Category Archives: Board of Education

District facing $208 million budget shortfall  

Financial impact of Harvey and recapture creating deficit for 2018-2019 school year

As HISD begins to prepare a budget for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year, the district is estimating a $208 million shortfall as result of the financial impact of Hurricane Harvey and recapture.

HISD has seen a decline in student enrollment and is planning for a further decline for the coming school year, which will mean a decrease in state funding. The district also anticipates the storm will have a significant impact on the city’s property values, which will be released in April 2018. HISD’s main source of funding is property tax dollars. To date, the district has received no indication of how much and when they’ll be reimbursed for Harvey-related expenditures.

Click here for a complete FAQ on HISD’s 2018-2019 budget. This document will be updated frequently.

These factors, combined with the district’s 2018-2019 recapture payment, is creating an estimated $208 million deficit and is requiring HISD to make difficult choices about how funds will be allocated at the school and district level for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year. Continue reading →

HISD chief operating officer given President’s Award for outstanding work post-Harvey

Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby received the President’s Award in recognition of the outstanding work the Business Operations unit has performed in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The award was given at the Jan. 18 board meeting by outgoing Board of Education President Wanda Adams, who noted Business Operations’ “dedication, commitment and support to HISD and of the Houston community in wake of Hurricane Harvey.”   Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education approves turnaround plans for schools in year two Improvement Required status

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday approved turnaround plans for the campuses designated Year Two Improvement Required by the Texas Education Agency.

Schools with this designation have not met state standards for two years. These four campuses – Bonham Elementary School, Gregory-Lincoln Education Center (prekindergarten through grade 8), Madison High School, and Washington High School – are required to develop and submit a two-year plan to improve student outcomes. Continue reading →

3 new HISD trustees, 3 re-elected trustees take oaths of office 

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education welcomed three new trustees and three re-elected trustees on Thursday, Jan. 18, in the Manuel Rodriguez Jr. Board Auditorium at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. Elizabeth Santos (District I), Sergio Lira (District III) and Susan Deigaard (District V) were formally sworn in, and trustees Wanda Adams, Anne Sung, and Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca renewed their oaths of office.

Continue reading →

January is School Board Recognition Month

The Houston Independent School District and school districts around the state are recognizing January as School Board Recognition Month to honor trustees for their dedication and willingness to serve as advocates for public schools.

School board members devote many hours to making sure students receive a high-quality education and are provided with schools that are safe and have the resources and instructional programs to educate them to their fullest potential. Continue reading →

Board approves plan to rebuild four Harvey-damaged schools

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education during its December meeting on Thursday approved a plan to rebuild four elementary schools that sustained the most severe flood damage as a result of Hurricane Harvey.

Facilities assessments of the four elementary schools — Braeburn, Scarborough, Kolter, and Mitchell — found significant property damage, as well as a strong need to raise the elevation of the buildings to prevent potential future flood damage.

The cost to replace the four schools is estimated at $126 million, which will be funded by a combination of Operations reserves and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) funds. Continue reading →

Aramco donates $4.7 million to support students, teachers at schools affected by Harvey

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The HISD Foundation today announced seven schools in which students were displaced due to damage from Hurricane Harvey will be the beneficiaries of a $4.7 million flood relief donation from Aramco Services Company, the Houston-based U.S. subsidiary of Saudi Aramco.

“The schools that will benefit from this grant are still working toward a sense of normalcy,” said Superintendent Richard Carranza. “It’s overwhelming, in a good way, to know that these students, staff, and school communities are the beneficiaries of this kind of generosity and kindness.”

The donation will be used by the foundation to replace and enhance technology and fulfill needs requests for Braeburn, Hilliard, Kolter, Mitchell, Robinson, and Scarborough elementary schools, and Liberty High School. Those items include, but are not limited to: Continue reading →

HISD honors longtime trustees Eastman and Lunceford 

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HISD trustees Anna Eastman and Mike Lunceford, who both were elected to the HISD Board of Trustees in 2009 and are now retiring, were thanked on Thursday for their service during a reception at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.

Superintendent Richard Carranza thanked Eastman and Lunceford for their eight years of service, calling them “good public stewards of public tax dollars. … Your touch is everywhere in our district, and your legacy will live on for years.” He presented them with crystal apples as a small token of the district’s appreciation. Continue reading →

AIG donates $100,000 to HISD Foundation for Harvey relief efforts

At the November HISD Board of Education meeting, representatives from American International Group (AIG) presented a donation of $100,000 to the HISD Foundation for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

“The American International Group (AIG) has historically been a strong and generous supporter of the Houston community,” Board of Education President Wanda Adams said during the meeting. “That has been especially true in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.” Continue reading →