Learn about fall leveling

Allocating teachers is not always a simple process at Dallas ISD given the district’s size, complexity, and varying student and campus needs. There is no one size fits all solution.

The process for ensuring the right ratio of teachers to students considers several factors to ensure there is a teacher in place in the classroom. For example, allocating teachers includes such factors as campus master schedules, which derive from what a student chooses during the spring with the campus counselor. This process begins in November of the current school year to plan for the upcoming school year.

So team members can better understand the process of fall leveling, Human Capital Management has created a guide.

What is fall leveling?

Fall leveling is the process by which the district transfers some teaching positions from one school to another after the school year has begun to match student enrollment.

What are the benefits of fall leveling?

Fall leveling is required each fall to ensure the correct number of teaching positions is allocated to each campus based on student enrollment. This allows for students at a Dallas ISD campus to have a qualified teacher in their classroom and equal access to instructional support and programs across all district campuses.

When does fall leveling occur?

The fall leveling process occurs August through September. The process starts with the official class counts that are reached at campuses on day seven of the school year. This is the number of students that will be used to generate teacher allocations for the fall leveling process. It is important to encourage parents to ensure that their students are enrolled in their campus as soon as they can to start the school year to better align the allocation of resources for the 2025-2026 school year.

Why does fall leveling happen?

Each spring, the district goes through a rigorous process to revise the number of budgeted positions for a campus based on each campus’ projected needs for the upcoming school year.

In the fall, the district reviews the actual student enrollment for each campus. Fall leveling uses the students who actually show up at the start of the school year to determine resource allocations rather than using a projection. Since there is an understandable fluctuation of student counts between spring projected enrollment and the actual student enrollment in the fall, as well as the unique needs of students (number of bilingual, special education students, etc.) on each campus, the district makes staffing adjustments to better serve all students throughout the district.

Do campus leaders have any say in the leveling process?

Absolutely. Campus leaders are involved in the process and can advocate for the specific needs of their campus. School Leadership, Human Capital Management, and Finance then work together to find a balance between the needs of each campus and the financial position of the district, while working within the board-approved budget. Multiple departments come together in the fall to create staffing guidelines that are used during this process.

Is fall leveling an easy process?

Occasionally, fall leveling will require moving teacher positions from one campus to another based on student needs. While moving one teacher position from one campus to another may sound like a somewhat simple process, it becomes more challenging when various certifications and campus needs are considered, as well as students and team members who are impacted by the change. When this happens across more than 228 schools, it can get complicated. The district works to minimize this impact while also maximizing our resources to increase student outcomes for all students and campuses.

For any questions or concerns, please contact staffing@dallasisd.org