The Houston Independent School District Board of Education is expected to vote Thursday on a plan to submit 875 class-size waivers to the state for fall 2015 – a 40 percent decrease compared with fall 2014.
State law requires kindergarten through fourth-grade classes to have no more than 22 students per classroom. Classes that exceed that number must request a waiver from the Texas Education Agency. Continue reading
The Houston Independent School District’s Board of Education in October will consider a proposal by district administrators to add $211 million in funding to the 2012 bond program, which would cover unprecedented and unanticipated inflationary construction costs.
Since 2012, when Houston voters approved the district’s $1.89 billion bond program, the district has seen a nearly 40 percent increase in building costs, from about $160 per square foot in 2012 to about $222 per square foot today. Continue reading
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday voted to expand the current signing and retention bonus program to include teachers in core subjects at struggling schools.
The $5,000 annual bonus is part of a pilot program proposed by district administration. Eligibility is based on campus, as well as grade and subject taught. Teachers must be assigned to subjects in third through 12th grades that are tested by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. This includes high school level STAAR End-of-Course exams. Continue reading
Regular meetings of the HISD Board of Education usually occur on the second Thursday of every month, but next month’s meeting will be taking place a week later than usual. Continue reading
School Choice tours to be held at campuses on Thursdays this fall.
The Houston Independent School District is aiming to simplify its magnet school application process by moving to a priority-based system that was unveiled Thursday to school trustees.
Under the new system, parents would be required to rank the schools to which they are applying. If students qualify for multiple schools, they would only be accepted to the one that was ranked highest on their application. Students, however, could remain on waitlists for any higher-ranked schools without immediate available space — as long as they were eligible and qualified to attend.
Thirteen candidates will vie this fall for a spot on the Houston Independent School District Board of Education.
Monday marked the last day candidates could file for election and be included on the ballot. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting will run from Monday, Oct. 19 to Friday, Oct. 30. Winners will serve a four-year term that starts in January 2016.
The four seats expiring at the end of the year are Districts II, III, IV and VIII. Candidates for these seats include: Continue reading
Four of the nine seats will be up for election; deadline to file is Aug. 24
A public election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015, to fill four seats on the HISD Board of Education.
The terms of the trustees who currently hold those positions are expiring at the end of the year. They are:
The filing period began on July 25 and continues through 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24. Election winners will start their four-year terms in January 2016.
To be eligible for office, a candidate must be a registered voter, at least 18 years old, and a citizen of the United States. Additionally, candidates must have lived in Texas for the past 12 months and in the district he or she wishes to represent for the past six months. Those who have been convicted of a felony and are still serving their sentence, as well those who have been deemed by a court to be mentally incapacitated, are not eligible.
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HISD Chief Information Officer Lenny Schad was recognized by the Council of Great City Schools on June 3 with the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt award. The award was created to honor excellent CIO’s.
Despite decreasing state funds, district continues to emphasize competitive salaries for teachers and principals as well as increased bilingual stipends
Under the state’s current funding structure, the Houston Independent School District could lose $46.4 million in state funds for the 2015-2016 school year because of rising property values throughout the city.
Trustee Paula Harris (far L) presents the Board Awards to some of the first graduate from the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy
Each year, the HISD Board of Education honors distinguished seniors from district high schools in recognition of their accomplishments, as exemplified by their character, academic achievement, leadership, and service.
Selections are made by school-based committees appointed by each principal and the awards are presented by the trustee representing each district during commencement exercises.
One outstanding young man and young woman are selected from each high school, as well as up to five honorable mention students. A list of this year’s award recipients is here (.pdf) and a list of the students receiving honorable mention is here (.pdf).