Exciting school year ahead filled with promise of achievement

We have officially reached the end of the summer break and the start of the 2019-2020 school year! In education, there’s nothing like the first day of school. It’s a fresh start – new school supplies, new beginnings, and new possibilities.

I want to welcome our families, both returning and new, to HISD. In our district, we are doing innovative work to ensure a high-quality education for all our students.

In fact, ratings released by TEA this month show that 92 percent of HISD schools earned a passing grade on the state’s accountability system. That’s 250 out of 271 rated campuses. The district received a high “B” rating with an 88 score and exited nine campuses from “Improvement Requirement” status.  At HISD, we are rewriting history, one student, one teacher, one community at a time.

For the 2019-2020 school year, we will redefine how we serve our students and families, including:

• Offering free breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all students in HISD.
• Expanding fine arts education by adding 37 fine arts teachers at the elementary level.
• Continuing Parent University to provide parents the tools to help their children succeed.
• Offering new online tools to help parents track their student’s bus and streamline communication with Transportation Services.
• Providing rigorous college and career preparation by increasing the number of CTE programs.
• Implementing the “Youth Mental Health First Aid” program, which is designed to teach adults how to help students experiencing a mental health crisis.
• Offering academic and community-based supports to students who are struggling socially and academically through the ROSES, Ascending to Men (ATM), and Miles Ahead programs.
• Empowering employees, parents, students, and the community to serve as storytellers and share the good news happening in the district.

At HISD, we believe all children deserve access to a world-class education.

We view ourselves as partners with our parents in the education of their children. We welcome ALL students, regardless of their immigration status. Our priority continues to be providing a safe and engaging learning environment for our students.

Best wishes for a successful 2019-2020 school year! #HISDEmpowers