Tag Archives: HISD

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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Electric school buses

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot to like about this. Bus maker Trans Tech Bus this year said it would start making an electric school bus in a partnership with Smith Electric Vehicles. The eTrans bus is one of a new generation of … Continue reading →

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More algebra, please

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I applaud HISD for doing this. A handful of campuses in the Houston Independent School District are experimenting with placing their best math students in algebra in seventh grade – two years before most take the class. The earlier they … Continue reading →

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At last, school finance lawsuit number 4

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The fourth and presumably final school finance lawsuit was filed just before the holiday weekend. The state’s largest school districts, including Houston and Cypress-Fairbanks, have filed a lawsuit claiming the public education system is inadequate and inequitable, the fourth such … Continue reading →

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Another reason to support local food

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bettina Elias Siegel of The Lunch Tray takes to the op-ed pages to give another reason for supporting local businesses, by changing HISD’s practices for how school lunches are provided. Food service management companies (FSMCs) like Aramark are, above all … 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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Teacher evaluations

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

HISD is gearing up to implement a new teacher evaluation system, but not without a fight first. The Houston Federation of Teachers has launched what is expected to be a protracted battle to void the new evaluation. It starts with … 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 →

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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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Class size issues are everywhere

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We know that waiver requests to exceed the 22 student class size limit are way up. But that mandated limit is only for grades K through 4. What about higher grade levels? Patricia Kilday Hart reports that those classrooms are … 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 →

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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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First school finance lawsuit filed

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More will follow, it’s just a matter of when and how many. A coalition representing public school districts, taxpayers and parents filed a lawsuit against the state in Travis County district court Monday night. The Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness … Continue reading →

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Interview with Juliet Stipeche

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is Trustee Juliet Stipeche, whose campaign webpage is here. She won a special election in 2010 for the Trustee seat in District VIII that was vacated by Diana Davila. Stipeche is an attorney and a graduate of HISD … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rhonda Skillern-Jones

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We now shift to HISD and HCC Trustee races, which will take us through the end of the interview series. To start off, I bring you a conversation with Rhonda Skillern-Jones, who will succeed Carole Mims Galloway as the Trustee … Continue reading →

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Another school finance lawsuit update

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib brings some news about the impending school finance lawsuits. Yes, lawsuits – there are two in the works. The Equity Center’s lawsuit will focus on fairness, attacking the target revenue system established in 2006 when lawmakers reduced the … Continue reading →

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HISD considers revamping ethics rules

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This all seems like a good idea. Houston school trustees, who now may accept campaign cash from anyone at any time, would face new restrictions under a proposal meant to curb improper influence in the school district’s business deals. The … Continue reading →

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Giving tax breaks to those that don’t need them

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You can add this to the list of things schools might have to pay for that they don’t have the money to pay for. Three environmental commissioners appointed by Gov. Rick Perry are considering whether to grant some of the … Continue reading →

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