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Saturday, August 18, 2018 • Vol. 63 • No. 29
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By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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Teacher pay freeze shot down, but questions remain
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I believe that teachers should be paid what they’re worth – my concern is that we must identify where those dollars are going to come from
HISD teachers should receive their step pay raise this year after all, after an amendment proposed by Trustee Elizabeth Santos narrowly passed at last week’s regular Board of Trustees meeting – but it remains to be seen where administrators will be able to find the funds. Santos’ amendment shot down administrators’ proposal that would have frozen educators’ salaries at the 2017-2018 level for the upcoming year as the district attempts to navigate a budget shortfall. Trustees
- Wanda Adams passed the amendment by a 5-4 margin, with Diana Davila, Anne Sung, Sergio Lira, Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca, and Santos voting in favor. “Our teachers need that step raise
– it’s the one thing they thought would be given to them,” Santos said. “It’s paying them for the experience that they’re bringing back to the classroom.”
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“It’s the issue of not respecting and maintaining the experienced teachers’ step pay that has been there in the past,” Lira said. “We have to continue to project the value of our teachers, and especially of our experienced teachers. We need to value them.” Among fellow trustees greater concerns, however, is determining a source of funding for the step raises, which would cost about $5 million according to HISD Chief Financial Officer Rene Barajas. “I believe that teachers should be See Teachers P. 6A
Fitzgerald’s Sold By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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The property for Fitzgerald’s, which has hosted live musical acts in the century-old building near the corner of White Oak Boulevard and Studemont Street for four decades, has been sold to a local real estate developer. Sara Fitzgerald, who has owned the property and venue since 1977, confirmed the property’s sale and has said she will stay on hand to run the venue until a decision is made with regards to its future development. “I bought it 42 years ago to flip it, it just took me that long to flip it,” she said of the venue, which was in danger of being torn down when she purchased it more than four decades ago. “I thought it was a cool building, and somehow got into the music business and stayed around a long time. It wasn’t the intent to become Contributed photo this kind of mu- The Fitzgerald’s propsic promoter, it erty has been sold, but it is currently unknown just sort of hap- what its future holds. pened.” The property has been sold to Heights Studemont Purchase Company, LLC, an affiliate of Chicago-based Easy Park. They also own additional sites such as Christian’s Tailgate and Tacos a Go Go on White Oak Drive. Fitzgerald said she had been conducting ongoing negotiations for about a year or two, with several offers having come to the table before closing with the Easy Park affiliate July 1. “They’re just adding [to what they already have on White Oak], and I started talking to them about three or four months ago,” she said. Over the past 42 years, throngs of pa-
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inside. High school varsity football season starts soon. See our annual coverage of the local teams.
Meet Hira. This 6 month old shepherd mix
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Section B
See Fitzgerald’s P. 5A
Long Live the Arts - Montrose Boulevard 1942 watercolor
Page 10B
Railway Heights draws strong neighborhood interest
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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 7A Coupons. ................................................. 8B Food/Drink/Art................................... 9B Obituaries.............................................. 5A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A
Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com This time next year the Greater Heights adjacent neighborhood of Timbergrove will be home to Railway Heights. This development is another in a line of Houston’s newest commodity of food halls and markets. But with the growth in Houston -- especially in The Leader area -- of food and drink concepts, will Railway Heights be just what the locals need? Anh Mai of Silent Theatre Group, who is also behind Conservatory - downtown’s first food hall -- and Bravery Chef Hall, and Shepherd Ross are collaborating on the project. They are dedicated to creating a space in the neighborhood that will
Railway Heights sounds like it will be a good spot to launch chefs and concepts, serving as an incubator of sorts Image of the proposed Railway Heights, the food hall that is set to debut the summer of 2019 at 8200 Washington Ave. in Timbergrove
become a staple in Houston while being financially friendly for potential vendors. “While I haven’t spoken with the Railway Heights developers personally, generally speaking, farmers
- Lance Fegen
markets, beer gardens, and locallysourced grocery stores have been very popular all over my district,” said Ellen Cohen, Mayor Pro Tem and council member over District C. With a 27,000 square-foot food
hall, 13,000 square-foot beer garden, and 22,000 square-foot park and greenspace, Railway Heights is sure to attract a mix of people who may want a good beer, or fresh local vegetables. Twenty-five food and drink concepts will be introduced in the space; including, a beer garden, a dog park bar, and a wine bar. “Railway Heights sounds like it will be a good spot to launch chefs and concepts, serving as an incubator of sorts,” said Lance Fegen, culinary director at F.E.E.D. TX Restaurant Group, owners of Liberty Kitchen, “I think that the lower start-up costs will be an attractive element for resSee Restaurants P. 6A
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