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Hello Houston,
There's a lot of red on FEMA's new Harris County flood maps.
Nearly 400 schools may soon fall into higher flood risk — including nearly 90 in HISD — which could push up flood insurance and other costs. Use our interactive map to see if your school is in a flood zone.
What else we've been watching:
- Teachers making less money: We all know that living costs have gone up. But a new UH report found that Texas teachers' salaries have actually gone down. Find out how much and some reasons why. Also, a 25-year Patrick Henry teacher lost her case with the district.
- NES expanding: We don't know which schools yet, but nine principals are "voluntarily" considering joining HISD's reform model.
- Culture wars: When Humble ISD students visited an Islamic center in Alief, it sparked outrage from right-wing media. At Texas A&M, there's another debate over ideology. Former Vice President Mike Pence will headline a new symposium about civil discourse.
 | Claire Partain, HISD reporter |
Photo by: Staff photographer
Famed arts magnet school HSPVA began to help desegregate HISD. How will new managers shape its legacy?
Kinder HSPVA and several other HISD magnets are entering a new chapter, led by outside nonprofits.
It prompted me to look into HSPVA's history and whether the school — founded to help desegregate the district — will continue to build on that legacy, or if it could become harder for students of color to access.
I read two books about its history and also studied the Chronicle's archives. What I learned fascinated me.
I found that as the district prepared to open the arts magnet in 1971, a NAACP spokesperson asked district leaders to include racial quotas in admissions.
The district did not do that. But then-Superintendent George Garver did reportedly set off-the-books racial goals for the first class, aiming for 40% Black students, 40% white and 20% Hispanic. That would have matched Houston's diversity at the time.
On opening day, it wasn't even close. 66% of students were white, 25% were Black, and less than 10% were Hispanic.
The audition-based magnet school still became a poster child for successful voluntary desegregation. Garver ultimately declared its racial breakdown as "adequate."
In the 55 years since, HSPVA has produced actors and musicians and earned top rankings. But it has never truly reflected Houston's population. It is currently the most affluent — and one of the whitest — high schools in HISD.
As HSPVA Friends takes on the school's leadership, I, along with my colleagues, will continue to report on what this new partnership means for equity efforts at the school.
- Megan Menchaca
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HISD plans to release its school choice lottery notifications this week. Here are key dates and things to know if you are trying to get a seat at a magnet or other school of choice.
Results day: HISD will release lottery notifications Wednesday. Watch your inbox and spam folder.
How it works: Families can rank up to 10 schools in order of preference. HISD runs a lottery. Students who get an offer will see their lower-ranked schools "dropped" but will remain on waitlists for any higher-ranked schools.
Decision deadline: Families must accept or decline offers by April 21. If a student later gets a waitlist offer, they'll have five days to decide.
Phase 2 opens: This starts next week. Parents can apply to up to 10 schools with open seats or join existing waitlists.
Missed Phase 1? You can still apply, but need to do so ASAP. These applications are first come, first serve through Aug. 3.
Need help? Check out our new School Finder tool. It includes a look at each school's A-F rating, tips on how to choose a school, and much more.
- Megan Menchaca
What Else Happened This Week
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The Calendar Ahead
• March 4-April 17: Applications open for HISD's Virtual Launchpad
• April 8: Phase 1 school choice lottery results released; Phase 2 opens
• April 7 & 8: College & Career Accelerator Program virtual information sessions, 7 p.m.
• April 9: STAAR tests begin
• April 9: Board of Managers meeting, 5 p.m.
• April 17: HISD pre-K Phase 1 applications close
• April 18: Youth and Teen Symposium, 9 a.m., HCC West Loop campus
• April 18: Pre-K Festival, 9 a.m., Sam Houston HS
Meet The Team
Photo by: Staff Graphic
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Megan Menchaca, Nusaiba Mizan, Claire Partain and Taylor Nichols. Laura Isensee is our education editor.
You can reach out to any of them by emailing them at their firstname.lastname@houstonchronicle.com, filling out this survey or by replying directly to this email.
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