Category Archives: District IX – Myrna Guidry

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 →

Lawson Middle School celebrates groundbreaking for new campus

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Nearly 500 students, staff, and school supporters attended a groundbreaking ceremony for Lawson Middle School on Friday to officially mark the start of construction on the new campus and to honor the dedicated educator for whom the school is now renamed.

Lawson is among 40 HISD schools being renovated or rebuilt as part of the 2012 Bond Program. The three-story, $59 million facility will be designed to accommodate up to 1,500 students and showcase their fine arts magnet program.

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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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Worthing High School celebrates long-awaited classroom wing

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Worthing High School supporters gathered Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of a long-awaited classroom wing, which supporters said will serve as a source of pride, excitement, and hope for both students and the surrounding Sunnyside community.

“We are Worthing!” Houston Independent School District Board of Education Trustee Wanda Adams said as she kicked off the Grand Opening celebration. “If you are happy to get to this day, let me hear you get excited! This is a celebration. Let’s get excited for Worthing High School!”

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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 →

Two HISD high schools to host grand openings this week to celebrate new buildings

Two HISD high schools will host grand opening celebrations this week to mark the completion of construction projects on their campuses.

Worthing High School will host a grand opening, campus tour and custom mural dedication on Thursday to celebrate the completion of its new classroom wing, the construction of which is the first phase of plans to rebuild the comprehensive high school.

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Board of Education to consider superintendent candidates

Trustees could vote to name finalist or finalists

The Houston ISD Board of Education will meet Wednesday morning to discuss superintendent candidates, and possibly announce a finalist or finalists for the position. Continue reading →