On May 1, 2013, the Houston Independent School District will begin the largest customer satisfaction survey in the district’s history. The Your Voice survey will allow more than 160,000 students, parents, staff and community members to give honest feedback about the district in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. 
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Students have a chance to win an Apple iPad!
What can you get for telling Food Services what you think about your school’s daily breakfast and lunch dining experience? During the weeks of February 18 – March 8, secondary students at 74 selected schools will get a chance to win one of four Apple iPads Food Services is giving away. You can’t beat that! Students in grades 6-12 that go online to www.studentvp.com/HISD, complete the quick survey, fill out the confirmation page and turn it in to their school’s cafeteria manager will get their names entered in a drawing to win one (1) of four (4) Apple iPads! Continue reading
HISD Unveils Budget Proposal to Address $43.6 Million Deficit With No Tax Increase
The HISD Board of Education was presented with a 2012-2013 budget proposal on Thursday that addresses a $43.6 million deficit while maintaining the current property tax rate and per-student funding levels.
Like other school systems across Texas, the Houston Independent School District is grappling with the fallout of the Texas Legislature’s decision to reduce education funding by $5.3 billion over a two-year period. For HISD, the two-year cut totals more than $120 million.
The proposal, which requires school board approval, calls for a $16.5 million employee compensation package that would help HISD keep pace with a growing number of Texas school districts that have already announced plans to approve pay raises. HISD salaries were frozen this school year, and only a portion of teachers received state-mandated pay raises in 2010-2011.
A detailed proposal for distributing the proposed pay raises will be presented to the board in May.
The district’s deficit would be covered in part with a $17 million reduction in the amount of general fund money that is normally transferred to HISD’s debt service fund to help repay loans. This reduction is a one-time option that will not be available in future years. In addition, $8 million would be transferred from the district’s $257 million general fund balance.
HISD finance experts worked with principals and central office administrators to identify several areas of potential savings in 2012-2013. These potential savings include:
• $3.5 million in reduced employee healthcare costs through increased efficiencies that should not impact quality of service.
• $1.7 million less in special funding for six unique schools.
• $1.6 million in non-campus departmental cuts, primarily through eliminating positions and layoffs. Last year, HISD eliminated 221 non-campus positions.
Earlier this year, HISD asked the community for feedback on a plan to implement a uniform bell schedule that would have added 19 minutes to the average school day and save $1.2 million. On Thursday, Chief Operating Officer Leo Bobadilla said the district will not pursue the change after considering feedback from parents and principals. HISD recently conducted a survey and 11 town hall meetings on the topic. The transportation department, which was recently recognized as one of the top school transportation systems in the nation, will continue exploring more ways to increase efficiency.
HISD is also losing $5.7 million in federal Title I funding for programs that benefit low-income students. Because the federal money will no longer cover the cost of programs that allow students to take online courses during non-traditional school hours, the Board of Education previously agreed to use local tax dollars to cover that $3.1 million cost. The board is now being asked to consider whether to continue funding other programs that were formally funded with Title I money.
The Board of Education is set to discuss the proposed budget in several upcoming public meetings before adopting a budget in June.
HISD seeks community input on plan to increase class time
HISD has scheduled 10 public meetings to gather community input on a plan to add 19 minutes to the average student’s school day by coordinating the bell schedule among the district’s 279 schools.
If approved, the extra 19 minutes of daily instructional time would be equal to an extra seven full days of school by the end of the school year. In addition, the plan would save HISD $1.2 million as the district seeks to address a $34 million deficit caused by the Texas Legislature’s decision last year to cut public funding.
Under this plan, every HISD school would have an instructional day that is 7 ½ hours long. Currently, HISD schools have about 20 different start and end times. Under the option presented, schools would operate on the following bell schedule:
- Approximately half of all elementary schools would operate from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Approximately half of all elementary schools would operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- All middle schools would operate from 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
- All high schools would operate from 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
The cost savings in this plan would come from a much more efficient school bus operation that would allow many buses to drive more routes than is currently possible. However before a final decision is made, HISD will be gathering input at a series of community meetings held in locations throughout the district. Principals are also being asked to meet with their communities to gather additional input.
The public meetings are scheduled for the following dates and locations:
- April 3 (Tuesday) – 6-7 p.m.
- Austin HS (1700 Dumble)
- Bellaire HS (5100 Maple Street)
- Chavez HS (8501 Howard)
- April 4 (Wednesday) – 6-7 p.m.
- Lamar HS (3325 Westheimer)
- Sharpstown HS (7504 Bissonnet)
- Waltrip HS – (1900 West 34th )
- April 9 (Monday) – Noon-1 p.m.
- Hattie Mae Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street)
- April 10 (Tuesday) – 6-7 p.m.
- Wheatley HS (4801 Providence)
- Worthing HS (9215 Scott)
- Yates HS (3703 Sampson)
HISD has created an online survey for parents, students, and community members to provide feedback for the proposal. The survey also includes an open comment section. It can be found on the website http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HISDTimeSurvey.
HISD administration plans to analyze all of this feedback before making a formal proposal for the Board of Education’s consideration by May 17. A detailed description of the plan can be found on the district’s website www.houstonisd.org.
Take HISD’s online survey on proposed change to bell schedules
HISD has posted an online survey to gauge opinion on the possibility of adopting a new bus schedule that increases the average school’s class time by 19 minutes per day. Here is the link to the survey:
Implementing uniform schedules across the Houston Independent School District’s 279 campuses would free up $1.2 million while giving students extra time in the classroom, according to a budget-cutting option presented to the HISD Board of Education on Feb. 23.