More than 30 people turned out Tuesday to congratulate small and minority- and women-owned businesses for completing a four-month mentorship program designed to help participants improve business plans and skills.
Monthly Archives: October 2013
Combined Charities Lets Cancer Survivor Give More, More Easily
Diana Perez
If Diana Perez had her way, she might not have any money left in her paycheck by the time she finished contributing to various charities.
“If it was up to me, I’d give to everybody,” she said. “But I had to scale back.”
Perez, a writer in HISD’s Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment department, is also a two-time breast cancer survivor. She was first diagnosed in 2005, and then again in 2012.
HISD Team Working to Build Supplier Diversity in Bond Program
The HISD supplier diversity team is evaluating strategies to increase the participation of Asian-owned companies doing business with the district.
“We’re doing everything in our power to attract diverse minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs),” said HISD Team Lead for Supplier Diversity Bernard Willingham, while speaking at the district’s Asian Advisory Committee meeting on Oct. 14.
At the gathering, he gave an update on the bond program to the committee, which is made up of parents and business leaders from Houston’s Asian community.
‘Milby in Action’ Seeks to Get Missing Kids Back in the Classroom
Seventy-five Milby High School teachers and administrators hit the streets in search of more than 80 students with excessive absences or failing grades during a recent “Milby in Action” outreach program.
Teachers Going Digital During Saturday Sessions
High school teachers from throughout the district are spending their Saturdays and early-release training days learning how to integrate web tools and digital content into their daily classroom instruction. The training is part of PowerUp, a districtwide program that is giving students their own laptops to use at school and at home. HISD’s Professional Development and Instructional Technology Departments are co-hosting the training sessions, which are designed to give teachers hands-on instruction and guidance on how to use technology to make their lessons more engaging and student centered.
Local Food Showcased During National School Lunch Week
It’s National School Lunch Week, and HISD is celebrating by highlighting locally produced products.
M/WBE Firm: HISD Business Assistance Office Offers Accessibility
Editor’s note: This profile is part of an occasional series on minority or women-owned companies that do business with HISD. The district’s minimum M/WBE goal levels are 20 percent for all levels of purchasing and construction, and 25 percent for professional services. In the 2007 bond program, that commitment reached nearly 34 percent. In the 2012 program, the contracts awarded to date reflect a nearly 51 percent M/WBE commitment.
Board of Education Approves 16 More Contracts Under 2012 Bond Program
The HISD Board of Education on Thursday authorized the district to negotiate contracts with seven firms to provide construction manager at risk (CMAR) services on selected 2012 bond projects.
HISD Tax Rate Remains Lowest Among 24 Districts in Harris County
The HISD Board of Education on Thursday adopted a 3-cent property tax rate increase. This represents the first such rate increase since 2001. The new property tax rate of $1.1867 per $100 taxable value is nearly 24 cents less than the average Harris County school district – maintaining HISD’s position as having the lowest rate of any district in the region.
Police Officers to Mentor Fifth-Graders at Nine Schools
Additional HISD police officers will be joining METRO and Houston police to continue to serve as mentors to students at nine elementary schools this school year as part of the district’s law-enforcement mentorship program. The program, which was launched in 2012, focuses on students at the middle-school level. The year, officers will mentor fifth-graders who are identified as “at-risk” because of an incarcerated parent, involvement in gang activity, or chronic attendance issues.