Bellaire - Meyerland - West University | February 2024

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Bellaire Meyerland West University Edition VOLUME 5, ISSUE 10 FEB. 2MARCH 5, 2024

2024 Voter Guide

A Houston ISD teacher leads a class at Forest Brook Middle School.

COURTESY HOUSTON ISD Houston ISD approves District of Innovation plan

important ways.” Leaders with the Houston Federation of Teachers and some community members have expressed concerns about elements of the plan that involve developing a local teacher appraisal system and hiring uncertied teachers without waivers.

Texas public school districts in becoming a DOI, including Austin, Dallas and Fort Bend ISDs. “We are making the bold changes required to improve instruction and help students develop the competencies they will need to succeed in the future,” HISD Superintendent Mike Miles said in a statement. “Having the DOI designation is long overdue and will allow us to accelerate our work in

BY SHAWN ARRAJJ

The state-appointed Houston ISD board of man- agers voted to become a District of Innovation at its Dec. 14 meeting, setting the stage for several changes that ocials said could help improve student outcomes and navigate a teacher shortage. With the approval, HISD joins roughly 80% of

CONTINUED ON 18

Also in this issue

Impacts: Sichuan eatery coming to Rice Village (Page 6)

Transportation: Proposed I10 elevation tweaked (Page 8)

Government: Q&A with Bellaire’s new mayor (Page 13)

Election: March primary election guide (Page 14)

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Impacts

5 Baylor Medicine Orthopedics and Sports Medicine The new Kirby Glen clinic features more than 7,000 square feet of space to accommodate patients of all specialties who have a need for physical and occupational therapy. • Opened Jan. 17 • 2457 S. Braeswood Blvd., Houston • www.bcm.edu 6 Epic Cycles Founded in Delray Beach, Florida, the premium bicycle company is part of a network of full-service, community- oriented bicycle shops that provide experiences and connections for cycling enthusiasts across the country. The store offers bikes, accessories and apparel as well as bike maintenance services such as tune-ups. • Opened Jan. 19 • 5182 Buffalo Speedway, Houston • www.epic-cycles.com

W E S T H E I M E R R D .

RICEBLVD.

TIMMONS LN.

RICHMOND AVE.

TIMES BLVD.

6 7

West University Place

UNIVERSITY BLVD.

NOTTINGHAM ST

HERMANN PARK

UNIVERSITY BLVD.

610

BYRON ST.

VD.

W. HOLCOMBE BLVD.

Bellaire

8 9

BEECHNUT ST.

S. BRAESWOOD BLVD.

288

GREENBRIAR DR.

MEYERLAND PLZ.

Meyerland

Coming soon

BRAYS BAYOU

S. POST OAK RD.

7 Milk + Sugar Creamery The Houston-based, husband-and-wife-owned ice cream shop specializes in crafting its own in-house ice cream flavors and combinations, as well as seasonal and dairy-free flavors. Guests can choose from flavors such as peanut butter and Oreo pieces, Thai tea, ube, coffee and pretzel. • Opening spring 2024 8 Nordstrom Rack The 34,000-square-foot store will offer customers up to 70% off apparel, accessories, shoes, and beauty and home items from brands sold at Nordstrom stores. Other services will include online order pickup for purchases made through www.nordstrom.com and www.nordstromrack.com, returns and alterations. • Opening fall 2024 • 420 Meyerland Plaza, Houston • www.nordstromrack.com • 5172 Buffalo Speedway, Houston • www.milkandsugarcreamery.com

• 5103 Bellaire Blvd., Ste. 150, Bellaire • www.heydayskincare.com

Now open

1 Gorjana The Laguna Beach-based fine jewelry brand offers plated necklaces, earrings, bracelets and other jewelry, including 14-karat solid gold and diamonds, in what company officials describe as “coastal aesthetics, laid- back yet timeless.” • Opened Feb. 1 • 2552 University Blvd., Houston • www.gorjana.com 2 Heyday The national facial studio and skin care retail shop offers customized 50-minute facials to clients under the scope of professional estheticians. The brand offers facials— such as light therapy, peels and gua sha—as well as microdermabrasion and other treatments. • Opened Dec. 9

3 Dorado Nail Bar The professional salon specializes in nail art and spa services. Guests can expect manicures, pedicures, waxing, eyelash extensions and facials. • Opened Jan. 15 • 3157 W. Holcombe Blvd., Houston • www.doradonailbartx.com 4 HGreg The automotive dealership’s new 82,500-square-foot showroom also features a service center and guest lounge. The company sells used cars with other services including same-day delivery, contactless car-buying options, a five- day money-back policy and payment by cryptocurrency. • Opened Jan. 22 • 6737 Southwest Freeway, Houston • www.hgreg.com

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9 Milano Nail Spa The nail and beauty salon will offer manicures, pedicures and nail art services. Guests are provided complimentary drinks while being serviced. • Opening early 2024 • 600 Meyerland Plaza, Houston • www.milanonailspameyerland.com

two-dimensional and three-dimensional space planning services to tenants. • 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston • www.noveloffice.com 12 Colonial Park The city of West University Place completed several improvements to the park on Jan. 10, including rebuilding the park’s Byron deck. The city also installed a concrete path from the park’s swimming pool to the deck, and 13 Wier Park The West University Place City Council approved a contract of just over $876,000 for construction services with Jerdon Enterprises at the city’s Jan. 22 meeting for work on Wier Park that will begin around mid-February. Work will include increasing the park’s usable area by 6,500 square feet, installing new fencing and bollard lighting at gate entries, and expanding play areas. • 3012 Nottingham St., West University Place • www.westutx.gov added seating around trees and decks. • 4130 Byron St., West University Place • www.westutx.gov

Coming soon

In the news

10 Onesweat Stretch + Wellness The business providing luxury high-intensity interval training acquired five Reach Stretch & Recovery locations and converted them into Onesweat Stretch + Wellness locations, including one location in Rice Village. The Onesweat Stretch + Wellness concept is being rolled out as a way to integrate fitness and wellness services. • 2524 Rice Blvd., Houston • www.onesweat.com 11 Novel Office The Dallas-based commercial real estate firm acquired a 15-story, Class A office building in the Upper Kirby area with plans to make renovations. Novel will also renovate the building’s lobby, and plans are in place to provide move-in allowances as well as complimentary

14 Duck N Bao The restaurant will offer Peking-style duck, soup dumplings and other Sichuan specialties. Drink options will include the distilled Chinese spirit baijiu as well as a selection of cocktails and a tea service. • Opening this spring • 5215 Kelvin Drive, Houston • www.ducknbaohtx.com

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BELLAIRE - MEYERLAND - WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION

Transportation

BY SHAWN ARRAJJ

Work targets Bellfort, Willowbend area Officials with Houston City Council District K announced in December plans for intersection improvements on Willowbend

TxDOT tweaks proposed I-10 elevation plans The Texas Department of Transportation has tweaked its plans for an I-10 elevation project that officials said will address flooding issues that have left the highway impassable 10 times since 1992. The overview Currently, two I-10 high occupancy vehicle lanes are elevated in the project area, a 1.8-mile stretch between Heights Boulevard and I-45. The TxDOT plan calls for elevating high occupancy vehicle lanes slightly and bringing main lanes above the White Oak Bayou flood plain. TxDOT would also build a 26-acre detention pond beneath the elevated main lanes between Studemont Street and Houston Avenue. The latest At a Jan. 17 public meeting, officials announced updates meant to lessen noise and effects on

W H I T E O A K D R .

STUDEMONT ST.

Boulevard. The latest

Timelines and costs are to be determined. Following a 2023 study, planners have prior- itized expanding the median at Cedarhurst Drive and adding pedestrian refuges at West Bellfort Street, among other updates.

nearby green spaces. Main lanes will be lower throughout the project than when it was originally proposed in 2022, and the detention basin was moved under the highway. Six-foot railings will be added on the outside of main lanes and HOV lanes. What’s next The public comment period on the project closed Feb. 1. Next steps include a detailed design and right of way acquisition. Construction is expected to begin on the $347 million project in 2025 and last for roughly four years.

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Real estate

The total number of homes sold were down in four of five local ZIP codes when comparing data from December 2023 with December 2022. The median price of homes sold was also up in four of five ZIP codes when comparing those months. Residential market data

Number of homes sold

December 2022

December 2023

-40%

-36%

+300%

-28%

-33.33%

77005

77025

77030

77096

77401

77005

77401

77030

Median home sales price

77025

610

December

2022

2023

77096

$1,382,317 $430,000 $665,000 $396,000 $1,146,500

$1,740,000 $532,500 $1,511,250 $425,000 $917,140

77005

288

77025

Homes sold by price point

77030

77096

December 2023

77401

$1,000,000+

$750,00-$999,999

Average days on market

$500,000-$749,999

December 2022

December 2023

+15.79%

+117.46%

-6.38%

-1.27%

-38.68%

$250,000-$499,999

<$250,000

MARKET DATA PROVIDED BY ALINA ROGERS SPARROW REALTY • 281-961-2944 WWW.SPARROW-REALTY.COM

77005

77025

77030

77096

77401

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BELLAIRE - MEYERLAND - WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION

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Events

BY ASIA ARMOUR

Health, Wealth & Tech Summit 2024 This community event from The Thinking Roadmap is hosted at the Ion, a collaborative space for entrepreneurs in the technology industry. It features three speakers who will discuss the role of artificial intelligence, health and wealth in a “post-pandemic” culture. VIP tickets include dishes crafted by Chef Eddie Williams and wine pairings. • Feb. 29, 5:30-9 p.m. • Free admission, $55 (VIP), $75 (VIP for two) • 4201 Main St., Houston • www.thinkingroadmap.com

February

Winter Nights at the Museum of Fine Arts Guests can visit the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston in a private setting every Saturday night in February with galleries open only to ticket holders. Events include cocktails, talks with curators and live music. Entry includes one complimentary drink and access to all exhibitions throughout the museum. • Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24, 6-9 p.m. • Free (museum members), $40 (nonmembers) • Audrey Jones Beck Building, 5601 Main St., Houston; Caroline Wiess Law Building, 1001 Bissonnet St., Houston; Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, 5500 Main St., Houston • www.mfah.org Wags & Whiskers Brunch Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston will raise money by hosting this animal-lovers event, which features a pet fashion show, silent auction and ‘Bow Wow West’ theme at Hotel Zaza in the Museum District. Proceeds will benefit the organization’s Animeals program, providing pet food and preventative vet care for the dogs and cats of homebound seniors and disabled adults. • Feb. 17, 11 a.m. • Individual tickets start at $250 • 5701 Main St., Houston • www.imgh.org

March

Giving Voice concert The Houston Grand Opera and Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church team up for the second year of this concert series that celebrates women and Black artists in opera and song. Giving Voice will feature arias and Grammy Award- winning operatic soloists, as well as the mass choirs from WABC, the Houston Ebony Opera Guild and HGO. • March 8, 7:30 p.m. • Free (registration is required) • Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, 3826 Wheeler Ave., Houston • www.hgo.org

Lunar New Year 2024 Asia Society Texas hosts a Year of the Dragon celebration featuring performances, a lion dance, arts and crafts, a dragon quest, and foods inspired by Lunar New Year traditions across Asia. Other activities include Chinese calligraphy, dragon puppet-making and a photo booth. • Feb. 10, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. • Free (lion dances); $10 (Splendor of Huaxing performances) • 1370 Southmore Blvd., Houston • www.asiasociety.org/texas

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BELLAIRE - MEYERLAND - WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION

Government

BY SHAWN ARRAJJ & MELISSA ENAJE

Gus Pappas steps in as Bellaire’s new mayor Following his win in a Dec. 9 runo election, Gus Pappas is the new mayor for the city of Bellaire. Pappas, an attorney, sat down for an interview with Community Impact in December, prior to being sworn into the position Jan. 8. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For a longer version, visit communityimpact.com. During your campaigning, what did you hear from Bellaire residents? I think the messaging out there is that the people of Bellaire are looking to move forward with tackling the issues they’ve been grappling with for probably the last 10 years. In no particular order, I think they are interested in—what are we going to do about our infrastructure, our streets, our water lines? What do we want to do with our library? What do we want to do with Evergreen Pool? ... I think over these rst couple of months, it’s really more about coming up

Methodist oce project goes to Bellaire council A proposal by Houston Methodist to build a three-story, mixed-use building in downtown Bellaire is expected to go to Bellaire City Council with the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission slated to recommend approval of the project. The backstory Houston Methodist previously pitched a dier- ent version of its plan for the site, and members of the council voted to postpone a decision on those plans at a July meeting. Council members expressed concerns that plans would not be a good t for the downtown district. Since then, Houston Methodist has revised plans, including increasing the amount of retail space. The details The building would be at a site that was formerly a Randalls grocery store. The site plan includes

Harris County clinic to open $9M health lab The Quentin Mease Health Center, located nearly 3 miles east of the Texas Medical Center, will be on the receiving end of just under $9 million in federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act. That funding will support the opening of an outpatient gastroenterology lab after Harris County commissioners approved the agreement in December. Why it matters At any given time, more than 3,000 patients are waiting for a colonoscopy due to maximum capacity constraints, according to Dec. 19 court documents. The money will be used to create more capacity for colonos- copy procedures and support the purchase of equipment and software licenses, according to county ocials.

with a plan in terms of scheduling the timing of the discussion and the raising of these issues, and then their determination by council. Have you thought about if a future bond election might be in order? It takes time. I think rst we have to nd out what the appetite of council is in terms of some of these capital improvement items. At that point, you look at—what are the needs? What is the plan that we’d propose? And then my thought would be that’s going to take the better part of a year. If the council believed that ... was something that would be necessary to fund these [capital improve- ments]—we couldn’t otherwise fund them through our own moneys, through grants or other funding mechanisms—my thought is that probably within the next year after that is when that would be put to the residents. What is your message for Bellaire residents? The city is here to serve you. But it’s here to serve everybody. People need to make sure to under- stand that it can serve you, but it also has to serve everybody, otherwise it serves no one.

Houston Methodist oce building site

5TH ST.

BELLAIRE BLVD.

85,000 square feet of oce space, 15,000 square feet of retail space and 454 parking spaces. The recommendation from the planning commission, discussed at a Jan. 11 meeting, was under the condition that Methodist reduce total parking to 373 spaces. However, project ocials declined to agree to those conditions at the meeting. What’s next As of press time Jan. 30, the commission was slated to present council with a signed recommen- dation letter at a Jan. 31 special session.

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Election

BY SHAWN ARRAJJ

Voter Guide

2024

To view the full list of all contested state and national candidates, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide. Due to space limitations, not all races on the ballot are listed here. Only candidates in contested elections are included. Visit county election websites for information on uncontested races.

KEY

R Republican

D Democrat

*Incumbent

D Molly Cook D Jarvis D. Johnson D Todd Litton D Karthik Soora Texas House of Representatives, District 146

D Roland Gutierrez D Steven J. Keough D Thierry Tchenko U.S. House, District 7 R Tina Blum Cohen R Kenneth Omoruyi R Carolyn B. Bryant R Caroline Kane D Pervez Agwan D Lizzie Fletcher*

Dates to know

Feb. 5: Last day to register to vote Feb. 20: First day of early voting March 1: Last day of early voting March 5: Election day

D Lauren Ashley Simmons D Shawn Nicole Thierry* D Ashton P. Woods Local elections Harris County Attorney D Christian D. Menefee* D Umeka “UA” Lewis Harris County district attorney

Where to vote

Any voter can cast a ballot in the Republican or Democratic primary, but not both. Harris County residents can cast their ballots at any polling location during early voting or on election day. Visit www.harrisvotes.com for polling locations.

State elections Railroad commissioner R Christie Clark R Christi Craddick* R Corey Howell R James “Jim” Matlock R Petra Reyes D Bill Burch D Katherine Culbert Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 2 D DaSean Jones D Randy Sarosdy Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 4 R John Devine* R Brian Walker Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 6 D Bonnie Lee Goldstein D Joe Pool Presiding judge, Court of Criminal Appeals R Sharon Keller* R David J. Schenck Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 7 R Barbara Parker Hervey* R Gina Parker Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 8 R Lee Finley

Sample ballot

D Kim Ogg* D Sean Teare Harris County sheriff R Glenn Cowan R Joe Danna R Paul Day R Mike Knox

Federal elections U.S. president R Ryan L. Binkley R Chris Christie R Ron DeSantis R Nikki Haley R Asa Hutchinson

D Ed Gonzalez* D Joe Inocencio D Vergil Rochelle Ratliff D Dana M. Wolfe Harris County tax assessor-collector

R Vivek Ramaswamy R David Stuckenberg R Donald J. Trump D Joseph R. Biden, Jr.* D Gabriel A. Cornejo D Star Locke D Frankie Lozada D Armando “Mando” Perez-Serrato

D Danielle Keys Bess D Desiree Broadnax D Claude Cummings III D Jerry Davis D Annette Ramirez Harris County Department of Education, Place 3 D Richard Cantu* D Josh Wallenstein Harris County Department of Education, Place 6, Precinct 1 D Richard Bonton D John Fitzgerald McGee* Harris County constable, Precinct 1 D Gilberto “Gil” Reyna D Alan Rosen*

D Dean Phillips D Cenk Uygur D Marianne Williamson U.S. senator R Ted Cruz* R Holland “Redd” Gibson R R.E. “Rufus” Lopez D A. “Robert” Hassan D Carl Oscar Sherman D Colin Allred D Heli Rodriguez Prilliman D Mark Gonzalez D Meri Gomez

R Michelle Slaughter* Texas Senate, District 15

D Michelle Anderson Bonton D Alberto “Beto” Cardenas Jr.

SOURCE: TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

BY HANNAH BROL

Texas Senate, District 15, Democratic candidates

What is your top priority if elected?

Michelle Anderson Bonton Occupation: social entrepreneur, business woman, retired educator Experience: 15 years as a founder and leader of a 180-employee, $14 million budget organization www.votemichellebonton.com

Alberto “Beto” Cardenas Jr. Occupation: attorney Experience: cleaning up the Housing Authority, millions raised for charity and local infrastructure improvements www.texansforbeto.com

Molly Cook Occupation: ER nurse Experience: ER nurse, public health expert, policy advocate and community organizer www.mollyfortexas.com

Women’s rights. I want to enshrine women’s control over their bodies in the Texas Constitution. Voters have a right not only [to] decide this issue but to stand up for women and stand up to the special interests that politically blackmail the “conservative” Legislature into endangering Texas women. Ridiculous.

Increasing voter turnout. After two years of talking to voters, high-priority issues include: fully funding public schools, reducing gun violence, abortion access, secure housing, environmental justice, public safety and rejecting extremism. I will co-govern with the constituency to develop a long-term strategy to achieve these goals.

Mitigating voter suppression. The vote is the only way that citizens can make their voices heard. Laws that make it more dicult to vote—i.e., restricting the number of polling places in certain communities, or making it illegal to pass out food or water—are detrimental to the democratic process.

Jarvis Johnson Occupation: business owner

Todd Litton Occupation: attorney-mediator Experience: father and husband; attorney-mediator, former candidate for [U.S. House, District 2]; education nonprot leader www.toddlitton.com

Karthik Soora Occupation: former award- winning [Houston] ISD teacher and renewable energy developer Experience: Rice University graduate; nonprot leader www.karthikfortexas.com

Experience: state representative for HD 139 since 2016; Houston City Council member for District B, three terms www.jarvisfortexas.com

Our rights are under attack from Republican leadership—from voting rights, attacks on public education, reproductive rights, local control and LGBTQ rights, to name a few. [Senate District] 15 needs a proven leader and someone who has fought against Republicans to stand up for them in the Texas Senate.

I’m running to stand up to Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick and ght against their politics of fear and hate. We must put an end to their extremist agenda and move Texas forward by expanding access to abortion, making health care more aordable and protecting our public schools and local control.

In every conversation, political reform is the top priority. I will introduce legislation to legalize citizen- led ballot initiatives, so Texans can put reproductive freedom, universal gun background checks, Medicaid expansion, campaign nance limits, ranked choice voting, connecting ERCOT to other states, and more on the ballot like folks in other states.

Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity. For more election coverage, go to www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

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BELLAIRE MEYERLAND WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION

BY LIZZY SPANGLER

*INCUMBENT

U.S. House, District 7 Democratic Party

Why did you choose to run in this election?

What is your top priority if elected?

Representing Texas’ Seventh Congressional District since 2019, I am proud of the work I have done for our district and our country. And there is much more to do. I look forward to continuing to partner with and advocate for our community and our values, and to delivering meaningful results.

My top priority remains partnering with and for our dynamic community and bringing our voices to Washington. Of particular importance now is restoring the freedom for Texans (and all Americans) to make their own decisions about their bodies, their families and their futures, including about birth control and abortion.

Lizzie Fletcher* Occupation: member of Congress Experience: member of Congress since 2019; courtroom lawyer; engaged community volunteer; life- long Houstonian www.lizzieetcher.com Pervez Agwan Occupation: renewable energy developer Experience: built the largest solar and wind projects in the country www.agwanforus.com

Houston deserves leadership that truly represents our diverse communities and puts our constituents rst instead of special interests.

We need to build an economy that works for all of Houston. If our leaders stopped wasting taxpayer dollars on funding the catastrophic genocide in Gaza, and started delivering health care to all of us as a right, and created new, unionized jobs— everyone would be able to prosper.

you need to know about your community in 5 MINUTES

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BY LIZZY SPANGLER

What is your top priority if elected? U.S. House, District 7, Republican Party

Caroline Kane Occupation: CEO— small-business owner (property management) Experience: managing the

Carolyn Bryant Occupation: sports nutritionist

Kenneth Omoruyi Occupation:

Tina Blum Cohen

Occupation: owner of Blum’s Furniture; partner in Jemstyle Builders Inc. Experience: lived, worked in district her entire life; traveled the world www.tinablumcohen.com

certied public accountant and college educator Experience: award- winning certied public accountant; founded three businesses www.kennethforcongress.com Fix the economic crisis through practical scal responsibility, accountability and heightened transparency. By advocating for clear nancial disclosure and open government practices, I aim to build trust, empower informed decision- making and foster accountability, laying the foundation for a robust and transparent economic recovery.

Experience: campaigned for women’s bodybuilding; working to expand SB 15 www.carolynbbryant forcongress.com

protability of dozens of small businesses over 30-plus years www.carolinekaneforcongress.com

Securing the border and reducing the size of the U.S. government by 75%- 90%—these two tie for rst place on my agenda for The Great Restoration.

My top priority is protect women’s sports. To ensure our young athletes have safe spaces and fair competition.

My top priority when elected will be focused on the mental health of our city, and get people back to work and out of depression.

Know your HIV care options and live your best mom life.

Live your best life with personalized treatment and support. Ask how we can help make care more affordable.

Call 281.616.7015 to make an immediate appointment. LegacyHIV.org

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From the cover

BY SHAWN ARRAJJ CONTRIBUTED BY WESLEY GARDNER

Houston ISD approves District of Innovation plan

What will change

Two-minute Impact

Current system: To become a certied teacher in Texas, one must: • Obtain a bachelor’s degree • Complete an educator preparation program 3 Teacher certication New system: HISD would be able to hire uncertied teachers without needing a waiver from the TEA with several caveats: • Uncertiied teachers only hired in high schools • Uncertiied teachers required to be certiied within two years • Pass a certiication exam • Submit a state application • Complete ingerprinting

Teacher appraisal system Current system: The Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System appraises teachers using four rubrics: • Planning, including data assessments • Instruction, including achieving expectations • Learning environment, including managing student behavior • Professional practices, including school community involvement New system: Details are to be determined. 1 HISD Superintendent Mike Miles proposed a local system in 2023, but it was not implemented after being halted by a Harris County judge. That system would have focused on:

HISD’s District of Innovation plan seeks exibility in seven key areas to bypass requirements in the Texas Education Code, including the exibility to create a local teacher appraisal system, to start the school day earlier and to hire uncertied teachers without a waiver from the Texas Education Agency. Following the board’s approval of the plan Dec. 14, the district sent the plan to the TEA to have it ocially go into eect. All exemptions included in the plan are eective for ve years from the date of its adoption, according to the TEA. If the district receives unacceptable academic or nancial performance ratings for two consecutive years, the TEA commissioner may terminate the innovation plan or require the district to amend its plan. Details will be determined on what the new teacher appraisal system will be based on, and ocials said it will leverage elements of the current system and community input. Ocials also plan to present a nal academic calendar for the 2024-25 school year to board managers at a Feb. 8 meeting. As of press time Jan. 30, HISD ocials did not respond to requests for comment.

40% principal classroom observation 25% student performance outcomes 15% accomplishment of specic and measurable goals 10% student results from standardized tests 10% student survey 1 2 3 4 5

Other changes

More sta development events Flexibility on attendance requirements to graduate Can opt out of sending students to disciplinary program for possession or sale of e-cigarettes, marijuana Expanding number of excused absences for students visiting higher education institutions

4 5

Current system • School starts no earlier than the fourth Monday in August • 172-day schedule 2 District calendar

New start date • School start date TBD, but would be no earlier than irst Monday in August • Could have 180 school days in 2024-25 school year

SOURCES: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, HOUSTON ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

What’s next?

A closer look

Another perspective

Moving forward, various elements of the DOI plan will be implemented along dierent timelines. March 2021: HISD advisory committee refuses to endorse DOI plan the district was exploring

There are 976 DOIs in Texas. Other DOIs have sought similar exibility within the Texas Educa- tion Code that HISD has also sought.

Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, is among those who are critical of HISD’s plans to hire uncertied teachers and develop a local teacher appraisal system. The HFT sued Miles for his previous attempt to create his own appraisal system, arguing he did not ask for teacher and sta member opinions as legally required. Anderson said she is worried the new plan in the DOI will resemble the one the federation helped halt.

June 2023: Mike Miles takes over as HISD superintendent after being appointed by the state December 2023: State-appointed board of managers adopts new DOI plan Start of 2024-25 school year • First day potentially moved earlier Start of 2025-26 school year • New teacher appraisal system in effect Timeline not specied (some elements implemented by campus principals) • Customized staff development opportunities • Minimum attendance for class credit • More excused absences for college visits • Opt out of marijuana discipline programs • Uncertiied teachers hired without waivers

Hiring uncertied teachers Examples: Austin ISD, El Paso ISD, Dallas ISD

DOIs to seek waiver 96.3%

Local teacher appraisal systems Examples: Aldine ISD, Fort Worth ISD, Tomball ISD

DOIs to seek waiver 22.2%

“[Miles] has shown us he’s the kind of leader where he

wants things his way, or it’s the highway.” JACKIE ANDERSON, PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSTON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

Adjust district calendar Examples: Austin ISD, Dallas ISD, Fort Bend ISD

DOIs to seek waiver 99.3%

SOURCE: HOUSTON ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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Community in Bloom

It’s our hope for Rice Village to be a place where community and commerce thrive. That’s why we curate an active rotation of events and programming to complement our vibrant dining offerings and storefronts. This February, we hope you visit—and stay awhile. Stroll through the Farmers Market, peruse seasonal popups, linger over a cocktail under the stars, and bring the family to enjoy some live music. However the Village fits into your life, we’re grateful you’re a part of our community.

Kirby and University, Houston, TX

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