Tag Archives: HISD Board of Trustees

Rey Guerra: Latinos in Houston 2012

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. White, Black, Asian, or other, if you live in Houston, you’ve more than likely adopted aspects of Latino culture into your … Continue reading →

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HISD will not raise the tax rate

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Instead, they will dip into their reserves to balance their $1.5 billion budget for this year. The amount is about the same as last year, when the district reduced spending by approximately 5 percent to offset unprecedented state cuts. Instead … Continue reading →

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HISD planning bond election

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The fall ballot gets a little longer. The Houston Independent School District is preparing to ask voters to fund up to $1.8 billion in bonds to replace and upgrade aging campuses. Superintendent Terry Grier has said the bond referendum – … Continue reading →

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No uniform start times for HISD next fall

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This surprised me. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier on Thursday withdrew his proposal to change bus schedules and school hours next year after concerns about disruption to families and questions about the cost savings. This is the second consecutive year … Continue reading →

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Well, at least they’ll be able to burn off the calories

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

News item number one. Papa John’s pizza, Blue Bell ice cream, and fluorescent-colored Slushies. For some kids, those may be the ingredients of a perfect school lunch. But for at least one Houston school district trustee, they may be the … Continue reading →

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HISD announces public meetings to address proposed school start time changes

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the HISD News Blog: 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, … Continue reading →

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Take the HISD start time survey

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, HISD is contemplating uniform start times for its campuses for next year. They have said they want public feedback on their proposals. Here’s your chance to give it. Implementing uniform schedules across the Houston Independent School District’s … Continue reading →

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Bonds, school bonds

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing that may be on your ballot this year. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier said Thursday it was time to start discussing a possible bond referendum to update the district’s aging campuses. In his annual state of the schools … Continue reading →

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More on uniform start times and other options HISD is considering

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, HISD is contemplating uniform start times as a way to save a few bucks for the next fiscal year. They do have some other ideas going, as well as a possible property tax rate hike, and they … Continue reading →

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HISD to contemplate uniform start times again

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

They’re back. Bleary-eyed teenagers in Houston ISD could sleep later, but not everyone is cheering a budget-cutting proposal that would change school hours and bus schedules next year. The school board last year rejected a plan to tinker with the … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

HISD Board renews Grier’s contract

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It was not unanimous. The Houston school board on Thursday extended Superintendent Terry Grier’s contract through June 2014 in a split vote that signaled the controversial chief has bridges to build with the newer trustees. The five trustees who were … Continue reading →

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Don’t go counting school finance lawsuit money yet

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas is very likely to have to do something about school finance soon, but “soon” is not the same as “right now”. Houston ISD counsel David Thompson was exuding confidence Saturday that Texas school districts will prevail … Continue reading →

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Audit says HISD isn’t cost sensitive enough

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

An audit of HISD’s procurement process says the district could be paying too much for some things. The audit, conducted by the nonprofit Council of the Great City Schools, found that the district’s purchasing standards “under-value” a vendor’s proposed price … Continue reading →

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We haven’t forgotten Manuel Rodriguez

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Neil has the details of a planned protest to call for the resignation of HISD Trustee Manuel Rodriguez at the next HISD Board meeting on December 8. Click over to see the what, when, and where. It occurs to me … Continue reading →

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No recount in HISD III

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There will be no recount in the HISD Trustee District III race as challenger Ramiro Fonseca has officially conceded. “After examining the official election results, I have decided that a recount is not an option that would change the outcome … Continue reading →

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Evaluating the endorsers

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I kept track as best I could of endorsements that candidates received on my 2011 Election page. Now that the regular election is over, I thought it might be interesting to go back through those endorsements and … Continue reading →

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Magnet changes coming

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The HISD Board of Trustees is getting ready to offer specific proposals to reform the magnet school program. Trustees and Houston Independent School District Superintendent Terry Grier suggested magnet programs that draw few students from outside their neighborhoods were at … Continue reading →

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HISD to take over North Forest ISD

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be a challenge, assuming it does go forward. The North Forest Independent School District is nearing the end of its appeals to stay open, paving the way for Houston ISD to take over. State education commissioner … Continue reading →

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Sometimes an apology isn’t enough

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what we tell our kids when they do something particularly egregious. It’s what I would tell Manuel Rodriguez, too. The day after he retained his Houston school board seat by just 24 votes, Trustee Manuel Rodriguez formally apologized for … Continue reading →

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Back to magnet schools

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Magent Awareness Week in HISD, and the Board of Trustees will be reviewing a new magnet school policy along the way. A proposed new policy, released by HISD last week, calls for the creation of a new funding model … Continue reading →

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2011 Houston results

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s go through the races… – Mayor Parker won with a shade under 51%, with none of her opponents cracking 15% on their own. Obviously, this is not a position a Mayor with no serious opposition wants to be in, … Continue reading →

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Your annual reminder that every vote matters

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

HISD Trustee, District III results, with 38 of 38 precincts reporting: Manuel Rodriguez 2,401 50.25% Ramiro Fonseca 2,377 49.75% There were 653 undervotes in this race, and turnout in the district was 11.61%. Fonseca carried Election Day by 78 votes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chron retracts Rodriguez endorsement

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Earlier this campaign season, we endorsed Manuel Rodriguez Jr. for another term on the board of the Houston Independent School District. We now retract that endorsement in the race for HISD Position III trustee. A last-minute campaign … Continue reading →

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HISD Trustee Rodriguez sends anti-gay mailer

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I figured there was going to be more anti-gay stuff in this election. I just wasn’t expecting it in an HISD Trustee race. Some Houston residents are calling for the resignation of Trustee Manuel Rodriguez from the Houston school board … Continue reading →

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More school districts looking at school finance lawsuit

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From San Antonio. Trustees of the area’s two largest school districts — North East and Northside — on Tuesday deliberated about joining a lawsuit against the state over what some consider to be an inadequate and inequitable education funding system. … Continue reading →

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Time to evaluate Grier

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s performance review time for HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. The elected nine-member school board uses an evaluation form that consists of data measurements in categories such as the increase in student college readiness; recruiting and retaining the best teachers and … Continue reading →

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HISD to join school finance lawsuit

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Houston school board committed Thursday to suing the state, adding to a growing list of districts taking legal action to force Texas lawmakers to improve the way they fund public education. Trustees of the Houston Independent School District … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HISD incumbents

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron sticks with the incumbents in the three contested HISD Trustee races. For HISD Trustee in District III: Manuel Rodriguez Elected to the board in 2003, he was its president in 2007, when the district successfully passed an important … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of HISD races

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

They paint it as a referendum on Terry Grier. He’s not on the ballot, but Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier is a key figure in next month’s school board elections. Grier has led the state’s largest school district for two … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

HISD tightens ethics rules

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Houston school board agreed Thursday to tighten its ethics rules to prevent trustees from meeting with vendors and from accepting certain campaign donations during open bids. […] Board members would not be able to attend meetings with vendors … Continue reading →

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The $25,000 question

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

What the hell? A $25,000 campaign contribution to a Houston school board member normally would raise eyebrows for its size. Add in the fact that the donation was not listed in the trustee’s financial disclosure forms, and the five-figure check … Continue reading →

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Interview with Paula Harris

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We close the week with HISD Board President and District IV Trustee Paula Harris, who is service her first term on the Board. Harris has a degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M and has worked as an engineer and … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ramiro Fonseca

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Opposing Trustee Manuel Rodriguez in District III is Ramiro Fonseca. Fonseca is the program manager of Minority Male Initiative at HCC, where he has also been a financial aid associate. He has also served as President of the Houston Hispanic … Continue reading →

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Interview with Manuel Rodriguez

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Trustee Manuel Rodriguez was first elected to serve District III in 2003. Rodriguez is a businessman and longtime education activist who has served as the Board President and currently serves as its Vice President. (See also School Zone’s Q&A with … Continue reading →

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