Nominating Committee

Now that the end of the year is approaching, it is time for the PTO to elect new officers and committee chairs for next year.  There are several positions that need to be filled.  Being involved in the PTO is a great way to learn more abut what all goes on at BHS and to network with other BHS parents.  If you are interested in (or have questions about) a position, please contact me or any of the members of the nominating committee listed below.  We hope to get the slate filled before the March 20th PTO meeting, so please let us hear from you.

 Sincerely,
 Sandy Twyman
stwyman@questpersonnel.com <mailto:stwyman@questpersonnel.com>
713-624-1101

Dena Robinson
denarobinson@comcast.com <mailto:denarobinson@comcast.com>

 Kim Thompson
 kimmiethompson@att.net <mailto:kimmiethompson@att.net>

 Kim Reichert
 kimreichert@hotmail.com <mailto:kimreichert@hotmail.com>

News From the College Counciling Center
Eleventh grade college information sessions will be on Monday, March 19th instead of March 6th.  Eleventh grade students will come with their English 3 teachers to the auditorium.  Presentations will be made beginning at 7:40 a.m. and will occur every class period.  Parents are welcome to attend!

 "The Sounds of Emotion" Dance Concert

The 10th Annual Bellaire Community Dance Concert “The Sounds of Emotion” will be held this Friday, March 2nd at 7:30pm in the auditorium of Bellaire HS. Along with eMOTION, many dance companies such as Dance Force Production, So Real, Sound Box, West U, Sole Discretions, Precision Dance Co, and dance programs from Lamar HS, Kashmere HS, Westbury HS, KIPP Academy, and more will be participating.  Tickets at door or contact skorman@houstonisd.org <mailto:skorman@houstonisd.org>  advance tickets or more info.  Hope everyone will be able to come out and support the dance concert. 

Nominating Committee

Now that the end of the year is approaching, it is time for the PTO to elect new officers and committee chairs for next year.  There are several positions that need to be filled.  Being involved in the PTO is a great way to learn more abut what all goes on at BHS and to network with other BHS parents.  If you are interested in (or have questions about) a position, please contact me or any of the members of the nominating committee listed below.  We hope to get the slate filled before the March 20th PTO meeting, so please let us hear from you.

 Sincerely,
 Sandy Twyman
stwyman@questpersonnel.com <mailto:stwyman@questpersonnel.com>
713-624-1101

Dena Robinson
denarobinson@comcast.com <mailto:denarobinson@comcast.com>

 Kim Thompson
 kimmiethompson@att.net <mailto:kimmiethompson@att.net>

 Kim Reichert
 kimreichert@hotmail.com <mailto:kimreichert@hotmail.com>

News From the College Counciling Center
Eleventh grade college information sessions will be on Monday, March 19th instead of March 6th.  Eleventh grade students will come with their English 3 teachers to the auditorium.  Presentations will be made beginning at 7:40 a.m. and will occur every class period.  Parents are welcome to attend!

"The Sounds of Emotion" Dance Concert

The 10th Annual Bellaire Community Dance Concert “The Sounds of Emotion” will be held this Friday, March 2nd at 7:30pm in the auditorium of Bellaire HS. Along with eMOTION, many dance companies such as Dance Force Production, So Real, Sound Box, West U, Sole Discretions, Precision Dance Co, and dance programs from Lamar HS, Kashmere HS, Westbury HS, KIPP Academy, and more will be participating.  Tickets at door or contact skorman@houstonisd.org <mailto:skorman@houstonisd.org>  advance tickets or more info.  Hope everyone will be able to come out and support the dance concert. 
 
Five Bellaire Students Named U.S. Presidential Scholar Candidates
 

Parents are welcome to attend a lecture series presented by the HISD Advanced Academics Department

Can We Have Both Creative Students and a Test-Driven Schoolhouse?
Gleeful Giftedness:  An Allegory for Arts and Academics
F. Richard Olenchak, Ph.D., P.C.
University of Houston Professor, Psychologist, and Co-Director Urban Talent Research Institute
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Time: 6:00 pm-7:00 pm 
Place: HISD Board Auditorium
Hattie Mae White Education Support Center
4400 West 18th St. Houston, TX. 77092

Information will be available from 5:30pm-6:00pm for the Gulf Coast Chapter of MENSA, Odyssey of the Mind, and the Texas Association of Gifted and Talented

 



Marlene Rubin
College Access Counselor
Bellaire High School
mrubin@houstonisd.org
713-295-3856

College Board Selects HISD to Kick Off National Five Ways Ed Pays Campaign with Rally and Resource Fair 
November 15, 2011 – The Houston Independent School District has been selected to kick off the College Board’s national Five Ways Ed Pays campaign to increase awareness of the benefits of higher education.  This kick-off event includes a rally and resource fair on Wednesday, November 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the Delmar Field House (2020 Mangum).


“We are extremely honored to be selected as the first district to set the stage for this national effort to promote higher education,” said HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier.  “Our goal is to ensure every student in HISD is prepared to pursue a higher education, and this event will further support our efforts.”


The rally features motivational speeches from Grier and Marcus Davis, the co-founder and co-owner of the breakfast klub restaurant and radio host for Majic 102.1, among others.  The resource fair includes college planning advice and resources, as well as representatives from local colleges and Texas universities.  


“Education is an investment with long-term benefits for thousands of students and families,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “I would like to thank the Houston Independent School District for shining light on the importance of a college education.”


The College Board selected Houston ISD as the first district in this national campaign because of its commitment to increasing the number of college-bound students.


“Most people are aware of the financial benefits related to obtaining a higher education, but this campaign highlights many more, and breaks them down into bite sized chunks,” said Nefertari Mundy, HISD manager of counseling services.  “School counselors are always looking for resources and innovative ways to reinforce our district's college-bound culture, so partnering with College Board will allow us to do this on a larger scale.”


Other speakers for the rally include ABC 13 News Anchor Art Rascon, national bestselling author ReShonda Tate-Billingsley, 2011 Miss Bay Area Erin Kay, and Pascal Watty, former University of Texas football player and founder of First Genesis, Inc.  


Representatives from Houston Community College, Sam Houston State University and Texas State University, among other state universities, will be on site to talk with students and parents.  The resource fair will also include free vaccinations provided by the City of Houston and free copies of the personal planning tool Get It Together for College to the first 1,000 families through the doors.


           The event is free for all HISD middle and high school students and parents.  





About the College Board:

The College Board Advocacy & Policy Center <http://www.advocacy.collegeboard.org/> was established to help transform education in America. Guided by the College Board’s principles of excellence and equity in education, the Center works to ensure that students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed in college and beyond. Critical connections between policy, research and real-world practice are made to develop innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in education today. Drawing from the experience of the College Board’s active membership consisting of education professionals from more than 5,900 institutions, priorities include: College Preparation & Access, College Affordability & Financial Aid, and College Admission & Completion. For more information, visit the College Board Web site at www.collegeboard.org <http://www.collegeboard.org> . 

All HISD Residents Invited to Community Conversations with Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier

Town Hall Meetings Come One Year After Adoption of Strategic Direction

 

September 12, 2011 – HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier has scheduled a series of six Community Conversations in October to discuss the district’s progress toward accomplishing the goals established last year when the Board of Education adopted itsStrategic Direction.

The town hall format will allow for an unscripted two-way conversation in which community members can ask questions (in person or via e-mail) and participate in the discussion.

            Developed over a six-month period in partnership with the community, HISD’s Strategic Direction identifies five core initiatives designed to help make HISD the best public school system in America. Those initiatives are:

·         Effective teacher in every classroom

·         Effective principal in every school

·         Data-driven accountability

·         Rigorous instructional standards and supports

·         Culture of trust through action

Since the Strategic Direction’s adoption, HISD has made significant progress toward placing an effective teacher in every classroom and an effective principal in every school. In the spring, the Board of Education authorized the implementation of a new teacher appraisal and development system and the HISD administration has moved toward creating a similar system for principals. Additionally, HISD has created a Leadership Development Department tasked with grooming the district’s next generation of campus leaders from within the ranks of current educators.

Last week, HISD demonstrated its commitment to data-driven accountability when the Board of Education authorized a $10.3 million technology plan that will give teachers and principals quick access to a broad range of detailed student academic data and create a more efficient information technology network.

The district’s efforts to raise the level of academic rigor in all schools paid off in the spring when the number of students scoring at the tough “commended” mark on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reached record levels. The number of HISD students posting scores on college-level Advanced Placement exams that are high enough to earn college credit is at a record level. This fall, every HISD high school is offering a minimum of 15 AP classes, compared to last year’s minimum of 10 AP classes.

Community Conversations Schedule
October 4 – Sam Houston MSTC High School, 9400 Irvington

            Staff: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

            Community: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

October 6 – Chavez High School, 8501 Howard

Staff: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

            Community: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

October 11 – Sharpstown High School, 7504 Bissonnet

Staff: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

            Community: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

October 18 – Wheatley High School, 4801 Providence

Staff: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

            Community: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

October 20 – Worthing High School, 9215 Scott

Staff: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

            Community: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

October 24 – Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th Street

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
 Although the Community Conversations are still weeks away, Dr. Grier is asking HISD residents to begin the dialogue about HISD’s direction today. Questions for Dr. Grier may be submitted via e-mail at contactus@houstonisd.org.

The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States with 281 schools and more than 200,000 students. The 301-square-mile district is one of the largest employers in the Houston metropolitan area with nearly 30,000 employees.

For more information, visit the HISD Web site at www.houstonisd.org.

Jason Spencer

General Manager, Communications and Media Relations

Houston Independent School District

(713) 556-6390

Please Join Mike Lunceford
District V Community Meeting
Thursday, September 8, 2011 @11:30a.m.
Hattie Mae White Educational Center
4400 W. 18th St. (77092) 
Room 1E02
Topic
Issues relative to District V ranging from Magnets to School Capacity to Funding

Thank you for your efforts to partner with HISD to become the best school district in America!
Your input is greatly appreciated.

Subject:    Topic 2: Proposed New Magnet Policy verse Current Magnet Policy
Date:    Sun, 7 Aug 2011 15:18:12 -0500
From:    HISD Parent Visionaries <hisdparentvisionaries@gmail.com>
To:    HISD Parent Visionaries <hisdparentvisionaries@gmail.com>

Below you will find the new proposed magnet policy that will be discussed at the HISD Agenda Review Meeting on Monday at 3:00 pm at Hattie Mae White/HISD Admin building.  The meeting is open to the public.  We will wait until that time where we can learn more about what this particular policy recommendation.   Magnet schools will be well served if a representative attends this meeting to learn more directly so you can educate your communities appropriately.  Feel free to forward to other interested magnet parents or communities.  Files are attached.
 
Proposed New Magnet Policy
 
We will provide innovative and engaging programs to attract, retain and empower students in a rich academic environment. Directly aligned with the Board’s Beliefs and Visions, HISD’s magnet schools embody the mandates for change on school choice, decentralization, school empowerment, and meaningful engagement.

 

MAGNET PROGRAMS AND SCHOOLS
 
The District’s magnet program was created in response to a court order to desegregate in 1975. In 1980, HISD was declared a unitary school district by the state of Texas in large part because of HISD’s extensive magnet program. In 2004, HISD magnets were recognized by the US Department of Education as going “Beyond Desegregation.” While student diversity remains a core belief and is desirable and sought, the District must also offer “quality programs that will engage students in the learning process leading to higher achievement.”
 
The magnet program in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) offers students a portfolio of K-12 engaging, academically rigorous and theme-based choices. The program seeks to recruit and draw a socio-economically and ethnically diverse student body from throughout the district with the ultimate goal of the HISD student population reflecting the diversity of the greater Houston metropolitan community. A magnet school provides unique instruction through its learning environment and culture, specialized principal, teacher and support staff training, appropriate resources and materials, and current technology. Strong community and business partnerships support various magnet themes and philosophies. HISD’s magnet program should provide a structure for students to take charge of their educational experience; it should promote diversity and foster learning across disciplinary boundaries, and it should generate collaboration between HISD and the greater Houston community.  In addition, Magnet Programs exist as a supplement to high quality neighborhood schools, with the ultimate goal of every HISD school being a school of choice.
 
*Glossary of Terms provided at the end of the policy.
 

Each magnet program will maintain the following characteristics to be evaluated on an ongoing basis

1.           Academic achievement and intellectual entrepreneurship as its core goals, enhanced by thematic programming, teaching philosophies, and real world experiences;

2.           An enriched curriculum designed around a specialized theme or philosophy that meets students’ interests, talents, and needs with relevance in today’s society and economy;

3.           A socio-economically and ethnically diverse student body so that students gain the experience needed to live in a multicultural society;

4.           Strives to increase student access to the program through the District’s awareness activities, communication, transfer procedures, and transportation policies; and

5.           Actively involves parent, community, and business partnerships.

 

STUDENT APPLICATION, SELECTION AND ADMISSION PROCESS
Qualifications for entering a magnet program are specific to each program. Generally, entrance to elementary programs is based on interest and available space. Secondary programs require more specific qualifications for entrance. Each magnet school shall create a detailed description regarding the entrance criteria and process which shall be made readily available and easily accessible to the public. The entrance criteria and process should be balanced with the key elements of objectivity, impartiality, fairness and equity. HISD may not, under this EGA (Local) policy, impose any generalized standard for admission into magnet programs upon individual schools or programs.  If revisions are necessary, they must be adopted and approved before the application period for the following year.  A student may transfer into a magnet program at any time during the school year if the student is qualified and if there is available space. Once enrolled in a magnet program a student can only transfer at the end of a school year.  Reference:  (EGA Regulation)
 

·         Elementary school – Application only.

·         Secondary school – May require board approved criteria (created at the campus level) or auditions for fine arts programs.

Admission to the magnet programs shall be based on the following process. All students must complete the formal application process and meet the criteria listed below to qualify for admission:

·         Utilize a standard application allowing for multiple school choices by the applicant;

·         Meet the established selection criteria by theme, when applicable;

·         The District will oversee a board approved, school-based selection (when there are more qualified applicants than space available a school based lottery will be used to select students) and centralized acceptance system .  Secondary Fine Arts Magnets will be exempt from school based lottery systems.

An applicant who meets the entrance criteria and has a sibling who attends the same program and who will continue to attend that program the following year shall be automatically placed on a space-availability basis prior to placement of other qualified applicants. Siblings are defined as brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother or step-sister living in the same household. Neither siblings nor multiples applying together for the first time shall receive sibling preferential treatment.

Magnet program transfers will receive higher priority than other transfer types except in schools with “school-within-a-school magnet programs” for non-magnet transfers or when required by law.

 

FUNDING
Equal access to instructional excellence requires adequate and equitable allocation of resources.  Board approved, fair funding per-student formulas shall be created that take into account program costs, unique themes and innovation. The magnet per-student formulas must support the diverse magnet programs within HISD and allow for their continued success. Board approved unique per unit allocations shall also be distributed to various magnet programs or themes based on a program or theme’s  unique needs. These allocations shall be reviewed and revised by the Board in consultation with the Superintendent on an as needed basis, and any changes to the unique per unit allocations are subject to Board approval.
 

 

ESTABLISHING A MAGNET PROGRAM

Schools must be empowered to develop and implement the methods that best achieve their unique and individual instructional goals. Those interested in extending access and establishing a magnet program may submit a written proposal to the Office of School Choice, Chief Academic Officer and Board. The individual school will then be held accountable for innovation and instructional results.  If a new program is to be created with funds from a Federal Magnet Assistance Grant, the board-approved proposal must include a financial sustainability plan to ensure funding beyond the lifespan of the magnet grant

To promote autonomy and ownership, new magnet themes or programs will be generated by the community and will not be assigned or limited by preexisting programs or themes.  In the case of an identified regional need, a community task force will be created to generate and vet ideas and create a transition plan for new programming.

MODIFYING AN  EXISTING MAGNET PROGRAM

MEASURES OF SUCCESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

 

A viable, robust Magnet program should have a clear focus that is not dependent on any single program, initiative, grant, teacher or facility. This focus should be sustainable across many years and recognizable as a brand for the campus. For these reasons, much planning and communication should go into proposing major changes to an existing Magnet program. Major modifications, those that substantially change a program, require board approval and at least one transition year, during which stakeholders can be informed and information about the new program can be disseminated. The transition year is necessary in order to prevent surprises for parents and students who have signed up for a program based on current offerings.

 

Additionally, it is necessary for programs to constantly update and improve offerings to remain relevant. Continued improvement should be an ongoing mindset and will naturally require frequent minor changes to programs. Community meetings must be offered to gather input and suggestions from the magnet school’s community at the beginning and end of each school year. The community’s input and suggestions shall be reviewed and retained by the school and made available for the Superintendent and community’s review. Additionally, schools are encouraged to continually evaluate their programs and to modify their Magnet offerings when they discover new opportunities to better serve students. Minor modifications may be implemented as needed if the proposal is approved by a two-thirds vote of the school’s complete Shared Decision Making Committee (SDMC).
HISD will replicate successful programs throughout the district to ensure high quality options are available for children throughout the community. Successful magnet programs will be maintained and supported by HISD. These programs must be supported to continue the “magnetic” draw for future matriculation of new students. 

In addition, magnet programs will adhere to district wide accountability standards in support of college and career readiness. The ultimate goal would be for magnet students to exceed state requirements.

The District will track and monitor school performance and hold leadership accountable for results. The following standards which may be further defined in a board-approved regulation, must also be maintained for a magnet program to retain its status. If the school fails to maintain these standards, a task force comprised of the principal, SIO, Office of School Choice, SDMC and larger community will be named and shall create a plan to address concerns. The school also must hold at least two community meetings to gather input and suggestions regarding the school’s issues and goals. The minutes from the meetings shall be retained by the principal for the Superintendent and community’s review. HISD’s central communications department is responsible for communicating and promoting any campus-based magnet improvement meeting to ensure community participation. HISD will work with the campus to produce communication, marketing plans, and work product. If after a three-year probationary period the program does not see improvement, the administration will prepare a recommendation for the board to consider termination.
.

1.      The school or program must maintain an academically rigorous program that meets the college readiness criteria determined by the Board.   For school within a school programs, academic achievement standards must be uniform throughout the school population, including those children who are not participating in the magnet programming.
2.      The school or program must show evidence of desirability through high number of applications.  Applications to new programs should show an upward trend in numbers with the ultimate goal of programs receiving more applications than spots available. Intervention will be required if the application rate decreases and/or falls below the spaces available.  The target for non-zoned magnet population should comprise 20% non-zoned students and maintain a student population that falls above the guidelines to be considered for school closure, unless the school is “small by design.”
3.      Magnet funds must be spent with fidelity towards Magnet Program staffing, materials, services and needs.
 
 

Glossary of Terms:

Magnet Programs-Defined in this policy.  They are unique to Neighborhood Schools with ‘Themes’ in that they receive Magnet Funding and transportation.

Vanguard Programs/G/T-Vanguard programs serve G/T identified students.  All neighborhood schools offer G/T Vanguard services, but Vanguard Programs are similar to Magnets in that qualified students can apply and once accepted receive transportation.  Vanguard schools are addressed in a separate policy (FDB Local and EHBB Local)

Neighborhood School-A school that serves its zoned population of students.  A neighborhood school may offer specialized or theme based programming and can accept transfers if space is available, but does not receive transportation or extra funding from the district for theme-based programming.

 

References:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, Innovations in Education: Creating Successful Magnet Schools Programs, Washington, D.C., 2004.

 Current Magnet Policy:
 

 Houston ISD

101912

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT EGA

INNOVATIVE AND MAGNET PROGRAMS (LOCAL)

DATE ISSUED: 5/1/2000 1 of 1

LDU-18-00

EGA(LOCAL)-X

ADOPTED:

The District’s Magnet Program is a system of educational choices developed to serve students with specialized interests, talents, and needs.

The following characteristics serve as the underlying framework of the Magnet Program:

1. Each magnet program offers an enriched curriculum designedaround a specialized theme that meets students’ interests, talents, and needs and has relevance in today’s society;

2. Each magnet program strives to provide an ethnically diversestudent body so that students gain the experience needed tolive in a multicultural society;

3. Each magnet program accepts, within its enrollment goal,students who have a strong interest in its magnet theme andwho have met the selection criteria appropriate to the program;

4. Each magnet program strives to increase student access to the program through the District’s awareness activities, transfer procedures, and transportation policies; and

5. Each magnet program actively encourages parent, community, and business involvement.

MAGNET PROGRAMS

AND SCHOOLS

DEFINITION

Subject:    Monster Week for HISD Board Votes, Action Requested, and Important Updates
Date:    Sun, 7 Aug 2011 12:41:41 -0500
From:    HISD Parent Visionaries <hisdparentvisionaries@gmail.com>
To:    HISD Parent Visionaries <hisdparentvisionaries@gmail.com>

Parents,
 
We hope you and your families have had a wonderful and healthy summer so far.  As we are rapidly approach another school year, we wanted to provide an update on a number of items that have unfolded over the summer which will be voted on this Thursday, August 11, during the monthly HISD Board meeting.
 
The topics involve the Boards promise to restore per pupil funding to schools with surplus dollars following the final state budget, a new HISD board magnet policy, and proposed changes in the implementation of the new teacher appraisal process for this upcoming school year.  In addition, we will provide information about final accountability results.   All of these topics impact every one of our classrooms, teachers, principals, schools, and district as a whole.  There are a couple dates you will want to save and actions you should consider taking if these items and topics are important to you and your child’s campus.  Due to the scope of these issues, we will be sending updates in separate emails so that you can choose to read and forward based on topic and interest.
 
Topic 1:  School Funding and Restoring PUA Funding with Surplus Dollars
Action Requested:  Join our teachers in asking board members to vote NO to agenda item G-6 on this weeks board agenda.  Instead, insist that the 18 million in surplus dollars or $85 dollars per student is sent back to campus WITHOUT handcuffing principals on how they spend the money.  Insist that the superintendent and the Board keep the promise it made to communities across this ENTIRE city to restore funding that can be used to best meet the most important and most urgent needs of individual campuses as determined by the principal.
 
More details:
 
As most are aware, this past legislative session created a devastating financial crisis for public schools.  The state passed a budget that included unprecedented reductions to public education funding.  In response to these state reductions, HISD trustees passed a smaller school budget that closed vacant positions at central office, laid off teachers across the district, and reduced campus funding by $275 per student in every classroom.  These reductions were “necessary” based on shortfall estimates generated by HISD and devastating to classrooms.
 
As a result of shortfall estimates, the HISD board voted this Spring to approve cuts to student funding formulas.  This funding is used by principals to hire teachers and staff, pay for materials and program costs and to provide high quality educational experiences for students that meet state and federal requirements. PUA makes up the bulk of a school budget. When the PUA is increased a principal has the resources to hire additional staff, purchase additional materials, supplies, or equipment and add class offerings to students.  When the PUA is reduced, which is the situation faced this year, staff is reduced and offerings are cut. This is the simple reason why there were layoffs and reductions in campus offerings planned for this upcoming school year.   For example, principals had to make very hard choices and some schools will no longer be able to offer art or music while others will see a significant increase in class size.

The 2011-2012 HISD RESOURCE ALLOCATION HANDBOOK (page 3) outlines the newly reduced per unit (student) allocations voted on and approved by the HISD board for 2011-2012:
 
Elementary school principals receive $3,257 per student
Middle school principals receive $3,282 per student
High school principals receive $3,246 (plus $192 High School State Allotment)
 

(Note that on average, HISD receives an estimated $7,800 in per student funding from the state and federal government in the form of revenue and grants.  Source: TEA)

The HISD Board as a group expressed great regret at the reduction in student allocations and voted unanimously with an amendment and promise to return any budget surplus that may exist after State funding figures were finalized to the schools in the form of increased student allocations or PUA funding. This Board vote turned this promise into district policy with the adoption of the 2011-2012 RESOURCE ALLOCATION HANDBOOK.  Since the vote the Board approved budget cuts which have ultimately exceeded State funding reductions by $18,490,403.  This $18,490,403.00 is the amount of money which according to policy must be sent back to the schools as increased PUA so that principals can restore some of the devastating campus based reductions.
 
This upcoming Thursday, August 11th, the Board of Trustees will be asked to vote on the following recommendation from the Superintendent. This is Agenda Item G-6:
 
“Administrative Recommendation:
1) Designate that the 2011–2012 General Fund excess budget reduction over state revenue reduction of $18,490,403 be placed in General Fund balance to be used to offset the projected budgetary shortfall of $44 million in the 2012–2013 fiscal year.”
 
That is right. The recommendation is to put the money in the bank to be used in the 2012-2013 school year. To take the sting out of this recommendation, and possibly to mollify some trustees, the Superintendent is also recommending that $18,490,403 of a $33,855,783 Federal Grant be sent to the schools at the rate of $85 per weighted unit.  Actually, the entire Federal Grant should be sent to schools but that is an argument we are not going to pursue at this time.  
 
Item G-6 continues as follows:
 
“Administrative Recommendation:
3) Designate that $18,490,403 of the $33,855,783 be allocated to campuses for use in three identified initiatives: technology, intervention strategies, and instructional materials. No full-time positions will be authorized since the funding is a one-time allocation. The campuses will provide a plan as to how the funds will be used. Any campus that does not need the funds in the identified areas can submit an alternate plan to the Deputy Chief Academic Officer for consideration and approval. The $18,490,403 will be allocated to campuses at $85 per weighted unit. These weighted units are based on the campuses’ preliminary budget projections adjusted for school closures and boundary changes previously approved by the Board of Education. This one-time allocation will be tracked in separate funds in order to provide specific reporting as to the use of the funds in accordance with the plans submitted by campuses.”
 
While the same amount of money as the surplus will be sent to the schools on a per unit basis, because it is one time funding it is not part of the regular PUA and is specifically prohibited from being used for paying full time personnel. This simply means that none of the jobs eliminated by the budget cuts can be restored from this money.  It also handcuffs the principals by forcing them to spend the money on predetermined areas which may or may not be important or urgent for individual campuses.  Principals must be given the power to make financial choices that best meets the needs of their students.
 
We need for the Board of Trustees to keep its promises to students and communities across this district and to follow its policy as expressed in the RESOURCE ALLOCATION HANDBOOK.  Ask trustees to reject the recommendation as stated in Item G-6 and require the budget surplus to be sent to the schools through PUA funding thus empowering principals with the responsibility, authority, and accountability to make the best decisions for their campus. 
 
Please, contact board members and ask them to keep their promise and give principals the power to lead.  Insist that central office stop handcuffing top performing principals and stop burdening them with layers of unnecessary administrative bureaucracy as included in Agenda Item G-6.
 
School Board e-mail addresses
District V
Michael L. Lunceford
 mluncefo@houstonisd.org

From:    HISD Parent Visionaries <hisdparentvisionaries@gmail.com>
To:    HISD Parent Visionaries <hisdparentvisionaries@gmail.com>

Parents,
 
For months now, we have listened to HISD and others preach about the new financial reality in pubic education and the unprecedented constraints placed upon school districts by the State.  This "new financial reality" has translated in very painful cuts including a $275 per child funding reduction for every student in HISD.  As a result, hundreds of teachers have lost their jobs, programs have been discontinued, and in-demand program offerings reduced.   This upcoming academic year will be very different from last year.
 
If we believe this is the beginning of a new financial reality for public education, this new reality requires that HISD aadministrators and trustees hold themselves to the highest standards of ethics and fiduciary responsibility. This means that the standard must not be "If it is not illegal, it must be ethical and O.K.".
Instead, this means that when HISD administration brings recommendations to the board, parents and taxpayers should have confidence that the recommendations are sound and that the bidding process was straightforward, fair and free from influence.  We must demand that recommendations are the best financial/value alternative for the district and that the work being bid is not redundant or unnecessary.  Our children cannot afford a system of waste, misuse, and excess.
 
Over this summer, there have been numerous allegations of improprieties involving contracts and potential influence by trustees and high level administrators in the district's awards process which have recently been revealed in the press.   There have also been reports of HISD allegedly overpaying for contracts.
 
As a result, Trustee Anna Eastman and others are calling for a third party audit of HISD's bidding and procurement processes.   While the result may show that there was not actual wrongdoing or illegal activity, it may bring about better standards, ethical practices, greater fiduciary responsibility.
 
Dr. Grier himself sees the value in third-party investigators since that was his response to a recent potential TAKS cheating scandal.  According to the Chronicle story, "But district Superintendent Terry Grier, who has called for third-party investigations into all alleged testing irregularities, vowed to oust teachers who cheat and said the district will consider placing monitors in all classrooms during testing." Grier continued, "This is an issue of ethics, plain and simple."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7652465.html#ixzz1UNeKlWeM
 
Parents expect the same from administrators and trustees.  I am sure we can look forward to the superintendent supporting the trustees call for a third-party investigation.  Afterall, this is an issue about ethics, plain and simple, and the resulting waste and loss in student funding.

Please, email your support for a third party investigation to your board member.
 
Recent press articles about potential bid and contract irregularities.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7684328.html
 
http://blog.chron.com/schoolzone/2011/08/hisd-reviewing-no-bid-health-care-consulting-contract/
 
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/08/houston-isd-trustees-president-paula-harris-talked-about-firm-with-hisd-procurement/1312404220.story
 
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/08/did-houston-schools-trustee-larry-marshall-play-role-in-no-bid-hisd-contract/1312322303.story
 
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/06/houston-school-hisd-trustees-president-paula-harris-voted-on-millions-of-dollars-in-contracts-for-friends-firm/1307584698.story
 
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/06/houston-isd-leaders-wont-criticize-hisd-trustees-president-paula-harris/1308150583.column
 
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/06/wife-of-houston-isd-trustees-president-paula-harris-campaign-manager-hisd-no-bid-contracts/1309310393.story
 
There are many other press reports but you should get the gist from the above articles and related links embedded in the stories.