HISD’s recapture referendum, Prop 1, fails

District pledges to work with lawmakers and business community next session

Now that voters have declined to authorize the Houston Independent School District to send local property taxes to the State of Texas, HISD leaders will continue working with lawmakers and the business community on a long-term solution for the Texas school finance system. This will be the district’s top priority when the legislative session begins in January.

Under Texas law, school districts with property values above a certain amount per student cannot keep all of their local tax dollars. Because of rising property values, HISD owes the State $162 million of its local revenues this school year.

On Tuesday, HISD conducted a state-mandated election asking voters how the payment would be made to the State.  Because voters rejected sending the $162 million payment, state law allows the Texas Education Commissioner to collect the money by detaching an estimated $18 billion worth of non-residential, commercial properties from HISD’s tax roll and reassigning those properties to other school districts for tax purposes. Detachment of property would start in July of 2017, if the Legislature does not act next session.

“The Texas Legislature reconvenes in January of 2017,” said HISD Board of Education President Manuel Rodríguez Jr.  “We look forward to working with the Texas Legislature and the business community during the upcoming session to identify a solution that lessens the impact of recapture on our classrooms and the community at-large.”

Vote now on options for the 2017-2018 academic calendar

This is the time of year when HISD administrators are deep into planning for the next school year. Part of that planning includes setting the calendar for the 2017-2018 school year — and the district is asking the public to be part of the decision-making process by voting for one of two options:

  • Draft A: Aligns with previous years, in which students, teachers, and staff would get three days off for Thanksgiving (Nov. 22-24, 2017), with school ending May 31, 2018, for students and June 1, 2018, for teachers.
  • Draft B: A departure from previous years, this option would give students, teachers and staff the full week of Thanksgiving off (Nov. 20-24, 2017), with school ending June 1, 2018, for students and June 4, 2018, for teachers.

Both drafts are posted in an online survey. The public has until Nov. 30 to cast a vote on the preferred option. Click here to see the survey in English, and click here to see the survey in Spanish.

At the December board meeting, the administration will then recommend for Board approval on whichever version of the calendar receives the most votes.

 

HISD schools, departments honored during Mayor’s Proud Partners Luncheon

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Farias Early Childhood Center, Garden Oaks Montessori, and the HISD Transportation Department were among those honored Monday at the 32nd Mayor’s Proud Partners Luncheon for making a positive impact on Houston’s environment.

The event at the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel drew hundreds of people to celebrate the accomplishments of community groups, businesses and individuals dedicated to improving life in the city.

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HISD award-winning twirling team has its own show on TLC

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Dazzling Divas, a team of elementary- and middle-school baton twirlers, will be featured during a one-hour special on TLC after being discovered by Sirens Media, a production company based out of New York. “Twirl Life” will air on TLC on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 9 p.m. CST following the popular show “Toddlers and Tiaras.”

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HISD unveils 2016 holiday greeting cards designed by students

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The Houston Independent School District announced the winners of the district’s 2016 holiday greeting card competition that features creative student artwork highlighting family holiday traditions, seasonal decorations, and classic holiday songs.

The winners – fourth-grader Angela Ramos of Ed White Elementary School, seventh-grader Annette Hernandez of Pilgrim Academy, and 11th-grader Javier Garcia of Scarborough High School – were among 40 finalists from elementary, middle, and high schools. All finalists received a boxed set of their holiday cards. Their holiday cards also will be available for purchase and on display at the HISD administration building. Continue reading →

Proposed instructional materials to be on public display this week 

The State of Texas is adopting instructional materials for World Languages and Career Readiness this year for implementation during the 2017-2018 school year. HISD has started a review of those proposed materials and invites parents and other members of our community to review the instructional materials as well and provide feedback.

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Construction on new North Forest High School reaches halfway point

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Construction on the new North Forest High School, located on the city’s northeast side, is now 50 percent complete and scheduled to be finished in the third quarter of 2017.

“The project has really gained momentum over the last quarter,” said HISD Senior Manager of Construction Services Meredith Smith, who is overseeing the project. “We’re right at the half-way point now, and there’s lots of activity on the site. We’re seeing progress every day.”

The new $59.5 million campus, which is being built on the east side of Mesa Road across from the existing school, will accommodate 1,500 students. Continue reading →

LyondellBasell, Junior Achievement give HISD seniors lesson on money management 

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Nearly 50 seniors from Energized for STEM High School traveled to LyondellBasell‘s Houston Engineering Center in East Houston this week to take part in a personal financial planning and career exploration seminar presented by Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas.

Students from Chavez and other area high schools also participated in the seminars, which reached more than 300 students over four days.

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Texas awards 16 HISD schools with high-performing and/or high-progress status

The Texas Education Agency has granted high-performance and/or high-progress status to 16 HISD Title I campuses for the 2015-2016 school year. Title I schools are those in which at least 40 percent of students come from low-income families.

Thirteen HISD schools were included on the agency’s list of Title I High-Performing Schools and 13 schools were named as Title I High-Progress schools. Ten HISD schools made both lists. Continue reading →

Houston Black College Expo can save you money

You can save hundreds of dollars at the Black College Expo, because many of the colleges there will be waiving application fees for students who apply on the spot.

The 17th annual Black College Expo is open to all students and takes place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, at the Power Center, 12401 S. Post Oak Road, Houston, 77045. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., there will be celebrity appearances and fun activities. Continue reading →