Category Archives: Board of Education

HISD Board of Education to consider plan detailing distribution of funds to schools for 2016-2017

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education is expected to vote Thursday on a plan detailing how funding will be distributed to campuses across the district for the 2016-2017 school year.

The plan is outlined in the district’s annual Resource Allocation Handbook, which campus administrators use to develop their budgets for the coming school year. It calls for a reconfiguration of district funding methods to ensure the neediest students still receive appropriate resources despite budget cuts resulting from the state’s funding formula. Continue reading →

HISD interim superintendent calls for school finance reform as district aims to build on literacy gains

HISD Board President Manuel Rodriguez announces district’s first-place win of prestigious Magna Award for literacy efforts

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Speaking before a packed ballroom, HISD Interim Superintendent Ken Huewitt urged the community to rally around its most struggling schools, while Board of Education President Manuel Rodriguez announced the district has won a national Magna Award for its literacy efforts.

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HISD proposes funding reconfiguration to ensure neediest students get resources amid budget cuts

District facing $107 million shortfall as it prepares to send millions of tax dollars back to the state

Facing a $107 million shortfall for the 2016-2017 school year, the Houston Independent School District is proposing a reconfiguration of district funding methods to ensure the neediest students still receive appropriate resources.

The budget cuts are a result of the state’s funding formula, which requires HISD to send millions of local tax dollars back to the state — a process that is known as recapture and affects districts designated as property-wealthy. Though nearly 80 percent of HISD students come from low-income families, the district is considered property-wealthy because of rising property values throughout the city. Continue reading →

Meet HISD’s 2016 Principals of the Year

The Houston Independent School District named its top campus leaders on Thursday during surprise visits made to the winning schools — Bush Elementary School and Lanier Middle School.

Bush Principal Theresa Rose was named HISD’s Elementary Principal of the Year, and Lanier Principal Felicia Adams was selected as HISD’s Secondary Principal of the Year.

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Rose and Adams were among 15 elementary and 21 secondary principals vying for the distinction of HISD Principal of the Year. They learned of the award during surprise visits made on Feb. 18 to their respective campuses by HISD Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer Ken Huewitt.

“I am so proud of our principals and thrilled to have the chance to recognize them for all their hard work and dedication,” Huewitt said. “Effective principals are absolutely critical to ensuring the success of both students and teachers.”

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HISD Board of Education separates from superintendent search firm, hires replacement

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education voted unanimously on Wednesday to end its contract with Ray & Associates, the search firm hired to find a replacement for outgoing Superintendent Terry Grier.

Board President Manuel Rodriguez said the decision to separate was mutual and determined to be in the best interest of both the district and the search firm.

The board followed the decision with a vote to begin talks with HYA & Associates, a national consulting firm based in Illinois. HYA & Associates was one of four companies interviewed by the board in November after responding to a request for proposals the previous month.

Once hired, that firm will be tasked with helping trustees conduct a survey and hold community meetings to gather input on the superintendent candidate profile. The firm will then use that profile to recruit candidates.

Dr. Grier is currently in his seventh year as HISD superintendent. He plans to step down at the end of February.

For more information on the superintendent search process, visit www.houstonisd.org/supesearch.

HISD Board of Education names Deputy Superintendent/CFO Ken Huewitt as interim leader of state’s largest district

Kenneth HuewittThe Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, unanimously voted to name Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer Ken Huewitt as interim superintendent of the state’s largest school district.

Huewitt was tapped to serve as the interim leader of HISD while trustees search for a permanent replacement for outgoing Superintendent Terry Grier, who is stepping down at the end of this month after almost seven years with the district. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education votes to begin process of renaming three more schools

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday approved three resolutions that would begin the process of renaming three additional schools so they better represent the district’s values and diversity.

The renaming resolutions affect Albert Sidney Johnston and Sidney Lanier middle schools, and Jefferson Davis High School. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education to consider resolution beginning process of renaming three more schools

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday is expected to consider a resolution that would begin the process of renaming three additional schools so they better represent the district’s values and diversity.

The resolution would affect Albert Sidney Johnston and Sidney Lanier middle schools, and Jefferson Davis High School. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education outlines tentative timeline for superintendent search

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education soon will begin gathering community feedback on the candidate profile for the next superintendent, and could have a replacement named as early as May.

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HISD facing $107 million budget shortfall under current public school funding structure

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Under Texas’ current funding structure, the Houston Independent School District will be required to send millions of dollars back to the state, resulting in a projected $107 million budget shortfall for the 2016-2017 school year.

Under Chapter 41 of the Texas Education Code, the state school finance system requires districts designated as property-wealthy to send tax dollars back to the state — a process known as “recapture” and commonly referred to as Robin Hood. The money is then re-distributed to districts deemed to be property-poor, as well as to the state’s general fund for use in non-education purposes.

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