The sun strained through high, wispy clouds, beaming bright yellow warmth onto the windows of school buses that streamed into the bus terminal, returning from safely transporting students.
At all district locations, HISD Transportation Services is observing National School Bus Safety Week to raise awareness among students, staff, and the community about the importance of school bus safety – inside and outside the school bus.
Continue readingTransportation Services is in the process of confirming ridership amongst eligible students and deleting unused stops as the department works to improve service amidst a driver shortage impacting school districts across the country.
To ensure all students have transportation to and from school in the meantime, some drivers are running consolidated or back-to-back routes. While this ensures bus service, it can cause extended delays.
The Houston Independent School District is seeking volunteers to serve on the 2021-2022 Capital Planning Steering Committee as it looks to address almost $5 million in deferred maintenance needs.
The steering committee — an independent citizens committee made up of community members — will be tasked with providing strategic direction, feedback, and guidance to the district as it prepares to address needs identified in the 2021 facilities assessment.
The committee will have up to 25 members representing all nine Board of Education trustee districts. Appointments will last for one year — or the duration of the 2021-2022 Capital Planning Steering Process.
“The Capital Planning Steering Committee will play a critical, strategic role in moving this district forward,” HISD Superintendent Millard House II said. “Their charge will be to develop recommendations that provide all students with equitable access to modern, innovative, and safe learning spaces.”
To apply, candidates must complete and submit the Capital Planning Steering Committee Application by close of business on Friday, Oct. 15. Special preference will be given to:
A panel of senior district administrator will review applications and make recommendations to the superintendent, who will make final appointments. Committee appointments will be announced on Monday, Oct. 25.
Members will meet monthly — and more often, if needed — from November through April. Meetings are tentatively scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.
Review the 2021-2022 Capital Planning Steering Committee Guidelines for more information about committee requirements, membership eligibility, and the application process.
The familiar hoots and hollers of classmates returning to campus on the first day of school were replaced by “oohs” and “aahs” as students entered the new Bellaire High School for the first time on Monday.
Eleventh-grader Carter Sasser said everyone gathered at school early to meet up with friends and get their first glimpse of the new building.
“This place is impressive, especially the new pool and gym and the new lockers,” Sasser said. “The stairs are commons areas we didn’t have in the old building.”
With just three weeks left in the school year and public health conditions improving across the city, the Houston Independent School District is preparing to shut down its Neighborhood Supersite community food distribution program.
The two final distributions will be held this Wednesday, May 26, 2021 and next Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Both will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. at Barnett Stadium, 6800 Fairway Drive. No further Saturday distributions are scheduled.
Continue readingA long red carpet adorned with gold stars and flanked by large striped boxes overflowing with white and yellow balloons posing as popcorn helped set the stage for a celebration at Mitchell Elementary School.
Eager students grabbed bags of popcorn and gathered for classroom watch parties, loudly counting down the seconds until the premiere of the new school’s virtual grand opening.
Continue readingOn the rare occasion that Houston temperatures drop to freezing, it’s not just people who may struggle to get going in the morning. HISD schools and buses need extra time to warm up, too.
But for every cozy classroom or bus ride, there is a team that has braved the weather in the dark and early morning hours to make learning environments comfy and safe for students’ arrival.
They are the cold-start crews – the ones who are called in when temperatures drop to 32 degrees and below.
Continue readingAustin High School seniors Daniel Miranda and Jesus Cantu greeted each other as they made their way through their school’s dining commons, stopping to soak in their new surroundings before the first bell rang.
“It looks futuristic,” Miranda said, first looking up at the contemporary lighting and then down below at the dining tabletops featuring the school’s mustang mascot.
“Futuristic?” Cantu asked with a laugh. “I think you mean modern.”
Continue readingAnticipating a surge of calls as students began returning to classrooms in September, Customer Care and Operations Senior Manager Delorian Moore began preparing her team of customer service representatives over the summer.
To prepare for the potential increase, she first guided the team through COVID-19 online safety trainings. Next, she advocated for a department goal of accountability and growth.
As students returned for in-person instruction in September, campus maintenance and custodial calls increased, putting the Business Operations Customer Care team at the center of the effort to keep students and staff safe.
Continue readingThere are many features that Principal Orlando Reyna finds impressive about the newly constructed Austin High School, but the contemporary courtyard is by far one of his favorites.
“It just looks amazing,” Reyna said, smiling at the thought of it. “I anticipate it’s going to be a popular space for us to utilize and for students to congregate.”
After a semester-long delay due to pandemic-related manpower and delivery issues, Austin High School is finally set to open its doors to students on Wednesday, Jan. 6, following their return from winter break.
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