Posts published in “News Index – North Forest News”

By Christine Nguyen

It’s a building that’s almost impossible to find, nestled literally on the offshoot of a long and winding road, but somehow the Northeast Family YMCA has become an indispensable part of the North Forest community.

“The YMCA plays a big role [in these people’s lives],” day camp director Jared Hale said. “We cater to the children, but we have senior citizens who love the program. We have teens that love the program. We have people who are involved in the program and don’t even know… Whether they know it or not, they’re contributing to the YMCA and we’re contributing back to the community.

Walk into the Northeast Family YMCA on any given day and you’re likely to find community members of all ages, from toddlers to seniors. Currently, the Northeast Y has 330 memberships, which means that an average number of 1,000 or more individuals pass through the building each month.

Community Executive Director Demetta Landry says the Y prides itself on being a place easily accessible to anyone.

“There are kids here whose parents came to this Y when they were growing up.” Landry said. “We’re here to take care of their kids just like we took care of them. They trust us. And with the seniors, they know they can come here, get some good exercise … and do stuff, instead of just staying at home.”

The Northeast Y offers a variety of programs and classes, ranging from swim lessons and sports for the youth to aerobics and line dancing for adults. The building itself houses a number of facilities including an outdoor pool, a multi-purpose gym, two fitness centers and a playroom.

During the summer, the Y offers a day camp for young teens and kids as young as 3 years old, which Landry says is immensely helpful for parents who may have to work during the daytime and need a “safe place” for their kids.

The Northeast Y isn’t only focused on accessibility in terms of age either. Although the Y relies heavily on membership and class fees, Landry says it is constantly seeking out new sources of funding to be able to provide financial assistance to those in need, whether it’s through United Way dollars or the Y Partners Campaign.

The Partners Campaign works to raise money from board members, benefactors, Y members and staff to allow everyone to participate in the Y, even those who can’t afford the membership.

“It’s all money that we pretty much raise ourselves to keep us going,” Landry said. “Our rates are based on what our community can afford, so we work really hard to try to raise as much as we can because there’s a great need in our community.”

Currently, through the Partners Campaign, the Northeast Y does apartment outreach at Haverstock Hills Apartments, which was once considered the most dangerous complex in the Houston area. Through the program, the Y provides a variety of sports and enrichment activities to more than 700 youth who live in the complex.

But for Landry, who has worked at the Northeast Family YMCA for almost 28 years, this relationship isn’t a one-way street. She says the community has changed her life just as much as the Y has changed theirs.

“I’ve never really wanted to work anywhere else,” Landry said. “I believe in the mission, and I love this community. It’s my family.”

NORTH FOREST– Police responded last Tuesday to a shooting inside North Forest High School. Incidents continue to happen at North Forest High School, possibly affecting the District’s appeal of closing the district. This time a student was shot by another student, who had a gun apparently to protect himself from others who were “bullying” him.

An 18-year-old, Warren Lewis, shot a16-year-old freshman in the leg in the middle of a second floor hallway around 12:30 p.m. The incident “was apparently the result of a dispute between a group of students that started off-campus and continued onto the campus,” said Sue Davis, spokeswoman for North Forest ISD. “The 16-year-old was not part of the dispute, so he was not the intended target of the alleged shooter.”

A nearby teacher, in a government class, who happened to also be a deputy constable, apprehended the shooter. Lewis has been charged with aggravated assault while the 16-year-old boy is in stable condition at a local hospital. In court Wednesday, prosecutors said that he actually fired the gun 5 times, and filed additional charges of carrying a gun on campuse.

This is the second incident within three months at North Forest High, back in October, two students were expelled after they attempted to hide a gun that one of them had brought to class.

North Forest ISD recently received final orders from the state Education Commissioner to close down and merge with Houston ISD by July, which they are appealing.

Statement from Edna Forté, Superintendent, North Forest Independent School District:

January 10, 2012

At approximately 12:30 p.m. today, an 18-year-old 12th grade student allegedly shot a 16-year-old 9th grader at North Forest High School. The 9th grader was shot in the leg and taken to hospital in stable condition. The alleged shooter was apprehended at the school and turned over to the Houston Police Department. The school was put on lockdown until it was determined the situation was over and then students were allowed to return to class after about 30 minutes. The parents of both students have been notified.

The ensuing investigation by school officials has determined the incident was apparently the result of a dispute among students that started off-campus. The student who was shot was apparently not the target of the alleged shooter.

While the high school has metal detectors, it is still under investigation as to how the alleged shooter got the gun into the school. As a result of this incident, the school district has determined to keep the metal detectors in operation longer each day.

The district has also decided to ban backpacks that are not transparent at the high school. The district will purchase clear backpacks for all the students and hopes to have them available by next Tuesday.

By GILBERT HOFFMAN, Northeast News

NORTH FOREST– The public and the District held a celebration party Thursday night, heaping praise and accolades on the newly appointed permanent Superintendent, Ms. Edna Forté. Several board members, past and present, and the HCC-NE President, Margaret Ford Fisher, wished Forté well in her position.

Unfortunately, by the next day, Friday, the happy thoughts had turned sour, when the District received a letter from Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott, informing them that a Final Decision had been made, and they would be dissolved as of July 1, 2012. At that time, the Houston ISD is ordered to absorb the North Forest district and its 7500 students, according to the letter. Scott’s letter was not entirely unanticipated, but the District has maintained all year that they would be able to correct the long-standing academic and financial problems, and get TEA approval.

Public statements rebutting the closure notice were immediately issued by Superintendent Forté and Congresswoman Jackson-Lee.

The community, with the strong support of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, has waged a campaign to save the district from closing. In fact, an “Education Town Hall” was held after the NFISD fete Thursday evening, as Lee returned from a meeting in Austin with TEA. Another meeting Sunday afternoon, at 3 pm in the Shadydale Elementary school, continued organizing the community support against the TEA decision.

In his 8 page letter to the District, Scott cited the district and the high school for a 2011 rating of Academically Unacceptable (AU), and further noted that this was the third consecutive year for the district, and the sixth consecutive year for the high school. He continued that the district earned a substantial financial accountability rating for the fourth consecutive year.

Therefore, he stated that these findings “require me to assign the North Forest ISD a 2011-2012 accreditation status of Not Accredited-Revoked and to close the district effective July 1, 2012.”

The letter contains a long and detailed list of deficiencies that the TEA Conservator assigned to the district has identified. Scott indicates that most of these have not been solved satisfactorily.

In regard to previous academic accountability ratings, Scott notes that on Nov. 2nd that appeal was denied.

Scott states that “This order will annex the North Forest ISD to the Houston ISD effective July 1, 2012.

Although a “Final” decision, he notes “The procedures available to the district to request a review of the accreditation status assignment and order of annexation are discussed below.”

Scott also notes that the annexation must be precleared by the US Department of Justice, under the National Voting Rights Act of 1965.

District Statement

In a statement issued by North Forest’s Forté, she said that “the North Forest ISD has retained legal counsel and will continue to fight the closure of the district.”

And in a slap at the TEA, she continues “The Texas Education Agency is seeking to close the district for issues that occurred while under partial or complete conservatorship.”

Jackson-Lee Statement

Based on a meeting that she and NAACP officials had with TEA Commissioner Scott on Thursday, she stated in a press release Friday that “It is not accurate to assume North Forest ISD is going to close especially if they were to receive a fair and unbiased review by the TEA.”

Jackson-Lee said that the TEA Commissioner based his assessment largely on the two years when NFISD was under the control of TEA and their conservator.

“The NFISD now is moving towards the improvements that the TEA failed to accomplish. She concluded “Stop condemning… and give them a chance!!”

By Julieta Paita

Members, sponsors and supporters of the Houston North Forest Chamber of Commerce gathered at Eden Event Center,7450 North Wayside, on Nov. 8 for a “Visions Gala Day”.

Vision for North Forest Chamber of Commerce is about “growing and growing with small business like Union Pacific,”said James Leonard, Chamber president. “We are investors in trying making our community to grow and grow.”

Judge Zinetta Birney, guest speaker, said education in North Forest is a priority.

“North Forest is one of our largestschool districts in the city of Texas, education in my opinion is a subject that must happen and distribute the top issue on my list of issues,” said Birney. “North Forest must find a way of providing service to this community, closure or merging to HISD is not the answer.”

North Forest Superintendent, EdnaForté, as well as some elected officials and Houston Community College-North Forest were among the list of recognized guests.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee reviewed some of the President’s Obama plans; the American Jobs Act and tax cuts to help American’s small business hire and grow. To know more about this act, you can go to www.whitehouse.gov/jobsact#overview.

Houston North Forest Chamber of Commerce has its monthly meeting every 2nd Tuesday of each month. 713-670-7500. More pictures on page 8.

NORTH FOREST, October 18, 2011–The Board of Trustees of the North Forest Independent School District Monday named Edna Forté as Superintendent of Schools.

The Board’s vote was unanimous. Forté has been Acting Superintendent since March 2011.

“The Board of Trustees has absolute trust that Ms. Forté will keep our school district moving forward this year and beyond,” said Chair Albert Coleman. “She has the skills and judgment to have a big impact on our district and its students, community, staff and Board.”

A visionary and progressive leader, Edna Forté has worked aggressively to implement academic reforms that increase student achievement in urban public schools. Her leadership philosophy recognizes the need to establish meaningful relationships, maintain open collaborative lines of communication, and focus the collective efforts of the entire organization on outcomes that serve the best interest of all children.

“This year, there are three critical priorities the North Forest Independent School District will address,” said Forté. “First, improve achievement; second, systemize financial policy; and third, gain the public’s trust.”

During her tenure in the North Forest Independent School District, Forté has facilitated a number of innovative initiatives aimed largely at advancing pathways to graduation. Specifically, she worked to obtain a multi-million dollar transformation grant intended to unite high school stakeholders around a common vision and common goals. In addition, she collaborated with external partners to acquire a grant to assist the district in lifting the YES Prep North Forest Charter School purposed to create innovative new secondary school choices within the district.

Forté possesses over 20 years of experience and has an extraordinary breadth of knowledge and expertise. Her educational career began in the Alief Independent School District. She later transitioned to the Houston Independent School District where she held several impactful positions including Literacy Specialist, Principal, and Regional External Funding Supervisor. In 2006, she joined the North Forest Independent School District as the Director of Federal Programs. She was subsequently promoted to Executive Director of Federal & State Programs in 2008 and became Acting Superintendent in March.

Edna Forté is affiliated with several professional organizations including the Texas Association of School Business Administrators, The American Leadership Forum, Houston A+ Challenge Executive Leadership Council, and The National Leadership Institute. In 2011, she was recognized by the Texas Black Caucus as an Outstanding Community Leader Honoree in recognition of her contributions to building equitable and diverse communities.

By GILBERT HOFFMAN
Northeast News
The North Forest community continues to respond to last week’s surprise announcement from the Texas Education Agency, ordering the closing of the district after the 2011-2012 school year.
Several meetings have been held to organize a petition drive, and a letter to Governor Perry seeking a reversal of the ruling from TEA Commissioner Robert Scott. Meetings on the subject include the Public Community Meeting on Saturday, July 16th called by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee; the NF ISD Board Meeting the following Monday night, July 18th; and a NEEF meeting on Thursday night, July 21st. Other meetings are scheduled for July 25 at the Community Center, and Aug. 4th for the next NEEF meeting at Shadydale.
In a well attended meeting last Saturday, July 16th, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee suggested that the district and its majority African-Americans were being treated with discrimination, not like white majority districts with similar problems. She urged the public to decide whether they wanted to save the district and the community’s separate identity, and suggested they conside filing a civil rights lawsuit with the federal authorities if necessary. She also promised to help with federal agencies that may have jurisdiction, such as the U.S. Attorney’s office, and the U.S. Department of Education. Other state legislators and local officials spoke in support of the district.

In a meeting held last Thursday night, the superneighborhoods that are involved with NEEF- Northeast Education First, held a rally and organizational meeting at Shadydale Elementary School, where about 100 persons from the community attended. They listened to a presentation by Edna Forté, acting superintendent of the district, and statements of support from some NFISD Trustees.
Forté made a strong presentation, reviewing improvements in the management and educational achievements of the district. Forté said that the district was now solvent, with budget cuts of $4.6 million in the teaching staff, another $700,000 in additional staff cuts, that would result in a fund balance in 2012-2013 of $2.7 million.
She reminded the group that the high school was the recipient of a $5 million federal grant to make changes and improvements, which are underway. Also, with the YES Charter school existing as part of the District, the results can be used to average an improved accountability rating in the future.
She also revealed that several nationally renowned educators, specialists in reforming problem school districts, had agreed to come to North Forest in the next school year to help. These included Pedro Noguera and Ervin Knezek, and perhaps several others.
She introduced the new interim principal for North Forest High School, James Troutman. He spoke briefly, describing how he is already holding teacher training every week, improving the physical condition of the school, including cleaning, and conducting a search for new highly qualified teachers fully certified in science and math.
Forté said that she has contacted TEA asking for a meeting to discuss the letter and her plans for improvements. She said that to date, she has received NO response. However, on August 1 school ratings become official, and she thinks she will get a response after that date.
Board member Lois Edwards and Thadeus Seals also addressed the audience, with specific criticisms of the TEA and their board of managers and their superintendent. She said that in the two plus years that they controlled the district, the high school had no improvements and no new programs. Seals spoke about the history of students that had attended school at North Forest over the years, and the success that many of them have had in their careers and lives, due to their education at North Forest. His message was that there was no reason why the District could not continue to educate the children in a satisfactory way.
Edwards also said that spending by the superintendent and the managers during their two year tenure was excessive, and the budget was not brought under control until Forté was appointed.
The NEEF group took a vote to see if the audience wanted to support efforts to keep the district open, and the vote was 48 in favor, and 0 against.
The group is organizing a petition drive, to get 7500 to 15,000 signatures to send along with a letter to Governor Perry, requesting a reversal of TEA’s closure decision, and allowing the District to remain open.
Robin German Curtis, chair of NEEF, spoke about the urgency of acting to save the district. She pointed out that school will start on August 22, and that parents must soon make the decision where to send their children this year. Ivory Mayhorn said “WE are North Forest. It is up to us to voice a new attitude.”

By GILBERT HOFFMAN North Forest News
NORTH FOREST– The North Forest ISD Board of Trustees last Thursday evening voted to end the services of Superintendent Adrain Johnson. This was accomplished by accepting Johnson’s resignation as of July 31, which no doubt had been requested. Then the board moved to keep Johnson on leave until that date, and denying him back pay since his suspension in April. The vote came after an hour of discussion in a closed meeting of the board. The vote was unanimous, six Yes and no No votes. Board member Horace Williams, Jr. was not present or voting.
In the official action, the board agenda stated that the reason for dismissal was “for good cause” but no further information was available. The board had held three called meetings with this business on the agenda, but delayed the final vote as negotiations with Johnson and his attorney continued.
Johnson had been the superintendent of the District since his appointment in October 2008, when the State of Texas Education Commission took control of the troubled district, and replaced the Board of Trustees with a new Board of Managers. However, the new law under which this action was taken, only allowed the state two years to manage the district. In November 2010 the old Board of Trustees was reseated and regained control of the district.
The state assumed control of the district in 2008 due to its weak financial condition, irregularities in student attendance reporting and financial accounting, and poor standing academically on most of its campuses.
Johnson, who was an associate administrator at TEA at the time, and previously a superintendent at LaMarque ISD, had worked to improve these conditions. The district is now on better financial footing, and seven of the eight campuses are rated “acceptable” or better now by the state. However, the drop-out and graduation rate at the high school has not improved, and in fact has caused the district to receive an “unacceptable” rating and the probation rating on its accreditation. Johnson has made a number of changes at the high school, and says that more time is required to realize the results of these. North Forest is the recipient of a federal/state grant of $5.26 million, over 3 years, to make these changes at the high school, including a new principal, new staff, and better procedural methods. Johnson and Edna Forté worked together on this Title I improvement grant.
In addition to raising the ratings of most of the campuses, Johnson has instituted many other innovative changes in the district, including bringing a YES Prep charter school into one of the unused buildings, giving serious academic students another choice and theoretically attracting out-of-district students. He has also been instrumental in setting up an Education Foundation, independent of the School District, that would raise funds for student, teacher, staff, and campus enhancements that would otherwise not be available. The Education Foundation was set to start a major fund drive in April, but now has been put “on halt” according to officials.
When the Board put Johnson on leave on March 28, the board said to the Northeast News, “In light of ongoing fiscal deficiencies, graduation rate concerns at North Forest High School, accreditation issues, and time sensitive staff reduction priorities, in the best interest of the district, the Board of Trustees felt it necessary to move in a different direction by placing the Superintendent on paid administrative leave.
“Educating the students of NFISD continues to be the number one priority of the district. The Board is confident that the district has capable and competent individuals who can continue day-to-day operations. Effective immediately, Edna Forté, Executive Director of Federal and State Programs, will serve as Acting Superintendent.”
The NFISD board, with different members, has a history of firing superintendents, and in at least one case rehiring him. And now five of the last six superintendents have left due to firing or pressure from the board.
At present, Forté continues as Acting Superintendent, and the Board has asked TEA and SBEC for an “Emergency Certificate” for her, so that some time in the future they may appoint her as Superintendent, even though she has not completed all requirements for the position.