• Recommendation 1: Modify the district’s organizational structure to decrease the superintendent’s supervisory responsibilities and streamline the number of executive leadership positions.
• Recommendation 2: Systematize the district process for developing, reviewing, and implementing School Improvement Plans.
• Recommendation 3: Hire a professional mediator to conduct team-building sessions to resolve issues affecting trust among board members and develop a formal self-policing structure to address potential violations of board ethics policies.
• Recommendation 4: Enforce board policies during board meetings, follow the Lone Star Governance Framework, and provide training for board members regarding acceptable parliamentary procedures.
• Recommendation 5: Amend board policy to require board members to attend trainings regarding their roles and responsibilities.
• Recommendation 6: Develop and implement procedures that establish a timeline and framework to review and update all board policies systematically.
• Recommendation 7: Develop and implement a comprehensive superintendent evaluation process.
• Recommendation 8: Develop and implement a clearly defined process for the formation and maintenance of board committees.
• Recommendation 9: Develop comprehensive operating procedures for all essential board functions and establish a process to evaluate the board’s overall effectiveness annually.

• Recommendation 10: Address communication deficiencies among central academic office functions to improve transparency with internal and external stakeholders.
• Recommendation 11: Develop and implement districtwide structures that support a consistent and systematic approach for supervising and supporting campus principals.
• Recommendation 12: Develop comprehensive processes for principal placement and retention and instructional transitions at the campus level.
• Recommendation 13: Provide consistent access to high-quality counseling programs, library services, and fine arts opportunities throughout the district.
• Recommendation 14: Implement a process for continuous evaluation of the structure, staffing, instructional delivery, and resources of the district’s supports for its English learner students.
• Recommendation 15: Implement systemic approaches to master scheduling, including improved training and oversight.
• Recommendation 16: Develop, implement, and evaluate a strategic plan for a long-term, comprehensive system of the district’s wraparound services initiatives.
• Recommendation 17: Increase academic and financial oversight of in-district charter campuses.

• Recommendation 18: Implement a strategic planning and budget model that ties the district’s departmental budgets to specific, measurable goals outlined by the administration.
• Recommendation 19: Tie campus budgets to school improvement plan goals and hold principals accountable for achieving the results on their campuses when the budgets are approved.
• Recommendation 20: Ensure that the CFO’s Office provides fiscal oversight and accountability in monitoring construction projects, provides input during the planning stages, and advises the board as project overruns and savings are identified.
• Recommendation 21: Prepare updated financial statements comparing actual amounts to budgeted amounts and share the information with the board monthly, highlighting major budget variances and including budget amendments that require board approval.
• Recommendation 22: Track and prepare an ongoing list of capital needs and develop a capital needs budget for presentation to the board annually.
• Recommendation 23: Establish a board policy that mandates a required level of unrestricted fund balance for the general fund, internal service funds, and enterprise funds.
• Recommendation 24: Promote accountability and decrease the number of invoices paid late by deducting from departmental and campus budgets late payment charges billed to the district by vendors.
• Recommendation 25: Implement the modules approved by the board for the district’s enterprise software system and establish an implementation and prioritization committee to help guide system upgrades and address identified operational inefficiencies districtwide. 
• Recommendation 26: Strengthen the process for staff terminations in the human resources and payroll system to eliminate overpayments and complete the corrective action plans recommended by external and internal auditors.
• Recommendation 27: Increase the annual revenue of the alternative certification program to meet operating expenses or eliminate the program and seek partnerships with other certifying organizations to meet Houston ISD’s ongoing needs.
• Recommendation 28: Resume regular weekly staff meetings with department managers to exchange information, inform staff, and seek opportunities to increase efficiencies and collaboration across teams.

• Recommendation 29: Enhance controls of cash and investment management processes.
• Recommendation 30: Monitor all receivables to record, reconcile, and report in the district’s financial statements in a timely manner. 
• Recommendation 31: Analyze property insurance needs based on construction projects and increasing property values and present a plan to the board to control increasing premium costs.
• Recommendation 32: Analyze the self-funded insurance funds compared to coverage offered by an independent insurance provider and present the findings to the board.

• Recommendation 33: Develop procurement processes for greater productivity and efficiency, ensure that purchases are tracked, and increase communication and training to purchasing end users.
• Recommendation 34: Evaluate vendor management procedures to ensure that practices are transparent and equitable and provide the best value for the district.
• Recommendation 35: Develop and implement efficient auditing guidelines and financial controls for purchasing card processing to safeguard district assets and ensure that all transactions follow district procedures
• Recommendation 36: Develop clear, consistent, and uniform procedures for contract development, management, and review at the district level, including training for all staff with contract responsibility.
• Recommendation 37: Revise travel procedures for more efficient travel processing.
• Recommendation 38: Review the efficiency of each warehouse function and implement processes to make the most productive use of warehouse services.

• Recommendation 39: Reorganize the Human Resources Department and adhere to best practices for an effective and equitable span of control.
• Recommendation 40: Strengthen controls over promotion and pay and perform a limited-scope classification and compensation study.
• Recommendation 41: Establish controls to monitor overtime, reassess staffing levels in key departments, and work to decrease overtime costs.
• Recommendation 42: Strengthen controls over ad hoc stipends and extra-duty pay.
• Recommendation 43: Establish a districtwide timekeeping system.
• Recommendation 44: Develop recruiting strategies for campuses that have high turnover among staff, and standardize procedures for hiring, integrating new staff, and exit interviews districtwide.
• Recommendation 45: Develop a process to review and update job descriptions regularly and mandate the use of job descriptions in the evaluation process.

• Recommendation 46: Develop an accurate facility utilization rate for each campus and ensure that campuses maintain industry-standard utilization rates.
• Recommendation 47: Develop or maintain districtwide building prototypes for all campus types.
• Recommendation 48: Develop a comprehensive long-range facility master plan that incorporates accurate information about facility replacement costs and enrollment projections.
• Recommendation 49: Eliminate program management contracts and charge existing district staff with performing these responsibilities.
• Recommendation 50: Evaluate all position titles and job responsibilities within the Construction Services Department and Facilities Services Department and ensure that titles and responsibilities match the functions performed by each position.
• Recommendation 51: Develop a furniture, fixtures, and equipment standard for elementary, middle, and high school campuses to provide consistency across district facilities.
• Recommendation 52: Revise the process for the design and construction document reviews, and mandate that specific departments have representation during the design and construction phases of projects.
• Recommendation 53: Develop a clear reporting structure for the Energy Initiatives Department and an energy management plan.
• Recommendation 54: Assess the work order needs and evaluate the ability of a digital system to improve service quality provided by the Facilities Services Department.
• Recommendation 55: Develop long-term planning strategies for the Maintenance Department, such as a staffing allocation model and a preventive maintenance program.
• Recommendation 56: Implement a consistent inventory process of maintenance stock to ensure that technicians have the needed tools and materials to complete repairs and that materials reported as used are being tracked and noted.
• Recommendation 57: Reassign the custodial vendor’s responsibilities to district custodial staff.

• Recommendation 58: Consolidate the safety functions and form a districtwide safety and security committee to address safety issues.
• Recommendation 59: Restructure the police chief ’s reporting relationship so that the position reports only to the superintendent.
• Recommendation 60: Charge specific positions with reassessing, maintaining, and regularly updating key district documents, such as memorandums of understanding and service expectations.
• Recommendation 61: Develop and institute data-driven performance measures and information sources for the Houston ISD Police Department.
• Recommendation 62: Make staffing, transportation, and facility changes to improve the Houston ISD Police Department’s processing unit for efficiency and safety.
• Recommendation 63: Standardize campus practices, communicate expectations, and hold principals accountable for student discipline management.
• Recommendation 64: Develop an enforcement mechanism to ensure that campuses are utilizing all required interventions before making truancy

• Recommendation 65: Establish districtwide IT and data governance structures based on industry best practices.
• Recommendation 66: Retrain and monitor key IT processes and use a semiannual maturity model assessment as part of the system of key performance indicators.
• Recommendation 67: Develop a three-year to five-year technology plan aligned to the district improvement plan.
• Recommendation 68: Develop an IT staffing strategy that addresses retention, recruitment, salary, and potential reallocation of resources from efficient areas within the IT Department.
• Recommendation 69: Establish and enforce minimum standards for technology funding and require campuses to replace devices on a regular cycle.
• Recommendation 70: Analyze the help desk data regularly and standardize help desk processes districtwide.
• Recommendation 71: Combine Educational Technology and Instructional Technology into one organization, based in the Academic Department.

• Recommendation 72: Analyze participation rates monthly, develop and implement strategies to increase participation, and develop board policies that address challenges to participation.
• Recommendation 73: Hold principals accountable for ensuring that all competitive foods sales on campuses comply with United States Department of Agriculture regulations.
• Recommendation 74: Develop guidelines for meal scheduling to assist principals.
• Recommendation 75: Develop and implement procedures and systems to provide oversight and consistent management of campus cafeteria operations.
• Recommendation 76: Use productivity data to manage staffing in accordance with industry standards.
• Recommendation 77: Develop an annual plan for nutrition education and menu displays in campus cafeterias.
• Recommendation 78: Develop a plan to improve catering and adult-only meal operations to a financially accountable position.
• Recommendation 79: Maximize catering facility and staff resources to support district meal programs and student culinary academic programs.
• Recommendation 80: Use the contracted consultant’s report to eliminate inefficiencies and decrease costs at the Nutrition Services Department.

• Recommendation 81: Reorganize Transportation Department functions and develop strategies to improve recruitment and retention of staff.
• Recommendation 82: Develop and implement a process to count transported students regularly and assess ridership to consolidate stops and routes and improve on-time performance.
• Recommendation 83: Explore options to achieve greater inclusion and promote the use of the least restrictive environment on buses.
• Recommendation 84: Establish processes to strengthen Transportation Department internal and external communications and solicit feedback from stakeholders.
• Recommendation 85: Enhance transportation training for drivers and students and address safety concerns at the terminals and on school buses.
• Recommendation 86: Develop a bus replacement plan that includes industry-standard criteria and decrease the number of spare and surplus school buses in the district’s inventory.
• Recommendation 87: Develop and implement processes to monitor service center productivity and vendor performance to decrease the district’s number of out-of-service vehicles.

• Recommendation 88: Consolidate the Office of Communications and the Strategic Engagement and Outreach Department to streamline the district’s communications functions.
• Recommendation 89: Develop and implement written procedures to update campus and department websites with consistent and current information.
• Recommendation 90: Update the affiliation agreement between the district and the Houston ISD Foundation to reflect actual practices and promote accountability and transparency to the public.
• Recommendation 91: Review the different ways that donations are reported to the district and develop a unified plan to accept and track campus donations.
• Recommendation 92: Update procedures to manage partnerships with external organizations and develop a system to track all district partnerships.
• Recommendation 93: Ensure the efficient communication of staff and department changes to the Information Center to maintain an updated and cohesive central directory.
• Recommendation 94: Develop guidelines to train parent and community volunteers.

Feb. – July 2020
Recommendations: 1, 12, 14, 20, 28-29, 31, 33-34, 41-42, 44, 47, 55, 71, 77-78, 88, 90, 94

Aug. 2020–Feb. 2021
Recommendations: 2, 6, 17, 32, 35, 38, 48, 53, 58, 66, 68, 70, 79, 83, 87, 91, 92

MARCH–JULY 2021
Recommendations: 11, 24-25, 30, 36, 45, 60-61, 67

Aug. 2021–Feb. 2022
Recommendations: 13, 15, 23-25, 30, 32, 51, 62, 74, 79

March–July 2022
Recommendations: 10, 18, 21, 22, 26, 36, 45, 60, 61, 63–65, 69, 82

Aug. 2022–Feb. 2023
Recommendations: 13, 19, 40, 41, 49, 50

• Does not include recommendations completed by January 2020 (16, 27, 39, 46, 52, 54, 59, 72, 73, 75, 76, 80, 81, 84, 85, 86, 89, 93)
• Does not include the following list of recommendations for which a full schedule and completion date is still to be determined:
  • 3-5 and 7-9
• Does not include 37 and 57 which cannot be fully implemented without the district incurring additional costs `
• Does not include recommendation #56 whose projected completion date is 01/25
• Does not include recommendation #43 whose projected completion date is 06/23