The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday authorized the district to negotiate contracts with three firms to provide construction manager at risk (CMAR) services on selected bond projects. Continue reading
Category Archives: Board of Education
HISD Board of Education approves two proposals designed to reduce classroom overcrowding
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education voted Thursday to approve two of six proposals designed to adjust neighborhood attendance boundaries at certain elementary schools in an effort to reduce classroom overcrowding.
The two approved proposals include attendance boundary adjustments at 10 elementary schools: Anderson, Ashford, Askew, Bush, Daily, Emerson, Shadowbriar, Tinsley and Walnut Bend elementary schools, as well as Halpin Early Childhood Center. Continue reading
Board president to host District II Parent Leader Summit on May 16
HISD Board of Education President Rhonda Skillern-Jones has partnered with the Family Learning Academy to host the District II Parent Leader Summit on Saturday, May 16.
The free event will take place at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092) from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will connect families with resources to help parents navigate HISD’s programs and services, become leaders in their school community, and support student success.
The event will feature a panel of HISD principals and administrators, parenting workshops, and a community resource fair with information for parents on building a parent organization, fundraising, and services for parents. John Robinson, director of Family Support Services for the Houston Area Urban League, will give the keynote address.
“In a district as large as ours, it is not always clear who parents can turn to when they have a question or need help for their child,” said Skillern-Jones. “I want to help empower our parents to seek out these resources and share them with their school communities.”
Registration and a light breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m. The panel and all workshops will be held in English and Spanish. The event will also feature raffles and lunch. For more details, please visit www.houstonisd.org/FLA or call the HISD Family and Community Engagement Department at 713-556-7290.
HISD Board of Education to again consider plan to reduce classroom overcrowding
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education next week will consider adjusting neighborhood attendance boundaries at certain elementary schools in an effort to reduce classroom overcrowding.
The plan calls for boundary adjustments at 26 elementary schools, as well as grade reconfigurations at two elementary campuses: Ashford and Shadowbriar, both of which would become comprehensive elementary schools offering pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
Currently, the two schools share an attendance zone — Ashford offers pre-kindergarten through second grade, and Shadowbriar offers third through fifth grades. Under the proposal, Ashford would retain an attendance zone, but Shadowbriar would not. Instead, it would offer special programming designed to draw students.
The HISD Board of Education is expected to consider the proposals during their regular monthly meeting on May 14. If approved, the changes would go into effect for the 2015-2016 school year and would apply to new, incoming students. Students who are already enrolled — as well as incoming kindergartners — still would be allowed to attend the school to which they are currently zoned.
The attendance boundary proposals were created in response to state law, which requires kindergarten through fourth-grade classes to have no more than 22 students per classroom. Classes that exceed that number must request a state waiver. This school year, HISD had to submit nearly 1,500 class-size waiver requests.
The proposed attendance boundary maps were originally submitted to the school board in March. All remain the same with the exception of the northline area, where the boundary between Lyons and Burbank elementary schools has shifted northward.
Parents whose children attend Lyons, Burbank or Northline elementary schools had an opportunity to discuss this change during a community meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 7 at Sam Houston Math, Science & Technology Center, 9400 Irvington.
For a full list of schools impacted by the proposals, go online: http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/126823.
Read the notes from that meeting here (.pdf).
HISD Board of Education to accept $8.5 million in grants for college readiness programs
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education will vote Thursday to formally accept $8.5 million in grants for programs designed to help high school students get into and graduate from college.
The Houston Endowment awarded the district with two separate grants — $5.5 million and $3 million — in February. The $5.5 million grant will be used to expand the district’s successful EMERGE program to all high schools, while the $3 million matching grant will be used to deploy 28 new college success advisors to campuses across the district. Continue reading
Former HISD trustee now serving children as a classroom teacher
In this week’s edition of I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, Harvard Elementary School third-grade teacher (and former District I Board of Education member) Karla Cisneros talks about how she went from the classroom to the boardroom and back again, the greatest gifts of her experience as a trustee, and if she’d ever consider running for that office again.
You represented District I on HISD’s Board of Education for five years in the early aughts, even serving as its president one year. Now you’re teaching third-graders at one of our elementary schools. How did that transition come about?
Karla Cisneros with her students at Harvard ES
Well, I was not a certified teacher before. I was just sort of a mom who got pulled in. They hired me at Travis Elementary to be a part-time science teacher, and one thing just led to another. After I left the board, I was going to work with my husband, but I realized I wanted to be back in education at kind of a grass-roots level, so I went back to school and got certified.
And I really, really, really like being a teacher. The best part of all is the kids, but then, that’s always the best part. I knew when my own children grew up and moved on that I was going to hate being an empty nester, but so much of teaching is not just about teaching. It’s about helping usher children through their lives, not just the curriculum.
HISD Board of Education withdraws plans to reduce classroom overcrowding, asks for more comprehensive plan
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday declined to consider proposals to reduce classroom overcrowding throughout the district by making adjustments to a handful of elementary school attendance boundaries.
Trustees had been set to review the proposals during the March board meeting. Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones withdrew the agenda items Thursday afternoon with the support of her fellow board members. As a result, trustees could not discuss or vote on the proposals. Continue reading
Thousands turn out across the district to learn more about rightsizing classrooms
Parents get answers to questions about proposed changes to attendance boundaries
Thousands of parents and community members turned out at a series of community meetings this week to provide parents with an overview of proposals designed to reduce classroom overcrowding at certain elementary schools.
The proposal for each school was discussed during regional meetings that took place on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and Thursday, Feb. 19. District officials will use the feedback to finalize the proposals and present them to the HISD Board of Education in March. If approved, the changes would be implemented for fall 2015.
Options under consideration include attendance boundary adjustments, program enhancements, and limiting the number of students each school may accept from outside its own neighborhood. District officials are also considering ways to improve internal practices such as adding a layer of additional scrutiny to the waiver request process and eliminating waivers for district charter schools.
The proposals would primarily affect new, incoming students. Current students would be grandfathered and allowed to stay at their current schools when possible.
The move is a result of a directive from the Texas Education Agency, which requires kindergarten through fourth-grade classes to have no more than 22 students per classroom. Classes that exceed that number must request a state waiver.
This school year, HISD had to submit nearly 1,500 class-size waiver requests to the TEA. District officials aim to cut that number in half by the 2015-2016 school year, with plans to continue the decrease incrementally through 2019.
Here is a list of the meetings that took place and the schools that may be affected by proposed boundary changes:
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 6 to 8 p.m.
Briar Forest Area Community Meeting
Location: Revere MS, 10502 Briar Forest
Affected Schools: Ashford, Askew, Bush, Daily, Emerson, Shadowbriar, Walnut Bend
Northwest Area Community Meeting
Location: Waltrip HS, 1900 West 34th St.
Affected Schools: Crockett, Highland Heights, Love, Memorial, Sinclair, Smith, Stevens
288 Corridor Community Meeting
Location: Attucks MS, 4330 Bellfort
Affected Schools: Bastian, Kelso, Young
Thursday, Feb. 19, 6 to 8 p.m.
Northline Area Community Meeting
Location: Sam Houston MSTC, 9400 Irvington Blvd.
Affected Schools: Burbank, Lyons, Northline
Tinsley and Halpin Area Community Meeting
Location: Tinsley ES, 11035 Bob White Dr.
Affected Schools: Anderson, Tinsley, Halpin ECC
Medical Center Area Community Meeting*
Location: Pershing MS, 3838 Blue Bonnet Blvd.
Affected Schools: The Rice School, Roberts, Twain, West University
*Only programmatic changes under consideration.
The proposals for each school are available online: http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/125328
HISD Board of Education approves comprehensive, district-wide facilities assessment
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday voted to set aside $4 million for a comprehensive facilities assessment designed to identify buildings in need of repair or improvement.
The assessment will provide HISD with a database of information about facilities across the district, including the condition of each facility, needed repairs and potential costs. The information contained in the database, which could be easily updated, would help district officials plan for future capital investments. Continue reading
HISD Board of Education to consider comprehensive, district-wide facilities assessment
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider setting aside $4 million for a comprehensive facilities assessment designed to identify buildings in need of repair or improvement.
The assessment would provide HISD with a database of information about facilities across the district, including the condition of each facility, needed repairs and potential costs. The information contained in the database, which could be easily updated, would help district officials plan for future capital investments. Continue reading