AISD’s Partner to Partner Newsletter

September, Edition

Dear Education Partner:

The 2015-16 school year has gotten off to a wonderful start due to the hard work put in this summer by our principals and our administrative staff. We also reached a milestone in the second week of the school year when the district eclipsed the 70,000 enrollment figure for the first time in our history.

We also opened a new elementary school, Cypresswood Elementary, which addressed overcrowding at Jones Elementary and Magrill Elementary.

Next August, we will open Greenspoint Elementary, which will be the last school built with funds from the 2007 bond referendum. Greenspoint Elementary will help alleviate the growth we are experiencing on the north side of the district, but growth continues to be an issue throughout the district.

To address our growth, the Board of Trustees approved a call for a $798 million bond referendum election on November 3. If approved by voters, the bond referendum will provide funding for the construction of new schools, major renovations of some of our older campuses, technology and security upgrades and upgrades to our athletic program.

The district has produced a video providing details of the bond election. Schools will be presenting the video at PTA/PTO meetings, open house, and other school functions. District representatives and steering committee members will present information at many meetings in the Aldine community in the coming weeks in an effort to reach out to all stakeholders and provide details of projects included in the referendum. If you would like to have the video presented to your organization, please contact Abel Garza at (281) 985-6202.

Additionally, each school and support facility will have signage in front of the building detailing how the bond will benefit that campus and support facility. Information on the referendum can also be found at www.aldineisd.org/bond2015.

Richard Cantu, director of community service and public safety with the East Aldine Management District, has informed the district that a PAC (Political Action Committee) has been formed. The contact information is [email protected].

Early voting begins October 19 and runs through October 30. Registered voters can vote at any polling location in Harris County. A list of polling locations for early voting are posted on the district web site at, www.aldineisd.org/bond2015, as well as the most recent polling locations for Election Day (November 3). Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on November 3.

During the Sept. 15 Board meeting, Aldine ISD Trustees approved the tax rate for the 2015-16 school year. This year’s tax rate was set at $1.28 per $100 valuation. The 2015-16 tax rate will remain the same as it was during the 2014-15 school year. The tax rate is good news for homeowners and business owners.

On September 12, during halftime of the Aldine High-Conroe High football game at Thorne Stadium, members of the 1990 Aldine High state championship team joined former head coach Bill Smith at Legends Night to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of their championship season. The Mustangs finished 15-0 that year and not only won the Class 5A state title, but were named the No. 1 high school football team in the nation by ESPN. Coach Smith was joined by approximately 25 of his former players and about a dozen of his former assistant coaches. Director of Athletics Richard Delgado re-created the state title trophy presentation at halftime, which Coach Smith enthusiastically accepted once again! It was an exciting event and an uplifting time to reflect on a special season 25 years ago.

On Friday, October 16, we will hold our annual State of the District Breakfast at the Hilton Houston North Hotel (12400 Greenspoint Drive). At this year’s event, we will celebrate Aldine ISD’s 80th anniversary and kickoff our third annual AEF (Aldine Education Foundation) Donors campaign. If you are interested in attending, please contact Abel Garza’s office at (281) 985-6202.

Speaking of AEF, on Friday, October 30 we will hold the AEF Golf Tournament at Longwood Golf Club (13300 Longwood Trace in Cypress). The tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Former Superintendent M.B. “Sonny” Donaldson will be in attendance and serve as the tournament’s honorary chairman. If you would like to play, or make a donation, contact Sidney Brewer at (281) 914-1916 or [email protected] or Bill Ginder at (281) 664-6644 or [email protected]. Proceeds from the tournament will support scholarships for Aldine ISD seniors and teacher grants.

In other AEF news, we welcomed our first full-time director when Michele McGovern joined our team earlier this month. Michele has fund raising experience and comes to us after serving as director of development communications with the Houston Zoo.

Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you in the community this year.

Sincerely,
Wanda Bamberg Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

District Highlights

• U.S. Congressman Gene Green held his annual Northside Job Fair on September 2 at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center. More than 40 businesses and organizations were represented at the event, including Aldine ISD’s Child Nutrition Services Department, Maintenance Department, Human Resources Department and Transportation Department. Aldine ISD and NCI, Inc. sponsored the event, along with Congressman Green’s office.

• Eisenhower High School senior Diana Ramirez is a 2015 Linda Lorelle Scholarship recipient. Diana is a member of the Class of 2016 and she intends to pursue a bachelor’s degree in finance and eventually go to law school. Emmy-award winning journalist Linda Lorelle, her husband Lou Gregory and Martha Harvey founded the LLSF in 1991. The fund has a commitment to helping Houston-area students get to college.

• American Legion Post 578 organized an Adopt a Teacher/Health Fair to assist MacArthur High School teachers. The Post donated a variety of school supplies and hand sanitizers, Kleenex and disinfecting wipes. Pearl Martinez and the Ladies Auxiliary of Post 578 organized the event.

• Victory Early College High School student Jacqueline Tello finished in first place in the Houston Public Library Tween Photo Contest. She received a certificate and $100 prize.

• Victory Early College High School students Richard Paredes, Melissa Stewart and Alessandra Urbina were selected by QuestBridge as College Prep Scholars. The trio spent the summer meeting with representatives from elite universities across the United States. QuestBridge works to support academically talented and low-income students to assist them in getting noticed by elite universities. The three attended QuestBridge’s Conference at Stanford University in June.