HISD school buses served as rescue vehicles during Harvey

Last August, torrential rains flooded roads, streets, and highways, temporarily transforming them into lakes and rivers as the greater Houston area endured one of the worst disasters in local history.

As many people sought shelter from Hurricane Harvey, HISD Transportation Services team did the opposite — taking school buses out into the storm to rescue evacuating residents.

“This storm impacted our entire community — our students, our staff, our friends, our neighbors,” Transportation Services General Manager Tim Brown said. “It was important to me that we stepped in to help in any way that we could.”

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Looking back, moving forward: Business Operations after Harvey

For Houston Independent School District Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby, it’s hard to believe it’s been a year since Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, dumping an unprecedented 51 inches of water on city.

“I remember being excited about the start of school. We were ready to welcome our students and have a good year,” said Busby, who oversees HISD’s Business Operations division. “And just like that, it came to a screeching halt.”

The damage was considerable. With nearly all schools needing some repair and a few so damaged they would need to be rebuilt, the start of school was postponed by two weeks. Some schools were so damaged that they were delayed further or even relocated to temporary campuses.
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Newly built bond schools fared well during Harvey

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As Hurricane Harvey brought devastating 500-year flooding to much of the city last fall, new schools built as part of HISD’s Bond Program stood strong in the face of the storm, sustaining minimal to no damage.

Assessments made at all HISD facilities in the wake of the storm determined that schools built as part of the 2007 or 2012 Bond Programs fared extremely well.

“We were very pleased with the performance of all our schools from this bond and the last one in 2007,” General Manager of Facilities Design Dan Bankhead said. “The minor issues resulting from the hurricane that we did experience were quickly resolved.” Continue reading →

Facilities Services completes cleaning, renovation work for new school year

HISD’s Facilities Services department has spent the summer working on projects designed to repair, renovate, and enhance school learning environments for returning students.

The custodial staff began their work immediately following the last day of school. At all schools, the team conducted a deep cleaning that included cleaning windows, walls and vents, removing graffiti, and disinfecting all areas.

The maintenance team completed preventative maintenance of all major equipment and made both major and minor renovations to several campuses.
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Four elementary schools look to future after sustaining damage during Harvey

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When Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston last August, it left a devastating mark on nearly everything it touched — including schools.

Nearly every campus in HISD received some damage, but there were four elementary schools — Scarborough, Mitchell, Kolter, and Braeburn — that received damage so significant that they had to be rebuilt.

That process is now underway. Design plans have been approved, and construction on the new schools is soon to begin. The students and staff from each of the four schools will remain in temporary spaces until their home schools are rebuilt and opened, which is expected in January 2020.

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HISD Parent University to offer opportunity for engagement, access to resources

All HISD schools to participate in kickoff event on Sept. 27

HISD will launch Parent University on Sept. 27, a new program for the 2018-2019 school year to support parents and families in the education of their children and introduce them to district programs, resources, and parent-engagement strategies.

To kick off the program, all HISD schools will hold their own Parent University events on their campus on Sept. 27. The HISD-led Parent University meetings will take place monthly, beginning in October, and will be conducted at four geographically dispersed locations throughout the city.

“This is an opportunity to better engage our families and parents across the district by providing them not only with the resources the district offers, but access to community-based organizations and our partnering entities,” said HISD Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Rick Cruz.

Each Parent University session will begin with a resource fair featuring HISD staff and community partners. At the end of the year, parents will receive recognition for their successful completion of the program.

More details, including locations and sign-up information, will be announced when details are finalized.

HISD police chief and leadership team take oath of office

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Houston Independent School District Police Chief Paul Cordova and five members of his leadership team were publicly sworn in during a special ceremony held Wednesday at Crime Stoppers of Houston.

HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan administered the oath of office to Cordova and noted that, by taking the oath, the officers are publicly pledging their commitment to keeping students and staff safe.

“We live in a time where we can’t take things for granted,” Lathan said. “The officers that we are recognizing today are heroes. They are passionate not just about their jobs, but also about the safety of our students and staff.” Continue reading →

Business Operations employees start school year with in-service trainings

As students get ready for the upcoming school year, Business Operations employees are doing the same, dedicating time for professional development that will better prepare them for the year ahead.

Held across the district throughout August, the in-service sessions provide employees with critical training related to their respective roles as well as the latest state and federal guidelines. They also serve as a welcome back for employees who were off duty during the summer. Continue reading →

Transportation launching new tools to increase route efficiency

As the start of the 2018-2019 school year nears, Transportation Services is introducing a new tool to help parents determine their child’s school bus stop location and route number.

Parents and students can go to the Infofinder I website, enter their address, and then see a map of the bus stop assigned to their student, as well as their route number. Magnet students who use the system will be able to see their designated magnet hub location listed on the map.

Magnet school hub program to allow direct commutes to campuses

Also available through the system is the bus arrival and departure time for each stop. Continue reading →

Karen Harris named new principal of Cunningham Elementary School

Karen Harris has been selected as the new principal of Cunningham Elementary School. Harris has served HISD for the past 11 years. She began her career as a teacher with Beaumont ISD at Regina-Howell Elementary School for 6 years. She continued her career at Bonham Elementary School in HISD as a first-, third-, and fifth-grade ESL teacher for 6 years. At Bell Elementary School, she served as a teacher specialist, where she spearheaded and established a K-5 campus-wide system for guided reading, prior to the development of Literacy by 3. Harris served in various roles over the past 18 years, including teacher specialist, Baylor Master Teacher, University of Houston/HISD mentor teacher, and curriculum writer for both HISD and Beaumont ISD. At Milne Elementary School, she served as the interim principal and assistant principal. Harris most recently served at the assistant principal at Cunningham. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and her Master of Education Degree in Administration from Lamar University.