Brooke Kushwaha

1 month ago | houstonlanding.org | Brooke Kushwaha

Seven years ago, a Ford F-150 truck barreled into then-12-year-old Tamia Tolliver as she crossed a busy street walking to school, shattering her legs. The truck driver apparently hadn’t seen Tolliver as she navigated an intersection with no crosswalk or guard outside Spring ISD’s Claughton Middle School. “She looked like she was dead, the way she was,” said Tolliver’s grandfather, Marvin Jenkins, who found her crumpled in the intersection after rushing to the scene.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Brooke Kushwaha

Overview: Houston Landing has had three Livingston finalists in two years. Two Houston Landing reporters have been recognized as finalists for the 2025 Livingston Award. Immigration reporter Anna-Catherine Brigida and Houston ISD reporter Asher Lehrer-Small join a group of over 70 finalists representing the best reporting and storytelling by journalists under 35 years of age. The winners will be announced June 10 in New York City.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Brooke Kushwaha

Spring ISD Superintendent Lupita Hinojosa announced her resignation Tuesday after just over three years in the position, leaving the school board less than three months to find a successor. The first Hispanic woman to lead the majority Hispanic district, Hinojosa led Spring through a tumultuous Covid-19 recovery marked by financial challenges. Last month, the district announced that it would be closing an unknown number of schools ahead of the 2026-2017 school year.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Brooke Kushwaha

In Juliana Gonzalez’s new dance class at Rees Elementary School, students sit, twirl, jerk, and strike poses, their jagged movements reflected in the floor-to-ceiling mirror in front of them. The Alief ISD third graders are practicing their “tutting,” a hip-hop dance move in which dancers make geometric movements with their hands and fingers.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Brooke Kushwaha

Spring ISD leaders are considering whether to shutter some schools in the coming years, joining several Houston-area districts debating campuses closures amid stagnant state funding and declining enrollment. District leaders kicked off a series of in-person and virtual meetings last week to gather feedback from parents, staff and community members about options for closing a projected $13 million budget deficit.