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Hello, Houston,
December is quickly flying by and we have just one week left until HISD closes for a much-needed holiday break after a hectic first semester. While I've been enjoying this 68-degree weather, I have to admit I'm excited to visit my family in the Midwest for a real taste of winter.
By the way, remember that musical performance at NRG in August starring the superintendent? Well, my colleague Sam Kelly tracked down the budget for convocation through a public records request and discovered that the expense totaled nearly half a million dollars. Read more about it here.
This week's must reads:
- HISD is officially a District of Innovation after the Board of Managers unanimously adopted the designation Thursday night
- Budget shows HISD spent nearly $470,000 in taxpayer money on an elaborate convocation performance in August at NRG Center
Is there something happening you think we should be covering? Let us know here or by replying directly to this email.
 | Anna Bauman, Education Reporter |
HISD board puts final stamp of approval on District of Innovation plan
We have been talking about the District of Innovation for awhile, but on Thursday night in HISD, the proposal officially became a reality.
The Board of Managers adopted the designation with a unanimous vote during their last meeting of the year, joining nearly every other district in the state by becoming an innovation district under a 2015 state law. Superintendent Mike Miles did not attend the meeting. (We wonder if he will be getting a write-up for the absence).
The status will allow HISD to start the school year earlier in order to add more days of instruction, hire uncertified teachers without a state waiver and implement its own teacher evaluation system. The board additionally approved a measure that allows HISD to request waivers to hire counselors without a certification, a move the district said is necessary to combat a counselor shortage, but one that raised alarm among industry professionals.
In other news this week, a new non-profit organization called the Coalition for Advancing Student Excellence officially launched on Wednesday to advocate for many of the reforms underway in HISD, including the District of Innovation plan.
I reported earlier this week about CASE and its connection with the Greater Houston Partnership, an area business coalition that has long supported the state takeover, but wanted to provide you with a few more details that I have since confirmed. (Shout-out to an eagle-eyed source who is a research whiz!)
The new nonprofit is registered as a 501(c)(4) that exists to "support a strong public education system that puts students first," according to the certification of formation filed in September with the Texas Secretary of State.
The three board members are Greater Houston Partnership executives: Taylor Landin, executive vice president and chief policy officer, Anna Miguel, vice president for finance and accounting, and Kaitlyn Murphy, vice president for public policy, according to the filing documents.
Murphy and Landin, who is named as the organizer of the group, are also paid lobbyists for the Greater Houston Partnership, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.
What Else Happened This Week
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The Calendar Ahead
• Dec. 16: HISD families are invited to Winterfest, a festive event featuring resources, kids' activities and a turkey distribution from 9 a.m. to noon at the Sunrise Center at Mission Milby, 2220 Broadway St.
• Dec. 19: In-person School Choice event. HISD to announce time and location.
• Dec. 20: Virtual school choice events, starting at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. HISD will send out a registration link soon.
• Dec. 22-Jan. 5: Winter break. (Staff returns Jan. 5.)
• Jan. 15: MLK Day
• Jan. 18: Phase 1 School Choice applications open
• Feb. 23: Phase 1 School choice applications due
• March 26: Phase 1 Notifications
Shoutout
Barbara Bush Foundation donates milestone book:
Since the its partnership with HISD began in 2017, My Home Library has donated 1 million books to children from low-income families. The initiative of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy provides six free books to children at some Title 1 schools each year. This year, it has donated 200,000 books.
"It's really important that the kids know that having their own home library is more than possible, and we love to provide that opportunity and that love of reading," said Brianne Matthias, outreach and engagement manager for My Home Library said in a statement.
The milestone distribution happened last week at Browning Elementary.
"Our students are very excited. We've been trying to get more books in homes because of Covid, and the Barbara Bush Foundation has been so generous and supportive in ensuring that our students will always have books at home," said Principal Annie Marie Lara.
Know a teacher, staff or student who deserves a shoutout? Let us know here or by replying to this email.
Meet The Team
Photo by: Susan Barber
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Anna Bauman, Megan Menchaca, Sam González Kelly and Anastasia Goodwin. Assistant City Editor Jennifer Radcliffe also helps contribute to this newsletter.
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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