Author Archives: HISD Communications

Happy Birthday, Lamar High School! Campus Celebrates 75 Years

Lamar High School marked its 75th year this week by inviting members of its first two classes (1938 and 1939) back to campus to commemorate the occasion. Pictured are Ben Duffie (Class of 1938), Mayor Annise Parker, and Mary Ann Duffie (Class of 1944).

Sept. 20, 1937, was the official first day on which the school opened. At that time, the country was deep in the throes of the Great Depression, Westheimer was still just a shell road, and River Oaks boasted only a few completed homes.

Lamar will formally celebrate its 75th anniversary on Sat., Oct. 20, with an Open House starting at 10:30 a.m., followed by its homecoming football game against the Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center at 2 p.m. at Delmar Stadium.

Below is a photo of the campus from the school’s early years, before the stately oak trees that now grace the front lawn were even planted.

HISD to Dedicate Four New Campuses

In the coming days, four Houston neighborhoods will dedicate new campuses that were built using voter-approved funds from the 2007 HISD bond program.

            “These students now have a new campus to call home, and it’s all thanks to the bond program approved by voters in 2007,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “These schools represent the promises we made to the public then, and HISD continues to follow through with each one.”

            So far, HISD has opened 20 new schools and renovated 135 others using funds provided through the 2007 bond program.  The final three new school buildings included in that program are under construction.  The entire program is on track to be completed under budget.

            More information about the 2007 bond program is available here.  As the 2007 bond program comes to an end, HISD is asking voters this November to consider a proposal to rebuild and renovate 38 campuses, primarily high schools.  More information about the 2012 bond proposal is available here.

Dedication ceremonies will be held soon for the following four campuses, which opened during the 2011-2012 school year: Lewis, Roosevelt and Kennedy elementary schools. A dedication ceremony will also be held for the new addition at Grady Middle School.  A full Grady rebuild would be completed under the 2012 bond proposal.  Each school will be hosting their own dedication ceremony during the upcoming weeks.

These new elementary campuses are “green” schools, built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.  Key features in LEED schools include the installation of water-conserving plumbing, energy efficient systems and controls, improved air quality, and use of natural light.

These new campuses also include features such as new libraries, computer labs and Smart Board technology in the classrooms.

            Upcoming dedication ceremonies:

  • Sept. 24 at 9 a.m., Lewis Elementary School, 7649 Rockhill
  • Sept. 26 at 10 a.m., Roosevelt Elementary School, 6700 Fulton
  • Sept. 27 at 9 a.m., Kennedy Elementary School, 400 Victoria
  • Oct. 1 at 10a.m., Grady Middle School, 5215 San Felipe

Sept. 25 ‘Frontline’ Episode to Highlight HISD’s Dropout Prevention Efforts

HISD’s efforts to get dropouts back in class—and keep at-risk students from leaving school in the first place—will be the focus of an upcoming special report by the award-winning Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television show, Frontline.

The “Dropout Nation” episode documents the challenges and obstacles four students face in their quest to earn a diploma from HISD’s Sharpstown High School.

The show is set to air on cable and the PBS website on Tues., Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. You can watch a trailer here and check local listings for showtimes here.

Lanier Middle School Symphony Orchestra Commended in National Competition

The Lanier Middle School Symphony Orchestra, directed by Laurette McDonald and Ali Jackson, has been selected by the Foundation for Music Education as Commended Winners in the Mark of Excellence/National Orchestra Honors project. More than 180 musical ensembles from across 35 states entered into the national competition.

For complete results, click here.

HISD’s DeBakey High School is a Finalist for Title I National Distinguished Schools Award

DeBakey High School for Health Professions is one of only two Texas schools that are finalists for the Title I National Distinguished Schools award.  The award recognizes schools that have consistently demonstrated strong academic performance over a three-year period and have also achieved the “academically exemplary” rating for the present year.   The schools must also have a population of 40 percent or more low-income students.

DeBakey was recognized for its successful curriculum and instruction and for providing opportunities for all students to succeed. All of its graduates are accepted into colleges or universities, and in 2012 DeBakey students received more than $30.8 million dollars in scholarship offers.  The school was also acknowledged for its continuing professional development for teachers and administrators and its partnerships with parents, families, and members of the community.  

“We are excited DeBakey High School for Health Professions is receiving national recognition for its effective approach to learning,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “We’re proud of the hard work our students, administrators, and staff have shown in making DeBakey one of the best schools in the nation.”

DeBakey is also the 2012 No. 1 high-school in the eight-county Houston region, according to Children at Risk.  DeBakey received National Title I Distinguished school recognition during the 2006-2007 school year. This year’s winner will be announced in January.

HISD Board of Education Approves Revisions to Ethics Policies

The Houston ISD Board of Education on Thursday gave preliminary unanimous approval to a stricter set of ethics policies designed to help prevent the appearance of conflicts of interest.

At the board’s request, the firm of Whitley Penn, L.L.P. conducted an independent review of existing HISD policies and best practices related to the purchasing and bid-evaluation process.  The ethics policy revisions were drafted according to the firm’s recommendations.

The revised policies are intended to strengthen existing guidelines by requiring elected board members to further disclose potential conflicts of interest, and avoid the appearance of conflicts. The new policies also describe potential repercussions for when violations occur.  The revised policy better defines the board responsibilities and allowable contacts with vendors or organizations with which HISD is considering entering into a business or contractual relationship. Vendors will also have to provide conflict of interest disclosure statements and may be disbarred from doing business with the district for two years if trustees fail to disclose conflicts of interest.  

 The Board of Education also took action on other items on Thursday.

  • Modifications to the ASPIRE award for teachers and campus-based staff members, including school leaders, were approved for the 2012-2013 school year.   The changes include increasing the maximum award amounts for teachers, principals, and assistant principals and increasing rigor in the requirements.   The changes also simplify and streamline the technical language regarding the awards.  The changes refine the eligibility requirements for receiving an award and align criteria for the award with the teacher appraisal and development system that is now in its second year.          
  • Trustees approved a revised plan for reconciling with about 3,500 employees on 12-month work schedules who were paid in advance for work they have not done since the year 2000.  These employees, very few of whom are teachers, historically have been asked to repay the district for advance pay upon leaving the district.  The repayments have come in the form of unused leave time and/or cash. Trustees decided that during the reconciliation period, the amount of time that employees owe the district will be cut in half.  Employees will now be able to reimburse the district for those days using future earned leave time through the 2013-2014 school year, or through payroll deductions through 2014-2015.   

HISD Students among Semifinalists for National Merit Scholarship

Fifty-six seniors from six different HISD high schools are among the semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship program.  These students will have the opportunity to compete for more than 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring.

“The National Merit Scholarship Program has a long tradition of excellence,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “We are extremely proud of these students being recognized nationally for their academic achievements.  Their accomplishments are a testament to their dedication and hard work.”

To be considered for this scholarship program, about 1.5 million high school juniors took the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, about 16,000 students, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

To become a finalist, the semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. 

The selected semifinalist students are from the following HISD high schools: Bellaire High School, Carnegie Vanguard High School, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Lamar High School, and Westside High School.

 The 2013 National Merit Scholarship Winners will be announced starting in April 2013. 

National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Bellaire High School                                

  • Andrew M. Alter                                                         
  • Zara Khan       
  • Lindsey D. Alter                                                         
  • Joseph C. Lau
  • Halla Bearden                                                             
  • Kirby J. Ledvina
  • Christina M. Breitbeil  
  • Benjamin Liu
  • Kevin Chen                                                              
  •  Jacqueline H. Luo                                                             
  • Blaine A. Cole                                                           
  • Aaron J. Mao
  • Andrei V. Didenko                                                     
  • Helen S. Mazella
  • Xinghua Dou                                                              
  • Alexander L. Mo          
  • Molly G. Dyer                                                           
  • Adarsh Nednur
  • Peter O. Elmers                                                          
  • Willis Nguy
  • Katherine Fang                                                            
  • Amanda K. Pevehouse
  • Alexander Franshaw                                                   
  • Holly S. Reichert                                                                
  • Garland R. Gay                                                           
  • Diana T. Ruan
  • Anneliese M. Gest                                                       
  • Yulan L. Shih
  • Sarah K. Godwin                                                        
  • Jun Ling Tao                   
  • Carrie X. Jiang                                                              
  • Edward D. Yun
  • Vivek Kantamani                                                                                                                                 

                           Carnegie Vanguard High School

  •  Kiera M. Brown
  • William J. Larsen
  • Sam M. Dietrich
  • Jonathan E. Vincent
  • Daniel Dreyfuss

                                    

                       DeBakey High School for Health Professions

  • Shannon E. Ahmed
  •  Tariq A. Patanam
  • Mohammad F. Bilal                                                  
  • Tiffany Pham
  • Anchit R. Khanna                                                  
  • Smruti Rath
  • Jeremiah M. Lee                                                     
  • Kristen L. Thompson
  • Nathalie C. Meremikwu                                 
  • Serene R. Yu

                    High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

  • Josef M. Lamel                     
  • Palmer L. Mills
  • Auburn H. Lee                                              
  • Jyron Walls
  • Amy Mattox

Lamar High School

  • Ashley Alcantara                                                        
  • Angela Chang                    

Westside High School

  • Konstantinos K. Varvarezos   

 

 

HISD Board of Education to Consider Revisions to Board Ethics Policies

The Houston ISD Board of Education will consider revisions to the board ethics policies on Thursday, September 13.  At the board’s request, the firm of Whitley Penn, L.L.P. conducted an independent review of existing HISD policies and best practices related to procurement and will present its recommendations to the board during the meeting.

The recommendations are intended to strengthen existing policies by requiring board members to further disclose potential conflicts of interest, and avoid the appearance of conflicts. The proposal also describes potential repercussions for when the policy is violated.  The revised policy would better define the board responsibilities and allowable contacts with vendors or organizations with which HISD is considering entering into a business or contractual relationship. Vendors would also have to provide conflict of interest disclosure statements and may be disbarred from doing business with the district for two years if trustees fail to disclose conflicts of interest.  

 Another item on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting:

 Modifications to the ASPIRE award for teachers and campus-based staff members, including school leaders, for the 2012-2013 school year.   The recommendations include increasing the maximum award amounts for teachers, principals, and assistant principals and increasing rigor in the requirements.   It would also include simplifying and streamlining the language regarding the awards.  The changes would refine the eligibility for receiving an award and would align criteria for the award with the teacher appraisal and development system that is now in its second year.            

 The board’s regular monthly meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 13, 2012 in the board auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 West 18th St., 77092).

 

The board is scheduled to receive status updates on a number of projects and vote on several programs, contracts, and grants. For a full copy of the Board meeting agenda, click here.  The board meeting will be carried live on HISD’s website and on the HISD Channel, which can be found on Comcast Channel 18 or AT&T Channel 99.

HISD Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

On Sept. 12, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of the 16,000 high school seniors who qualify for semifinalist status in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program, based on their performance as juniors in the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

 Fifty-six of those students are from HISD schools. Broken down by campus, they are from:

  •  Bellaire HS—33
  • Carnegie Vanguard HS—5
  • DeBakey HS—10
  • High School for the Performing and Visual Arts—5
  • Lamar HS—2
  • Westside HS—1

 The semifinalists, who are the highest-scoring entrants from each state, represent less than one percent of all U.S. seniors. About 90 percent of them are expected to attain finalist standing, and more than half of those will subsequently win a National Merit Scholarship.

Community Conversations Scheduled for Houston Schools Bond Proposition

The Houston Independent School District has scheduled 10 Community Conversations for the public to learn more about the district’s proposal to modernize outdated high school buildings and build new schools to meet students’ needs across the city.

The bond proposition is primarily focused on 28 of the district’s high schools but also significantly impacts 10 other school buildings. More details about the proposition can be found on the 2012 Houston Schools Bond website (click here). The measure goes before voters on Nov. 6.  Early voting begins Oct. 22.

All informational meetings will take place from 6 to 8 p.m., and will include a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. The dates and locations are:

  • Monday, Sept. 24 – Booker T. Washington High School (119 E. 39th Street) and Bellaire High School (5100 Maple, Bellaire)
  • Thursday, Sept. 27 – Davis High School (1101 Quitman) and Dowling Middle School (14000 Stancliff)
  • Monday, Oct. 1 – Lee High School (6529 Beverly Hill) and Milby High School (1601 Broadway)
  • Tuesday, Oct. 2 – Sharpstown High School (7504 Bissonnet) and Yates High School (3703 Sampson)
  • Thursday, Oct. 4 – Austin High School (1700 Dumble) and Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street). The Hattie Mae White session will be broadcast live on HISD TV, Comcast cable channel 18, and AT&T Uverse channel 99.

Questions about the proposition may also be submitted via email to bondinfo@houstonisd.org.

The proposal seeks voter approval of a $1.89 billion plan to address the most serious facility needs in 38 schools. The proposal would:

Provide new campuses for 20 high schools

  • Austin
  • Bellaire
  • Davis
  • DeBakey
  • Eastwood
  • Furr
  • High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
  • Jordan
  • Lamar
  • Lee
  • Madison
  • Milby
  • North Early College
  • Sam Houston
  • Sharpstown
  • South Early College
  • Sterling
  • Washington
  • Worthing
  • Yates

Partially replace 4 high schools

  • Waltrip
  • Young Men’s College Prep Academy
  • Westbury
  • Young Women’s College Prep Academy

 

Renovate 4 high schools

  • Jones
  • Kashmere
  • Scarborough
  • Sharpstown International

 

Convert 5 elementary schools into K-8 campuses

  • Garden Oaks Montessori
  • Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion School at Gordon
  • Pilgrim Academy
  • Wharton Dual Language School
  • Wilson Montessori

 

Build 3 new elementary school campuses

  • Askew
  • Parker
  • Relief school on the west side

 

 

Replace/complete 2 new middle school campuses

  • Grady (new addition to complete new campus)
  • Dowling (new campus)

 

In addition, the proposed measure would include funds that would improve conditions for students in all HISD schools. Those proposals include:

  • $100 million for district-wide technology improvements
  • $44.7 million to replace regional field houses and improve athletic facilities
  • $35 million to renovate middle school restrooms
  • $17.3 million for district-wide safety and security improvements

The Board of Education has also agreed to rebuild two schools – Condit Elementary and High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice – either through the sale of surplus district property, or by using any potential savings from other bond projects.

If approved by voters, design work of the new schools would begin in early 2013 and the first construction projects would start in 2014.

While including millions of dollars in recommended projects that would benefit students at all 279 schools in the district, the proposed bond package focuses heavily — $1.36 billion — on the city’s high schools. HISD’s most recent bond programs approved by voters in 1998, 2002 and 2007 primarily addressed needs at the elementary school level.  The average age of HISD secondary schools now stands at 50 years, compared to 39 years for the district’s primary schools. 

Many of Houston’s high school buildings were designed to meet the needs of students more than half a century ago and are no longer able to accommodate the best instructional approaches for helping today’s students meet rising academic expectations, according to independent school facilities experts who recently assessed HISD schools.

Modern schools feature design elements that are shown to positively impact student achievement. Some of these elements include:

  • Greater classroom configuration flexibility to help teachers differentiate their approaches to meet the needs of each child
  • Classroom designs that encourage collaborative learning
  • Improved access to technology
  • Infrastructure for the latest career and technical education programs
  • Lab spaces that offer hands-on science learning

Historic neighborhood schools

and prestigious schools of choice to be replaced

 

The Houston Schools Bond Proposition would completely rebuild some of Houston’s most historic neighborhood high schools across the city.  The proposal also includes new campuses for some of HISD’s prestigious specialty schools, including the nationally renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, and Eastwood Academy.  All three schools made this year’s Children at Risk list of the Houston region’s Top 10 high schools.

The new HSPVA would be built downtown near Houston’s vaunted Theater District on land that HISD already owns at 1300 Capitol. HISD is working on an agreement that would allow the district to build DeBakey on property within the Texas Medical Center.

Exteriors of architecturally important schools to remain

The bond proposal recognizes the importance of protecting the character of some of HISD’s historic neighborhood high schools. Some new schools would maintain their existing building structures while their interiors are transformed. These schools include Austin, Davis, Lamar, and Milby.

Some of the schools recommended for major construction work are among those that had renovations under the 2007 bond program.  In many of those cases, the previously completed work will be incorporated into the new building design.

Even with the many projects included in the bond proposal, HISD schools still have many additional facility needs that remain unaddressed.  Those needs will be identified as HISD moves forward with developing a comprehensive long-range capital improvement plan.

Property tax implications

 

Because of the district’s strong fiscal management practices, HISD has been able to maintain the lowest property tax rate of the 20-plus school districts in Harris County. In addition, HISD is among the few districts in Texas that offer an optional 20 percent homestead exemption on top of the standard $15,000 exemption that other school districts offer. 

If an election is called, and voters approve the bond package, HISD would likely adopt a property tax rate increase in the future.  This tax rate increase would have no impact on the homesteads of HISD residents age 65 and older, because their tax rates are frozen.

HISD anticipates gradually phasing in a tax rate increase that in 2017 would reach a maximum of 4.85 cents per $100 of taxable value. For the owner of the average HISD home with a market value of $198,936, this would mean a monthly cost of $5.83, or $70 per year, five years from now.  Under this estimate, the property tax rate would increase by 1 penny in 2014, another penny in 2016, and 2.85 cents in 2017.

School construction and renovation work approved by HISD voters in 2007 is nearing completion under budget.  HISD has opened 20 new or replacement schools under that bond program, and the final 3 new schools are under construction.  More than 130 HISD campuses have undergone renovations so far.  Click here for more detailed information about the work completed under the 2007 bond program.