Greetings, District 2!
While enjoying the April showers and flowers, the Dallas ISD School Board has been hard at work. Please find news on what the Board has been up to below.
Dallas ISD District 2 Monthly Updates:
- Wilmer-Hutchins High School shooting: Unfortunately, the Wilmer-Hutchins High School community faced a tragic school shooting this month that left several students with non-life-threatening injuries. Circumventing security protocols, the perpetrator was let in a door by another student and opened fire, and was out of the building within two minutes of entry. I want to recognize the district staff who responded immediately and secured the scene, all while never breaking security protocol, which was always followed. This type of tragedy is becoming all too common in the U.S. today. At Dallas ISD, we will continue to put safety first and find ways to continuously improve the safety measures in our schools.
- Brighter futures: Improving student outcomes remains our top priority at Dallas ISD. With top teacher pay, Dallas ISD leads the region in both salary levels and teacher retention. This year, with our merit-based pay system, the average Dallas ISD teacher salary exceeds $70,000, and our turnover rate was better than both the region and state. With additional investment in counselors, librarians, health services, and internships, Dallas ISD is positioning itself as a district of choice—committed to academic excellence and opportunities for all students.
- Pre-K Enrollment in DISD is Now Open: Do you have a 3- or 4-year-old child? Dallas ISD pre-K enrollment is now open! Click the above link to explore options and sign up today!
April Board Meeting debrief: This month, Dallas ISD had its regular board briefing and meeting. I’ve chosen to highlight a few items below:
- Dallas ISD priority setting update: This month, Dallas ISD approved broad language for our priorities – our student outcome goals and our community values (constraints). Overall, there have been a number of major improvements from the last cycle, namely (1) inclusion of habits of mind, (2) adding a financial literacy component to our goals, and (3) ensuring a higher bar of rigor related to college and career readiness. You can find the draft language here. Now, we’ll move to setting the actual measures and targets.
- College and Career Readiness progress report: The Board reviewed the district’s progress on college readiness, college enrollment, and attainment of industry credentials. While the full report can be found in the link, it’s worth noting that Dallas ISD showed a strong 8% growth in the percentage of students achieving a college-ready score on college readiness exams and strong growth in achievement of workforce and industry credentials. Dallas ISD had a slight increase in college enrollment, despite declining state and national trends. On a related note, career institutes were featured here in this D Magazine article, highlighting choices available within Dallas ISD reflecting evolving workforce needs and vocational interest.
Â
Dallas ISD bond construction update: Across the district, campus upgrades funded by the proceeds from the 2020 Bond continue, with more information found on the Bond 2020 dashboard. Looking forward, a Bond Steering Committee has been created to assess future districtwide capital improvement needs and provide input into the potential next bond package, targeting 2026.
As always, please reach out to me if you have thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, or simply want to say hello!
 Best,
Sarah Weinberg
 
Stay up to date on the news from the district by following us on social media @Dallasisd and @dallasisdEspanol.
