 Use comment tag below to express your opinion. houstonisdwatchwants to hear from you, especially from HISD insiders. HISD BOARD MEETING 7/19/2012 Grier & Alicia Thomas tout HISD's effort to keep .5 Health credit in the scaled back core diploma requirements; HISD has exceeded the state minimum of 22 by requiring 24; 86% of HISD graduates have earned Recommended Diploma (remainder of video segment is a tribute to Alicia Thomas) FYI: Special ed. students taking the modified STAAR or alternate STAAR must graduate on minimum core diploma Stipeche questions agenda item giving Grier authority to change length of duty day In Hearing of Citizens Tracy Scales, Kashmere alumni association presidents, asks for newly appointed Kashmere principal to be removed Scales cites 8 leadership changes at Kashmere Transparency? You betcha, as long as key documents go missing The firm Paula Harris' good friend and Italian Riveria travel partner Nicole West owns (BTW: Receipts for the West/Harris Italy extravaganza have never been produced by the dear Ms. Harris) is one of the firms for which HISD has incomplete files. (Harris' trip with West took place during the mandatory silent period with vendors.) Paula needn't worry about her friend's company Westco Ventures. Her fellow trustees were set to renew Westco's contract last night. Null-Lairson, the firm charged with providing HISD with its second procurement audit after the objectivity of the Great City Schools, a Grier-friendly organization was questioned, has ready changed its name to Whitley Penn. Read Mike Cronin's report and, remember, Larry Marshall believes that HISD already has effective policies governing relationships between trustees and vendors Grier recommends to board: Follow state minimum graduation requirements (22) for core program, returning Science requirement to 2 credits, Math to 3 credits with Algebra 1 and Geometry required, and eliminating Economics and Language Other than English requirements. Just a question: With the economy in a slow stall and the growing discrepancy between the 1% and the 99%, does it make sense to eliminate the .5 Economics requirement for students who will probably end up in the lower end of the 99%? Agenda for HISD Board meeting, July 19, 5 p.m. Agenda Review for HISD Board meeting, July 19, 5 p.m. Curious item on agenda as it pertains to houstonisdwatch's readers and bloggers. Note information is in closed session discussion: Legal Matters
a) Matters on which the district's attorney's duty to the district under
the Code of Professional Responsibility clearly conflicts with the
Texas Open Meetings Law.
It is useful to remember this finding, which may be part of the district's desire to without information from the public, made by Texas Assistant Attorney General Michelle R. Garza who ruled HISD must release records requested about Christin Winn. You refers to HISD legal counsel: "You contend some of the information which relates to teacher reprimands
is protected bycommon-law privacy. However, this office has found information
perlaining to the work conduct and job performance of public employees is subject to a iegitimate public interest, and, therefore, generally not protected from disclosure under common-law privacy" (requestor was houstonisdwatch). HISD has no right to inflict incompetent, divisive, unprepared principals on its schools and communities. Hiding behind obscure interpretations of the Texas Education Code will not suffice. Waiting to compare first day rosters at Elrod from 2011-12 and 2012-13 Although there are rumors that many teachers have left Elrod, there is nothing that can be verified looking at teacher vacancies. There will be when school starts. From Elrod's Exodus: Why did so many teachers leave Elrod? Why did so much talent abandon ship? You had TFA teachers, Out of State teachers, Extremely Effective Cheerleading Types-gone. Yes, they danced to the beat of a different drummer-but it was effective. Kids were reading and learning. They brought life to the school- which was missing. When they saw a teacher looking down-they high fived them or gave them a hug. The teachers were well liked and motivated. It was hurtful to see one of them in tears saying-this is not what I envisioned education to be. It is so hard to reach the kids when you have the adults treating you like trash. They really were in over their heads because they believed in the fundamentals of education- helping kids. They had no clue how cut-throat the administration could be. Elrod is really sadden to see these girls go. They were the glue. They did extremely well-being they had absolutely no guidance nor support whatsoever. The principal called them in her office at least once a week just so that the entire staff could pass by the office and look in at them. They were really there for the kids. I wish someone would look into this. These teachers were too ambitious and that is a no no in this climate. We want them back. Someone please help us. by Elrod's Exodus (Jul 4, 2012) In praise of the departed Dallas Dance:  Some miss Dr. DanceWas DALLAS DANCE. That board is so blinded by greed and power. They let a hardworker go. He should have been the superintendent. GET on your knees and beg him back. That was your superman. by The Answer to Our Problem (Jul 4, 2012) Diane Ravitch's blog: Since we cannot link websites I would like to suggest folks here google Diane Ravitch and subscribe to her blog. You will get an idea of where this mentality is coming from. Her latest blog on Stand For Children also gives you the information you want but are not told. "Stand has pushed the corporate reforms--anti-public school, anti-teacher, anti-union--in several states, notably in Illinois (where they wrote a new law that was supposed to make it impossible for Chicago teachers to strike by setting a threshold of 75% approval--but CTU got a 90% approval vote), and in Massachusetts (where they threatened a ballot referendum to achieve their goals with a heavily-funded PR campaign (the union capitulated to avoid the punitive language that would have been on the ballot, as well as the costs of fighting it)." Where is the Union here? What is happening in HISD is spreading throughout the country. This also means voting in the next election and get ready to vote in school board which will truly care about students, not crony contracts and their own self serving agenda. by B.E. (Jul 4, 2012) One of several Open Records Requests answered; three more to go. The next information to be posted here from HISD's Public Information Department will concern Linda Bellard, following by Pam Farinas' records and Mary Cisneros. HISD TEACHING VACANCIES DON'T BUDGE FROM LAST WEEKS 380 POSTED POSITIONS  TEAM HISD IS HIRING! Yesterday's banner headline for HISD News Today HISD currently has hundreds of openings for motivated teachers who are invested in making an impact on student achievement. Candidates who submit an application by July 31 will be eligible to start teaching in the fall. While vacancies caused by voluntary resignations and retirements exist in all areas, the highest need for teachers exists in critical shortage areas, including bilingual (Spanish), Spanish, secondary math, secondary science, and special education areas such as Autism, Life skills, Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities, DeafEd, and Behavior Support. Continue reading advertisement. When all else falls, REORGANIZE! HISD CUTS TEACHING POSITIONS BUT ADDS MORE CENTRAL OFFI CE STAFF Reorganizing the Office of Academic Services  Mark Smith will no longer be a chameleon at the palace Mark A. Smith is a survivor. He is one of the central office holdouts from the Abe Saavedra administration and, slowly, he has worked his way up the chain of command, this time having a a new position and salary increase created just for him. Maybe now he will finally get his own bio page on houstonisd.org. He offered a witless solution to principals complaining about Statements of Residency: (Statement of Residence—Statements of Residence are bankrupting some schools while overcrowding other schools.) Response: Mark Smith requested that principals contact Student Transfer Department Manager Raphael Reyes regarding investigating questionable statements of residence. 90% of the time, Mr. Reyes will tell the principal to take the students or students in question. Alicia Thomas made a positive impact in HISD in her brief tenure. Perhaps Mr. Smith is prepared to roll up his sleeves, listen to teachers and principals, and desist from using the top-down, ineffective management strategies Grier adheres to. With Mr. Smith, one thing is for certain: He won't rock any boats, take any controversial positions, or blaze any new trails. He never has.  Remember TAKS? 2011-2012 high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors must pass ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies to graduate houstonisdwatch receives response from HISD regarding Open Records Request for TAKS scores from Apollo schools; all district high schools included Jones HS: TAKS scores decline for both sophomores & juniors (28 & 61% respectively) Kashmere HS: Sophomore TAKS scores up; Junior TAKS scores down Lee HS: Sophomore TAKS scores down; Junior TAKS scores up Sharpstown HS: Junior TAKS scores up; Sophomores stay the same Passing pecentages for Apollo middle schools and all HISD students in grades 3 - 8 ddd available here. STAAR E.O.C. results available here. 31 TEACHERS REVIEW HISD, CITE POSITIVES, CONSIDER HISD A GOOD PLACE TO START IF NO OTHER JOBS AVAILABLE BUT NOT A PLACE FOR LONG TERM CAREER WORKING FOR HISD IS STILL AT BEST A MIXED EXPERIENCE; FOR MANY TEACHERS IT WOULD BE A MUCH BETTER PLACE IF ADMINISTRATORS ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING Time off, chance to work with students cited as positives; Negatives: No support for teachers; Administrations fails to discipline students; Great experience until HISD cut back of staff; LACK OF SUPPORT AND RESPECT FROM ADMINISTRATION Read what teachers have to say about working for HSID HISD claims improved graduation rate, still trails state average Methodolgy credits districts for students who graduate within six years Children at Risk disagrees; Grier does deserve credit for laser focus on tracking kids through to graduation and implementing Grad Labs from chron. com report. Lexile analysis of STAAR: Does anyone have this information? Dodson PK-7 Garden Oaks PK-6 Wilson PK-8 Dodson AEIS 2010-11 Academically Acceptable Dodson school review Garden Oaks AEIS 2010-11 Academically Acceptable Garden Oaks school profile Wilson AEIS 2010-11 Academically Acceptable School ratings & reviews for Wilson K-8 Confusing bond choices for voters may help sink HISD's wasteful & extravagant bond Three major bond proposals greet voters in 2012 - Mayor Parker's, Grier's, HCC's - and the confusion over them, and widely different price tags, could sink all three. houstonisdwatch has not yet laid out a strong case linking Grier's $1.9 billion bond proposal to his politics above children, paybacks to the Greater Houston Partnership (the primary reason he is here is to appease them), and rewards to the five enablers on the HISD board who give him everything he wants. If you think HCCS deserves to have its bond proposal passed, read reports from Inside HCCS. As we near the November election, that case will be made in detail over and over again. Disagree with Grier's climate of paranoia and mistrust? Disagree with Larry Marshall's continuuing ties with vendors? Repulsed by Paula Harris' deaf ear over naming of schools and appointment of principals? Then you must vote no on the bond. No one opposing the bond discounts the condition of some of HISD's facilities. No one who opposes the bond wants our children to go to schools with leaky or non-functiioning AC, backed up sewers, and unsafe building configurations. But if you think giving Grier and his five enablers this bond and that this bond will solve all of our kids' facilities' problems, you are sorely mistaken. Sure, the bond proposal was written to entrap and entice, much like a spikder weaves a web to ensare. Bellaire would get a new building. Does Bellaire really need a new building when the new science addition (more about that later) is just being finished? Do Bellaire students and alums really want to move their campus out of the city of Bellaire to the land across from Sam's on Rice Blvd.? houstonisdwatch has not yet gotten a copy of the RMP master plan from Parsons, but there are leaks that Grier will use the bond as a means of implementing the recommendations from the Magnet School of America's report. See, what Grier isn't telling you and what Harris and Marshall won't tell you for fear of losing lucrative contracts for their friends is this: There is a rezoning proposal with the bond. Ericka Mellon probably knows about this proposal. Remember, her editors call the shots, and they are in bed with the Greater Houston Partnership and Grier. Rezoning will set off a firestorm. The bond backers, and the Democratic politicians who have lined up to grease their pockets from the bond, know this, too. (Although accused of unabashed promotion of the Democratic Party, houstonisdwatch is independent). Sound far-fetched and crazy? Perhaps, but these tips are coming from some very well-heeled, well-informed sources. Chris Moran and Ericka Mellon of the Houston Chronicle write today: "Multiple bond measures could confuse voters"  from Education Grrrrl: Who does the HISD official website? Are they out of their minds? Check out the first story on Houstonisd.org. They talk about training new principals. Then they show people walking around blindfolded? Maybe that should give them a clue? That they need to hire people who can SEE problems? Unbelievable. by Education Grrrrl (Jul 12, 2012) HISD Board President Mike Lunceford is concerned about what's happening at Elrod. houstonisdwatch also wrote to him, and Mike responded immediately. houstonisdwatch appeals directly to Sam Sarabia to take action on Bellard at Elrod: Hello, Mr Sarabia: I am writing to you as the editor of houstonisdwatch. Many bloggers have posted comments about Linda Bellard's leadership - all negative. Disrespecting teachers, calling out teachers in front of peers, embarrassing parents - all of these accusations have been made. The anger directed at Ms. Bellard is growing and festering. The parents I have heard from feel very alienated from HISD. I suppose that's why they are turning to houstonisdwatch to express their frustrations. I have pending open records request concerning Ms. Bellard's leadership. I am prepared to ask for more records. You have the power and authority to fix this situation. And, being a veteran of HISD as I am, you remember when the values of respect and human decency were expected from HISD's leadership. Thank you for your consideration. Regarding Open Records Requests: houstonisdwatch is working with the individuals in the Public Information Office who actually gather the information. A deadline has been set for early next week. If information is not available or if it is fragmentary and highly edited, houstonisdwatch will file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General. That complaint is in draft form now. Garden Oaks expansion is parent-driven Re: the expansion of Garden Oaks to K-8 -- While I understand the need for scrutiny of every proposal or action by the district leadership and the board, this particular proposal was driven by parent interest and the desire for the expansion of the current PreK-6th grade Montessori program to extend it through 8th grade. GOES is an excellent school with strong faculty, strong leadership, and very strong parental support. However, the facilities of the campus are in desperate need of repair/replacement/upgrade, and I suspect that some of the money included in the proposal for the expansion includes addressing some of the issues with the older buildings, lack of interior hallways/leaks in the walkway roofs, etc. In addition to the facility issues, there is growing interest in the existing Montessori program and a strong desire for extending through 8th grade -- but please keep in mind that at least with this particular part of the bond proposal, this item is being driven by parent interest and not greed or mismanagement of district funds. by Parent (Jul 11, 2012) Witnessing how human resources treats prospective HISD teachers: Just to give people an idea how HISD treats teaching candidates--a few years ago I was in Central Office, taking care of paperwork. There was a young mom with a toddler in a stroller who was trying to get someone to help her apply for a teaching job. I saw her later in the parking lot, wheeling the toddler to her car. She was crying. I used to be a single mom and my heart went out to her. I asked her to send me her resume and email, and I would put her in contact with others I knew in the outlying districts. She realized at that point that she should refocus her energy outside HISD. She got a job in one of those districts. I can't say that things have gotten much better. I actually tried one day to talk to a Central Office person who had so much gum in her mouth, I couldn't understand her and had to ask her to repeat herself. I think everyone, before they vote on giving HISD all this money, should take a field trip over to Central Office to see how they run things. As a friend of mine said, she wouldn't be surprised if most teaching candidates think to themselves "WTH?" and turn and walk out the door rather than applying. by Longtime Associate Teacher NO MORE (Jul 11, 2012) STAAR Released test questions: Algebra 1. Biology W Geo English 1 Reading  Scope & expense osf proposed bond is drawing critics and potential"NO" votes HISD's middle school bond proposal draws critics K8 Garden Oaks Elementary School 900 - 1,200 Capacity K-8 Completion $30.8 million K8 Pilgrim Academy K-8 Completion $14.2 million K8 Wharton Dual Language School 750-900 Capacity K-8 Completion $35.6 million K8 Gordon Elementary School 800-1,000 Capacity New K-8 Replacement $40.1 million K8 Facilities Subtotal $120.7 million Dowling Middle School 1,500 Capacity New School - Replacement $59.1 million MS Grady Middle School Addition $14.8 million Middle Schools Subtotal $74 million Why isn't Hamilton MS on the list? What about Hamilton MS ? It is crowded, needs some TLC, and it smelled like dirty old socks when we toured it.. any re-do there ? they have a Vanguard program. When it comes to spending other peoples money, HISD does not care if it spent wisely, just spend it and use a PR media blitz to guilt voters into this. If there are h.s. that are under enrolled - why do they need a new school ? Cant the locations that need paint, new bathrooms etc just be fixed ? by spending money (Jul 6, 2012) HISD's expenditures on consultants draws fire Why in the hell do we need these $$$ consultants? Most everyone has cameras and internet access. Let everyone post what's wrong with their schools. Let parents do it. Or let the board members walk around their own schools for once. Stop sitting around. Teachers and adminstrators can't do it, they might get blowback. Show the world what's wrong with your school. Post on You Tube. Then tell the consultants--WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK! by Education Grrrrl (Jul 10, 2012) (Editor: Parson Commerical Technology Group was paid $1.25 million for 2012 bond proposal) I have a question about the proposed bond and the expansion of some schools to a K-8. I see that Pilgrim is on the list. Isn't Pilgrim already a K-8? The school moved several years ago to a new brand new building and changed from an elementary program to a K-8, so why would they need money to become a K-8? by Question? (Jul 7, 2012) (Editor: The 2012 bond proposal lists Pilgrim as a "completion" project) HISD HAS 53 BILINGUAL VACANCIES; CHANCES ARE SLIM THESE POSITIONS WILL BE FILLED BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS houstonisdwatch's letter to Ann Best: Dear Ms. Best: We see that your school district has 74 vacancies for special needs populations, 53 of which are for bilingual teaching positons. After you cut special education teachers, you now have 21 vacancies. In fact, according to your own job advertisements, you have never been adequately staffed to meet the needs to your special ed. population. We know you know little about special education. You have had such limited experience in the classroom before Harvin Moore decided you were some type of genius and pushed for you to move up through the HISD hierarchy. Really, Ms. Best, what do you have against special education students? Twenty-one vacancies is unconscionable. You really need to be brought to task on this issue. You are doing even worse with your bilingual staffing. Why, Ms. Best, are you handicapping HISD's neediest student populations by being too spread out, focusing on teacher evaluation instead of job placement, efforts that may keep you in good standing with the educrats you hobnob with but puts kids in a terrible position? You obviously have never really mastered putting effective teachers in every classroom. In fact, you haven't mastered putting certified teachers in every classroom. You have become a Grier cliche - putting kids last as the standard way you do business. If special education population is shrinking and Grier claimed HISD has too many special ed. teachers, why are there 21 special ed. teaching vacancies in HISD? Another poor effort on the part of Ann Best and her boss Grier REDUCTION IN TEACHING VACANCIES FROM 765 TO 380 IS UNBELIEVEABLE! PROCESS TO HIRE TEACHERS IN HISD ELONGATED UNDER'S GRIER'S FAILED LEADERSHIP; CANDIDATES REPORT WAITING AS MUCH AS THREE WEEKS TO FIND OUT THEY'VE BEEN HIRED Grier's email (below) got the educrats scurrying: Now only 380 teaching vacancies in HISD! In Grier's top-down administration, principals would rather close positions than risk the wrath of Grier - once again, putting kids last Houstonians will get to vote on two bonds this November: Mayor Parker's and Terry Grier's - what's the best slogan? "Vote No Twice" "No, No" Parker's bond is only $116 million (Grier's is $1.9 billion) From WashingtonPost.com: Texas GOP rejects 'critical thinking' skills. Really. First public meeting on bond makes Grier look unprepared, arbitrary He's looking at different tenor on Thursday at 4 p.m. when his enablers who represent the Greater Houston Partnership far more than taxpayers attend From E. Mellon's tweets: *Mike Lunceford asks the right questions (looking for specifics) but doesn't get answwers *Anna Eastman calls middle school list on bond proposal "arbitrary" *Lunceford's response to Parson's explanation: "Whatever" *Parsons unconvincing in justification for schools (35 of 269) it visited HISD is feeling a little heat as logical people question the illogic in rebuilding half- empty schools and throwing Houstonians into long-term debt Local media exposes skepticism from Ericka Mellon at chron.com: HISD TO CONSIDER INVESTMENT OF REBUILDING SMALLER HIGH SCHOOLS  houstonisdwatch has Open Records Requests pending for Pam Farinas, Gregory-Lincoln principal, Mary Cisneros, Golfcrest principal, and Linda Bellard, Elrod principal. Additionally, houstonisdwatch has asked for Apollo secondary TAKS (not STAAR) scores. houstonisdwatch is working with the Public Information Office at HISD to obtain this information. The Bellard information is critical as the Elrod community is in mutiny. houstonisdwatch has made this point very clear to HISD.  Grier rants and raves but doesn't understand: HEIS THE PROBLEM Terry Grier finally admits that HISD has too many vacancies! Look in the mirror, Grier, you will see why you have so many openings!!!! GRIER TOTALLY DOES NOT GET IT: HISD IS VIEWED AS A TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT From: "Grier, Terry B" <TGRIER@houstonisd.org> Date: July 9, 2012 8:10:48 AM CDT To: Chiefs <Chiefs@houstonisd.org>, tgSIO <tgSIO@houstonisd.org> Cc: Elementary School Principals <prinelem@houstonisd.org>, High School Principals <prinhigh@houstonisd.org>, Middle School Principals <prinmid@houstonisd.org> Subject: Teacher vacancies TEAM-- We have too many teacher vacancies--unless things have dramatically improved since last week. NO school should have more than two vacancies and MOST should have none--we are getting close to mid-July. We cannot train new teachers, unless we have hired new teachers. I worry that we are not taking this seriously and will end up settling for lower quality teachers in the end--and/or teachers with little or no summer training. While this is an issue that ranges from HR to principal, I don't see anyone owning the solution to the problem. A lot of talk, passing the buck, pointing fingers, but no ownership. Today, and every Monday prior to the opening of school, I would like CSOs to conduct a 30 minute stand-up (no sitting down, no laptops/cell phones, side-bar conversation) data sharing/problem solving meeting with their SIOs--can be five (HS, MS, three ES) or three separate--(HS, MS, and ES) meetings. A representative(s) from HR is to be at each meeting. SIOs need to give a school-by-school update regarding vacancies and what is being done to fill each of them. ALL BUSINESS, fast moving, hard hitting, format. I expect to be presented with a weekly summary report that is easy to read and shows progress.. I will meet privately with CSOs next week to discuss serious consequences of opening school with any vacancies OR of filling vacancies with non-quality applicants. Please call me should you have questions. --Terry Terry B Grier Superintendent Houston ISD 4400 West 18th Street Houston, TX 77092 713-556-6300-O 713-556-6323-F houstonisdwatch blogger roe insider writes that River Oaks Elementary to K-8 is not a done deal: Not completely sure that the K-8 at River Oaks is a done deal. I have heard several reports about the recent meeting, and it was shocking and embarrassing (for proponents) how poorly thought out the (lack of) plan was. They were supposed to talk about details about the middle school, and there yet there was no facilities plan, no academic plan, no plan for admission, no plan for activities or extra-curriculars. Everything was TBD. The only thing proposed was a vague idea for IB. Councilman Pennington scolded the HISD and proponents of the plan for their lack of preparedness -- there had been no survey of parents to try and figure out how many students might attend, for example. This would have taken 10 minutes of organization and no one had bothered to take the time to do it. The neighbors (Harvin's constituents) were nearly unified in their opposition. One neighbor stood up and said, "I'm supposed to pay extra taxes so this small group of privileged people can have a 'choice'?" -- then he offered to write a hefty check to the opponents of the bond measure. That was the moment when when you could see the look of incredulity on Harvin's face and the faces of the HISD representatives. I think the HISD folk had been told that the ROE community wanted this, and it was clear at the meeting that there was no uniform desire for a K-8; that in fact it was opposed by many parents and definitely by the community. This scheme had been cooked up by a small group of people, behind closed doors, and they smugly sat on this plan rather than getting community buy-in (from parents and neighbors), assured that they had the inside track to what they wanted. I'm pretty sure the HISD people went back to Grier and said, "this will cause more trouble than it's worth" and that Harvin decided it wasn't worth it either. I just don't see it resurrecting for a while as an idea after that disaster. by roe insider (Jul 7, 2012) WHY BOND PUBLIC MEETINGS ARE AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY Harvin Moore claims HISD can't wait to finish the work from the 2007 bond before launching into an expensive, tax-raising, redundant bond election in November. Rodriguez wants to "go out for a bond." Did you expect anything else from him? Larry Marshall has already scolded Mike Lunceford for daring to ask questions about the bond. Paula Harris and Greg Meyers are Grier's most reliable yes votes. So there you have it. After the time-consuming public brouhaha, the HISD trustees will vote to go forward with the bond proposal just as it is written. On a 5-4 vote of course. Two public meetings on $1.9 billion dollar bond proposal: Tuesday, July 10: 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. Thursday, July 12: 4 pm. - 6 p.m. Trustees question fairness of bond but with Grier's 5-4 majority will it matter? from Texas Watchdog: Still uncertain about how a consultant concluded that $1.9 billion worth of taxpayer money should be spent on building and repairing dozens of Houston public schools, several trustees say they plan to ask tough questions at two public meetings scheduled this week. “We’ll be held responsible” if Houston Independent School District board members place a construction bond referendum on the November ballot, said Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones. “The only way to be informed is to make sure that HISD’s facilities are inspected by qualified people who can make judgments about things like building infrastructure, air quality and depreciation and quality of work completed,” Skillern-Jones said. “A staff and community survey doesn’t say what’s needed from a technical standpoint, only a practical one.” Read Mike Cronin's complete report.  HISD'S BOND ENDEAVORS LEAVE A TRAIL OF UNFINISHED WORK HISD trustees still appropriating funds for unfinished and yet to be started projects from 2007 bond; Work on Pat Neff Elementary School, approved in the 2002 bond, is in the final planning stages HISD's press release claims $577 million in the new bond would be allocated to "completely replace 8 high schools" including Furr, HSPVA, Lee, Madison, Sharpstown, Sterling, Washington, and Yates. Yet at the June 14, 2012 board meeting Leo Bobadilla, Chief Operating Officer, asked the trustees to approve $250,000 more for Furr High School to correct "additional circuits for wheelchair lift equipment, upgrades for the elevator system, and other capital improvements." What exactly are taxpayers being asked to fund for Furr? Additional upgrades or a "complete rebuild?" Leo Bobadilla does provide a small print disclaimer in the 2012 bond announcement. "Some of the schools recommended for major construction work are among those that had renovations under the 2007 bond program. In many of those cases, the previously completed work will be incorporated into the new building design." Are we to assume Furr is one of those cases? If so, why is Furr being listed as a school to be completely rebuilt? In the bond announcement HISD includes four elementary schools slated to be converted into K-8 campuses. These include Garden Oaks, Pilgrim Academy, Wharton Dual Language, and the Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School at Gordon. Note that River Oaks Elementary is not included. Insiders report to houstonisdwatch that River Oaks will be converted to K-8. It's not listed to avoid political fallout. Sterling High School, like Furr, is on the list to be completely rebuilt. Yet in the 2007 bond Sterling was approved for renovations. The trustees did not even authorize contract negotiations for Sterling until April 9, 2009. At the June 14, 2012 board meeting Leo Bobadilla asked for an addition $22,000 to fund "additional design services related to the mechanical and electrical systems." Again, the question arises: Rebuild or remodel? Ten years after voters approved the 2002 bond, we would assume the work authorized then would have been completed by now. Based on Document F-14 apparently added at the last minute to the June 14, 2012 board agenda, work on Neff has not yet begun. "The Houston Independent School District 2002 bond election approved the renovation of Pat Neff Elementary School. This project encompasses mechanical system repairs, electrical upgrades, site imnprovements, and other related capital improvements to the 87,463 sq. ft. one-story facility. This campus is not scheduled to receive any renovations as part of the 2007 bond program... To address these modifications, a budget allocation of $612,627 is requested..." More projects left undone from 2007 bond: Roland P. Harris Elementary School William Holland Middle School "Utilizing the HISD 2007 bond election funds previously allocated to McDade Elementary School, the administration requests a reallocation of $3.15 million for capital improvements at the schools noted below:" Atherton Elementary School Black Middle School K. Smith Elementary School Kashmere Gardens Elementary School Key Middle School (Apollo) Scarborough Elementary School As supporters of public schools, we must be troubled by the growth in Houston of STAND FOR CHILDREN Diane Ravitch writes about Stand for Children's actions in Memphis How will HISD fund the Apollo program in 2013-14? Title 1 Priority Schools Grant runs out at conclusion of 2012-13 school year 741 TEACHER VACANCIES IN HISD; START OF 2012-13 SCHOOL YEAR JUST 7 WEEKS AWAY Elrod ES: 4 Golfcrest ES: 0 Long MS: 12 Pin Oak MS: 5 Ryan MS (Apollo) 8 Welch MS: 12 s Young Men's & Young Women's College Prep: 5 each Austin HS: 11 Jones HS (Apollo): 7 Lee HS (Apollo): 4 Milby HS: 10 Sam Houston HS: 12 Sharpston HS (Apollo): 6 Westbury HS: 11 Wheatley HS: 9 Lamar HS: Not listed  FEWER HOURS OF CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION LOST TO STANDARDIZED TESTING? NOT WHEN COLLEGE BOARD TESTING IS INVOLVED At the May 10, 2012, school board meeting the HISD trustees approved a "Resolution Concerning High Stakes, Standardized Testing of Texas Public School Students." The resolution, although edited, passed. At the June 14, 2012 meeting the board approved $645,660 for the College Board, confirming its commitment to ReadiStep, Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Tests, and SAT assessments for the school year 2012-13 using the College Board Early Preparation Program...HISD will provide funding for all enrolled eighth-grade students to take the ReadiStep Assessment and FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES TO TAKE THE PSAT/NMSQT AND JUNIORS TO TAKE THE SAT. No one is arguing about the importance of this testing to HISD students. Once again, however, HISD will take up instructional time with testing that has always been -- that is before the Grier administration -- administered on Saturdays. How HISD will implement the goal of the resolution remains to be seen as Grier and the trustees have decided to take away instructional time again for the purpose of standardized testing. Number of special ed. students dropping in Texas but not everyone sees it as a good sign Silence is deafening No documents yet from Texas Open Record Act requests about Mary Cisneros and Linda Bellard. No TAKS results yet from the Apollo secondary schools. Looks like the stakes just got higher for next week.  The fight for American independence was based on trust, collaboration,and outrage with tyranny. For teachers in HISD today, there is little trust, virtually no collaboration, and the superintendent's tyranny is steadfast. Carol Mimms Galloway blasts Grier's culture of bullying, lack of trust as the first public speaker in "Hearing of the Citizens;" She challenges former fellow board members to get control What many bloggers have written about Lee, Elrod, Frost, Golfcrest is reiterated in plea from former HISD trustee, who asks if Grier has planned to run off HISD's African-American students  Lunceford takes Grier to task for failure to communicateUnbelieveable.... Skip to 44.53 on this video. You will hear HISD Board President Mike Lunceford lambast the Grier administration for failing to inform HISD trustees that Ryan Middle School was to be closed. As a result of Grier's last minute ploy and the fact that no trustees were informed ahead of time (although certainly Paula Harris knew and chose not to inform her colleagues), Lunceford pulled the item. In the discussion of what to do with Ryan that follows, no one mentions Apollo. The Apollo designation with the extra tutoring and extended day helped some Ryan students. It did not, however, attract students to the middle school. In fact, it played a role in running off students. Harris makes one passing reference to Ryan's Apollo mistake, saying that the district tried something "that didn't work." She refuses to mention that the "something tried" was Apollo.  Stipeche's body language and questions infer subjectivity in HISD's definition of sole source vendors in this video Stipeche appears to be incredulous when Chief Financial Officer Melinda Garrett describes how the Urban Debate League is a sole source vendor for HISD.  Accusations of bullying haunt BellardBullying at Blackshear Elementary School (with video) Jacqueline Spencer, school nurse, cites Blacksheer's "culture of bullying" Guess who was the former Blacksheer principal? Linda Bellard who faces accusations of bullying of staff members at her current assignment, Elrod ES From Advice from law clerk: Call the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The U.S. EEOC handles all complaints made against employers for workplace discrimination and harassment. You must first report the incidents to the EEOC before filing suit. The EEOC will investigate and issue you a right-to-sue notice. You then have 90 days to file suit. Elrod teachers, I would print the information from this site-especially the posts without emotions. Stick to the facts. by Advice from law clerk (Jun 30, 2012 JESSE ALRED CALLS APOLLO "NOTHING BUD A PATRONAGE PROGRAM" African-American veteran teachers victimized by program says Alred "...African-American veteran teachers were the main victims of Apollo 20 displacements, terminations, forced retirements and involuntary transfers. In effect, Apollo 20 stuffed the pockets and padded the resumes of young, aspiring African-Americans from the community's upper-echelons at the expense of African-American teachers. These administrators came to Houston, and typically stayed for one or two years before moving on to higher ranking jobs in other cities, and if you are to judge by the test scores, the only improvement they made was to their own resumes..." Read Alred's blog.  STAAR statewide testing results for 2011-12 available here. TAKS statewide testing results for 2011-12 available here. STAAR released sample questions: English 1 Writing. English 1 Reading. BULLYING OF STAFF CAN LED TO ADULT SUICIDE JUST LIKE IT CAN WITH KIDS From Elrod must read: "...The 32-year-old's suicide shocked the tiny Ford Heights school district where she worked. In the days afterward, tension grew amid conversations by co-workers about what had happened and questions from the Army veteran's parents. The turmoil peaked during a crowded meeting in December, when some teachers and school board members clashed. The suicide note that Mary Thorson left centered on frustrations at the school, and her death spurred some of her co-workers to speak out at the public meeting. Teachers described an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the two-school district, where little things snowballed over time. "We don't feel like we can speak out because we have been intimidated," teacher Rose Jimerson said at the meeting. "We have signs all over the building about anti-bullying. … Our staff gets bullied..." Read Elrod must read's complete post. Elrod student boycott in the works? On August 27, 2012-Elrod student boycott. More info will be passed out at the apartments common area. When they send an effective administrator and effective team-we will send our kids. How dare you drop your gargage on our porch? ---------------------------- by Elrod Parent Organization Member (Jul 1, 2012) Contact: Editor@houstonisdwatch.com Link to previous pages. Link to Open Records reports, AEIS, and more. Use comment tag to express your opinion. houstonisdwatchwants to hear from you, especially from HISD insiders. |
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