New Washington HS set to open for the 2018-2019 school year

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When students enter the new Washington High School this fall, they will be greeted by a prominent image of civil rights activist and educator Booker T. Washington.

This year marks the 125th anniversary for the school, which was built in 1893 as the city’s first African-American high school.

Washington Principal Carlos Phillips said he is excited to move into the new school and looking forward to presenting the facility to the community.

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HISD Board of Education to consider recommendation for external audit

Trustees to be briefed on preliminary STAAR results and plans for possible November bond referendum

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider a recommendation from the Audit Committee calling for an external performance audit.

The board’s regular monthly meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, 2018, in the Manuel Rodríguez Jr. Board Auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th St. Click here to view the full agenda.

The Audit Committee is recommending an external performance audit be conducted in order to ensure HISD is utilizing scarce resources as efficiently and effectively as possible to inform decision-making and budgeting by the board and administration for the 2019-2020 school year and beyond, and to build public trust by exhibiting good stewardship of public dollars.

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Worthing HS students lead Bastian ES scholars on School to College Pipeline

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Students from both campuses participate in five college tours

College-bound students from Worthing High School are reaching back to the elementary students coming behind them to cultivate a college-bound culture throughout the entire Worthing feeder pattern.

“We want the older kids to mentor the young students so they understand credits, extracurriculars, volunteer work, and that you need to perform well on SATs,” said Worthing High School Principal Khalilah Campbell. “We also want our program to grow and for relationships to keep growing so students who will eventually attend Worthing will be focused on college before they even walk through our doors.” Continue reading →

May 9 is National School Nurse Day

This week is National Nurses Week, and May 9 is National School Nurse Day, a time to recognize and honor nurses’ daily contributions to education. HISD school nurses provide invaluable services across the district every day to keep students healthy and ready to learn.

“School Nurses are trailblazers for children’s health,” said Gwendolyn Johnson, HISD’s manager of Health and Medical Services. “They find innovative ways to help students and their families deal with diagnoses of chronic illnesses like diabetes or asthma and manage symptoms and administer medication.”    Continue reading →

HISD’s Workshop Wednesday: Protecting Yourself and Your Company from Liability

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Gathered in the Milby High School library, Risk Mitigation Worldwide President and CEO Eartha Jean Johnson engaged local small business owners in an interactive training session focused on helping them protect themselves from liability issues.

Johnson spoke to the group as part of Workshop Wednesday, a monthly series for minority- and women-owned businesses that is hosted by HISD’s Business Solutions Supplier Diversity department. Continue reading →

Summer of Fun METRO Pass offers students free rides all summer long 

The Summer of Fun pass is a unique fare card offering K-12 (and college) students free rides on all METRO light-rail, local bus, and Park & Ride service June 1 through Sept. 1, 2018.

There are four ways to get your Summer of Fun pass:

  • Apply online at RideMETRO.org
  • Apply by mail by filling out the registration form on the attached flyer
  • Apply by mail by calling 713-635-4000 to request a form
  • Apply in person at METRO RideStores, 1900 Main St. or 1001 Travis St. (weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m.)

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HISD celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week

HISD is celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week May 7-12 and encourages students, parents, and the community to “Thank a Teacher” in person or on social media using #ThankATeacher and #HISD.

The district is celebrating with a royal theme this year, which matches the theme for this year’s Educators of the Year banquet, which will be held on Friday, May 18, at the Hilton Americas Hotel.

Teacher Appreciation Week

During the event, the district will announce its 2017-2018 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, as well as the recipients of the Beginning Teacher of the Year honors for elementary, middle school, and high school. The Fan Favorite Teacher, who was selected by survey, also will be announced. Continue reading →

Interim police chief appointed to lead department

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Paul Cordova has been appointed to Chief of the HISD Police Department.

Cordova has served as interim police chief since February, working to develop a new culture within the department while improving the agency’s perception. He and his officers were specifically tasked with finding better ways to serve our students and communities.

“In just a short period of time, he has been able to lead the police department through several major initiatives, including establishing a substation in the northwest area of the district to better serve schools located in that area, reorganizing the department to make better use of budgetary resources, and reviewing and revising existing policies to ensure consistency with industry best practices,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. Continue reading →

HISD to offer new districtwide scholarship to one senior from each high school

In recognition of high school seniors who have exemplified great character and resilience, the Houston Independent School District is launching the HISD Superintendent and Board of Education Scholar Award – a scholarship of $5,000 or $2,000 awarded to one senior from every HISD high school.

This scholarship is designed for students who face hardships or challenges that may make higher education or career/vocational training difficult or even impossible to attain without assistance. The goal of the award – HISD’s first districtwide scholarship initiative for all high school students – is to remove as many obstacles as possible so that students can pursue higher education opportunities. Continue reading →

HISD Transportation to host job fairs for 2018-19 bus drivers

The Houston Independent School District’s Transportation Services department is hosting four job fairs across the city to recruit and hire bus drivers to staff routes for the 2018-2019 school year.

The job fairs will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on four Saturdays in May and June:

  • May 12, 2018, Scarborough High School, 4141 Costa Rica Road
  • May 19, 2018, Hexser T. Holliday Food Services Support Center, 6801 Bennington St.
  • June 2, 2018, Westbury High School, 11911 Chimney Rock Road
  • June 9, 2018, Gregg Elementary School, 6701 Roxbury Road

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