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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Houston Independent School District was |
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established 100 years ago, in 1923, in an official act of the Texas |
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Legislature; and |
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WHEREAS, The Houston Independent School District, now |
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enrolling nearly 190,000 students, is the largest school district |
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in Texas and the eighth largest school district in the United |
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States; and |
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WHEREAS, The Houston Independent School District has a long |
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tradition of taking in and educating all students, including |
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students displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and students |
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attending the North Forest Independent School District, which the |
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Texas Education Agency closed in 2013; and |
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WHEREAS, The Houston Independent School District won the |
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Broad Prize in 2002 and 2013 and is the first two-time winner of the |
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award, which recognizes the public school system with the most |
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substantial gains in student achievement; and |
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WHEREAS, The Houston Independent School District, from 2007 |
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to 2020, saw a 30 percent increase in graduation rates and a 125 |
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percent increase in students taking the SAT; and |
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WHEREAS, The Houston Independent School District, which |
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created one of its first magnet programs 50 years ago with the first |
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high school for health professions in the nation, today proudly |
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offers a robust portfolio of 128 magnet programs at 119 schools, |
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with programs focused on science, college and careers readiness, |
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early college, fine arts, International Baccalaureate, language |
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immersion, and more; and |
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WHEREAS, The Houston Independent School District in 1927 |
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founded community colleges which later became the University of |
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Houston and Texas Southern University, and in 1971 the Houston |
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Independent School District founded the Houston Community College; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The Houston Independent School District's |
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superintendent, Dr. Rod Paige, in 2001 was appointed by President |
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George W. Bush to serve as the seventh United States Secretary of |
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Education and was the first African American to be selected for the |
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post; and |
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WHEREAS, With more than 27,000 employees, the Houston |
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Independent School District is one of the largest employers in |
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Houston; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the Houston Independent School |
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District on the occasion of its 100th year anniversary and extend to |
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the district's students, educators, and staff sincere best wishes |
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for continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the district as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |