Tag Archives: HISD Board of Trustees

Midyear 2013 election update

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Back in January, I took an early look at the 2013 elections in Houston. At the request of the folks at the Burnt Orange Report, who also printed my initial overview, here’s an update on the races in the city … Continue reading →

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TEA insists North Forest closure moving ahead

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

TEA Commissioner Michael Williams says don’t listen to the noise, North Forest ISD will be assimilated into HISD as planned on July 1. Williams said the Texas Education Agency, which he oversees, has followed state law and has the necessary … Continue reading →

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Justice Department engaged in North Forest closure

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A possible ray of hope for supporters of North Forest ISD, which is still hoping to survive past July 1 when the TEA’s order for it to be subsumed into HISD takes effect. The chief of the Justice Department’s voting … Continue reading →

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Laptops for fewer, at least for now

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

HISD’s proposed laptops for all proposal has been scaled back from an 18 school pilot to a ten school pilot in response to concerns that they weren’t quite ready yet for anything bigger than that. Lenny Schad, chief technology officer … Continue reading →

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HISD revises magnet school policy

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This has been in the works for a long time. The [HISD Board of Trustees] voted unanimously on a revised policy governing its beloved magnet school program, saying the schools would be held more accountable for academic performance and their … Continue reading →

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HISD to begin laptops for all program

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Starting small, and presumably growing from there. Houston ISD officials announced Thursday that they are prepared to give students at up to 18 high schools their own laptops next school year, becoming among the first big-city districts to launch a … Continue reading →

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Grier asks for Apollo money

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It is his signature program. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier on Thursday lobbied the school board for at least $17 million to expand his Apollo school reform effort, noting new research showing its benefits. Grier is facing resistance from some … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Planned Parenthood gets an early start

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox on Friday: Today the Board of Directors of the Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast ACTION FUND Inc, (PPGCAF) voted to endorse the following candidates for the November City Election. Each of the endorsed candidates has demonstrated a strong … Continue reading →

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More from the Larry Marshall files

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This guy is a piece of work. HISD trustee Larry Marshall, fresh off a two-day school board retreat, flew from Houston to Tampa, Fla., on a clear winter day to watch the 2009 Super Bowl in Raymond James Stadium. Cheap … Continue reading →

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A first look at the 2013 elections

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It is 2013, right? So while we have the SD06 special election and the new legislative session to worry about, it’s not too early to start talking about the 2013 elections. Let’s start with a peek at the campaign finance … Continue reading →

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Early extension for Grier

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This was a surprise. The Houston school board gave Superintendent Terry Grier a big but not unanimous vote of confidence Thursday, extending his contract through 2016 and awarding him $115,000 in bonuses for the last year. The board voted 6-2 … Continue reading →

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Why the HISD Board of Trustees needed stricter ethics rules

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, Trustee Larry Marshall. HISD trustee Larry Marshall voted repeatedly to award taxpayer-funded contracts to companies that hired his longtime business associate – who gave him a cut of her earnings, according to court records, deposition testimony and … Continue reading →

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Interview with Terry Grier

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the many races for office this year, there are several referenda on the ballot that are worthy of your attention. I will be conducting interviews to discuss them as well. The first one up is the HISD … Continue reading →

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HISD board passes ethics reform

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It was a unanimous vote at Thursday’s board meeting. Under the new rules, which will be finalized next month, trustees will have to abstain from voting on deals involving vendors who contributed at least $500 to their political campaigns the … Continue reading →

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HISD board to vote on ethics reform

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston ISD trustees would have to abstain from voting on deals involving big campaign donors and disclose potential conflicts of interest with a wider range of vendors under new policies up for consideration Thursday. The board has been working … Continue reading →

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Making the case for the HISD bonds

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bobby and Phoebe Tudor, the chairs of the Citizens for Better Schools campaign, lay out their case for the HISD bond referendum in this Chron op-ed. Study after study has shown that children have more difficulty learning in inadequate school … Continue reading →

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HISD takes another crack at ethics reform

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. Houston school trustees on Thursday renewed serious talks about tightening their ethics rules after failing to agree on new policies late last year. The proposed changes, meant to restore public confidence that the Houston Independent School District is … Continue reading →

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HISD board approves its bond package

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, it wasn’t a close vote. The school board voted 8-1 to seek a $1.9 billion bond issue that would rebuild or renovate most of the district’s aging high schools, remodel several elementary and middle schools, and upgrade … Continue reading →

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HISD tweaks its bond proposal

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier presents Bond Referendum 2.0 for your approval. Grier’s amended proposal adds five high schools to a list of 20 that would get new buildings or partial replacements. The additions, originally slated for smaller renovations, are Davis, … Continue reading →

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How big should those high schools be?

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is a question that HISD is asking itself as the Board of Trustees considers the $1.9 billion bond proposal, much of which is to be spent on high schools. A number of HISD high schools have had large drops … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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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