Lynn Walsh

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Houston ISD employees offer suggestions on how district can cut budget
Wednesday, Dec 15, 2010, 03:18PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

Cut district travel, eliminate breakfast in the classroom, reduce magnet funding and cut lights off at night — those are just some of the suggestions made by Houston school system employees to cut the budget of the seventh-largest school district in the country.

As the Houston Independent School District braces itself for multi-million dollar cuts from the state, it is asking its employees and the community at large for suggestions on how to reduce cut spending. (To submit a suggestion, send an e-mail to CFOcomments@houstonisd.org.)

There are some thrifty suggestions: require double-sided printing of all documents, combine supply closets, and require the use of printer refill cartridges.

Some human resource suggestions: require all administrators to serve as substitute teachers two days every semester, voluntary pay cuts, a four-day work week and closing down the district during the summer.

Some energy-saving suggestions: turning lights off at night, adjusting thermostats, unplugging equipment when it is not in use and turning off the AC when students are not in school.

(HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said the district is not seeing any problems with lights being left on in schools or air conditioners cooling empty buildings. “Trust me,” he said. “If these were problems, we would know about it. People would be calling us.”)

And some suggestions on what to cut: after-school programs, travel, food at campuses and central administration, breakfast in the classroom, trinket purchasing and overall supplies.

Along with cutting travel, employees recommended requiring people to share rooms when traveling. In an investigation this year, Texas Watchdog found poor planning, a preference for costlier direct flights, and the use of a travel agency that charges $30 for each plane ticket, costing the district thousands of dollars each year.

Pre-K funding and summer school made the list of suggested items not to be cut. You can view all of the suggestions from employees here.

To be clear, these are just suggestions. But they will all will be reviewed and considered by members of the HISD administration and budget committees, according to HISD’s chief financial officer, Melinda Garrett.

One committee, the Superintendent’s Budget Committee, is made up of HISD administrators including Grier’s chief of staff, Michelle Pola, and chief human resources officer, Ann Best. A complete list of people on the committee can be found here.

The other budget committee, the Budget Advisory Committee, is composed of 10 HISD principals and six people who are either HISD parents or members of the community. The committee has met twice this year and will begin meeting twice a month in January. Details on who sits on that committee were not released by HISD.

The cuts from the state, Garrett said, could range from $60 million to $163 million for HISD next year. She said the state is expected to make cuts in textbook funding and reduce the number and amount of state-funded grants it gives out to school districts.

Next year, HISD is also anticipating an additional cost of $3 million-4 million associated with the Renew Houston drainage ordinance. The district has asked the city to be considered exempt from the fee associated with the ordinance, but has not heard whether that will happen yet, Grier said Tuesday during a conversation with the media.

“We don’t think we’ll get it,” he said. “Unless it comes from the legislature, we don’t think we’ll see it.” The fee was approved by Houston voters in the November election.

On top of that, HISD will no longer be able to depend on stimulus money, which is set to expire at the end of this financial year, and it expects increases in overall health insurance costs, Garrett said.

According to Texas state law, HISD must approve a budget by June 30, 2011. Approving a budget, according to Garrett, usually takes between seven to nine months.

IHISD has planned a series of community meetings in January to discuss how the state budget shortfall will affect the district. The meetings will take place Jan. 18, 19, 22 and 24. More details on the times and where the meetings will be held can be found here.

How do you think HISD could save money? Texas Watchdog wants to hear what you think. Contact Lynn Walsh, Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or on Twitter, @LWalsh and @TexasWatchdog.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Five years after scandal prompted funding freeze, E-Rate money returns to Houston ISD
Tuesday, Dec 07, 2010, 04:46PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

For the first time since news broke of employees accepting gifts, meals and cash from vendors, the Houston public school system is once again receiving money from the federal computers-in-schools program at the center of the controversy.

The Houston Independent School District is set to receive $1.3 million from the E-Rate program for basic technology maintenance at more than 200 of the district’s roughly 300 schools.

“This is just the tip of iceberg,” said Richard Patton, the HISD official tasked with making sure vendors and school system employees keep on E-Rate’s straight and narrow. “It’s a really good sign.”

The school system, the nation’s seventh-largest, applied for almost $70 million in E-Rate funding earlier this year. E-Rate is brings cut-rate telecommunications services to public schools, nonprofit private schools and libraries.

HISD employees were accused of accepting meals, sporting tickets and cash from E-Rate vendors — a violation of the tenets of the federally funded program.

Those cozy relationships with E-Rate vendors cost HISD $105 million in federal funding. HISD was required to hire Patton, pay an $850,000 settlement and agree to strengthen its district ethics and disclosure policies. It also saw its E-Rate funding frozen in 2006, a freeze that has apparently now thawed.

The money can cover maintenance of power suppliers, servers and switches, Patton said. “We were approved at the 90 percent level, which means the district pays 10 percent of the cost” and the federal program picks up the rest, he said.

The contractor approved to receive all of the money from the projects is Netsync Network Solutions, a Houston-based IT company.

Netsync is the same company HISD trustees recently hired to upgrade the district’s computer system. HISD has given more than $17.9 million to Netsync this year, according to the school system’s online check registry.

The computer upgrade and increased security is expected to cost the district up to $15 million and was triggered by a hacker accessing personal information of HISD employees and students in October. HISD did not put the Netsync security contract up for competitive bids due to time constraints and vulnerability of the current system, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said.

Have questions or comments on HISD’s E-Rate program? Texas Watchdog wants to hear from you. Contact Lynn Walsh, Lynn@Texaswatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Torte reform needed at HISD? Taxpayers pick up tab for Houston schools chief Terry Grier’s sweet trip back to San Diego
Wednesday, Nov 24, 2010, 02:09PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

Top administrators in the Houston school district spent thousands staying at a hoteland dining at upscale steakhouses and fancy dessert cafes while visiting schools in a district where they used to lead.

In early October, Houston Independent School District Superintendent Terry Grier and soon-to-retire Chief Academic Officer Chuck Morris took a three day trip to San Diego, Calif., to visit magnet programs in the San Diego Unified School District — a district where Grier and Morris previously served.

Grier came to HISD in 2009 after leaving his post as superintendent in San Diego. Morris followed Grier to HISD in November 2009, after serving as Grier’s deputy superintendent in San Diego and Grier’s chief of staff in the Guilford County, N.C., schools, according to HISD. Morris is set to retire next month, after about a year serving the Houston district.

“It was his role in supporting the board members’ request,” Grier’s chief of staff, Michele Pola, said. “He was asked to by the board members to show them great examples of best practices of specialized programs.”

According to Morris, the trip was taken after board member Harvin Moore “got back from China and was interested in the Chinese (educational) program and asked about going.” Once traveling, Morris said he and Grier “went in different directions, visiting schools.”

Moore, along with Lupita Hinojosa, head of magnet schools for the Houston district, andTracey Lewis, principal at Jones High School, also went on the Oct. 7-9, 2010, trip that involved visits to successful magnet programs in the San Diego district, including a visit to an elementary-level Mandarin Chinese program at Barnard Elementary and High Tech High and Crown Point Junior Music Academy, Morris said.

Moore said, he received an invitation to check out the Chinese program from the principal at Barnard and when he mentioned the trip to the Superintendent, Grier suggested he also check out some of the other schools in the San Diego district.

“I did start some of the programs so it was helpful for me to be there,” Grier said. “Not just anyone can walk into High Tech High. I am friends with the principal there and that is why we got to see it, quite frankly.”

Grier spent close to $200 on meals in two days, according to reimbursement records.On Oct. 7, Grier spent $108.97 on dinner and desserts. At a trip to Extraordinary Desserts on Fifth Avenue in San Diego, Grier bought a berry torte, flourless chocolate cake, two coffees and a Chai tea latte, according to reimbursement records.

“That dinner was not just for me,” Grier said. “It was also for Lupita and Tracey.” According to reimbursement records, Hinojosa did not seek re-payment for dinner on Oct. 7, and Lewis sought re-payment of $2.14 that night for “dinner.” The next night, Grier spent $58 on barbecued salmon, salad and green beans at an upscale steakhouse and wine bar, Flemings.

Morris said his wife accompanied him on the trip and, according to HISD records,Grier’s wife, Nancy, tagged along for the trip, too.

HISD picked up the tab for Terry Grier’s plane ticket, but not his wife’s. Two plane tickets to San Diego for Terry and Nancy Grier were purchased on the superintendent’s personal American Express card for $807.80, and he received a direct deposit from HISD for $403.90 for his ticket.

“Let me be real, real, real, real clear,” Grier said, “the school district did not pay for anything related to my wife’s expenses.” Grier said he made sure to designate an expense made for his wife so the district did not pay for it.

A three-night, $469.95 reservation at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina on Harbor Island Drive in San Diego was made for Nancy Grier for Oct. 7-10, and Terry Grier was reimbursed by HISD for two of the nights, costing the district $357.30 for a hotel room and parking. Terry Grier was also reimbursed for a rental car in which Nancy K. Grier is listed as the driver.

Asked why the reservations were made in Nancy Grier’s name, Grier said, “quite frankly, she did it that way on priceline.com. She has done it before. We don’t use a travel agent, and there is nothing inappropriate with her doing it.”

Hinojosa spent more than $1,500 on her flight to San Diego — more than triple the amount spent by Moore, Morris and Grier.

Moore, Grier and Morris all booked their flights about a month in advance of the trip.Hinojosa waited until about two weeks before, and Lewis, who spent $751.60, booked hers just five days before the trip. Calls to Lewis and Hinojosa were not returned as of press time.

An earlier investigation by Texas Watchdog found that last-minute plane ticket purchases is a common practice in HISD that costs taxpayers thousands of dollars each year. The HISD travel policy says all employees are encouraged to purchase tickets for flights 30 days in advance and “…The amount paid for airline fares cannot exceed the rate the District would pay for twenty-one (21) day advance fare unless the travel is for essential business travel as defined under the travel policy.”

Overall, Grier said he enjoyed the trip.

(ADDENDUM, added Wednesday afternoon: For those of you who were wondering, the total amount spent by HISD on the trip was $4,975.13, including $1,018.15 just spent on Grier.)

What do you think about Grier’s trip to San Diego? Texas Watchdog wants to hear from you. Contact Lynn Walsh at Lynn@Texaswatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or on Twitter @LWalsh.

An investigation for Texas Watchdog:

Rich school, poor school: How much Houston ISD spends to educate each child varies greatly between schools

Thursday, Nov 18, 2010, 01:40PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

The sounds of fast-moving students, laughter and loud conversations greet you as you enter Ryan Middle School on a Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. — but the students are not headed home. Their day in class, learning, will continue for at least another hour.

The longer class days are just some of the changes that came this year to the school in the Third Ward as Houston’s public school system launched a $29 million program to revamp failing schools. Also added at Ryan: a longer school year, new school leadership, new academic programs and additional tutoring.

The school system is slated to spend more than $10,000, on average, on each of Ryan’s 380 students this year, according to district records. The total expense for the school this year: $3.9 million.

Just three miles away, in the Montrose neighborhood, each child at Lanier Middle is slated to have $4,470 spent on them this year. And while Ryan is struggling, Lanier is rated as “recognized” by the state, the second-highest designation the Texas Education Agency gives to public schools.

The amount of money spent to educate children in the Houston Independent School District is severely inconsistent from school to school, a Texas Watchdog review of HISD data has found.

The gap between spending at Ryan and Lanier middle schools is only one of numerous discrepancies, and few patterns can be found in how the nation’s seventh-largest school system decides to spend money educating children.

(Texas Watchdog has made all of HISD’s school funding data available for you to see for yourself — click this link to visit our search page to see all the funding sources for any HISD school.)

Some schools ranked “exemplary” by the state spend enough on each child each year to buy the kid a brand new car — such as T.H. Rogers Middle, west of Memorial Park, where each child is slated to have $18,027 spent on them this year.

Other exemplary schools could only buy each kid a used car. A really used car. That’s where Pin Oak Middle in Bellaire falls, with just $4,800 being spent per child. Pin Oak and T.H. Rogers are just five miles’ distance from each other.

The funding levels are also all over the map for schools that aren’t doing so well. Students at Ryan Middle were already having more than $10,000 a year spent on them last year, before HISD began pumping millions of extra dollars into the school as part of its turnaround program dubbed Apollo 20. Meanwhile, struggling Westside High School — ranked only “academically acceptable” by the state — spends just $4,714 per student, HISD data shows.

“The discrepancies in school funding have bothered me, and I have been arguing with the district about them for a while,” said Jay Aiyer, a Pin Oak parent. “There is no rhyme or reason to how HISD funds schools, and I have been pushing for this review for a while.”

Pin Oak, ranked “exemplary” by the state this year, will receive $5.19 million in funding this year, or slightly more than $4,800 per student.

Aiyer has been e-mailing district officials about the funding discrepancies related to magnet programs and overall school funding in HISD and finally received a response in April around the same time the school system began talks about reviewing its roughly 100 magnet programs.

He’s not the only one asking questions.

“It is mind boggling,” said Debbie Taylor, a parent at Parker Elementary, another HISD school in Bellaire that was rated as exemplary this year and which falls in the middle of the elementary school pack, funding-wise. “I can’t really grasp why this is happening, and the amount of money that some school receive when they are not even some of the best schools in the state.”

T.H. Rogers and Ryan middles have the third- and fourth-highest per-child expenses of all the middle schools in HISD, the data showed. (Two other middle schools, Harper Alternative and the HCC Life Skills program, have still higher per-child spending rates than T.H. Rogers and Ryan, though they are both alternative or non-traditional programs that would likely offer more expensive, specialized services to their students, driving up the per-child expense.)

Meanwhile, the middle school spending the least, New Aspirations in Sharpstown, will spend just $2,706 per student.

Pin Oak is limited in the programs it can offer, such as in foreign languages, because of the lack of funds, Aiyer said. “I think there is a minimum level or threshold of money every school should receive,” he said. “I also think that certain kids need certain amounts of money, but sometimes that money is not being used properly.”

LOTS OF POTS

Some of the confusion stems from the numerous pots of money from which HISD’s 300-plus schools get cash each year.

The school district approves a dollar amount each year — as part of its annual budget — that acts as a sort of minimum level that will be spent on each child. (For an elementary school this year, it’s $3,485, for middle schools, $3,510, and high schools, $3,474.) Each school then receives that amount from the school system for each child enrolled.

That’s the main pot of cash that funds each school.

But then there are 37 others, too.

Some schools, including Ryan, get extra money for having magnet programs. Some get extra money for being small. Some get bilingual supplements. Some get career and technology funds. Then there’s the campus project fund. Summer school money. Some get additional money from a transportation and maintenance fund. The list goes on.

More than 100 schools in HISD receive magnet funding that ranges from more than $473,000 a year per school to just a little more than $5,000.

Magnet school funding — totalling $16.9 million this year — varies drastically from campus to campus, HISD data shows. HISD Superintendent Terry Grier has brought in a non-profit education group, Magnet Schools of America, to review HISD’s magnet programs. It is expected to make final recommendations to the board of trustees next month.

Another example is the small school subsidy, given to campuses across the district that meet certain thresholds for having low enrollment. This year HISD is expecting to give more than $10 million to small schools, varying from $301,000 at Williams Middle, on the north side of town, to just around $2,000 for Kelso Elementary on the south side, which the state has rated academically unacceptable.

Each school can get money from some or all of the pots in a given year. Ryan Middle, for instance, will receive in $268,000 in small school subsidies, nearly $50,000 in magnet funding for the 12-student gifted education magnet program, stimulus money and federal and state funding this year, on top of general fund revenue from HISD.

HOW RYAN MIDDLE USES ITS FUNDING

What does a $10,000 middle school education look like?

At Ryan, it is not about having the most high-tech equipment or innovative building in the district. It is about hiring people who can make a difference and motivate students who may not receive the motivation and encouragement they need from home, according to members of the HISD staff who work or volunteer with students at Ryan.

With new staff members from some of the most elite charter schools in the country, like KIPP, Ryan is developing programs and classes that create an atmosphere of trust and respect in the classroom. On top of new staff, all of the classes, except gifted-ed and the magnet program, are gender-specific, including lunch.

“These students come from families in which they may never see respect in the household,” said Wendi Turner, who helps oversee some of the volunteer programs at Ryan. “We are trying to create and instill trust and respect first so it then transforms into academic success in the classroom.” Hear more about what Turner and the Ryan staff are doing in the clip below.

One program Ryan is using to do this is the “Butterfly” group — a weekly meeting of female students, staff and community volunteers who openly discuss how young people can keep anger under control and respect one another and themselves.

“I never had this growing up,” said Epiphany Sahar, a volunteer and artist. “I was never told I could succeed, and if you are never told that how are you supposed to want to?”

Sahar grew up in the neighborhood surrounding Ryan and flies back and forth from New York City to Houston weekly to help with the Butterfly group. Watch all of her comments in the clip below.

At the same time, parents at successful schools that don’t get $10,000 a year per student said success takes more than just money.

“I think the culture of the school breeds a certain academic excellence,” Aiyer said of Pin Oak. “They force academic involvement, whether it is a student that is struggling or a Vanguard (gifted) student. There is an expectation of academic rigor that is there.”

It’s the staff and the community’s dedication and approach to discipline that help create academic excellence, Taylor said.

Her child’s school is expected to receive $3.9 million in school funding this year for more than 800 students. With a little more than $5,200 per student, Parker is right in the middle of the amount of funding an average elementary school in HISD will receive this year.

The diversity of the school — its enrollment is roughly a third white, a third black and a third Latino — is a plus, she said. Also, the school has good teachers, and PTA involvement at the school is huge.

“It is a hands-on PTA and there is a lot of manpower involved,” Taylor said. “The money raised and what they achieve with it is worthwhile.”

Martha Jenkinson, a PTA leader at Bellaire High School, knows first-hand what money raised through parent organizations can do.

Deemed a “recognized” school by the state, 3,000-student Bellaire is expected to receive more than $14.4 million in funding this year, or $4,769 a student — spending less per child than many other high schools in the district.

To augment that, each year the PTA at Bellaire awards equipment grants to teachers.

“The grants are for equipment they think might be an advantage to their students. Sometimes it is a camera, additional microscopes — things a teacher might need that they cannot afford to purchase through the school budget,” Jenkinson said.

The PTA at Bellaire gives out about $25,000 in teacher grants every year, Jenkinson said.

“The business officer at the school sits with us and looks at what the school can fun and what it cannot,” Jenkinson said. “If the school cannot cover the cost, the PTA will try to.”

Bellaire is not the only school that funds programs or equipments with the help of parents.

At Parker, Taylor pays a $150 magnet fee each year to cover additional costs associated with the school’s music magnet and says the money spent “is worthwhile.”

Do you have an opinion about school funding in HISD? Texas Watchdog wants to hear from you. Contact Lynn Walsh at lynn@texaswatchdog.org or 713-228-2850. Follow her on Twitter, twihttp://twitter.com/lwalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Houston ISD warned of major cuts looming due to state budget deficit, stimulus drying up
Friday, Nov 05, 2010, 08:20AM CST
By Lynn Walsh

Houston’s public school system is bracing for massive budget cuts from the state’s looming multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall and the cut off of millions of dollars in federal stimulus cash, the school district’s top financial officer said Thursday.

“The cuts could range from $70 million to $163 million” over two years, said Melinda Garrett, the Houston Independent School District’s chief financial officer. “It all depends on what formula is used.”

By those estimates, the school district, which educates more than 200,000 children, could receive $35 million-$81.5 million less in state funding next year alone.

Everything will be on the table when it comes time to make cuts, Garrett told HISD trustees, including individual school funding, central staffing and police and transportation. She promised to provide trustees budget updates at least once a month.

The amount of money the school system gets from the state is determined by a formula outlined by the Texas Legislature every two years. Funding for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years will be determined during the next legislative session, which begins in January.

The Houston school district is required by law to adopt a budget by June 30, 2011, Garrett said — but the legislature probably won’t adopt a school funding formula until after June 30.

“We are going to have to prepare the budget to anticipate the shortfalls,” Garrett said. “It could (mean) adopting a budget and going back to amend it.”

Garrett and the rest of HISD are not completely in the dark, though. According to her presentation, the district is sure about a few things:

* The state budget shortfall is estimated to be between $11-$25 billion.
* A portion of HISD’s budget is being bankrolled by federal stimulus funds, which will be gone be the end of 2011. (Earlier Thursday, the trustees agreed to use stimulus money to pay for the bulk of the district’s 2011 summer school costs.)
* Health insurance costs for school employees will require a budget increase in 2011-12.
* HISD expects cuts to Texas Education Agency grant programs as those funds are used to balance the state budget.

Texas Watchdog will be following the budget process in HISD, and we want to hear what you think about how the district is spending money. Contact Lynn Walsh at Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Stimulus cash to fund Houston ISD summer school
Thursday, Nov 04, 2010, 05:08PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

Millions of dollars in federal stimulus money is being set aside to fund Houston Independent School District summer school programs this year — though it’ll be millions less than the district has spent in previous years, which could mean fewer summer programs offered at fewer schools and to fewer students.

HISD administrators are recommending the move as the district’s go-to summer school funding sources dry up — that’s no small amount of money, as roughly one HISD student in four attended summer school last year. To fill the gap the district plans on using $14 million in federal stimulus money.

“This money will not be here next year,” HISD’s chief financial officer, Melinda Garrett, said. “The stimulus money is gone, and we will need to find other money to fund summer school in the future.”

The stimulus money, paired with an additional $2.4 million drawn from special education funds, will nearly cover all of the estimated $16.4 million cost of 2011 summer school. The school district, which has more than 200,000 students, had nearly 55,000 kids in summer school last year, and teachers’ salaries is the largest expense for it.

The $14 million proposed to HISD trustees Thursday is a big jump from what administrators were proposing in July: just $1.9 million.

In July e-mails and presentation documents Texas Watchdog obtained through the state public information act, HISD was planning to nearly wipe out district funding for summer school, slashing it from $21 million to just $1.9 million. And to make up for the cuts, the district had planed on making the individual schools largely pay their own way for summer programs.

Instead, the school system is plugging the hole with stimulus cash aimed at boosting achievement among poor students.

HISD’s chief academic officer, Chuck Morris, said individual schools will still have to use money from their own budgets to cover the costs of enrichment programs for students who are passing classes and moving forward a grade level but who want extra academic experiences over the summer.

According to HISD, last year’s summer school programs cost $21.2 million in Title I funding. This year the district expects to serve close to 700 fewer students than last year, 54,140, and spend close to $7 million less.

In order to do more with less, Morris suggests date changes, satellite campuses and a trustee-approved service priority list which would give priority to students needing to pass state proficiency tests. According to the recommendations, priority would be given in the following order:

* Fifth and eighth-grade students who need to re-take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test.
* Students failing to be promoted to the next grade level.
* High school seniors who still need to meet graduation requirements and/or pass TAKS.
* High school juniors who are not on schedule to graduate on time.
* Ninth graders who have failed three or more courses.
* Students who speak English as a second language who are in transition.
* Students one or more years behind in reading or math.

The $14 million will be used to cover the costs of programs associated with those priorities. Most of the money will be used to cover the cost of teacher salaries during the summer months.

Morris, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and other administrators made it clear that individual schools can opt to fund additional programs to serve students outside he priority list — but the funding must come from the individual schools’ budgets or be paid for through tuition fees.

What do you think about the way HISD is planning on funding summer school? Texas Watchdog wants to hear from you. Contact Lynn Walsh, Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Possible summer school cuts looming for Houston ISD as funding is slashed
Wednesday, Nov 03, 2010, 02:45PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

How to pay for summer school next year will be the main issue Houston Independent School District trustees will try to resolve when they meet Thursday.

The school system is bracing itself for millions of dollars in reductions in federal and state funds aimed at boosting achievement among poor students and doled out by the state. In response, HISD administrators have proposed slashing — and nearly wiping out — the budget for summer school, from $21 million to just $1.9 million, and making the individual schools largely pay their own way for summer programs.

Media reports of the expected funding changes to summer school in HISD prompted the district to dedicate a new page to its website called “Myth Busters.” According the “Myth Busters” page:

“It is true that there are fewer federal dollars available for summer school next year. HISD is designing a new, more cost-effective summer-school model and will redirect any unused budget dollars and additional federal and state funds we may receive to these programs. While principals may have to pay for some summer-school costs out of their budgets, it will not be anywhere near the $19 million being reported in the media.”

HISD’s chief financial officer, Melinda Garrett, told trustees, Superintendent Terry Grier and other top administrators in an e-mail dated July 22 that funding from the federal program in question, called Title I, “for 2010-11 is down over $19 million from that of the prior year.”

The e-mail was released to Texas Watchdog following a request made under the state Public Information Act.

The cut in Title I funds was mentioned in a presentation given by a top HISD administrator to principals at a series of meetings held July 23-25, slides from which were also released to Texas Watchdog. For this academic year, one slide said, “schools will be required to fund summer school from their current Title I, Part A allocation or other school-based fund.”

In her e-mail, Garrett said HISD is receiving less Title I money for three reasons:

+ Expected funding from the Texas Education Agency is down $5.7 million.

+ HISD doesn’t expect to have any left over Title I money from the previous fiscal year.

+ A state-mandated transportation fund that normally has extra money left over each year is expected to be dried up before this year’s summer school classes even begin.

This is not the first time HISD trustees have had to find funds to cover the cost of summer school programs. The district had to scramble last spring to fill a $20 million hole to pay for summer school after it didn’t get as much federal and state money as it had expected.

Other HISD Title I funds expecting to see decreases in 2010-11 include:

+Campus allocations, $4.9 million

+Parental involvement programs, $130,000

+General staff development, $100,000

Regular funding is not all HISD will be losing next school year.

According to the July presentation given to HISD principals, more than $92 million stimulus funding the district received ends in September 2011. That means all salaries being paid for with these funds — like elementary school literacy coaches — will be eliminated for the 2011-12 school year.

Stimulus-funded positions are not the only positions that could be cut, either. According to the presentation, district-funded positions like high school graduation coaches and middle school literacy coaches will be eliminated.

HISD currently has more than 25 high school graduation coaches who earn between $53,595 and $68,037 a year. You can view the complete list of coaches, their location and their salary rates here.

Where will the money come from? HISD trustees are expected to discuss that and receive a budget update Thursday morning at a board workshop, more than a month later than originally planned.

A Sept. 30 board workshop to discuss summer school funding was cancelled “due to board members attending a national conference where they are being recognized as finalist for the CUBE award,” according to an e-mail from Grier’s chief of staff, Michele Pola. The Council of Urban Boards of Education recognizes one urban school board a year for district-wide academic excellence.

The summer school funding discussion will continue at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at the Hattie Mae White building in Houston. Follow Texas Watchdog on Twitter, @TexasWatchdog, for live updates during the discussion.

What did you think of the HISD District 8 race? Texas Watchdog wants to hear from you. Contact Lynn Walsh at Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Review of HISD’s magnet schools states the obvious: Problems with funding, standards in Houston’s public schools

Monday, Nov 01, 2010, 04:38PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

The Houston public schools’ 100-plus magnet programs suffer from funding discrepancies, a lack of standard guidelines and requirements for programs and no district-wide answer to what being a “successful” magnet means, according to a preliminary review of the district’s magnet programs.

All three observations have been previously made by Houston Independent School District trustees and staff, parents and the media.

The report by Magnet Schools of America outlines 10 “emerging themes” the education nonprofit has found in HISD’s $17 million magnet program. After meeting with HISD trustees and administration and holding parent and community forums throughout October, MSA, which will receive up to $275,000 for the magnet review, has come to the following “preliminary” conclusions:

* HISD magnet programs lack equitable funding.
* There are no standard magnet guidelines or requirements in place for HISD magnet programs.
* HISD is not able to define what being a “successful” magnet school means.
* HISD magnet programs have strong parent involvement and district leadership support.
* There is concern over the inconsistent quality of magnet programs in HISD.

Last month, former HISD magnet chief Dottie Bonner, told Texas Watchdog that “there is not a written formula at all, and even back then, there was not a whole lot of sense to how it was given.” Bonner served as the head of HISD’s magnets for seven years.

To see the funding discrepancies for yourself, Texas Watchdog published the most recent funding data for HISD magnet programs here.

According to MSA, the next report will include more detailed information including data collected during the community and parent forums.

“All information collected was catalogued by MSA consultants and will be included in the Phase I report on November 1, 2010 as raw data in the attachments section; this includes survey question cards collected from individuals and the group discussion notes from each table.”

The next report with the data is due Monday and, according to an HISD spokeswoman, the report will be made available on this page of the district’s website.

What do you think of the MSA magnet review findings? Texas Watchdog wants to hear from you. Contact Lynn Walsh at Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Former magnets chief: No sense to HISD magnet funding patterns
Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010, 02:00PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

The method of funding for the 100-plus magnet programs in the Houston Independent School District does not make any sense, the former head of the district’s magnet programs said.
Magnet

“The problem is that they established a funding formula at a time well before any money was being given to programs for gifted students or special ed students,” said Dottie Bonner, who retired in August after seven years as head of HISD’s magnets.

“There is not a written formula at all, and even back then, there was not a whole lot of sense to how it was given,” she said. (Texas Watchdog published the most recent funding data for magnet programs in HISD at this link.)

Bonner began working in HISD in 1981 as an English teacher at Yates High School and was also involved in developing the district’s English curricula.

The hope is that the discrepancies will be ironed out as a national education nonprofit, Magnet Schools of America, finishes a review of the 113 magnet programs in the district. The review, which will cost the district up to $275,000, is expected to be complete in December.

Bonner recalled that magnet funding dates back to the early 1970’s, when school systems, HISD included, provided additional money to campuses for after-school programs. The after-school programs soon began to make their way into the classrooms during regular school hours — the origins of the first magnet programs.

“The funding makes no sense. I can guarantee that if you ask the schools, ‘Why are you getting this money?’ they do not even know why,” Bonner said.

Most of the magnet money a school receives must go toward personnel costs, Bonner said. “If the school is making the magnet program a priority, then they have to make classes and teachers available to the students,” Bonner said.

There are also administrative costs associated with magnet schools that are used to fund a magnet coordinator for the magnet program. Last year HISD spent more than $5.6 million paying the salaries of more than 90 magnet coordinators, according to an HISD salary database obtained by Texas Watchdog through the Texas Public Information Act.

“I have been in education for 40 years and I know money does not make a good school. It really does depend on the quality of the teachers and the quality of the classroom,” Bonner said.

What do you think of the way magnet programs are being funded in HISD? Texas Watchdog wants to hear from you. Contact Lynn Walsh at Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or on Twitter @LWalsh.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

See the data for yourself: Houston ISD magnet school funding and enrollment numbers
Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010, 01:30PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

Funding for magnet programs in the Houston Independent School District varies drastically — and Texas Watchdog is bringing you the complete data from the school system so you can see for yourself.

Some programs do not receive any additional funding from HISD, while others will receive more than $450,000 from the school system this year. As a story in yesterday’s Houston Chronicle explains, there is no set formula that dictates how much money a magnet program will receive from HISD.

Examples of funding disparities between elementary, middle and high school programs are numerous, as are funding discrepancies between similarly-themed schools.

To see for yourself, view the spreadsheet Texas Watchdog is making the data public.

We’ve also added a column to show each school’s the most recent accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency. Keep in mind that the rating from TEA is for the entire school and is not specific to the magnet program; it is possible to have a successful magnet program at a failing school, as the state does not differentiate the accountability ratings.

Magnet programs in HISD are categorized based on theme and set-up. More details about how the magnet programs in HISD are classified can be found here.

The amount of magnet funding a program receives is in addition to the other money that the host school receives, along with school-specific grants, funds for the Apollo 20 program for failing schools, and other federal, state or local money.

Vanguard magnets are for students who are extremely smart or talented in certain subjects and are labeled as “gifted and talented.”

Some observations:

* All of the Apollo 20 middle schools — Key, Attucks, Fondren, Dowling and Ryan — get additional magnet money from HISD.
* Three of the four Apollo 20 high schools receive additional magnet funding: Lee, Sharpstown and Kashmere.
* HISD will spend $11.5 million in magnet funding on elementary magnet programs this year, $3 million on middle school programs and $2.4 million on high school programs.
* Architecture/graphic design magnet-themed programs will receive the most money this year. Foreign language-themed magnets will receive the second-largest amount of money, and integrated technology programs receive the least.

Keep in mind, too, that the table below may have more columns than your browser window can easily display at one time (depending on the size of your monitor) — so use the horizontal scroll bars to see the additional columns on the right.