so many other places I wanted to go,” said Coleman. “But safety and security is my main focus, and that’s why I did it for so long. For the kids.”
Coleman officially marked his 30th anniversary with the district on May 14, but several other employees have also marked theirs this week (May 11–17). See if you know anyone on this list:
25 years
- Cheryl Baker, teaching assistant, Milby HS
- Velma Ruiz, teacher, Scarborough ES
20 years
- Felix Govea, maintenance repairer, Construction & Facility Services
- Priscilla Pugh, clerk, Jordan HS
10 years
- Toya Martell, attendant, Food Services
- Kay York, teacher, White ES
5 years
- Sandra Benson, production attendant, Food Services
- Elena Jimenez, associate tutor, Oates ES
- Margarita Martinez, quality control representative, Food Services
- Mario Muniz Jr, production attendant, Food Services
- Maritza Sorto, production attendant, Food Services
- Ofelia Vasquez, production attendant, Food Services
- Harold Whorton, warehouse driver, Food Services
- Joslyn Williams, associate teacher
| Check back next Friday for more May Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees. |
In this week’s I Am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Construction & Facility Services Custodial Area Manager (and Waltrip HS alumna) Barbara Mora talks about how a neighbor’s tip led her to a 35-year career with Team HISD, why she’s so highly regarded by those who work with her, and what family tragedy spurred her to volunteer with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
How did you come to be an HISD employee? I know you began working here not long out of Waltrip High School, right?
Barbara Mora and her husband, James
Yes. I attended Stevens Elementary, Black Junior High, and Waltrip Senior High schools. I was raised in Houston and left when I got married. After being married for a few years, I returned home, divorced with two children, an infant and a toddler. I was a single parent looking for a miracle. My neighbor was retiring from HISD, and he opened the door for me. Finally, life gave me a great opportunity to prove myself and I’m so grateful I was given the chance. I started out as a scheduler making $5.25 per hour, but I felt like I hit the jackpot.
Your official title now is area manager of custodial operations, and you oversee three team leaders and about 320 people at 82 different schools/facilities on the city’s southeast side. How many promotions have you gotten over the years?
I have been promoted or changed titles five times in the 35 years I’ve been here.
You’re something of a rarity, having lived in the same area of town for almost your entire life. What’s that been like for you, and what do you think about the changes you’ve seen in Oak Forest over the years, particularly at the schools?
I love the fact that I live in the same house where I grew up, with all the memories. But I also like the idea that young families are coming back into the area. All the new construction is an adjustment, but I know it’s inevitable and my community is changing for the better. I can see why builders choose this area. We have beautiful trees and an established family-friendly neighborhood. The schools are working hard to bring the neighborhood children back.
At one point, HISD was a family affair, with your husband, your daughter, and even your late son working for the district. How did that come about and what made it so appealing to all of you?
My husband, James, was working long hours conducting leadership and safety classes for his employees—all the same type of training classes that we have here. He applied and was hired for the senior trainer position, which he loves. At one point, my daughter was a registered nurse at M.D. Anderson, but she wanted to work hours she could be with her children, so she began working at T. H. Rogers. My younger son began in HISD as an hourly summer worker in the Furniture Warehouse while attending high school. Then he began working in the Hazardous Materials department while attending HCC to become an electrician. Unfortunately, we lost him in a motorcycle accident in 2011 at the age of 21, but I feel blessed to be surrounded by loving and supportive people in the district. Many have been with me since the time I was pregnant with him and supported me after his loss.
A number of people have told me how highly regarded you are as a manager, not just by your colleagues and superiors, but also by your underlings. Your husband says it’s because you’re open-minded, a good listener, and you ask questions to get a complete picture before taking action. Would you agree with that? If not, what do you attribute your success to, and why is it so important to you?
I have always felt that treating people like I want to be treated is an important part of managing people. Respect is not something that is demanded, it is earned. I drill into folks that we are not just the cleaning folks—we create an environment. Every student, teacher, and administrator should have a clean, inviting place to work.
Your husband also said you keep him in line at home. True?
As you know, that is an on-going project. (Laughs)
I understand your family has been involved with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo for some time, now. What first got you interested in that, and what keeps you coming back year after year?
I have only been volunteering for three years, but James has been involved for about 12. I stepped up after Rich had his accident. Everyone was there for us, because he was volunteering and they all thought a lot of him. Now that I see how it really helps children get to college, I feel good about doing my part.
| If you know a graduate, student, employee, or other member of Team HISD who should be featured here, please email us at info@houstonisd.org. |
A corps of 45 teacher leaders from HISD’s first 11 PowerUp campuses has been sharing lesson plans, discussing their favorite web tools, and working to bring their strongest technology-focused instructional practices to the classroom, thanks to a partnership between HISD and Discovery Ed.
The PowerUp Teacher-Leader Corps recently completed the last in a series of five, intensive, all-day professional development sessions at the Ryan Professional Development Center. The goal is to provide corps members with specific ideas they can take back to their classrooms and implement immediately, then share those action plans with their colleagues across campuses.
“It’s wonderful,” said Sarah Campbell, a teacher at the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy. “We have already decided we need to find a way to continue to meet, because we love coming together, we love talking about students, we love investigating best practices, and we love sharing curriculum ideas. We talk about everything.”
To learn more about HISD’s partnership with Discovery Ed, please click the link above or see this related video.
| Had a breakthrough in your classroom? Tell us about it! Just send an email to info@houstonisd.org briefly describing your situation, and we could feature it here. |
Each spring, HISD’s Onboarding and Organizational Development team hosts the Administrative Support Professionals Summit in honor of National Administrative Assistants Appreciation Day. The goal is to support the professional growth of all HISD administrative and clerical staff, and this year’s event got off to a great start, with 237 administrative and clerical staff in attendance, a 23 percent increase over last year.
The third annual event took place this year on May 2, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
“This was the absolute best in-service I have ever attended,” said one participant. “I learned many skills and techniques. I was never bored.”
“The team behind these summits is doing an outstanding job in bringing important topics to the table,” added another.
Yvonne Vaas, a trainer with SkillPath Corporate Strategies, returned to serving as the keynote speaker for her second year. She spoke about the art of persuasion and consensus building, how to work with difficult people, and how to become an indispensable member of your department’s team.
“The summit was amazing. Ms. Vaas made the course so full of life,” said a third attendee. “Her knowledge and expertise is truly a gift to share. She made the course engaging, exciting, and included the entire class.”
This year’s summit continues the Onboarding and Organizational Development’s mission to provide relevant and timely professional development programing to attendees. Next year’s date is tentatively scheduled for April 2015.
Barbara Lotts
This week’s Shout Out goes to HISD bus driver Barbara Lotts from Julia Gray, a third-grade teacher at West University Elementary School. Gray says her class experienced excellent bus service during a field trip on May 2, thanks to Mrs. Lotts.
“She was polite and professional, communicating clearly with the lead teacher and with the other drivers to make sure we departed on time [and] arrived safely and timely, even though the traffic was difficult at Hermann Park,” said Gray. “Our buses returned to pick us up within minutes of the third grade arriving at the curb [to] return to the school.
Gray also praised Mrs. Lotts for helping to keep all of the buses together. “In short, this was the smoothest bus service the third grade teachers have received,” Gray explained. “There was no doubt that she took her responsibilities seriously.”
| Know someone who deserves a shout out? Send an email to info@houstonisd.org with the subject line “Shout Out for eNews!” and tell us why. |
Whole Foods Market will be hosting its tenth annual Empty Bowls fundraiser on Sat., May 17. The event will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (4848 Main Street, 77002), and all proceeds will go to benefit the Houston Food Bank. For a donation of $25 or more, guests can select one bowl to take home from among the hundreds created by local artists just for this event, and enjoy a simple soup lunch courtesy of Whole Foods. For complete details, visit the Houston Food Bank’s website.
Here are some other dates you might want to mark on your calendar:
- May 1–31: Asthma Awareness Month
- May 21 (.pdf): Payday
- May 26: Memorial Day (school in session)
- May 29: Last day of school (students)
- May 30-June 8: Graduation ceremonies (.pdf)
- June 1: Hurricane season begins
- June 2-Aug. 1: Summer schedule in effect
- June 4 (.pdf): Payday
- June 4–July 3: Summer Meals program
- June 12: Board meeting (regular)
- June 18 (.pdf): Payday
- June 19: Board meeting (budget)
- July 2: Payday
- July 3: Closed for Independence Day (holiday)
- July 10: Board meeting
- July 16: Payday
- August 25: First day of school (students)
- Sept. 1: Labor Day (holiday)
Gwen Johnson, who has served as HISD’s manager of Health and Medical Services department since 2010, is one of 100 Houston-area medical professionals being honored this month by the Houston Chronicle as a part of its annual “Salute to Nurses.”
The salute is designed to recognize local professionals who have made extraordinary contributions to nursing over the years. Only about 20 percent of nominees are included in the final 100, and the Top 10 are selected from that group.
You can read the full article here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- Garden Oaks Montessori, which received the inaugural Welcoming Schools Seal of Excellence during a special awards ceremony held on May 2 for its use of a program designed to reduce bullying on campus and create a community that welcomes all kinds of families. You can read the full story here.
| If you know someone who should be featured in Accolades, please email us at info@houstonisd.org and tell us why. |
