Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD
Greetings, District 2
It’s May, and with the final quarter of the school year in full swing, here is what’s in bloom at Dallas ISD:
Monthly Updates:
Dallas ISD Chart Toppers: For the second year in a row, Dallas ISD high schools earned the top three spots in Texas, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best High Schools rankings. Additionally, eight schools ranked in the top 50 in Texas.
Like Mother, Like Daughter: As Mother’s Day nears, I’m delighted to spotlight this incredible pair of Dallas ISD educators. Great teaching runs in their family, as both excellent educators were recently recognized by the district: one as the Dan D. Rogers Campus Teacher of the Year and the other as its Teacher of Promise. What an inspiring duo!
School Safety: Safety is a top priority in Dallas ISD at every level. In addition to monthly closed-session board briefings with the trustees, where ongoing safety audits and other security matters are analyzed, Dallas ISD’s School Safety, Monitoring and Resources Department continues its vigilant oversight, ongoing implementation, and review. The department ensures that all schools and district facilities are equipped with the tools and technology systems needed to monitor and provide a safe environment.
Superintendent Kudos: As highlighted in the Dallas Morning News Opinion piece, Superintendent Stphanie Elizalde and her team are focused on initiatives that include strengthening curriculum quality, clarifying and streamlining pathways and programs, and improving the school counselor framework to better educate kids: our future leaders, workforce, and neighbors.
Amazing Bus Driver Appreciation: The thoughtful action of decorating a special education bus exemplifies the heartwarming impact that caring staff can have on student experiences. We appreciate bus drivers throughout Dallas ISD who brighten our students’ journeys.
April Board of Trustees meeting debrief:
This month, Dallas ISD had its regular board briefing and meeting. I’ve chosen to highlight three important items below:
- College and Career Readiness Progress Report: The board reviewed the district’s progress in relation to college readiness, college enrollment, and attainment of industry credentials. The full report can be found on the link in the title, but overall Dallas ISD showed growth in the percentage of students achieving acceptable scores on college readiness exams and strong growth in achievement of workforce and industry credentials. However, Dallas ISD had a slight dip in college enrollment immediately following high school. To drive improvement, Dallas ISD is proposing expansion of college, career and advising support for students after graduation and better technology to help keep students on track with their coursework at each campus.
- Environmental Impact Update: In 2020, Dallas ISD’s Board of Trustees initiated a resolution to enhance environmental sustainability and fiscal efficiency. The district has become a national model, achieving a remarkable $19.8 million in cost savings. Key successes include significant reductions in landfill contributions, water, natural gas, and energy usage, demonstrating Dallas ISD’s commitment to both environmental stewardship and educational investment.
- Superintendent Evaluation Policy: This month, the board unanimously passed a policy codifying the structure of the Superintendent’s Evaluation in a way that creates strong alignment with the achievement of district goals and constraints.
Now, 82% of the Superintendent’s evaluation is quantitatively based on how effective the superintendent (and Dallas ISD) is in achieving academic goals and adhering to the values we’ve identified in constraints, such as student culture, staff culture, financial sustainability, effective educators, and more. I want to give a special thanks to Trustee Ben Mackey for his leadership in this effort; he and Trustee Joe Carreon co-authored this critical piece of policy with me. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Trustee Joyce Foreman for helping improve and clarify the language with an amendment.
Dallas ISD Bond Construction Updates:
Campus infrastructure upgrades funded by the proceeds from the 2020 Bond continue. For up-to-date information across the district, please see Dallas ISD’s dedicated 2020 Bond website.
As always, please reach out to me if you have thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, or simply want to say hello!
Best,
Sarah Weinberg
Photo courtesy of Sarah Weinberg.
