Category Archives: Business Operations

Schwan’s Chef Collective visits Milby HS for cook-off

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Milby High School recently was transformed into the site of an exciting cooking competition — complete with four celebrity chefs — as part of the Schwan’s Chef Collective K-12 Kitchen Collaborative Mystery Ingredient Cook-Off.

The cooking contest — which featured chefs from the Food Network and Top Chef — was the culmination of a week-long event that included student Q&A sessions and a visit to the student gardens at Atherton Elementary School and Gregory-Lincoln Education Center. Continue reading →

Transportation Services operating 41 fewer routes, addressing needs with TransFinder

When the spring semester starts in January, HISD’s Transportation Services will be operating 860 bus routes — 41 routes fewer than they did at the end of September.

The nearly five percent reduction is part of the department’s continued efforts to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and provide better service for students, Transportation Services Interim General Manager John Wilcots said. Continue reading →

Worthing HS construction wraps up, set to open final phase in January

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Construction on the final building phase of Worthing High School is nearing 100 percent completion, with students and staff eager to move into the new facility next month.

As crews complete final punch-list items, new furniture will be delivered in the coming weeks, preparing the building for students when they return from winter break on Jan. 7.

“It’s really beautiful,” Principal Khalilah Campbell-Rhone said on a recent walkthrough of the new building. “I’m very excited. We just received a permit from the city to start moving in.” Continue reading →

Transportation updates routes ahead of new school openings, continues to recruit drivers

Transportation Services has updated all bus routes assigned to Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts in preparation for their relocation to their new campus in downtown Houston.

The school is moving out of its current campus in Montrose and into a new building located at 790 Austin St. during the upcoming winter break. The new facility, built as part of the 2012 Bond Program, will officially open its doors to students when they return from winter break on Jan. 7, 2019.

The updated routes take effect on Jan. 7, 2019. HSPVA parents and students were notified of the changes via phone and text message earlier this week and will receive reminders again next week. Continue reading →

Six HISD schools set to open new facilities in January

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HISD will open six new schools next month, bringing the total number of new campuses opened during the past year to 21 and marking the completion of more than 80 percent of all school construction projects.

Schools include Madison and Worthing high schools, Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center, Barbara Jordan Career Center, Wharton Dual Language Academy, and Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. All are part of the 2012 Bond Program.

“We’ve completed a record-breaking number of projects,” HISD Construction Services Officer Derrick Sanders said. “Essentially, that means more students now have access to vibrant, modern, state-of-the-art learning spaces. That’s our goal.” Continue reading →

Barbara Jordan Career Center to open new building next month

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With construction nearly 90 percent complete, the new Barbara Jordan Career Center will officially open its doors to students when they return from winter break on Jan. 7.

Crews are in the final stretch of carpet and floor tile installation. Plumbing and electrical teams are about 75 percent done with their work, and phone and gas lines have been connected to the building.
Continue reading →

Transportation Services to review afternoon routes

Transportation Services is conducting a comprehensive review of all afternoon bus routes to ensure all stops are scheduled appropriately and all routes can be completed safely in the time allotted.

This analysis comes on the heels of a similar review of all morning bus routes, which is wrapping up. Department staff are expected to complete the review and make any necessary route changes by February 2019.

“I want parents to know we hear them,” Interim General Manager John Wilcots IV said, noting that they focused first on morning routes to ensure students were getting to school on time. “They want us to get these afternoon routes reviewed and updated, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

As part of the review, stop times will be updated to accurately reflect the time needed to execute each route. This will help the department provide parents with accurate pick-up and drop-off times. Continue reading →

Austin HS celebrates groundbreaking ceremony for new campus

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Austin High School students, staff, alumni, and community members gathered Tuesday to show their appreciation for the 81-year-old campus and celebrate the start of construction on their new school.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held just beyond the site where the current school is undergoing demolition and adjacent to where construction crews have started work on the foundation for the new school.
Continue reading →

Kinder HSPVA students get first look at new campus

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Excitement filled the air Wednesday at the new Kinder HSPVA as students toured the facility for the first time in advance of the school’s official opening day on Jan. 7.

Over winter break, the school will move out of its current campus in Montrose and into a new five-story building located at 790 Austin St. in downtown Houston near the city’s renowned arts and theater district.

“I think their mouths will be wide open,” HSPVA Principal Scott Allen predicted as he waited for the students to arrive. “They’ve seen photos, but that doesn’t do this building justice. They will feel so special that this state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind facility was built just for them.” Continue reading →

Transportation Services experiencing reduced late school bus arrivals

The number of buses arriving late to school each morning has been cut dramatically over the past three months as Transportation Services continues to review and refine its operations and provide the best possible service to students.

Currently, the department averages about 30 to 40 late buses every day, which equates to as many as 5 percent of the district’s 878 routes. That’s a significant decrease from the average in August, when almost 20 percent of buses — roughly 140 to 160 each day — were late. The numbers are tracked manually.

“The percentage of late arrivals has been drastically reduced since the start of school,” Interim General Manager John Wilcots IV said Tuesday as he presented a department update to the HISD Board of Education. “I believe that our new technology is going to help us continue to make tremendous improvements. We are learning, and we have a lot of lessons learned.” Continue reading →