Ferleshare Starks, a biology teacher at HISD’s Wheatley High School, has been named a finalist for the 2015 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Starks, who came to HISD from Fort Bend ISD last year, is one of only 10 educators from Texas to be so honored. Get the full story here.
Congratulations also go out this week to:
- The 15 schools that improved their Texas Education Agency ratings enough to come off the list of campuses requiring improvement, and the 29 HISD schools that earned the maximum number of distinction designations from the for their top performance throughout the 2014–2015 school year.
- HISD’s Nutrition Services department, which received the Platinum Pear award from the Texas Department of Agriculture, and its second grant from the Oliver Foundation.
- Lamar High School, which was recognized as a National Debate School of Honor by the National Speech & Debate Association, during its annual tournament held in Dallas over the summer.
- The six HISD campuses that placed in the district’s Green School Challenge. As part of the competition, 28 schools pledged to take energy saving actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help protect the environment for future generations.
- The many HISD police officers who were honored during the HISD Police Department’s annual awards ceremony.
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HISD is making it easier for employees to access information about their health benefits plans, just in time for the annual enrollment period in November.
Beginning Monday, Aug. 24, www.hisdbenefits.org will offer single sign-on capabilities to some of our health partners’ sites, meaning you don’t need to enter a separate username and password when accessing these sites. If logging on from home or a network outside of HISD, employees will use their HISD log-in credentials. read more…
As teachers return to campuses this week, they will notice several improvements to HISD’s Analytics for Education (A4E) Teacher Dashboard this year, including quick links for easier navigation, a list of students and the student expectations they have yet to master, a students-at-risk report, TELPAS scores, parent contact information, and expanded student profiles. read more…
HISD in the News
- Texas PTA names Angela Sugarek its Principal of the Year
- From Hurricane Katrina to Howard University: One woman’s odyssey
- Lectures, homework ‘flipped’ at Lamar High School
- Giving up home for a better school
- Reagan HS student explores Europe, origins with exchange student
National News Links
In an effort to use job titles which align to both the position and those used by the general labor market, the HISD Board of Education on Aug. 13, 2015, approved changing titles of employees with “secretary” to “administrative assistant.”
The change affects only the position title. There are no changes to the employee’s job duties or pay.
Employees can expect to see their new title in district directories beginning Sept. 1, 2015.
Here is a list of the positions affected by the title change:
| Old Job Title | New Job Title |
| Senior Executive Secretary | Senior Executive Administrative Assistant |
| Executive Secretary | Executive Administrative Assistant |
| Senior Secretary | Senior Administrative Assistant |
| Secretary II | Administrative Assistant II |
| Secretary I | Administrative Assistant I |
| Elementary School Secretary | Administrative Assistant, ES |
| Middle School Secretary | Administrative Assistant, MS |
| High School Secretary | Administrative Assistant, HS |
A conference attendee poses with keynote speaker Tyrone Obaseki, the president and founder of Impact Youth America. Obaseki overcame challenges such as abandonment, homelessness, and physical abuse to earn advanced degrees after aging out of the foster care system.
HISD’s Office of Special Education Services hosted its second annual conference at Westbury High School July 21–23, and about 250 teachers participated in the three-day event.
The conference offered breakout sessions on topics such as accommodating the variability of learners, strategies to empower teachers, and the impact of childhood trauma, and keynote speakers gave inspiring presentations on the importance of having good role models and other useful subjects.
Larry Bell, an educational consultant and the founder of Multicultural Education, spoke about “The Power of a Special Education Teacher,” and shared a list of a dozen words that regularly trip up students in the classroom, such as “trace,” “analyze,” “compare,” and “infer.”
“Mr. Bell’s keynote was spot-on as far as addressing a huge need in our population — the ability to understand those 12 key words when taking tests,” said Marci Ellsworth, a Special Education teacher at Fondren Middle School. “I thought that strategy was excellent, and I hope to incorporate the 12 words into my lessons. I think the impact will be significant on student achievement.”
Ellsworth also said she was surprised to learn about the effect of trauma on the brain. “I have studied Special Education for more than ten years, and I never heard that particular topic addressed,” she added. “I was fascinated and appalled to learn about yet another piece of baggage our students bring to school.”
Medical insurance premiums for 2016 may not be dropping like they did back in 2014, but for the third year in a row, HISD employees will see no increase in their HISD medical premium rates, thanks to a new plan approved by the Board of Education on Aug. 13, 2015. There are, however, some changes for 2016 that employees will want to be aware of. Below is a brief summary of several of them:
- Out-of-Pocket Limits: Medical and prescription out-of-pocket maximums are now combined.
- New Rx provider: The pharmacy benefits provider is changing from CVS Caremark to Express Scripts.
- HRA roll over: Health reimbursement accounts will continue for 2016 and employees can carry over all unused HRA balances from 2015 to 2016.
- New fee schedule for out-of-network services: This will mainly impact employees who use an out-of-network emergency room, as they may be billed for costs that exceed the fee schedule.
There will also be changes to the dental and vision benefits providers, but the impact on employees should be minimal. The dental benefits vendor change will both save most employees money, as well as expand the network of providers. This means most employees will be able to continue seeing their current dentist, or look for a new one. The new dental and vision plans will also save employees money — through expanded coverage of certain procedures (e.g. implants) and products (tinted/coated lenses, bifocals, discounted second pair of glasses, etc.).
Viverae will be the district’s new wellness vendor, but the popular annual 4 for $40 weight-loss challenge will continue next year, and new wellness programs (stress management, maternity, and financial) are being added.
More information will be communicated in the near future which will further explain the changes and their impact on employees’ benefits.
Scholarships available for Sept. 21 symposium in D.C.
HISD educators from all grade levels are encouraged to apply for a scholarship to attend the Student Data Privacy Symposium on Sept. 21,2015,in Washington, D.C. The daylong event will present leading education and privacy experts and in-depth panel discussions on how students data should be collected and used, the overarching value of technology and data used by school districts, the potential impact of proposed legislation, the risks of student data collection, and much more. read more…
HISD is committed to conducting business while adhering to strict ethical and compliance standards. That’s why the district has had an anonymous AlertLine in place for years, so that employees can report suspected fraud, waste, abuse, or any other concern about HISD practices.
The 24-hour call center is monitored by a third-party expert, NAVEX Global, which provides complete anonymity to employees who feel they need to report illegal, fraudulent, or wasteful behavior. read more…
