Category Archives: 2012 bond

HISD, City Recognized for Environmentally Sustainable Buildings

Houston was celebrated on Tuesday for its green building efforts – thanks in part to HISD and new schools built over the past five years under the 2007 bond program.

Roger Platt, senior vice president of Global Policy and Law at the U.S. Green Building Council, joined Houston Mayor Annise Parker and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier at Cunningham Elementary School to mark Texas being ranked among the top 10 states for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification in 2012.

Left to right: Roger Platt of the U.S. Green Building Council, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier.

Left to right: Roger Platt of the U.S. Green Building Council, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. Click image to see more photos from the event.

“We’re celebrating that Texans have begun to demand more from these buildings and have fueled the birth of a new green building marketplace,” Platt said.

Cunningham Elementary recently earned the USGBC’s highest LEED ranking – Gold certification. In October, the Gulf Coast Chapter of the USGBC presented HISD with its Green Pioneer Award.

“We are excited to be part of this green school movement,” Grier said. “When we build schools, we want to see these schools green certified.”

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New Monthly eNewsletter Provides Information on Bond Projects

HISD launched a new eNewsletter Tuesday to showcase activities and information surrounding the 2012 bond, which will fund the renovation or construction of 40 schools across the city, including 29 high schools.

NLthumb“This new newsletter will help us deliver on our promise of a bond program that is transparent,” said HISD Communications Chief Aggie Alvez. “Each issue will include the latest updates on everything from bond business topics to design and planning issues. The goal is to keep the community informed and engaged.”

The newsletter, called Building Excellence, will be distributed the first Tuesday of every month but may increase in frequency as needed. The first issue features an article about focus groups that were held to gather ideas from students about what they want to see in their new schools.

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Students Share What’s Important to Them in a New School

Focus Groups IMG_2752

Dawn Finley of Rice University listens to students talk about their ideal schools during a focus group.

More than 30 HISD students got the chance to brainstorm Thursday on their ideal school design as part of the district’s ongoing planning efforts for the 2012 bond program, which will build or renovate 40 schools across the city.

“How do you see technology being integrated into the classrooms?” asked University of Houston Professor Liz Cordill, who facilitated one of the student focus groups. Cordill teaches at the UH School of Architecture and was one of four architecture professors from UH and Rice participating in the 90-minute event.

“Every teacher has a laptop cart and everybody gets to use them,” said Selena Flores of Worthing High School. Other students, including Osvaldo Marquez of North Houston Early College, and James Cunningham of Jones High School, talked about the importance of having SMART board technology, which they said is helpful to both students and teachers. Continue reading →

District Works to Ensure Hispanic Community is Well-Informed About Bond

HISD’s Hispanic Advisory Committee got a firsthand look Thursday at steps being taken to ensure the 2012 bond program includes outreach and opportunities for the area’s diverse business communities.

The district is continuing to move forward with its $1.89 billion program to build or renovate 40 schools across the city, including many high schools. The work is expected to create thousands of new jobs, including many opportunities for residents and businesses surrounding the schools.

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High School for Law Enforcement Community Shares Thoughts on Future of School

About 60 people turned out Jan. 31 to share ideas about the future of the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice under the 2012 bond program, which will build or renovate schools across the district.

High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice

High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice

The meeting drew students, teachers, staff and alumni from the school, located on Dickson Road in HISD Board Trustee and Law Enforcement alumni Juliet Stipeche’s district.

Stipeche, who graduated as valedictorian from HSLECJ in 1992, encouraged audience members to share their ideas about facility needs during the planning phase of the new school.

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Community Input Sought on Relocation of DeBakey High School for Health Professions

Meeting will focus on schedule, site needs,construction process for 2012 bond project

What:             Community meeting to discuss the upcoming project to relocate DeBakey High School for Health Professions. As part of the 2012 Bond Program, voters authorized HISD to relocate the school to a site designed to better meet the academic needs of students. The meeting will discuss project schedule and site considerations, as well as planning, design and construction requirements.

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HISD Soliciting Professional Services to Build New Schools

District seeking bids for 14 categories related to school construction 

HISD is looking for firms that specialize in everything from construction materials testing and traffic engineering to surveying to take part in the 2012 bond that will build or renovate 40 schools across the district.

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Community Input Sought on Relocation of High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice

Meeting will focus on schedule, site needs, construction process for 2012 bond project

What: Community meeting to discuss the upcoming project to relocate the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. As part of the 2012 Bond Program, voters authorized HISD to relocate the school to a site designed to better meet the academic needs of students and site requirements for physical education and athletics. The meeting will discuss project schedule, as well as site, planning, design and construction considerations.  Continue reading →

Majority of Work Under 2007 Bond is Complete; 20 New Schools Open

As the Houston Independent School District moves forward with planning for the 2012 bond program to renovate, build, or replace 40 schools, work is under way to finish all the projects in the 2007 bond program over the next two years.

As of January, more than 77 percent of the approved work in the 2007 bond program was complete. Among the milestones are 20 new schools open for students, including Berry Elementary School, which offers a hands-on science garden and two environmental science instruction labs.  Continue reading →

New Committee Looks to Boost HISD’s Supplier Diversity Initiatives

HISD’s Supplier Diversity Advisory Committee got its second look Friday at proposed changes that would build on the success of the district’s program for minority and women-owned enterprises.

The committee, launched in December, is moving forward with a plan to hold firms more accountable in meeting the district’s M/WBE goals with a new scoring system designed to encourage outreach and participation. Continue reading →