Houston:  ISD will close Friday; superintendent responds to criticism for staying open Thursday

HOUSTON — HISD has announced it will close on Friday after taking a lot of heat for not canceling classes on Thursday. "All HISD schools and offices are closed and classes are canceled for Friday, September 20 to allow our students and staff time to recover from the conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Imelda and prepare our buildings," the district said in a statement released just after 8 p.m.  view article  

Superintendent Search: Boyd ISD Hires Leasor Crass to Conduct Search

Boyd ISD Board of Trustees voted to hire Leasor Crass to conduct a search for a new superintendent. Details and updates will appear on our search page as things progress.

Superintendent Search: Terrell ISD is Searching for A New Superintendent

Terell ISD is searching for an outstanding, qualified administrator to lead the school district. Details and updates will appear on our search page as things progress.

Superintendent Search: Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD Hires TASB ESS to Conduct Search

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD Board of Trustees voted to hire TASB Executive Search Services (ESS) to conduct a search for a new superintendent. Details and updates will appear on our search page as things progress.

Preventive Law: Sexual Harassment Investigations and Open Records Requests: How to Control the Narrative

Whenever rumors of sexual harassment start to circulate, open records requests are sure to follow. The best way to control the narrative is to always create an adequate summary of any sexual harassment investigation as soon as the investigation is concluded.

November 2019 Bond List

Bond Election Data collected by TexasISD.com for public school bonds in the upcoming November 2019 election cycle.

May 2019 Bond List

Bond Election Data collected by TexasISD.com for public school bonds in the upcoming May 2019 election cycle.

Why Houston ISD didn’t cancel school Thursday

Many people are wondering why the Houston Independent School District didn't close its campuses Thursday as Tropical System Imelda battered the region with rain. Students were stranded, and several parents said they were worried about the safety of their kids. view article  

South San ISD releases trustee applicants’ names only after choices made

The South San Antonio Independent School District’s lawyer declined to publicly release six applications for a pair of vacant school board seats until after the board voted on them, despite the expectations of a state law that such information be released “without delay.” The lawyer, Kevin O’Hanlon, said Thursday he waited to release the applications to respect the privacy of the applicants and because he “didn’t want to get ahead of the Board as they had not taken any action yet,” his paralegal said in an emailed response to questions. The board did not direct him to withhold the applications, he said. view article  

West Orange – Cove: Schools announcing closures for Friday

All West Orange – Cove schools will be closed on Friday, Sept. 20. After school activities are also cancelled for Friday — this includes the varsity football game. Students and employees should not report for work or classes on Friday. view article  

Flash flood emergency for parts of Harris County as Imelda moves northeast, officials say

Heavy rainfall from now-downgraded Imelda continued to wreak havoc Thursday for much of southeast Texas, where officials across multiple counties and in the city of Houston were dealing with impassable roadways, downed trees, power outages,  hundreds of high-water rescues,  fast-rising water and in one small town, a hospital evacuation. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a state of disaster for 13 counties in southeast Texas, including Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Orange and San Jacinto, as widespread flooding continues to stall services. view article  

School bomb threats lock-down PHS twice in two days

Ominous messages sent from false telephone numbers sent Palestine High School into lockdown Tuesday and Wednesday, Palestine Independent School District officials told the Herald-Press Wednesday. “Hello,” the text message read. “I have some bomb hidden in the school. I'm about to set them off. Good luck.” view article  

New From TEA

• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Reading Practices 9/13
• Clarification of Improvement Plan Requirements for Campuses Designated as Additional Targeted Support, Targeted Support, D in a Domain, or D Overall 9/13
• Competitive Grant Opportunities for Recruiting and Preparing Teachers and Principals
• 2019–2020 Significant Expansion of Enrollment—Open-Enrollment Charter Schools Only 9/13
• Validations of Fiscal Data Reported by LEAs for Federal Grants 9/13
• District Equity Plans 9/13
• Career & Technical Education Programs of Study  9/6
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Census Block Group Reporting and Lookup Tool 9/6
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation of the Special Education and Dyslexia Allotment and Senate Bill 2075 Monitoring 9/6
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Charter School Funding 8/30
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Gifted/Talented Education Certification and Funding 8/30
• Information for Districts, Campuses, and Charter Schools with Areas of Need Identified through the 2019 State and Federal Accountability System8/13
• Interim Assessment Registration and Updates
• Reading Language Arts (RLA) Assessment Transition 8/9
• Update on the Single, Statewide Assessment for Identification of English Learners, Effective 2019-2020 School Year

Viewpoint: Austin taxpayers face good, bad news

In this op-ed, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association President Dale Craymer breaks down what taxpayers in Austin can expect for the foreseeable future. As he sees it, there's a little good, bad and ugly on the horizon. view article  

Edna ISD Implements ‘Guardian Plan’ to Protect Students in Mass Shootings

The Edna Independent School District implementing a new plan, known as the guardian plan to help protect students in the event of a school shooting. view article  

Montgomery ISD votes to retain district hiring authority with superintendent, board of trustees

Following discussions about possibly removing the superintendent from the district hiring process, the Montgomery ISD board of trustees has opted in favor of leaving its current district hiring policy in place. The board unanimously voted Sept. 18 to retain contract authority with the elected seven-person board. The notion to change the policy was brought to the board’s attention in the summer, partially to address inefficiencies in the hiring system, Superintendent Beau Rees said. view article  

Texas once banned Spanish in public schools. Fort Worth broke that mold in 1969

Dr. Rudy Rodriguez and bilingual teachers broke the “No Spanish” barrier in 1969 with the inception of the Fort Worth ISD bilingual program in seven elementary schools. Since 1918, Texas laws banned Spanish in public schools — a rule enforced with humiliating punishment. Legislators reasoned Spanish impeded students learning English and “American culture.” Despite Texas Education Agency 1967 statistics that reflected 89 percent of Spanish-surnamed students dropped out, the forbidden tongue policy ruled. view article  

Kilgore ISD board discusses ongoing tax lawsuit

Kilgore ISD trustees consulted Monday with the district’s attorney in closed session about ongoing homestead exemption lawsuit against the district. Axberg v. Kilgore ISD was filed in September 2016 in Gregg County by John Claude Axberg, Darlene Axberg and Sheila Anderson, residents of Kilgore ISD’s tax district. view article  

Jacksonville ISD board gives OK to file complaint on ex-employee

Jacksonville ISD's school board wrapped up quickly Monday evening, as trustees unanimously approved several agenda items, including a decision to give Superintendent Dr. Chad Kelly authorization to file a complaint with the State Board for Educator Certification on abandonment of contract by former employee Shonda Emmert. In other action, the board: view article  

Fort Bend ISD reviews schematics for new, ‘net zero’ middle school

Fort Bend ISD reviewed schematics for New Middle School No. 16 at the board of trustees meeting Sept. 16. The new school—located near Hightower High School, south of Hwy. 6 in Missouri City—will have a net zero design. This means the building will produce as much energy as it consumes, according to Corgan, the architecture firm that designed the school.  view article  

Katy ISD offers benefits, incentives to recruit bus drivers

Katy ISD is among many districts in the Greater Houston area, Texas and the U.S. experiencing a shortage of school bus drivers. “It’s a statewide problem, not unique to any district—rural, suburban or urban,” said Amy Campbell, the Texas Association of School Boards human resources services director. view article  

These Houston-area schools are considered some of the healthiest in the country

Thirteen Houston-area schools were recognized for their dedication to children's health in the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's 2019 report of America's Healthiest Schools.  The children health's organization named 355 schools from across the U.S. in its report. Of those schools, 75 are based in Texas and 13 are located in the Houston area. view article  

Lufkin ISD board honors STEM Academy students

The Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees recognized Cohort No. 6 of the STEM Academy during Thursday’s board meeting at the high school. The STEM Academy is a partnership and cohort program between Lufkin High School and Stephen F. Austin State University aimed at enriching the high school experience for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics college study and careers. view article  

#SomethingGood: Horn High Football Players Lead Program of Inclusion for Students With Special Needs

Libraries are usually quiet places, but sometimes, they are places to laugh, talk and have a great time at Horn High School in Mesquite. That’s because on some days, Horn’s Heroes meet there. It’s a football player-driven program where the athletes spend time with students who have special needs. view article  

Greenville ISD board reviews student demographics

The Greenville Independent School District Board of Trustees took another long hard look at school data at its meeting Tuesday. The information was presented by five graduate students in Texas Tech University’s principals fellows program who are currently working through a 15-month residency in GISD and collecting data ranging from student and teacher demographics to how students’ grades on their nine-weeks tests compare to their scores on the STAAR test. view article  

Remember the Alamo — it’s also a cemetery

The Alamo is rightfully known as the Shrine of Texas liberty. But much more than just the battle in 1836 has taken place there. The Mission San Antonio de Valero was a church and a burial ground. Historical records indicate that more than 1,300 people — Native Americans, Spanish and Mexican soldiers, settlers from the Canary Islands, defenders of the Battle of the Alamo and others — lie at rest on the historic Alamo grounds. view article  

Frailey stresses unity in bond update

Nacogdoches ISD interim Superintendent Alton Frailey stressed the importance school-community partnerships as a means to student success as he updated the public on bond projects during a Huddle Time meeting this week on the Brooks-Quinn-Jones Elementary campus. Frailey said the role of every school and community is to have a positive impact on the physical, mental and emotional health of every student and every member of the community. view article  

Liberty Hill ISD to add 11 buses

With more than 3,000 students now hopping on the big yellow school bus before and after school every day in Liberty Hill ISD, a solution to the need for more and newer buses could not have come at a better time. The solution was a grant, known as the Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Grant, that is saving the school district $738,000 on the purchase or 75 percent of the purchase price. view article  

Lake Travis ISD reports overall enrollment growth, while Hudson Bend Middle School sees considerable decrease

Hudson Bend Middle School and Lake Travis Middle School saw a decrease in enrollment from the 2018-19 to 2019-20 school years. Evalene Murphy, the assistant superintendent for human resource services, provided the Lake Travis ISD board of trustees with the district’s enrollment updates during a Sept. 18 regular meeting. view article  

Police remove lockdown at Austin Middle School in Irving; school reopens

Austin Middle School in Irving went under a lockdown Thursday morning after police received a report of a man with a gun in the school parking lot. According to Irving police, officers searched the school and the surrounding areas.  Police said they did not find a suspect and removed the lockdown at about 9:30 a.m. The school reopened at 10 a.m. view article  

Template:  New Release from Omar (Release 10 dated 9/16/2019)

Omar Garcia with BOK Financial Securities has a new release (Release 10 dated 09/16/2019) that is now available for download.  This new release includes a few additions and corrections from the prior release. Please read the notes on the Notes tab before entering data.  There may be more to come, so as always, please stay tuned for any new developments.

Decatur ISD job draws interest

Fifty candidates have expressed interest in becoming the next superintendent at Decatur ISD, School Board President Charlie Tibbels reported Monday night. Tibbels said that has been the number of requests for applications since the job was posted last month. The deadline for applications is Tuesday. “We’ve had 50 folks request applications and a number of those have submitted completed applications,” Tibbels said. “We expect to get more next week. view article  

Incessant rain impacts school schedules

With floodwaters rising from the incessant rainfall of a tropical depression, delays in the start of classes for today were announced for multiple campuses across Southeast Texas. The following school statuses had been reported as of Wednesday night for Thursday: view article  

Survey of teacher retirees shows pension 13th check fills dire needs, emphasizes the importance of a permanent increase

Last week, retired educators began receiving their long-awaited supplemental pension payments capped at $2,000 from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas—the so-called 13th check authorized by the Texas Legislature last spring. We know that our retirees are thankful for this 13th check, but we also know this has to be seen as the first step toward ensuring financial security for all retirees on TRS pensions with a permanent cost-of-living increase.