Category Archives: District I – Elizabeth Santos

Superintendent, Board of Trustees hosting series of town hall meetings in HISD communities 

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HISD Board of Education trustees are hosting a series of community town hall meetings with newly appointed Superintendent Richard Carranza as a way to introduce the new leader to the community, solicit input from stakeholders about the district’s future, and learn about key issues across HISD.

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Summit connects schools with wrap-around services in Houston community 

Principals network with more than 120 city, county, and nonprofit service providers to help serve their students and families

HISD principals were able to connect with more than 120 different city, county, and nonprofit service providers available to their students and families as part of the district’s first ever Wrap-Around Services Summit.

The summit, held at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Sept. 7, was designed as a networking opportunity for campuses to identify resources available to their school communities in the areas of behavior and medical related services, parent education, vocational/workforce training, and other social services.

“Some schools may not even know what exists out there,” said District V Trustee Mike Lunceford. “There is an assortment of organizations who have the ability to help our children, and we need to reach out and make sure that all of our schools benefit from these services.”  Continue reading →

HISD Trustee Anna Eastman wins public elected official award

Houston Independent School District Board of Education Trustee Anna Eastman has been honored as the 2016 Public Elected Official of the Year by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Houston ISD District 1 Trustee Anna Eastman

Houston ISD District 1 Trustee Anna Eastman

The award recognizes outstanding service and contributions of an elected official who has shown leadership in the formulation of public policy, particularly areas that affect social justice, health care, education, civil and human rights, and social practice. The award is bestowed by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which has nearly 6,000 members and is committed to advancing the social work profession across the state.

The organization recognized Eastman for her role in supporting the expansion of a non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity within HISD, only the second district in Texas to do so. Eastman also introduced the Human Rights Campaign Welcoming Schools program to the district to provide educators with professional development tools to support LGBT youth and prevent bullying. Continue reading →

Barrick ES shows appreciation for HISD police officers with ‘Hug an Officer’ day

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Houston ISD police officers stopped by Barrick Elementary School on Friday to give students hugs as part of the school’s “Hug an Officer” day.

The event was created to show appreciation for local law enforcement and to encourage positive interactions between students and police officers. Officers visited various classes, offering hugs and answering questions about police work.

The HISD Police Department has nearly 210 police officers and is the only accredited public school district police department in the nation. The department responds to more than 81,380 calls per year across 300 square miles in the Houston area.

Six new HISD schools open to students for the first time

The first day of school is always exciting, but the energy on Monday was palpable at six new HISD schools opening their doors to students for the first time.

The new schools — Mark White and Condit elementary schools, North Houston and South early college high schools, Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, and Fonwood Early Childhood Center — were rebuilt as modern learning environments with flexible classrooms, increased access to technology, bursts of color, and lots of natural light.

Also formally opening to students on Monday was the modern, new classroom wing at Worthing High School and several renovated spaces at Waltrip High School. Continue reading →

Superintendent Carranza goes on whirlwind tour of district on first day of classes

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Click image for an interactive tour.

Click image for an interactive tour.

New HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza embarked on a whirlwind tour today of six HISD campuses – which took more than six hours and spanned 60 miles – on the first day of classes in the district.

Carranza’s itinerary covered each geographical area of HISD, and he visited with students, school staff, and community members at each location.

His first stop was at Law Elementary School on the south side, where he had the opportunity to visit a dual language classroom. Next up was Stevenson Middle School to the southeast, where he observed the launch of the district’s Literacy in the Middle program, which aims to improve middle school reading skills. Carranza then traveled to the Third Ward to Yates High School to learn about the school’s communications and maritime magnet programs. The tour then took him to Carnegie Vanguard High School near downtown, which is one of the district’s nationally acclaimed magnet schools. Next up was Wisdom High School (formerly Lee) to the west, HISD’s most diverse comprehensive high school. Carranza wrapped up the tour at Fonwood Early Childhood Center, where he observed pre-K students on their first day in a brand-new building.

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Ribbon-cutting ceremony at North Houston Early College HS marks opening of new building

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North Houston Early College High School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday to celebrate the opening of their new building, located on the Houston Community College Northeast campus.

“We’re extremely proud of our beautiful, new, state-of-the-art facility,” NHECHS Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson said. “It took so much to get to this point, and I’m so appreciative to everyone who worked tirelessly to make our vision a reality.”

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Superintendent Richard Carranza to welcome HISD students back to school

New HISD leader will travel 60 miles while visiting 6 schools in 6 hours on Monday

Newly hired HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza will welcome students back to school on Monday as he crisscrosses the city on a six-campus tour.

A unanimous HISD Board of Education hired Carranza on Thursday, and Monday’s visits will be his first chance to get a glimpse of the district’s size, diversity, and variety of educational programs. Members of the HISD Board of Education will join Carranza along the tour, and members of the news media are welcome to cover all of his stops.

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Richard A. Carranza named HISD superintendent

Carranza calls on community to rally around city’s public schools

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Richard A. Carranza assumed leadership of Texas’ largest school system on Thursday with a unanimous vote by the Houston ISD Board of Education to name him superintendent.

Carranza, 49, most recently served as superintendent of the 58,000-student San Francisco Unified School District. Carranza is a fluent Spanish-speaker and lifelong educator. He has served as a bilingual classroom teacher, a campus principal, and a senior-level administrator in Las Vegas and Tucson.

The Board of Education conducted a national search for candidates matching a leadership profile developed with input from more than 3,200 parents, teachers, taxpayers, and other community members.

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Board of Education set to name Richard A. Carranza HISD superintendent

carranza2New superintendent will address news media, meet with public following vote

The Houston ISD Board of Education is scheduled to finalize the hiring of lone superintendent finalist Richard A. Carranza on Thursday.

The meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Board Auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th Street. After the vote, Mr. Carranza will address members of the news media and participate in a meet-and-greet with members of the public. The full agenda is available here. Continue reading →