Subject:

Houston Independent School District

  • Blogs

    April 24, 2012

    HISD Seeks Refund from California-Based Vendor for Pink Slime-Filled Hamburger Patties

    In the aftermath of the somewhat frivolous "pink slime" scare, the Houston Independent School District wanted to make damn sure people knew it wasn't purchasing boneless lean beef trimmings (a.k.a. lean finely textured beef) for it school lunch programs. Or, at least, HISD thought it wasn't. HISD h ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 22, 2012

    HISD Wants You to Know There Is No Pink Slime In Its School Lunches

    In the wake of the recent "pink slime" scandal, EOW has received press releases from various grocery stores and restaurant chains assuring us that no pink slime -- or boneless lean beef trimmings, in non-neologism speak -- is used in their food products or sold in their establishments. Pink slime h ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 24, 2012

    Delores Westmoreland: Former Kashmere High Dean, 1 Other Indicted for Tampering with Dropout Records

    A Harris County grand jury today indicted two former administrators from the 2010 scandal at Key Middle School/Kashmere High School on felony offenses of "tampering with a governmental record." Dr. Delores Westmoreland, former dean of instruction at Kashmere, was indicted for three cases and fellow ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 25, 2012

    HISD Awards $35 Million to Schools for Student Achievements

    The Houston Independent School District on Tuesday handed out awards to teachers for student high scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. The ASPIRE Award program is part of an ongoing effort to reward teachers for the success of their students. According to an HISD pres ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 25, 2012

    HISD Cancels After-School Activities Due to Rain, Flooding

    The Houston Independent School District has cancelled all after-school events Wednesday due to heavy rain and flooding that has struck the area today. Administrators will decide at a later date whether to reschedule specific activities. An HISD release states: HISD schools will conduct dismissal a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 12, 2011

    TEA Applies the Hammer to North Forest (And HISD): Historically Terrible District Should Be Taken Over by Houston, It Says (Updated with HISD Response)

    Welcome to HISD.​The Texas Education Agency has finally had enough of the North Forest ISD, a lower-income school district with chronic problems demonstrating proficiency on standardized tests. Today the TEA took the unusual step of ordering it to close, and suggesting it be taken over by HIS ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 31, 2011

    Worthing High Shooting -- the HISD Reaction

    HISD taking steps in wake of shooting​The Houston school district is not really commenting on last evening's gang-related fatal shooting at Worthing High School because "it is the focus of an HPD ongoing criminal investigation," spokesman Jason Spencer says. But it has issued a statement from ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 9, 2011

    Actually, HISD Already Did Spend General Funds on Apollo 20

    Previous statements are inoperative​Friends of Hair Balls have been besieging us in the last couple of days, insisting that Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier misspoke when he testified before a Senate Committee on Education that the district has never used general funds to finance Apollo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 18, 2011

    Arnold Viramontes, HISD's Splashy New Hire, Violated Nepotism Rules

    HISD's new hire had a nepotism flap in Dallas​The Houston school district announced today it is hiring the Dallas ISD's chief of staff, Arnold Viramontes, to oversee its technology operations. Our sister blog Unfair Park has a post up analyzing why this is big news for DISD -- Viramontes has ... More >>

  • News

    February 17, 2011

    Casualties of War

    Parents who bought into the TAKS hype dealt blow at HISD meeting.

  • Blogs

    November 10, 2010

    HISD On Title IX Complaint: "Nothing To Be Upset About"

    As soon as HISD knows what it's doing wrong, it'll be sure to fix the problem. ​The Houston Independent School District held a press conference this afternoon to attempt to respond to allegations that the district doesn't give girl athletes the same opportunities as boy athletes. Trouble is, the d ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 8, 2010

    Magnet Schools in HISD -- The Passion, The Powder Keg

    A magnet lottery can strike fear into hearts​The word "lottery" is not just anathema to Southern Baptists. Toss it into a room filled with ardent supporters of the magnet program in the Houston Independent School District and you get a two-hour discussion about good programs (okay, toss the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 7, 2010

    HISD Asks Annise Parker For a Break, Gets Clobbered by Prop 1 Fans (Updated With HISD Response)

    HISD says no to flood-fighting fees​Houston ISD trustees think they've already given enough tax money in support of flood control/drainage issues and want no part of the Renew Houston Proposition 1 measure that would allow the City to collect even more money through drainage fees. So they voted 8- ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 27, 2010

    HISD Says Get the Facts and We Did -- From HISD!

    Hair Balls has obtained copies of a power point presentation given to principals of the Houston Independent School District in June that appears to bear out earlier reports that principals were being asked to cover a shortage of $19 million in federal funds. In a slide entitled "Title 1, Part A;" i ... More >>

  • News

    July 1, 2010

    Book 'em, Danno

    Constables go after HISD students' unreturned books

  • Blogs

    June 17, 2010

    Only 15 Percent Of HISD 9th-Graders End Up With A College Degree

    No college degree for 85 percent of HISD 9th-graders?​About 15 percent of Houston Independent School District ninth graders will get a college degree.That stark news was delivered at the board of trustees early morning workshop today to the six board members in attendance (Anna Eastman, Diana Davi ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 29, 2010

    In HISD There Are No Unsatisfactory Teachers; Surprise: We Live in Lake Woebegone

    Only 3.4 percent of HISD teachers are "below expectations" or "unsatisfactory"​"Of the 11 HISD schools rated 'Academically Unacceptable' by the Texas Education Agency in 2008-9, only two rated any teacher unsatisfactory" in any category of their evaluations. -- Source: HISD Human ResourcesIt was a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 24, 2010

    HISD Looks to Hire Teachers From California

    ​The Houston ISD is heading out to California (and later to Louisiana, Michigan and Florida!) to recruit teachers, its press office announced today.Specifically, it is looking for bilingual, secondary math and science teachers and cash-strapped California -- where reportedly more than 20,000 teach ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 18, 2010

    How HISD Might be Facing a $57 Million Shortfall Next School Year

    ​The Houston Independent School District might be facing a shortfall in public education funding of as much as $57 million in the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2010. That less than happy news was delivered at this morning's school board agenda meeting, in a power point demonstration by ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 15, 2010

    Divisive or Not, HISD Board Approves New Way to Target Failing Teachers

    ​This is the tale of two teachers. Each of them inherit fifth-graders who test out at the start of the school year, on average, at third grade, fifth month. The kids are from the same neighborhood. They have identical demographics: roughly the same number come from single-parent homes, live in ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 10, 2009

    HISD's Customer-Service Survey: Some Highlights

    ​The Houston school district has released a new "customer satisfaction" survey, where parents and the general Houston population were asked to rate various aspects of the district.Officials are crowing because many of the ratings increased -- "The results of a new survey conducted earlier this yea ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 16, 2009

    White-Washing Those Black Rodeo Gala Tickets

    Well, Warner Ervin, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District's south region, must be feeling pretty good today. He's the administrator being reluctantly investigated by the Texas Education Agency -- after a lot of urging from citizen and former HISD high school teacher Del Murphy -- ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 22, 2008

    Still Hiring – the Houston School District

    Well, Warner Ervin, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District's south region, must be feeling pretty good today. He's the administrator being reluctantly investigated by the Texas Education Agency -- after a lot of urging from citizen and former HISD high school teacher Del Murphy -- ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 11, 2008

    HISD May Hike Cafeteria Prices

    Well, Warner Ervin, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District's south region, must be feeling pretty good today. He's the administrator being reluctantly investigated by the Texas Education Agency -- after a lot of urging from citizen and former HISD high school teacher Del Murphy -- ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 16, 2007

    J.R. Harris Elementary Struck by Lightning. Other HISD Schools Have Water, Water, Everywhere.

    Well, Warner Ervin, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District's south region, must be feeling pretty good today. He's the administrator being reluctantly investigated by the Texas Education Agency -- after a lot of urging from citizen and former HISD high school teacher Del Murphy -- ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 1, 2007

    Coming Up: Which Schools Are Horrible?

    Well, Warner Ervin, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District's south region, must be feeling pretty good today. He's the administrator being reluctantly investigated by the Texas Education Agency -- after a lot of urging from citizen and former HISD high school teacher Del Murphy -- ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 3, 2007

    Little Gentlemen and Gentlewomen One and All

    Well, Warner Ervin, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District's south region, must be feeling pretty good today. He's the administrator being reluctantly investigated by the Texas Education Agency -- after a lot of urging from citizen and former HISD high school teacher Del Murphy -- ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 22, 2007

    Perhaps An End to Bus Stops As We Know Them

    Well, Warner Ervin, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District's south region, must be feeling pretty good today. He's the administrator being reluctantly investigated by the Texas Education Agency -- after a lot of urging from citizen and former HISD high school teacher Del Murphy -- ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 28, 2006

    HISD: A Good Call on the Westbury Tragedy

    Well, Warner Ervin, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District's south region, must be feeling pretty good today. He's the administrator being reluctantly investigated by the Texas Education Agency -- after a lot of urging from citizen and former HISD high school teacher Del Murphy -- ... More >>

  • News

    July 1, 2004

    Guest Column: HISD's Ethnic Gap

    Stats show how district policies help whites with educational opportunities

  • News

    September 18, 2003

    Letters

    Stats show how district policies help whites with educational opportunities

  • News

    September 4, 2003

    Olé Olé Olé Olé

    The baseball fields at T.H. Rogers will share space with a track and soccer field after all

  • News

    May 1, 2003

    Money to Spin

    Budget woes don't affect HISD's PR department

  • News

    June 27, 2002

    Million-Dollar Babies

    Some CEP students have been locked in for years

  • News

    November 8, 2001

    Backing Off

    HISD cuts $2 million from CEP's lucrative deal and adds more controls.

  • News

    April 19, 2001

    Will the Taj Come Tumbling Down?

    A prime piece of HISD land goes on sale

  • Best of Houston

    September 21, 2000

    Best Do-It-Yourself Nature Park

    The woods on 11th Street in Timbergrove Manor

  • News

    June 15, 2000

    Class Cops

    After Columbine, has HISD gone overboard trying to make schools safer?

  • News

    December 23, 1999

    News Hostage

    A Book Is a Book

  • News

    April 22, 1999

    Children, Prepare Your Desk Manuals!

    Paige DMPs on the HISD bureaucracy

  • News

    April 8, 1999

    TAAS Probe Update

    Paige DMPs on the HISD bureaucracy

  • News

    March 11, 1999

    HISD fires, reprimands and probes

    Paige DMPs on the HISD bureaucracy

  • News

    February 25, 1999

    The Fix Is In

    Are educators cheating on TAAS? Is anyone going to stop them?

  • News

    October 29, 1998

    All Together Now

    Civic, school and business leaders unite to try to pass a massive HISD bond election

  • News

    May 21, 1998

    (Pay)checks and (Im)balances

    Fat starting salaries! Hefty raises! HISD says its administrators deserve them.

  • News

    May 14, 1998

    Why Johnny Might Someday Be Able to Read

    When Eldo Bergman confronted his son's reading problems, he took the scientific approach. Now he is trying to convince schools to do the same.

  • News

    August 21, 1997

    What Went Wrong at the Rice School?

    The Rice School/La Escuela Rice was a much-touted experiment by HISDand Rice University. So far, the results haven't been encouraging.

  • News

    February 27, 1997

    A Question of Competence

    State Comptroller John Sharp has suggested that HISD needs to fire more incompetent teachers. But as the case of Beverly Goodie shows, it's not that simple. Just how do you tell who's incompetent? And what happens when you try?

  • News

    November 28, 1996

    Midtown Jamboree

    Why let a few conflicts of interest get in the way of a grand redevelopment scheme?

  • News

    July 27, 1995

    Vindicated

    A jury finds that "outsourcing" actually meant "reprisal"

  • More >>
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