HISD Board of Education to consider resolution calling for action on school safety

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider a resolution calling for federal action related to school shootings.

The board’s regular monthly meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, 2018, in the Manuel Rodríguez Jr. Board Auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th St. Click here to view the full agenda.

Trustees are expected to consider a resolution acknowledging the Board stands with the students of Broward County Public Schools and students across the country, including HISD, in demanding effective and comprehensive action from the federal government to protect schoolchildren.

The resolution includes a call for Congress to appropriate adequate funding to allow the nation’s school districts to plan and coordinate school security efforts with law enforcement officials and make changes to buildings that may be necessary to protect students, teachers, and staff.

“This Board believes in providing education in a nurturing and safe environment,” HISD Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones said. “Our students should be free from the fear and stress of gun violence, and we add our voice to the countless others demanding changes that could prevent senseless occurrences similar to what happened in Parkland, Florida. We are making our stance clear that we believe more should be done to protect our students sooner than later.”

Also on Thursday, the board will consider the Teach for America contract for the 2018-2019 school year. Teach for America recruits outstanding recent college graduates from all backgrounds and career interests to commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools. The district has partnered with Teach for America since 1991. Currently, the district employs 124 Teach for America teachers.

The agenda item the Board will consider is to renew the partnership for the summer training and staffing of up to 100 corps members for the next school year. Under the agreement, the premium rate would be $3,000 for teachers in critical shortage areas, and $1,800 for teachers in all other content areas.

Trustees will also consider an agenda item to waive Board policy related to the approval of campus or program partnerships associated with House Bill 1842. Board policy EL guides current in-district charter schools. This agenda item is intended to lay the groundwork for the Board to be able to approve the partnerships associated with

Senate Bill 1882 on a first public reading. Standard procedure is for multiple readings. Those partnership campuses would include: Kashmere, Wheatley, and Worthing high schools, Henry Middle School, Woodson PK-8, and Blackshear, Dogan, Highland Heights, Mading, and Wesley elementary schools.

Approval of this agenda item would enable the board to vote on the policy related to partnerships on a first read. The Board must have a policy in place to govern the partnerships by April 30.

The board meeting will be broadcast live online at www.hisdtv.org and on the HISD Channel, which can be found on Comcast Channel 18 or U-verse Channel 99.