Posts published in “Community”

School District Elections Saturday, May 4

May 2, 2019

By Charlotte Jackson

This week in our community we have two important elections happening. The registered voters in the Channelview ISD have the opportunity to vote on a $195.4 million bond proposal. With the expected growth in the Channelview ISD, Board Members feel there are great needs for replacement schools, program expansions, campus renovations, safety and security improvements as well as technology improvements, new buses and land purchases for future school site.

If approved, the estimated maximum tax impact is 11.75 cents for a total tax rate of $1.5135. (This is approximately a $9.30 monthly increase for the average home valued at $120,000.

Residents who are over the age of 65, who have filed their exemption will not have to pay any additional property taxes associated with this bond.

The replacement schools will address the aging needs of campuses and the need for additional capacity for the elementary level. There will be a replacement school for DeZavala Elementary as well as a replacement school to combine both Cobb Elementary and Schochler Elementary.

The growth and program expansion will include a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center Addition as well as a new auditorium and athletic facilities additions and renovations.

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San Jacinto College breaks ground on new Generation Park Campus

May 2, 2019

San Jacinto College’s newest campus at Generation Park is slated to open fall 2020. Pictured left to right: John Peter, San Jacinto College Foundation board member; Gonzalo Echeverria, McCord Development Director of Design and Planning; Rick Yarbrough, McCord Development Director of Land Development; Ian Adler, McCord Development Director of Marketing; John Flournoy, McCord Development Director of Sales and Leasing; Keith Sinor, San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Secretary; Dan Mims, San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Vice Chair; Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College Chancellor; Ryan McCord, McCord Development President; Erica Davis Rouse, San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Assistant Secretary; John Moon, Jr., San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Member; Dr. Ruede Wheeler, San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Member; and Hector Morales, Manager of Educational Programming for the Office of Commissioner, Precinct 2 Adrian Garcia. (Photo credit: Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto College)

HOUSTON, Texas — San Jacinto College leaders, elected officials, and community partners gathered Tuesday, April 23, 2019 to break ground on the new Generation Park Campus, which will expand the College’s educational accessibility to students and residents of North Houston.

The 57-acre project will become the College’s fifth campus, complementing San Jacinto’s North, Central, South, and Maritime Campuses, currently serving approximately 45,000 credit and non-credit students annually.

“We’re very excited to see this project begin to materialize,” said San Jacinto College Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer. “We’ve been in the evaluation and planning stages for several years and this new campus will be a wonderful asset for the local community and the many students who will attend here. San Jacinto College is proud to be part of this rapidly growing area and we are positioned to serve the needs of the northern part of our taxing district. We look forward to serving the surrounding area by being an academic transfer partner and a resource for workforce training.”

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Community outreach projects help the needy

May 2, 2019

Last Saturday Judge Lucia G. Bates and her team as well as Helen Berrott Tims from Judge Joe Stephens office collaborated with Bernice Koko and team from United Health Partners, Brian Allen and North Shore GENTS to help beautify homes of three different senior adults in the Cloverleaf area who were identified by Commissioner Adrian Garcia’s Precinct2gether Director Chara Bowie. (more…)

Project Recovery-Harvey starts in East Harris County

Apr 18, 2019

JUDGE LINA HIDALGO announces the start of the Recovery program, as Malcolm Barrett and Adrian Garcia look on.

BARRETT STATION – The new leadership of Harris County turned out in force to announce Harris County Project Recovery-Harvey Program at the Harris County Barrett Community Center last Saturday.

Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge, Adrian Garcia, Precinct 2 Commissioner, Daphne Lemelle, Harris County Community Services Director and a host of county community workers from varied agencies were present to share their expertise enabling residents to get help for their houses, the services they need to recover from Hurricane Harvey.

Harris County Project Recovery-Harvey is for homeowners outside Houston to apply for home repair, reconstruction or reimbursement.

The new Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo indicated that the county is giving out about $200 Million in this program.

“Harvey was an especially difficult disaster because it got to the core of people’s lives because it reached into their homes, in their housing. People’s homes are anchors for them and their families. When people lost their homes and were forced to leave and live somewhere else, they were still forced to watch and wait until they could rebuild and return. That destroys and disrupts the rest of their lives and the fabric of our community.”

“For the first time we are making a massive investment in housing around Harvey,” said Hidalgo, indicating that the program was to be the largest investment a region has made in the area of housing repair.

“It helps us build a stronger community and a more resilient community in all of Harris County,” the Judge concluded.

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Take advantage of early voting in Channelview ISD’s Bond, April 22 – April 30

Apr 18, 2019

The proposition addresses growth, safety, program expansion, and more.

Early voting for Channelview ISD’s $195.4 million bond is here. Starting Monday, April 22 through Tuesday, April 30, CISD voters can head to any polling location in Harris County to have a say in the future of the community by casting their vote.

Extended polling hours are available Monday through Saturday of early voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., giving voters the option to swing by before or after work. On Sunday, April 28, voting is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For voters’ convenience, there are two in-district early voting locations, the North Channel Library at 15741 Wallisville Road and the Joyce Hendrix Educational Support Center (CISD Admin. Building) at 828 Sheldon Road. You can also vote at any Harris County early voting location. To find a polling location near you, go to cvisdbond.org/ voting-information.

“With the district’s continued growth in mind, we’re looking for community input by asking you to vote on the bond package this May. I encourage every resident to get out and exercise their right to vote, and to take advantage of early voting. This election is very important in determining how our district will look over the next decade,” said CISD Board President Keith Liggett. “We want to hear from you.”

Election Day is Saturday, May 4. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The North Channel Library and Joyce Hendrix Educational Support Center will both be open for voting, or you can vote at any election day polling location in Harris County.

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Rep. Hernandez updates news from the capitol

Apr 18, 2019

Rep. Hernandez with students and supporters after presenting House Bill 1602 to the House Committee on Public Education

Dear Friend,

With less than seven weeks remaining in the 86th Legislative Session, the Texas Capitol is growing increasingly busy! Committees are meeting twice a week, major pieces of legislation have passed at least one chamber of the Legislature, and negotiations on major policy topics such as property tax reduction, public school finance, and the final passage of our state’s biennial budget are ongoing.

The past two weeks have been particularly busy for our policy agenda! I wanted to provide you an update on our legislative package’s progress as we reach mid-April. As always, if ever I can be of assistance or answer any questions, do not hesitate to call my office at (512) 463-0614.

Kind regards,

Ana Hernandez

Wrapping Up Two Busy Weeks Of Bills!

Over the last two weeks, Representative Hernandez has presented thirteen bills in committee to crack down on human trafficking, improve public education, and grow our economy. These measures include:

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Commissioner Adrian Garcia meets with Federal Officials to address ITC incident

Apr 11, 2019

Commissioner Garcia with State Officials at Washington, D.C.

HOUSTON – Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia met with federal officials in Washington, D.C., this week to advocate for infrastructure resources and enhancing safety and collaboration with the chemical industry after the ITC explosion.

During the visit, which spanned Monday, April 1, through Thursday, April 4, Commissioner Garcia met with EPA officials to address the lack of air monitors available after a fire broke out at Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park March 17 and burned for days. Garcia emphasized the need for more foam on site to be able to combat these blazes, as well as the importance of knowing quickly what is inside the tanks so first-responders can be both safe and effective.

“We need to work together, at all levels of government, to ensure industry leaders and our communities cannot just co-exist, but be good neighbors and look out for each other,” Commissioner Garcia said.

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Channelview ISD’s May Bond addresses growth, plans for future

Apr 4, 2019

REPLACE COBB & SCHOCHLER: • Existing Cobb Campus: Capacity of 471. • Existing Schochler Campus: Capacity of 601. • Proposed New Campus: 1,100 student capacity; located in between; existing campuses; modern learning; environment; improved parking, drives and play areas.

With hundreds of new homes coming to the area, Channelview ISD schools, many which are already nearing maximum capacity, could soon be out of space. The expansion of the Rancho Verde residential development includes more than 620 new homes that will be built within the Channelview ISD boundaries.

In order to accommodate the future growth, Channelview ISD has called a $195.4 million bond election, the District’s first in 10 years, to be held on May 4, 2019.

Currently, Channelview High School and the Ninth Grade Center are over capacity. If approved by voters, one of the projects included in the bond is a new Career and Technical Education Center addition, which will add instructional space for approximately 340 additional students. The CTE expansion will also provide students with increased opportunities to earn industry certifications and prepare them for life beyond high school whether they decide to attend college or enter the workforce. The existing CTE space will be renovated and repurposed to create more space for other academic and art classrooms.

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Rotary Fish Fry tickets on sale for May 18 event

Apr 4, 2019

NORTH SHORE ROTARY will hold their 44th Annual Catfish Fry & Crawfish Boil on Saturday, May 18 at the Rotary Pavilion behind the Courthouse on Wallisville Road. Dinners are available for $12 Pre-Sale, or $15 at the Gate.

In addition, raffle tickets are available for $100 for a chance to win either a 2019 Toyota Camry or a Toyota Tundra pickup truck, courtesy of Community Toyota Baytown. These tickets include two meals, and the chance to win 20 other prizes.

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VFW Post 9296 helps Coast Guard in time of need

Apr 4, 2019

By Allan Jamail

Houston, TX — The Greens Bayou VFW Post 9296 (Veterans of Foreign Wars) helped local Coast Guard members during the recent government shutdown. When congress wouldn’t fund President Trump’s border wall he refused to sign the Spending Bill to keep the government open, creating the longest shutdown in history which took a toll on governmental employees and service members.

Commander Muller said when his members learned of Coast Guard members enduring financial hardships his post requested financial assistance for them from the National VFW Foundation. Thirty-five applicants of the Coast Guard received financial-aid.

Muller has served in many capacities of the VFW for the 15 years he’s been a member before becoming Commander of Post 9296 last year.

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Channelview ISD holding first bond election in 10 Years

Mar 28, 2019

The bond proposal was developed and recommended by the Citizens’ Bond Planning Committee (CBPC), a diverse group of CISD parents, staff, local citizens, and community leaders.

This May, Channelview ISD residents will have the opportunity to vote on a $195.4 million bond election.

A bond is similar to a home mortgage. It is a contract to repay borrowed money with interest over time. Bond elections allow communities to vote to give the Board of Trustees authority to sell bonds to pay for items such as school construction, capital projects and land acquisition.

A school district’s tax rate is comprised of two parts. Part one is Maintenance and Operations (M&O) which funds day-to-day expenses such as salaries, general maintenance, bus repairs and fuel, educational materials and utilities.

Part two is Interest and Sinking (I&S) which funds debt repayment for the purchase of new building construction, existing building renovations, land purchases, program-specific equipment, technology and school buses. The Channelview ISD bond election would only affect the District’s I&S rate. By law, I&S funds cannot be used to pay teacher or staff salaries.

Currently, Channelview ISD’s I&S tax rate is $0.356 with the M&O tax rate standing at $1.04 for a total tax rate of $1.396. The current rate is the lowest it has been in seven years and is the second lowest tax rate when compared to surrounding school districts. Over the past seven years, the Channelview ISD Board of Trustees has lowered the tax rate $0.10 from $1.496 in 2012 to the current rate of $1.396.

The last time Channelview ISD held a bond election was a decade ago, in November 2009. Projects included in the 2009 bond were completed on time and on budget by November 2012.

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