The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday approved construction contracts for Pilgrim Academy and Worthing High School (Phase 2), both part of the district’s 2012 Bond Program. Continue reading
Author Archives: HISD Communications
HISD District VI Trustee Greg Meyers stepping down from board
Trustee Greg Meyers, who has represented HISD District VI since 2004, announced Thursday that he will resign from the school board at the end of this year.
Meyers served as board president in 2010 and is the current executive director of Citizen Schools-Texas. Today, he serves as a board member for the University of St. Thomas School of Education and as a delegate for the Texas Association of School Boards. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in the University of Houston’s K-12 Professional Leadership program.
“Every single day, every opportunity I try to commit myself to focus on kids first,” Meyers said. “While I may not be here physically, I will always be here to serve HISD.” Continue reading
Carranza joins mayor, other elected officials in pledge to work together for all children
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HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza and other school leaders from across the Houston area joined Mayor Sylvester Turner and dozens of elected officials Wednesday in pledging to work together to ensure all children have access to a quality education.
“If we cannot help education and the kids in Houston and the surrounding area, we’re in trouble,” Turner told the crowd of about 125 people who turned out for the evening event. “There’s a lot of brain power in this room.”
HIPPY Fall Festival provides family fun, educational resources
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HISD’s Family and Community Engagement Department hosted its Fall Festival for the community on Oct. 29 with a special focus on early childhood, bringing together all parents enrolled in the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngster (HIPPY) program.
More than 400 people attended the Fall Festival and enjoyed free games, arts and crafts, food, and educational resources. Parents also had access to numerous free resources offered by community partners and organizations to help guide families in various areas.
Middle-schoolers compete during Special Olympics Field Day
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The fourth annual Special Olympics Field Days, which were postponed in April because of inclement weather, are underway this this week. Middle school students participated in their event on Wednesday. High school students will participate today (Nov. 10), and elementary students will have their event on Nov. 17. The events give students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance to showcase their athletic skills by taking part in fun athletic contests.
HISD District VII Trustee race to be decided in runoff
Winner will serve outgoing Trustee Harvin Moore’s unexpired term
The top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s special election to fill the unexpired term of outgoing HISD Trustee Harvin Moore are heading for a runoff election.
None of the four candidates in the District VII race won the required majority of votes, so the two with the most votes will compete in the runoff, a date for which has not yet been set.
Candidates making the runoff are Anne Sung, who won 46.8 percent of the vote on Tuesday, and John Luman, who earned 29.25 percent of votes, according to unofficial results tabulated by the Harris County Clerk.
The runoff winner will serve the remainder of Moore’s term in office, which runs through 2017. Click here to see a map of HISD trustee districts.
Travis Johnson named new principal of Hartsfield Elementary School
Travis Johnson has been named the new principal of Hartsfield Elementary School. His educational career at the Houston Independent School District began at Codwell Elementary School, where he served as a teacher and team leader. Currently, Johnson serves as the assistant principal at Blackshear Elementary School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Science Education from Langston University and completed his graduate studies in Educational Administration at Prairie View A&M University. He is the proud parent of two HISD students.
Alecia Bell named new principal of Gregory Lincoln Education Center
Alecia Bell has been named the principal of Gregory Lincoln Education Center. Bell has served Houston Independent School District students for over 13 years. Currently, she is the principal at Hartsfield Elementary School. Prior to her tenure at Hartsfield, she served as Dean of Instruction at Hartman Middle School. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A&M University and completed her master’s degree in educational administration at Capella University. She also is completing her doctoral studies at Texas A&M University.
HISD’s recapture referendum, Prop 1, fails
District pledges to work with lawmakers and business community next session
Now that voters have declined to authorize the Houston Independent School District to send local property taxes to the State of Texas, HISD leaders will continue working with lawmakers and the business community on a long-term solution for the Texas school finance system. This will be the district’s top priority when the legislative session begins in January.
Under Texas law, school districts with property values above a certain amount per student cannot keep all of their local tax dollars. Because of rising property values, HISD owes the State $162 million of its local revenues this school year.
On Tuesday, HISD conducted a state-mandated election asking voters how the payment would be made to the State. Because voters rejected sending the $162 million payment, state law allows the Texas Education Commissioner to collect the money by detaching an estimated $18 billion worth of non-residential, commercial properties from HISD’s tax roll and reassigning those properties to other school districts for tax purposes. Detachment of property would start in July of 2017, if the Legislature does not act next session.
“The Texas Legislature reconvenes in January of 2017,” said HISD Board of Education President Manuel Rodríguez Jr. “We look forward to working with the Texas Legislature and the business community during the upcoming session to identify a solution that lessens the impact of recapture on our classrooms and the community at-large.”
Vote now on options for the 2017-2018 academic calendar
This is the time of year when HISD administrators are deep into planning for the next school year. Part of that planning includes setting the calendar for the 2017-2018 school year — and the district is asking the public to be part of the decision-making process by voting for one of two options:
- Draft A: Aligns with previous years, in which students, teachers, and staff would get three days off for Thanksgiving (Nov. 22-24, 2017), with school ending May 31, 2018, for students and June 1, 2018, for teachers.
- Draft B: A departure from previous years, this option would give students, teachers and staff the full week of Thanksgiving off (Nov. 20-24, 2017), with school ending June 1, 2018, for students and June 4, 2018, for teachers.
Both drafts are posted in an online survey. The public has until Nov. 30 to cast a vote on the preferred option. Click here to see the survey in English, and click here to see the survey in Spanish.
At the December board meeting, the administration will then recommend for Board approval on whichever version of the calendar receives the most votes.