Category Archives: School days

HISD being investigated over special education

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Flagging this for later discussion. Texas Education Agency officials are deep into a wide-ranging investigation of Houston ISD’s special education department, examining whether district staff violated numerous federal laws and state rules that help ensure students with disabilities get vital … Continue reading →

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Schools are going to reopen, like it or not

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s gonna be crazy. Texas public school districts must reopen campuses for in-person instruction in August to continue receiving state funding, unless the governor issues a school closure order or a confirmed case of COVID-19 on an individual campus forces … Continue reading →

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HISD will not change its calendar

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not for this year, anyway. Houston ISD’s calendar for 2020-21 will remain largely unchanged, district officials said Thursday, bringing an end to nearly two weeks of debate over whether to extend the school year as a way to increase flexibility … Continue reading →

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Back to school, kids

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, I don’t know about this. Texas students will be returning to public schools in person this fall, Gov. Greg Abbott told state lawmakers Thursday morning. The state’s top education officials confirmed the plans in a statement to The Texas … Continue reading →

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We’re about to find out what school might look like this fall

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. Education leaders across Houston say they are working to welcome students like Alexis and Jayden back in the fall, but if guidelines released by the Texas Education Agency for in-person summer school are any indication of what’s to … Continue reading →

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HISD passes its budget

Posted on June 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

And had their own debate about police funding. Houston ISD trustees Thursday approved a $2 billion spending plan for the 2020-21 school year that includes small raises and bonuses for nearly all employees, a compromise between board members and the … Continue reading →

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Tell HISD what you think about their proposed school year calendar

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s different. Students in Houston ISD would return to campus in mid-August, spend up to 10 additional days in the classroom and end their school year in mid-June under a 2020-21 calendar option published by the district Monday. HISD officials … Continue reading →

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Don’t forget about school police

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe we can take another crack at breaking the school-to-prison pipeline. Several social justice organizations called Monday for Houston ISD to eliminate its police department and contract with local law enforcement agencies, whose officers would respond only to emergency situations … Continue reading →

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Our students need laptops

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The pandemic has made this clear. Houston ISD officials hope to provide every student with a district-issued laptop in 2020-21 and beyond, an ambitious target that would deliver much-needed technology to children but require voters to approve a bond package … Continue reading →

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School districts set to get financial relief for coronavirus

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas will distribute the vast majority of a $1.29 billion federal stimulus package to school districts this summer, using it to deliver on a promise that schools will remain fully funded this school year despite statewide closures due to … Continue reading →

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We still don’t know what the upcoming school year will look like

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of possibilities, no clear answer yet. Houston ISD officials are planning for the possibility that some — if not all — students will continue to take virtual classes at home to start the upcoming school year, Interim Superintendent Grenita … Continue reading →

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Maybe all schools will start earlier this year

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

What do you think about this? Texas Education Agency officials on Thursday pitched the benefits of starting the 2020-21 school year in early August, ending it later than normal and building in longer breaks that could serve as make-up days … Continue reading →

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HISD may seek earlier school year start in the future

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

No earlier than the 2021-2022 school year, if they can qualify for it. Students in Houston ISD could start their school year several days earlier beginning in 2021-22, joining peers in other districts who return to class in mid-August, under … Continue reading →

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No one knows when schools will open

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, if Mike Morath doesn’t know, then no one knows. Texas schools might start bringing students back to classrooms on staggered schedules in the fall. Or they might have some students show up at school while others continue their … Continue reading →

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The rough fiscal road for school districts

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s gonna be bad. How bad remains the question. Coronavirus already has wreaked havoc on school districts — closing campuses for the remainder of the school year, shifting learning online, and exposing a wide digital divide between students who have … Continue reading →

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The next school year is going to be different, too

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As with many things, just how different remains an open question for now. When Houston campuses finally re-open in 2020-21, at a date very much to-be-determined, the region’s million-plus children will experience a school year unlike any other. Some students … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend ISD will remain closed through the end of the school year

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They will not be alone in making this decision. Fort Bend ISD campuses will remain closed for the rest of the school year, Superintendent Charles Dupre said Tuesday, becoming the region’s first traditional district to declare its facilities will not … Continue reading →

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The digital divide

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Online learning is great, if you can get online. The lack of access to technology among students — commonly referred to as the “digital divide” — has come into sharper focus in recent weeks as school districts across Houston transition … Continue reading →

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No school accountability ratings this year

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Texas public school districts and campuses will not receive accountability ratings in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, state education officials said late Thursday. The announcement is a mere formality after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last month … Continue reading →

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STAAR testing waived

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This had to happen, given everything else. In an unprecedented move, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday he would waive testing requirements for this year’s STAAR exam, as many schools expect to be closed at least through the April testing window, … Continue reading →

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Schools could be closed for the rest of the academic year

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of school-related news on Monday. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told school superintendents and lawmakers Sunday to be prepared for long-term school district closures, potentially through the end of the school year, especially in areas where the new coronavirus … Continue reading →

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Shepherd ISD update

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They’re the other district being taken over by the TEA due to failing performance. Four days after a court order temporarily stopped Texas from taking over Shepherd Independent School District, elected school board members voted to effectively cede their control … Continue reading →

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School could be out for awhile

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We got the news on Thursday that HISD schools were going to be closed until March 31 due to coronavirus. (This week is spring break, so the kids got an extra day off before the start of break, then a … Continue reading →

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The other TEA takeover

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A preview of things to come, perhaps. The Texas Education Agency announced a new appointed board and a new superintendent Friday for a tiny East Texas school district with two schools that had failed to perform well for years. Although … Continue reading →

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FBI raids HISD official’s home and office

Posted on February 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is never good. Agents with the FBI and IRS spent hours Thursday searching the administrative offices of the Houston Independent School District and the Cypress-area house of its chief operating officer, but they remained tight-lipped about what they … Continue reading →

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HISD takes a step towards a bond referendum

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just a step. If there’s to be a bond referendum on the ballot, this year or later, they’ll have to vote again to authorize that. Houston ISD trustees kept hopes alive for a November bond election during Thursday night’s board … Continue reading →

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No metal detectors at HISD schools

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. Houston ISD trustees shelved a request from administrators Thursday to authorize up to $3 million for metal detectors, arguing district officials need to provide more concrete recommendations and plans for school security before the board votes … Continue reading →

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HISD considers metal detectors

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s (maybe) come to this. Houston ISD officials are exploring the idea of installing metal detectors at the district’s middle and high schools in response to last week’s fatal on-campus shooting of a student, a step few districts in the … Continue reading →

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Meanwhile, the HISD Board of Trustees is still a thing

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the new Board, not the same as the old Board. Hours after Houston ISD’s four recently elected trustees took office, enshrining the district’s first all-female school board, the new-look governing team on Thursday made its first big decision. Trustees … Continue reading →

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Meet your Board of Managers wannabes

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people want that gig. [Frank] North is one of nearly 250 people who applied for positions on the prospective replacement board, which Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath plans to install in the coming months. Morath announced in November … Continue reading →

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Morath’s big talk

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

But can he back it up? In his first public comments about plans to strip power from Houston ISD’s elected trustees, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said Tuesday that the district’s leaders have engaged in “chronic neglect” of children in … Continue reading →

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Why not appoint newly elected Trustees to the Board of Managers?

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a perfectly reasonable question, posed recently in the Chron op-ed pages by two of those new Trustees-to-be, Judith Cruz and Dani Hernandez. As former Houston Independent School District educators, a product of HISD, and a parent in HISD, we … Continue reading →

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HFT may join lawsuit to block TEA takeover

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a lot of acronyms, so just read this. Houston ISD’s largest teachers union is considering whether to join a lawsuit filed by the district’s school board that aims to stop the expected ouster of elected trustees by the Texas … Continue reading →

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So how are those TEA public meetings going?

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

About as you’d expect. Residents of Houston ISD peppered state officials with questions Wednesday night about the potential replacement of the district’s elected school board, voicing frustration about the lack of immediate plans for students and staff during the Texas … Continue reading →

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