Tag Archives: HISD Board of Trustees

Grier starts the fight against dropouts

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

New HISD Superintendent Terry Grier hits the ground running. As his first major initiative as Houston ISD chief, Grier is launching a credit-recovery program similar to ones he headed up in San Diego and Greensboro, N.C. Houston ISD’s new program … Continue reading →

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You can still register for the runoff

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I suspect that just about everyone reading this blog is a registered voter, but if you aren’t, or you know someone who isn’t, you get a second chance for the runoff. Harris County Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez reminds citizens they … Continue reading →

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HISD candidate spending

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

After all I’ve done detailing how city candidates are spending their campaign money, I’d love to be able to tell how how candidates for HISD Trustee are spending theirs. I’d love to, but unfortunately I can’t, because that information isn’t … Continue reading →

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Tuesday mail call

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

After several politics-free days, my mailbox was overflowing with campaign literature today. Two pieces from the Houston Turnout Project, one that generically advocated early voting and one that advocated for Annise Parker, using language that I daresay we’ll all find … Continue reading →

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HISD Trustee IX overview

Posted on October 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

One more Chron overview of an HISD Trustee race, this one in District IX where three candidates are challenging incumbent and Board President Larry Marshall. During the last several months, Marshall has had a tumultuous stint as board president. The … Continue reading →

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HISD Trustee District V profile

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has another HISD Trustee race profile, this one for the open District V seat. A retired school administrator and an energy company executive are vying to fill the school board seat held by Dianne Johnson, who is stepping … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HISD Trustee

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron finishes up their work for this election by making its endorsements in the HISD Trustee races. For HISD Trustee in District I, an open seat, we recommend Anna Eastman. As the president of the Travis Elementary PTA, Eastman … Continue reading →

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Interview with Adrian Collins

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I said I was finished with interviews. Turns out that wasn’t quite the case, and so today we have a conversation with Adrian Collins, who is running for HISD Trustee in District IX against incumbent Larry Marshall. Collins … Continue reading →

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The HISD Trustee candidates speak

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

These are short videos – I think Art Rascon’s intros of the candidates take as much time as they get to speak for themselves – but if you’ve not met the HISD Trustee candidates or listened to any of my … Continue reading →

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Corrections, clarifications, and conundrums

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is a followup to my post from this morning about the 30 days out reports. I’m sure there will be more of this stuff to come, from plenty of folks, but this is what I’ve got as of now. … Continue reading →

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City fundraising reports, 30 days out

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the deadline to file the 30-days-out campaign finance report. You can look up your favorite candidate here, but I can tell you that more than half of them aren’t up as of when I publish this. I’ve updated … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ray Reiner

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And we’ll wrap up the HISD candidate interviews with Ray Reiner, who is also running for the open District V seat. Reiner is retired after a 40-year career in HISD, where he wore many hats, including three stints as a … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Getting in under the wire

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting a little late in the game to be making endorsements, but a number of them have come out in the past week or so. Here’s a roundup of the ones that I’m aware of. First, from the Harris … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mike Lunceford

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

One last time into the HISD races with Mike Lunceford, running for the open Trustee seat in District V. Lunceford is a petroleum engineer and longtime HISD volunteer who has served as a member of the HISD Bond Oversight Committee … Continue reading →

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Election tidbits for 9/22

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

More stuff that’s worth a mention. – The deadline to register to vote in the 2009 election is Monday, October 5. Towards that end, Texans Together will be holding a voter registration drive this Saturday, September 26, at various locations … Continue reading →

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Monday election tidbits

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just some news and notes that I thought were worth passing along… – KPRC had a longish story on the hoax email that was sent in the name of Christians for Better Government. Whoever pulled this particular dirty trick sure … Continue reading →

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Interview with Linda Toyota

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Completing the series of HISD Trustee candidate interviews for District I, today we have a conversation with Linda Toyota. Toyota is currently the Chief Development Officer at YWCA Greater Houston, and has been the Sr. Vice President of Development at … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anna Eastman

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is Anna Eastman, also running for Trustee in HISD District I. Eastman is a community activist and former social worker who co-founded along with her husband the 11 ½ Street Foundation, which recognizes and provides monetary awards for … Continue reading →

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Interview with Alma Lara

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on to the HISD Trustee races, we start with Alma Lara, who is running for the open HISD Trustee seat in District I. Lara is retired after a 35-year career in HISD in which she was a teacher, principal … Continue reading →

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HISD set to hire Grier

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

But not without some drama first. The Houston school board is expected to officially hire Terry Grier as superintendent Thursday and offer him a multiyear contract that is likely to top $400,000 a year in salary and perks over time. … Continue reading →

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More on the HISD candidates

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Bellaire Examiner looks at the contested HISD Trustee races, two of which weren’t hadn’t been contested before the day of the filing deadline. HISD Board President Lawrence Marshall appeared to be one of three incumbent trustees unopposed in the … Continue reading →

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All in the family, HCC-style

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I noted last night and this morning that the HCC Trustee seat in District 8, which was left open at the last minute by Abel Davila, will be filled by his brother-in-law Arturo Aguilar. (Davila is married to HISD Trustee … Continue reading →

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Here’s your lineup

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Martha has your final filings for City of Houston elections. Executive summary: No surprise last minute entrants, but everyone except for Council Members Melissa Noriega (At Large #3), Ed Gonzalez (H), and James Rodriguez (I) has at least one opponent. … Continue reading →

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Filing deadline

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today at 5 PM is the filing deadline for city elections. Martha has her usual roundup of who has filed. So far, the only bit of suspense is in the Mayor’s race, where Roy Morales has yet to do his … Continue reading →

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Saavedra’s exit interview

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now-former HISD Superintendent Abe Saavedra grades his performance. His answers are sadly too short to most of the questions. I’d really have liked to have heard more on this: Q: If you could wave a magic wand and unilaterally change … Continue reading →

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Three candidates so far for HISD Trustee in District I

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We know that Natasha Kamrani, the incumbent Trustee in HISD District I is not running for re-election. One candidate to replace her is Alma Lara, who was in the race before Kamrani announced that she was stepping down. According to … Continue reading →

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Terry and Abe

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another get-to-know-Terry Grier story, focusing on his time in San Diego. The most interesting bit to me is right here: Abelardo Saavedra, the man Grier is in line to replace in Houston, endured more than his share of criticism … Continue reading →

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Parents get their vote on HISD school construction projects

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The battle between a parents group and some HISD trustees had been waging with HISD Board President Larry Marshall over getting a vote for some school construction projects that the parents said had been promised during the 2007 bond referendum … Continue reading →

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No vote from HISD on several school upgrades

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I noted that a parents group and some HISD trustees were complaining about there not being a vote on three school construction projects that were promised as part of the 2007 bond referendum. Even though we now have … Continue reading →

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Meet the new HISD boss

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s more on Terry Grier, the new HISD Superintendent-to-be. Grier, 59, has been at the helm of the 135,000-student San Diego Unified School District since March 2008. He’s won support for his efforts to boost student achievement and curb dropouts, … Continue reading →

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Parents call on HISD to keep promises Saavedra made

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

With the revelation that HISD may have chosen its new superintendent, this Chron story from yesterday about how parent groups who were promised certain specific actions from outgoing Superintendent Abe Saavedra relating to the bond referendum, and the Board of … Continue reading →

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Has HISD chosen its new superintendent?

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron says Yes. The man in charge of the San Diego, Calif. public schools has emerged as the frontrunner to take over the Houston Independent School District, the Houston Chronicle has learned. Terry Grier, superintendent of the San Diego … Continue reading →

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Interview with Natasha Kamrani

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been busy interviewing candidates for various offices, but today I’m going to step away from that and interview a current officeholder who will not be on the ballot this November. I’m talking about Natasha Kamrani, who last week announced … Continue reading →

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Eight candidates for HISD Superintendent

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t know who the candidates are for HISD Superintendent, but at least we know how many of them there are. There’s a Heisenberg joke in there somewhere, I’m just not certain how to find it. The Houston school board … Continue reading →

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