Tag Archives: HISD

School districts affected by Harvey ask for a break on testing

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One way or another we’re going to have to reckon with this. Leaders of school districts heavily affected by Hurricane Harvey told a legislative panel on Monday that they would like to see Texas’ accountability and testing requirements relaxed in … Continue reading →

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My thoughts following the 2017 election

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

1. Turnout in Houston was considerably higher than anyone predicted. Adding in Fort Bend to Harris yields 101,178 voters. Harris County had 149,730. The Houston share of Harris County was 66.43%, which is lower than I expected as well. 2. … Continue reading →

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2017 results: HISD and HCC

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There were still precincts to be counted as I was writing this so there are a couple of races where I’ll have to equivocate, but here’s what happened in the local races that had actual candidates in them. Let’s start … Continue reading →

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Election Day 2017

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s time to vote if you haven’t already. Not many people have, as we know. Harris County turnout is expected to remain feeble through Election Day, with no marquee race to draw voters to the polls and thousands still displaced … Continue reading →

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Late money in the HISD races

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. A political action committee mostly funded by the nation’s largest teachers’ union has received $225,000 to spend on supporting four candidates for the Houston ISD school board election and a city ballot measure, campaign finance reports show. … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Final numbers and our attempt at projecting turnout

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the final numbers. Believe it or not, people did vote on Friday despite the fact that the entire metro area appeared to be at the Astros parade. Here are the daily totals from previous years: 2015 2013 2011 … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day 10, and the first sign of an uptick

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Wednesday. I know I said yesterday that I don’t usually report the latest results in Week 2 because they come in late, but like everyone else I was up late watching Game 7, so here … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day 8, and one more look at a way to guess turnout

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Monday. Now that we are in the second week of early voting, when the hours each day are 7 to 7, these reports arrive in my inbox later in the evening. Here are the daily … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day 6

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Saturday. Sunday’s numbers didn’t come in last night, but it’s the shortest EV day so its numbers are always the smallest. Here are the daily totals from previous years: 2015 2013 2011 2009 2007 And … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Just remember, the reports we get are all of Harris County

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are today’s numbers, and here are the daily totals from previous years: 2015 2013 2011 2009 2007 And here’s a select comparison: Year Early Mail Total Mailed ======================================= 2017 11,953 7,513 19,466 19,581 2015 36,322 19,789 56,111 42,520 2011 … Continue reading →

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What about those constitutional amendments?

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Would you like someone to explain to you what those seven Constitutional amendments are about, in painstaking detail, with a recommendation for how to vote on each? Daniel Williams is here for you. It’s that time of the biennium again! … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the HISD races

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not much, but it is what it is. As Houston ISD faces a possible state takeover, a $106 million budget shortfall and millions of dollars in needed repairs from Hurricane Harvey, six of its board’s nine seats are up … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day One

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Happy first day of early voting! If you’re expecting me to have today’s EV totals from Harris County, as well as EV totals from past elections, you’re right. Here are today’s numbers, and here are the daily totals from previous … Continue reading →

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Early voting for November 2017 begins today

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “The best option to vote in the upcoming Nov. 7 election is during the early voting period,” advised Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart. Early Voting for the November 7, 2017 General and Special Elections begins Monday, October … Continue reading →

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30 day campaign finance reports – HISD

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The next round of finance reports for the November elections are available now, so let’s take a look at them, beginning with HISD. Here are the July reports for comparison. Gretchen Himsl Monica Flores Richart Elizabeth Santos Carlos Perrett Jesse … Continue reading →

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Another contemplation of turnout

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see where this one takes us. Last time, I made some guesses about turnout in the HISD races based on overall turnout in the city of Houston. Now I’m going to turn that around and take a shot at … Continue reading →

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No big drop in enrollment in area school districts

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly good news. During the height of Hurricane Harvey, school district officials worried enrollments would plummet as thousands of families fled Houston for Dallas, Austin and other drier regions. While many families lost their homes, it seems most relocated within … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jasmine Jenkins of Houstonians for Great Public Schools

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For obvious reasons, there’s going to be a lot of focus on HISD, both in the next year as the district recovers from Harvey and tries to fend off a takeover by the Texas Education Agency, and going forward, as … Continue reading →

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More on HISD IX, and a little on HISD VII Alief ISD

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As noted before, I did not do interviews in HISD Trustee races in districts VII and IX. In VII, I did interview now-incumbent Anne Sung and challenger John Luman last year when they were running in the special election to … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HISD VII and XI

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Last two. Houston ISD, Trustee, District VII: Anne Katherine Sung Anne Katherine Sung won in a runoff for this district last year after former trustee Harvin Moore resigned. Now voters are faced with a rematch between Sung and her former … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HISD V and VI

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Two more HISD endorsements, two more to go. Houston ISD, Trustee, District V: Sue Deigaard Four qualified candidates are running for an open seat in this southwest Houston district, which covers West University, Bellaire and Meyerland. Yet Sue Deigaard stands … Continue reading →

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An unsatisfying attempt at projecting turnout

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

So as we all know, this in an unprecedented election, as there are no city races on the ballot. This has everyone wondering about turnout, because the usual drivers of turnout are a Mayor’s race and/or a big referendum, and … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HISD I and III

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We have our first candidate endorsements of the season. Houston ISD, Trustee, District I: Monica Flores Richart In this heated race between three passionate candidates to represent Garden Oaks, the Heights and Near Northside, we endorse Monica Flores Richart. No … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sergio Lira

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of our week with candidates in HISD District III, to succeed Manuel Rodriguez. Bringing us home is Sergio Lira, who has been an assistant principal in HISD since 2006 – he is currently at Bellaire … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jesse Rodriguez

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with interviews in HISD Trustee District III, where four candidates vie to fill out the term of the late Manuel Rodriguez. Today’s interview subject is Jesse Rodriguez, no relation to Manuel, also known as DJ Jumpin’ Jess. Rodriguez … Continue reading →

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Interview with Carlos Perrett

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

On we go to District III, which would normally not be up for election this year, but the untimely passing of longtime Trustee Manuel Rodriguez created a vacancy that needs to be filled. The Board appointed an interim Trustee to … Continue reading →

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Interview with Robert Lundin

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have one more interview to bring you in HISD Trustee District VI, where longtime Trustee Greg Meyers stepped down last November and Holly Flynn Vilaseca was appointed to fill out the remainder of his term. Robert Lundin is a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Holly Flynn Vilaseca

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We turn now to HISD District VI, where longtime Trustee Greg Meyers resigned last year. Holly Flynn Vilaseca was selected by the remaining Trustees to fill out the last year of Meyers’ term, and now she seeks election to a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sean Cheben

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of my interviews in HISD Trustee District V, to succeed the outgoing Mike Lunceford. There are four candidates in the race but i have done three interviews, which is mostly a reflection of how much … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sue Deigaard

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with interviews of candidates who seek to win the HISD Trustee seat held by the retiring Mike Lunceford. Sue Deigaard was the first member of her family to go to college, receiving two degrees from Rice University. She … Continue reading →

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A couple of race updates

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The county slate is one step closer to being filled out for 2018, as Josh Wallenstein has announced his intent to run for the HCDE At Large Position 3 Trustee seat that Diane Trautman is giving up to challenge Stan … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kara DeRocha

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We move now to another district with a retiring Trustee. Mike Lunceford has served District V for two terms, and despite some confusion at the end of last year about his intentions, has decided to call it a career as … Continue reading →

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Interview with Gretchen Himsl

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Today we wrap up the series of interviews with candidates in HISD District I with Gretchen Himsl. Gretchen is a Policy Analyst for Children at Risk, an education-focused nonprofit that among other things puts out an annual evaluation of all … Continue reading →

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Interview with Elizabeth Santos

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There’s about a two week gap between my interview with Monica Flores Richart and my interview with today’s candidate, Elizabeth Santos. In between, of course, Harvey happened, and among many other vastly more important things it affected how interested anyone … Continue reading →

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