Tag Archives: HISD

How would HISD’s police respond to an active shooter incident?

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a question we would all rather not have to think about, but this is the world we live in. And at this time, the answer that Superintendent Millard House gave to that question was not reassuring. Houston ISD’s police … Continue reading →

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HISD approves its budget

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First one for the new Superintendent. Houston ISD trustees on Thursday unanimously approved a $2.2 billion budget that will give teacher raises some have called long overdue and fund the upcoming school year when the district is expected to begin … Continue reading →

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Paxton threatens HISD over its COVID sick leave policy

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We live in such stupid times. Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republicans in the Legislature are taking aim at Houston ISD, arguing that the district’s COVID sick day policy violates state law. This academic year, Houston ISD is offering 10 … Continue reading →

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Superintendent House backs off a key piece of his budget plan

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like he heard the concerns. Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II on Wednesday said he would scrap a plan that would have centralized the funding of specific positions and programs, instead asking his administrators to come up with a … Continue reading →

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Maybe not so fast on the HISD budget stuff

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m OK with this. The Houston Independent School District may reconsider proposed budget changes that would have centralized the funding of certain positions and programs, a top district official told principals Monday. “Our cabinet team is revisiting the budget and … Continue reading →

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More on the HISD budget plan

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Trustees make first contact with the Superintendent’s plans. More than a month after Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II unveiled a strategic plan aimed at making the district more equitable, trustees still have unanswered questions about how to pay for it and concerns about whether … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: HISD

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: City of Houston HISD campaign finance reports are almost always less sexy than city of Houston reports, but we just had some expensive races last year, so let’s see where all the current Trustees are with their finances. Elizabeth … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds school district mask mandates

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe not the most timely ruling ever, but still nice. An appellate court on Thursday sided with Texas school districts in their dispute with state officials over mask mandates, which numerous school systems have already lifted as pandemic conditions have eased. The … Continue reading →

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HISD’s budget plan

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the op-ed pages, a few words from Superintendent Millard House. During a listening session at Chavez High School last September, a mother told me in tears that her child had to travel an hour each way to reach a … Continue reading →

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More school districts dropping mask mandates

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Unsurprising. Some of Texas’ biggest school districts are lifting mask mandates for students just weeks before spring break. Houston Independent School District, the state’s largest district, and Dallas ISD announced Monday that they would not require students to wear masks. … Continue reading →

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HISD lifts its mask mandate

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A bit earlier than expected. The Houston Independent School District will lift its mask mandate Tuesday, no longer requiring the use of face coverings at all facilities and buildings, district officials said Monday. The change in policy at Houston ISD … Continue reading →

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HISD’s strategic plan

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It sounds good. Let’s see what feedback it gets. Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II on Thursday unveiled his long-awaited five-year strategic plan, offering an equity framework that would aim to equip all campuses with library, nursing and counseling staff, … Continue reading →

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HISD may lift the mask mandate after spring break

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable. Houston ISD students will get an extra day spring holiday and will complete the last day of the first semester before the winter break next school year under a calendar approved by the board of trustees Thursday. The … Continue reading →

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HCC special election set

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

All you need to know. On Saturday, May 7, 2022, Houston Community College System (“HCC”) will hold a special election to fill a vacancy in the HCC Board of Trustee position for geographic district II for the unexpired term through … Continue reading →

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Back to school

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. Roughly one-quarter of Houston ISD students were absent Monday, the first day back following the district’s winter break, according to the district. District officials released figures Tuesday that showed 45,515 students were absent on Monday and 26,259 on … Continue reading →

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Back to school, kids

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’ll probably be fine. And honestly, there’s no appetite for anything else. Most of Texas’ roughly 1,200 school districts will welcome students and staff back within the next week, even as other states debate whether to mandate vaccines for teachers … Continue reading →

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HISD will not lift its mask mandate

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like an easy call at this point. The Houston Independent School District will maintain its mask mandate and offer free COVID testing at campuses for students and staff in 2022, Superintendent Millard House II announced last week. House previously … Continue reading →

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Indictments and guilty pleas in FBI investigation of former HISD officials

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Woof. A former top Houston ISD official and vendor were indicted Thursday in connection with an alleged bribery scheme over the last decade that federal prosecutors estimate cost the district millions of dollars and resulted in plea agreements with at … Continue reading →

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2021 runoff results

Posted on December 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the vote totals, and here’s an early Chron story which has the results right but was just before the last batch came in. To summarize: – Sue Deigaard had the only easy night – she led by 30+ … Continue reading →

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It’s 2021 Runoff Day

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

. Have you got your #IVoted sticker? Ballot box with ballot Ballots include runoffs for HISD, HCC, City of Bellaire and Missouri City. ⌚ Election Day is Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mobile phone with rightwards arrow at … Continue reading →

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Final 2021 runoff early voting totals

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The last day of early voting is always the busiest. (Well, other than the 2020 election, but you get the idea.) Early voting for four Houston ISD board seats and local council races ended Tuesday with 21,732 ballots cast, according … Continue reading →

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2021 runoff early voting report: Just checking in

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t been following the daily early voting reports for the runoffs very closely. Only a small portion of the populace is voting, so comparisons to the November EV totals don’t mean anything. But we’re most of the way through … Continue reading →

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HISD will keep its mask mandate

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is in response to that recent Fifth Circuit ruling about mask mandates in schools and whether Greg Abbott’s ban on them violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Houston Independent School District will keep its mask mandate in place, … Continue reading →

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Early voting starts today for the 2021 runoffs

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill – It’s runoff time for the 2021 elections, and early voting starts today. There are nine early voting locations, which you will find in the various districts that have runoffs – HISD districts I, V, VI, … Continue reading →

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Re-endorsement watch: This time it’s Anne

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time to start thinking about those HISD and HCC runoffs, kids. The Chron has started thinking about them, because they have issued their endorsements for the runoffs. Of the four HISD runoffs, three involve candidates they endorsed the first time … Continue reading →

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HISD will consider lifting its mask mandate

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

After the holidays, depending on how things go. Houston ISD will consider changing its mask mandate policy after the winter break in the wake of expanded vaccine eligibility for youngsters and improving pandemic conditions in the city, Superintendent Millard House II said Monday. … Continue reading →

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It’s mostly about the gay books

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Color me not surprised. While a Texas House committee chairman’s inquiry into schoolbooks has often been linked to new state laws limiting how teachers address slavery and racism, most of the literature he’s called into question deals with a wholly … Continue reading →

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Runoffs will be on December 11

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As is usually the case, the second Sunday in December for municipal and school board/community college runoffs. Runoff elections will be held Dec. 11, the Harris County Elections Department announced Friday. Four Houston ISD board seats, and individual council races … Continue reading →

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More on the November 2021 election results

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the Tuesday election results. It is mostly a straight recording of the individual races, including those I covered yesterday and others that I didn’t. Of the most interest to me is this: Results were delayed … Continue reading →

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November 2021 election results

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At 9:45 PM last night, this is what we had: . People still voting at Weekly! We’ll release the EV results once all voters have been processed. Standby, watch the Astros, and we’ll catch you soon. — Isabel Longoria (@IsabelTX) … Continue reading →

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November 2021 final early voting totals

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A busy final day, and a significant uptick in early votes over 2017. Friday was the last day to vote early in the 2021 school board and state constitutional amendment elections with early numbers showing an uptick in turnout in … Continue reading →

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8 day campaign finance reports: HISD

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t often go to the 8-day finance reports, mostly because there’s too little time to squeeze everything in, but HISD is the main story this year, so let’s have a look. The 30-day report summaries can be found here, … Continue reading →

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2021 Day Seven EV report: After the weekend

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s get right to it: These are the early voting totals for the 2021 election after Sunday: Mail ballots: 36,517 In person: 19,901 You can see the full Day Seven report here. The “voters by type” breakdown on the last … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the HISD Trustee elections

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There is an election, with candidates, and they all deserve a paragraph and maybe a quote if they’re lucky so you can sort it all out and know how to vote. Five seats on the Houston ISD Board of Education … Continue reading →

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