Yearly Archives: 2016

Julie Dickinson named new principal of Kolter Elementary

Julianne Dickinson poses for a photograph, April 4, 2016. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)Julie Dickinson has been selected as the principal of Kolter Elementary. Before her new appointment, Ms. Dickinson was an assistant principal and the magnet coordinator at Kolter, where she has been working for four years. Prior to that, she served as Title 1 coordinator and chairman of the special education department at Daily Elementary School. Before coming to HISD, Ms. Dickinson taught at the middle-school level in Mississippi and the high-school level in California.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in child psychology from Hollins University, a master’s degree in special education from William Carey College, and administrative certification from Region IV.

Student behavior focus of Professional Learning Series 

HISD educators trained on preventative and proactive behavior management  

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000udCUzKOpjY0″ g_name=”20160613-PLS” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

Nearly 2,000 district and school based employees gathered at NRG Park June 13-15 for the HISD Professional Learning Series (PLS), an intense three days of professional development, team building, and preparation for the upcoming 2016-17 school year.

Continue reading →

Bertha Espinosa-Garza named new principal of Golfcrest Elementary

20160211_BOE_056It is with great pleasure that we announce Bertha Espinosa-Garza as new principal of Golfcrest Elementary School. She has been a part of Team HISD for 16 years, serving the elementary level as instructional specialist, literacy coach, and bilingual teacher. Most recently, she served for two years as assistant principal of Briscoe Elementary School. Mrs. Espinosa-Garza completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Houston-Downtown and her graduate studies at Concordia University in Austin.

She received her bachelor of science in Bilingual Education and her masters in Educational Leadership.

Dr. Queinnise Miller named new principal of Smith Elementary

Queinnise Miller poses for a photograph, May 31, 2016. (Dave Einsel/Houston ISD)We are pleased to announce that Dr.
Miller has been selected as the new principal of Smith Elementary School. After 15 years as an educator, she continues to have a passion for teaching and leading. Her motivation for this work is ensuring that all scholars receive a world-class educational experience despite their cultural or economic backgrounds. Dr. Miller has served as an elementary and secondary teacher, department chair, district trainer, and assistant principal in various districts. Her background is in English as a Second Language, Bilingual Education, and Foreign Language Instruction. Dr. Miller joined the HISD team three years ago and served as a senior manager for Leadership Development and director in the Office of School Leadership.

Dr. Miller completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Houston and her graduate studies at Prairie View A&M. She received her bachelor of arts in Spanish, her masters in Educational Administration, and her doctor of philosophy in Educational Leadership. Dr. Miller is married with two children.

Topping Out Ceremony marks milestone for new Wisdom High School

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ii0_2rIYUI”]

Workers on the site of the new Wisdom High School paused last Friday to celebrate as the last structural steel beam was placed atop the building, an important milestone in construction of the $74 million project.

Satterfield & Pontikes, Inc., the construction manager at risk for the new facility, organized the “Topping Out” Ceremony to thank subcontractors for their hard work and safety record. The group was treated to a barbecue lunch before they watched a large crane lift and place the final beam.

Continue reading →

HISD budget vote scheduled for Thursday

Deep budget cuts required to offset loss of  $162 million to Texas school finance formula

The Houston ISD Board of Education will meet Thursday morning to consider adopting the proposed 2016-2017 budget.

For the first time ever, due to rising property values, the state of Texas has designated HISD as a property “wealthy” district. As a result, Houston schools will lose an estimated $162 million in local tax dollars to the state, meaning deep budget cuts. In an effort to lessen the budget impact on classrooms as much as possible, Interim Superintendent Ken Huewitt’s budget proposal contains $84.3 million in cuts to central office and districtwide programs.

Continue reading →

HISD Nutrition Services kicks off free summer meals program 

The Houston Independent School District kicked off its No Cost Summer Meals Program with a party at Brookline Elementary School, where the community received information about the program, food items from the Houston Food Bank, and enjoyed a morning of fun and games.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000c1bFK8YRsMc” g_name=”20160614-FreeSummerMeals” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

Continue reading →

Maria Barrientos named new principal of J.P. Henderson Elementary

Maria E. Barrientos (Houston Independent School District)Maria E. Barrientos has 35 years of experience in public education. She began her career with HISD at J.P. Henderson Elementary School. After teaching kindergarten and fourth grade, and completing her administrative internship, Ms. Barrientos took on various leadership roles at JPHES, as well as at other public and charter schools. She has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the university level.

Ms. Barrientos holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Houston Central Campus and a master’s degree in educational mid-management and supervision from Texas Southern University. In addition, she completed her doctoral coursework at Texas Southern University in school administration and educational policy. Ms. Barrientos has certifications in Elementary Education, ESL / Bilingual, Psychology, and Mid-Management.

Ms. Barrientos is the recipient of numerous awards for her dedication and commitment to serving children and families. Most recently she was presented the Humanitarian Award/Public Education Advocate of the Year award by the National Hispanic Professional Organization Houston and the Future National Leader Award by Bank of America.

Victoria Orozco-Martinez named new principal of De Zavala Elementary

Victoria Orozco-Martinez (Houston Independent School District)Victoria Orozco-Martinez has been selected as principal of De Zavala Elementary School.  She has served with distinction in multiple capacities with Team HISD for more than 20 years. Ms. Orozco-Martinez began her career in education in 1994 as a bilingual teacher at Brookline Elementary, where she was subsequently promoted to manage the school’s Title 1 program.  She served next as a bilingual teacher and curriculum coordinator at Golfcrest Elementary, as well as campus literacy coach at Brookline.

In 2008, Ms. Orozco-Martinez made the transition to the district level as a curriculum and content specialist, working extensively in the development of curricula and assessments for five years and supporting campus implementation across HISD.  In 2013, she returned to campus leadership as assistant principal of De Zavala.  During this time, the school was twice identified as a high-performing and high-progress school by the Texas Education Agency. Ms. Orozco-Martinez is a graduate of HISD.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in educational management from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. She has two daughters.

Erika Kimble named new principal of N.Q. Henderson Elementary


Erika Kimble poses for a photograph, April 4, 2016. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)We are pleased to announce that Erika Kimble has been selected as the new principal of N.Q. Henderson Elementary School. Ms.  Kimble began her educational career as a teacher and teacher specialist at Bonham Elementary School. In 2013, she joined the team at Shadydale Elementary School as a teacher specialist supporting efforts to improve student achievement and then as assistant principal. 

Ms. Kimble earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas and completed graduate studies in special education at Prairie View A&M University and educational administration and supervision at the University of Houston.