Author Archives: HISD Communications

HISD Students Selected as National Achievement Scholarship Winners

Five Houston Independent School District students have been named National Achievement Scholarship winners. Each student will receive a $2,500 dollar award. Each year the National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards scholarships to African-American students who have excelled in academics and who have demonstrated the potential for academic success in college.

800 students were awarded scholarships this year totaling more than $2 million dollars. Sixty of those students are from Texas including five students who attend HISD schools.
• Camryn K. Burkins – Carnegie Vanguard High School
• Somtochi I. Okafor – Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions
• Frankie C. Mojekwu- Booker T. Washington High School
• Christopher B. Reed – Booker T. Washington High School
• Nicole C. Syder – Westside High School
Nationally, more than 160,000 students applied for the 2012 National Achievement Scholarships, which were awarded based on several criteria. Students had to demonstrate a consistent record of academic excellence. They had to be recommended by an official from their high school. Candidates had to earn SAT scores that confirmed their Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores, and they also had to write an essay.

The National Achievement Scholarship Program is a privately financed academic competition established in 1964 to recognize African-American students who have achieved exceptional scholastic success. This is the 48th year for the National Achievement Scholarships have been awarded. As a result of the program, 32,000 students have received scholarships for undergraduate study worth more than $100 million dollars.

Houston ISD Named a Finalist for Largest Education Prize in the Country

The Houston Independent School District was recognized today by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation as one of four finalists for the 2012 Broad Prize, an annual $1 million award that honors urban school districts that have made the highest gains in student achievement and in closing the achievement gap.

The award is the largest education prize in the country and HISD is one of only two school districts in the country to return as a finalist after receiving the honor.

A 2012 Broad Prize win would mean HISD’s 2013 graduating seniors would receive $550,000 in college scholarships. As a finalist, they are guaranteed at least $150,000.

Among the reasons the Broad Foundation listed for naming Houston ISD as a finalist were:

  • HISD’s African-American graduation rate improved faster than in other urban districts nationally. The graduation rate of Houston’s African-American students, as shown by the average of three nationally recognized graduation rate estimation methods, increased 13 percentage points from 2006 to 2009.
  • HISD increased the percentage of Hispanic and African-American students taking college readiness exams more quickly than other urban districts nationally.
  • Between 2008 and 2011, SAT participation rates for HISD’s Hispanic students increased by 15 percentage points.
  • In this same period, Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation by Hispanic students increased 13 percentage points, an average of about 4 percentage points per year-an improvement rate that ranked in the top 10 percent of all 75 Broad Prize-eligible districts.
  • And in 2011 alone, the percentage of HISD’s African-American students taking an AP exam-23 percent-ranked in the top 10 percent of Broad-Prize-eligible districts.
  • Similarly, the percent of HISD’s Hispanic students taking an AP exam in 2011—29 percent—ranked in the top 20 percent of eligible districts.
  • A greater percentage of Hispanic and low-income students reach advanced academic levels in Houston than in other urban districts in Texas.  In 2011, the percentage of HISD’s Hispanic students that performed at the highest achievement level (Commended) in math and science at all school levels (elementary, middle, high school) ranked in the top 30 percent statewide compared to Hispanic students in other Texas districts. In addition, the percentage of Houston’s low-income students that performed at the highest achievement level in math at all school levels and in elementary and middle school science ranked in the top 30 percent statewide compared to low-income students in other Texas districts.

The other finalists this year are: Corona-Norco Unified School District in Riverside County, California, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida.

Educational researchers will be conducting a four-day visit to each finalist district over the next two months to interview parents, community leaders, school board members, and union representatives. They will also review qualitative data for each finalist.  A selection jury will then choose the winning district after reviewing each of the reports. The announcement will be made on Tuesday, October 23.

Public Hearings on HISD Budget Situation and Bell Schedule Proposal Begin Tonight

The first of 11 public meetings to gather input on a plan to add 19 minutes to the average school day with a uniform bell schedule for all Houston Independent School District campuses will be held tonight at three high schools.

  • Tuesday, April 3 – 6-7 p.m.
     Austin HS (1700 Dumble)
     Bellaire HS (5100 Maple Street)
     Chavez HS (8501 Howard)

Upcoming meetings:

  • April 4 (Wednesday) – 6-7 p.m.
    Lamar HS (3325 Westheimer) 
    Sharpstown HS (7504 Bissonnet)
    Waltrip HS – (1900 West 34th )
  • April 9 (Monday) – Noon-1 p.m. at the Hattie Mae Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street)
  • April 9 (Monday) – 6-7 p.m.
    Westside High School (14201 Briar Forest)
  • April 10 (Tuesday) – 6-7 p.m.
    Wheatley HS (4801 Providence)
    Worthing HS (9215 Scott)
    Yates HS (3703 Sampson)

HISD is looking for more ways to reduce spending as the district seeks to address a projected $34 million shortfall for the 2012-2013 school year. The shortfall is primarily a result of last year’s decision by the Texas Legislature to reduce public education funding by $5.3 billion.

Under the uniform bell schedule plan, every HISD school would have an instructional day that is 7 ½ hours long. This represents a 19-minute increase for the average HISD school, or a total of seven full days of extra instruction time over the course of the year. The 19 HISD schools that currently operate for more than 7 ½ hours per day would be allowed to continue offering the same amount of instructional time. The new schedule would save a projected $1.2 million.

Currently, HISD’s 279 schools have about 20 different start and end times. Under the proposal, schools would operate on the following bell schedule:

• Approximately half of all elementary schools would operate from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Approximately half of all elementary schools would operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• All middle schools would operate from 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
• All high schools would operate from 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Click here to see proposed bell schedules for all HISD elementary schools.
 Continue reading →

Eastwood Academy students win “Best of Show” at career/technical education competition

A group of students from Eastwood Academy won “Best of Show” at the annual Skills USA Competition in Corpus Christi. The students had the highest score in their category, Computer Maintenance Modification.

Skills USA is a national student organization that supports career and technical education by serving as a bridge between public education and private business. The nonprofit serves 15,500 student and professional members enrolled in trade, technical, industrial, and health occupational programs.

On Eastwood’s winning team: Carlos Valdez, Odaly Palacios, Jesus Castillo, Estefany Perales, Richard Rebollar, and Emilio Martinez.

See photos of the new DeChaumes Elementary School

HISD administrators, staff and students will gather on Tuesday, April 3, for a ceremony to dedicate the new DeChaumes Elementary School (155 Cooper), one of  16 new schools designed with eco-friendly features. The school will feature new science labs, library and  Smartboard technology in every classrom.

Take a look at the new DeChaumes Elementary in the gallery below:

[slideshow]

HISD to Dedicate New DeChaumes Elementary

HISD Board of Education Trustee Anna Eastman and Deputy Chief Academic Officer Alicia Thomas will be joining administrators, staff and students for a ceremony to dedicate the new DeChaumes Elementary School (155 Cooper) on Tuesday, April 3 at 10 a.m.

“I know this campus was highly anticipated and means so much to the community! DeChaumes has soared academically in recent years,” said Eastman. “Having an energy-efficient facility with state of the art technology will only further enhance learning for our current students, as well those to come.”

DeChaumes Elementary is one of 16 new schools designed with eco-friendly features and leading technology that HISD has opened since 2011. The district will soon be opening eight more.

“Our commitment to quality education goes beyond the classroom to the overall campus environment,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said. “Providing a safe building and the latest technology are key factors in enhancing our students’ educational experience.”
The new DeChaumes facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and is projected to have an 18 percent reduction in energy consumption and designed to use 50 percent less water for landscape irrigation. The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards.

“Our school community is so proud of the way the school looks now, and all our students are using the latest technology,” said DeChaumes Principal Sandy Gaw. “I am also delighted that we now have space to offer special activities and clubs, like soccer and robotics.”
The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made this project possible. The new school includes:
• New library;
• New science labs;
• New computer lab; and
• Smart Board technology in all classrooms.

For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org.

Outside Audit Recommends Improvements to HISD Contracting Practices

A third-party audit of the Houston Independent School District’s contracting practices has found HISD’s conflict-of-interest policies are more stringent than those used by most other school systems, although there are several potential areas for improving business practices.

The HISD Board of Education requested the audit as part of an ongoing effort to ensure that the district is making the best use of taxpayer dollars when deciding which businesses will be awarded contracts with HISD. The findings were presented to the board during an open meeting today by Charles Yaple, a partner with Null-Lairson Certified Public Accountants. The firm conducted its audit by reviewing district purchasing records, and by interviewing HISD staff members, former superintendents, and all nine elected board members.

“Following your existing policies should work very well for you,” Yaple told board members. “We’re recommending that you continue your procurement improvement initiatives.”
Those initiatives, which began in fall 2011, are aimed at addressing problems with HISD’s procurement process to ensure greater transparency and consistency for the public and those who are seeking to do business with HISD.

The auditing firm also said HISD should:
• expand annual board training on existing conflict of interest and related procurement policies affecting board members.
• simplify policies, including internal staff policies related to monitoring board activities and activities of procurement evaluation staff.
• involve the Procurement Department in all purchases in some manner, even those that are being handled in other functional areas.
• require board members to communicate benefits that might be received from existing vendors to the superintendent and evaluate exposing these services to market competition

Melinda Garrett, HISD’s chief financial officer, said work is already under way to improve the way HISD documents its contract-awarding process. Those changes include giving advance notification to those bidding on HISD contracts of exactly how their bids will be evaluated.
Garrett today introduced school board trustees to HISD’s newly hired procurement manager, Christopher Gross. Gross, whose first day on the job is April 2, most recently worked as contract manager for the University of Texas System Supply Chain Alliance.
HISD staff will now take these audit findings, along with the findings of a recent review of HISD’s purchasing practices conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools, and develop more plans for improving the process. Those plans will be presented to the Board of Education for feedback.