Staff News

Dallas ISD is excited to host the annual More Choice Expo, a districtwide enrollment event encouraging families to learn about their neighborhood schools.  

The expo will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, at the Automobile Building in Fair Park. Dallas ISD’s legacy schools will be represented and families will have the chance to register for the 2025-2026 school year, with nearly 50 registrars available to assist and answer any questions. It will be a day of family fun, food, and the opportunity to explore the best schools that Dallas has to offer. 

This will also be the first weekend for prekindergarten enrollment for the new school year at the pre-K pop up. For more details, visit https://www.dallasisd.org/morechoice. Schools can visit the tool kits page to find materials to help them promote the event to their families. 

The second semester of the school year can get quite busy between end-of-year testing, wrapping up projects, and preparing for the summer break. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. 

Dallas ISD wants team members to know that they are not alone during this time. The HCM Benefits Department’s Employee Assistance Program is here to provide support and to help make this season a little easier to manage.

The EAP is a confidential and completely free resource available to all district employees. Whether they are dealing with work-related stress, personal challenges, or just feeling the weight of responsibilities, trained counselors are available to support team members. The program can assist with a wide range of concerns, including family issues, relationship challenges, financial or legal matters, stress, and emotional well-being.

No matter what time of day or night, the EAP is here for all. Team members can reach out 24/7, 365 days a year, and provides up to six counseling sessions per issue at no cost.

Getting help is simple. Team members can contact the EAP by calling 972-925-4000 and then selecting Option 3. For even more convenience, additional resources are available through the “Telus Health One” app on both the Apple Store and Google Play. If you prefer to access support through our district’s designated app, just log into the portal using your SSO (Single Sign On) credentials, and download the EAP app. For further details, you can also visit www.dallasisd.org/benefits and click on https://dallasisd.lifeworks.com/feed to access the Telus Health One EAP website directly.

If you have any questions or need more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the HCM Benefits Department at 972-925-4300 or by email at benefits@dallasisd.org. 

March 24 marks the start of the open transfer period for all district campuses and teachers, counselors, and media specialists/literacy media specialists can seek and apply for positions. 

The open transfer period for the new District Support Initiative campuses continues and teachers, counselors, and media specialists/literacy media specialists interested in working at those schools can seek and accept a position.

In addition, Dallas ISD is holding a job fair for DSI schools starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, at South Oak Cliff High School. Those interested will find exclusive career opportunities, competitive stipends, and on-the-spot interviews and hiring recommendations from DSI school principals. For more information, about stipends and the job fair, download this flyer. 

To take advantage of the open transfer opportunity, eligible employees must apply online using their EAD login at www.dallasisd.org/careers using the internal openings link. Employees must apply to be eligible to participate. The current principal’s approval is not required during the open transfer period; however, the best practice is to inform the current principal of the desire to transfer.

To be eligible for an open transfer, employees must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a valid Texas Teacher Certificate or hold a valid District of Innovation Certification Exemption in the requested subject-area vacancy and meet TEA/SBEC Certification Standards for the position
• Must not be entering their fourth year of an Alternative Certification Program
• Must not be identified for non-renewal at the end of the current school year due to performance and/or misconduct

To see the list of campuses in the Pathway to Excellence, Strategic Support Schools, and Strategically Staffed High Schools programs and learn more about the supports and stipends provided, visit www.dallasisd.org/dsi. The deadline for principals to submit a recommendation for the open transfer period for PTE/SSS/SSHS campuses is June 1, 2025.

The open transfer period for all other campuses ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 25, 2025.

Human Capital Management will accept principal recommendations via TMS for schools, including those in the Pathway to Excellence, Strategic Support Schools, and Strategically Staffed High Schools programs. 

Human Capital Management will email notifications of approval/denial throughout the open transfer period. These notifications will be sent to the employee and the current and receiving principals. Transfers are only final once the Letter of Assignment email notification has been sent from Human Capital Management. All notifications will be completed by May 2 and June 9 for PTE/SSS/SSHS campuses. After the open transfer window closes, all transfers must follow the administrative transfer guidelines.

Throughout the month of March, the National Association for Music Education celebrates Music in Our Schools Month, highlighting the work of music teachers like Terence Hobdy, director of Roots, Jazz and American Music at

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Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Visual Arts.

Hobdy, who has spent the last five years leading the school’s jazz program and ensembles, is preparing students to understand the culture and historical significance of the music they play, teaching them to use their own perspectives to create an innovative sound.

“At a young age, I was listening to Dexter Gordon,” said Hobdy, who comes from a musical family. “My oldest brother would play his radio, and I would hear Charlie Parker playing Embraceable You. It was the alto saxophone that made me want to play jazz.” 

Originally born in Houston, Hobdy grew up in gospel music environments, often surrounded by drummers. His musical interests began at a very young age, prompting his mother to enroll him in drum lessons at the age of 6.

Hobdy began his formal music education in middle and high school band. He continued his studies at the University of Houston where he received a bachelor’s degree in music. He also earned a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas in 2015.

While studying at North Texas, Hobdy was selected to perform with a university quintet that traveled to Amsterdam. His experience performing in Europe had a profound effect on him, and he developed a deeper appreciation for the technicality of the jazz language.

“Europe is the birthplace of classical music. They apply that level of study to jazz, and there is an incredibly high level of respect for the history and the integrity of jazz music,” Hobdy said.

With familial roots tracing back to southern Louisiana, Hobdy is deeply connected to music’s history. From New Orleans Jazz to R&B, gospel, and hip hop, he draws from these influences as the foundation for his teaching.

Hobdy began his career as a consultant for the arts magnet’s ensembles and as a music instructor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2020, he became the new jazz director at the arts magnet high school.

“My room is a collage of the previous director’s success for the last 30 years before he retired. I am trying to keep it going, making sure it keeps moving in that direction and further,” Hobdy said, now setting his sights on preparing for future Grammy nominations for the school’s ensembles.

Hobdy hopes to evolve music education. He is reimagining creativity through teaching the importance of culture, historical significance and innovation—instilling these ideals into the school’s group ensembles.

“Jazz unifies and moves things forward. Jazz preserves integrity,” Hobdy said. “When you listen to past recordings and study the way musicians of the time presented themselves and the music—there was always some level of integrity.”

Hobdy directs the Booker T. Washington Jazz Orchestra, Contemporary Ensemble, Jazz Combo and the Jazz Fusion Midi Ensemble, which teaches students a unique and flexible approach to improvisation beyond traditional jazz.

“The ensembles are more than just diversity. They honor the spawning of how music came into existence. Each ensemble serves a purpose of historical significance,” Hobdy said.

Next, he hopes to create an African Drumming ensemble to preserve the rhythms that are the root influence for all other music.

Hobdy centers his instruction around culture, engaging students in a variety of indigenous music—from African music to Latin American music, to Afro Cuban and classical music.

He compared the way jazz was formed to the intricate process of making a cultural dish, a tradition he knows well through his family heritage.

“Since jazz is birthed in New Orleans, the best way to think of it is to imagine gumbo,” he said. “The ingredients of gumbo are items that you wouldn’t think go well together, yet they mix well with the right seasoning. It all starts with a good roux—a base or foundation—to help bring those different ingredients together and to help the flavors make sense.” Hobdy compared that to combining different cultures to create a new art form, and both are living expressions of history, culture, and harmony.

W.W. Samuell High School art teacher Rachel Rogerson is impacting both her school and the global art community as she takes students through women’s art history, teaching them cultural art traditions.

In her leadership role as an art curator, Rogerson also engages the community in historical narratives, celebrating customs and traditions that can be preserved through art.

Previously, as the executive director at The Mckinney Avenue Contemporary (The MAC) in Dallas, she led the gallery in advocating for creative freedom and presenting visual art in all forms.

Rogerson studied fine and studio art at the University of North Texas where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Before becoming an educator, she worked in various historical exhibits as an art curator, and in 2013, received a Master of Letters in Museum and Heritage Studies from the University of St. Andrews after discovering a desire to be a leader within these spaces.

Her journey to education came well after her career as a curator. Following her participation in the district’s Alternative Certification program, Rogerson became a long-term substitute at W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy during the onset of the pandemic.

“This experience brought back why art is so important to me. It was great seeing students engage in art and being able to express themselves,” Rogerson said.

Rogerson has been at Samuell High School since 2021 when she became a full-time art teacher leading art classes and the school’s art club.

Rogerson is inspired by African American and Nigerian women artists, Lois Mailou Jones and Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye, often conducting research on West African textiles and quilting traditions of the American south. 

She uses this knowledge for her curriculum, centering student projects on these historical art techniques. This year, her students are honoring women artists by using a West African fabric dyeing tradition called Adire.

Rogerson guides them through learning how to sew, studying the science of using indigo dye and studying traditional quilt patterns.

She believes that it is important for her students to know the history behind the clothing items we wear regularly, and to understand how women have created techniques that we have used for centuries.

“I want to teach students about the historical knowledge that connects to the contributions of women, specifically black women,” Rogerson said. “I hope they can see the past as something that is a part of their daily lives. I hope that they’re starting to see there is more under the surface—that there’s something deeper.”

Recently, her impact has reached global audiences, as well.

In 2022, Rogerson served as art curator for an exhibit with Dallas artist Lucas Martell, alongside the international German art fair—Documenta. After an open call that year, Rogerson submitted the concept to the lottery drawing system and was picked to be an exhibitor.

This work received coverage and international publication in the German based art book, Win-Win Lottery, by DISTANZ Verlag (Berlin).

Rogerson’s work as curator, has helped spread the work of Martell, a renowned artist who attended W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

As she continues to support women artists, Rogerson’s passion for lifelong learning inspires her work both in the classroom and in the Dallas art community.

The Kemper Foundation is accepting applications for the 2025 Read Conmigo School Impact Grant through March 9.   

The Kemper Foundation awards up to 22 Read Conmigo School Impact grants of $10,000 each with the goal of supporting school and program wide dual-language initiatives. Applications must be submitted by the principal on behalf of their school. 

Grant funds are awarded for the benefit of the students, and funds should remain within the school, regardless of changes in principal leadership. 

Eligibility requirements:  

• Must be a Title 1 elementary school serving bilingual students. 

• Must have an established dual-language program with at least one year of implementation. 

Funds may be used for school resources and technology improvements, instructional support and professional development, and community and cultural engagement. 

Examples include: 

• Developing or acquiring dual-language curriculum and instructional materials 

• Expanding existing dual-language programs

• Providing bilingual educator training, workshops, and conference attendance 

• Hosting schoolwide bilingual events, such as assemblies, literacy fairs, and cultural celebrations 

• Supporting family engagement initiatives in dual-language education 

• Funding dual-language arts, dance, music, and theater programs 

For a detailed list of non-eligible uses of the grant funds and grant requirements for principals who are awarded funds and to apply for the grants, visit the grants page. 

The open transfer period for the new District Support Initiative campuses has opened, and teachers, counselors, and media specialists/literacy media specialists who meet the guidelines and are interested in working at those schools can seek and accept a position at those schools.

Eligible employees must apply online using their EAD login at www.dallasisd.org/careers using the internal openings link. Employees must apply to be eligible to participate. The current principal’s approval is not required during the open transfer period; however, the best practice is to inform the current principal of the desire to transfer.

To be eligible for an open transfer, employees must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a valid Texas Teacher Certificate or hold a valid District of Innovation Certification Exemption in the requested subject-area vacancy and meet TEA/SBEC Certification Standards for the position
• Must not be entering their fourth year of an Alternative Certification Program
• Must not be identified for non-renewal at the end of the current school year due to performance and/or misconduct

To see the list of campuses in the Pathway to Excellence, Strategic Support Schools, and Strategically Staffed High Schools programs and learn more about the supports and stipends provided, visit www.dallasisd.org/dsi. 

The deadline for principals to submit a recommendation for the open transfer period for PTE/SSS/SSHS campuses is June 1, 2025.

The open transfer period for all other campuses begins March 24, 2025, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 25, 2025. 

Human Capital Management will accept principal recommendations via TMS for schools, including those in the Pathway to Excellence, Strategic Support Schools, and Strategically Staffed High Schools programs. 

Human Capital Management will email notifications of approval/denial throughout the open transfer period. These notifications will be sent to the employee and the current and receiving principals. Transfers are only final once the Letter of Assignment email notification has been sent from Human Capital Management. All notifications will be completed by May 2 and June 9 for PTE/SSS/SSHS campuses. After the open transfer window closes, all transfers must follow the administrative transfer guidelines.

An accidental fire this summer damaged the kitchen Skyline High School uses to teach life skills to students who receive special education services, and while repair work was being completed, Assistant Principal Sonja Nix had to get creative to find a way to help her teachers impart those skills without a kitchen.

She found the answer in virtual reality.

With the use of computer programs that Nix and the SPED teachers have repurposed and goggles that have been obtained from other programs that were no longer using them students in Vashti Mbah’s class are following recipes, cutting and measuring ingredients, mixing them and cooking, just like they would in a real kitchen.

“We partner with the culinary arts pathway to use their kitchen, but if the students have a catering event coming up, we can’t use it,” she said. “But we have to keep teaching these skills. This is a great way to do it. The students have really taken to it.”

Cooking is not the only life skill where virtual reality is used to teach. Students in Caroline Gichangi’s functional life skills class get to drive using computers and programs that have been repurposed from other areas in the high school thanks to Nix’s efforts. And while they are not likely to be driving a car in reality, the programs are reinforcing other lessons and teaching them social skills.

“Kids are so used to interacting with phones and technology that this makes it so much easier,” Gichangi said. “Even those who don’t have reading skills can interact and advance to have a functional life. As they interact with each other.”

The students in her class show their obvious enjoyment while using the computer programs, which has helped them be more open and acquire greater communication skills, she said.

Nix, who is the assistant principal over special education and discipline, was working on her doctoral program going through an educational technology course when she had the idea that technology—specifically augmented virtual reality—could be helpful in special education classes. Skyline, Dallas ISD’s largest high school, has more than 300 students receiving special education services and about 80 of them are in functional skills classrooms. As far as Nix knows, Skyline is the first program to use virtual reality with SPED students in this way.

Unfortunately, this technology is not normally part of life skills classes so there was no budget for it . Because it was needed at the moment, Nix begged and borrowed from other programs that were not using the computers, goggles, programs, etc., and got the students to try them out.

“The kids found a bunch of apps we didn’t know we had but we need to update the modules,” Nix said. “We have been incorporating the technology into the lesson plans. It has been a great success. They are acquiring 21st century skills.”

Nix hopes that the success shown this year can lead to more support for technology upgrades—both equipment and software—so more students in functional skills classes can benefit from them. She also hopes that other high school life skills classes will see how virtual reality can help students and adopt it, as well. 

“I would like to visit other campuses and talk to them about how this has made a difference for our students, and how they can replicate it,” Nix said. “We are taking the district’s mission to educate all students for success seriously.”  

Crystal Alexander, a manager in the Mathematics Department, has always been inspired by women who have broken barriers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and since becoming a math teacher with Dallas ISD, she has been inspiring the next generation of trailblazers. 

One of the ways she has done this is through the annual Dallas ISD STEM Expo—the largest in Texas. After 11 years of managing the event, Alexander believes it is one of her greatest projects, exposing over 5,000 students each year to exploration and design within technology.

She believes these events are crucial to inspiring the next generation of innovators.

“In today’s world, success isn’t just about intelligence or skill, it’s about knowing where to find opportunities and having the confidence to pursue them,” Alexander said.

A Dallas native and graduate of the Business and Management Center, the name of the business magnet at the time, Alexander said her passion for the Dallas community stems from her family and her mother.

“My interest in STEM was sparked by my childhood curiosity—breaking things and trying to fix them before my mom got home. I had an early instinct to repair, troubleshoot and put things back together,” Alexander said. She approaches her career with a problem-solving mindset.

Her mother instilled in her a love of learning and a desire to put God first, which Alexander has carried from early education through her 24 years with Dallas ISD.

Alexander began her career as a math teacher at E.B. Comstock Middle School, returning to her roots in Pleasant Grove. After five years, she became a teacher at Emmett J. Conrad High School where she worked within the STEM Academy, which partnered with Texas A&M University to develop project-based learning STEM curriculum. Four years later, Alexander transitioned to a districtwide role, serving as an instructional math coach and STEM manager before eventually taking on her current position.

In 2023, Alexander briefly took on the role of interim director of the Math Department, using knowledge from her Master of Science in School Counseling from Lamar University to lead and motivate the team supporting the district’s more than 130,000 students. 

Alexander holds a bachelor’s degree in math and biology from Jarvis Christian University, a historically Black university. She uses her background to develop and organize large scale events beyond the expo, including the LBJ Express and Tackle Tomorrow STEM Camps.

“What excites me most is seeing students engage with math and STEM in ways that change their perspective on what’s possible—whether it’s a student discovering a love for coding, a teacher gaining confidence in delivering math lessons, or a family realizing new opportunities for their child’s future,” she said.

Alexander has partnered with global and local companies, creating community STEM events with Microsoft, the Dallas Millennial Club, American Airlines, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Klyde Warren Park and numerous other organizations.

“I appreciate that the district has provided space for innovation and collaboration, allowing me to develop initiatives that truly make a difference,” Alexander said.

 In addition to her work in the district, Alexander is on the advisory board of the Kids on the Move for Success in Atlanta, Ga.,  guiding the organization’s STEM programming. 

She also serves on the Board of Directors, the Education and Research Committee and the Black Heritage Committee at the Dallas Arboretum. She said these experiences have allowed her to contribute to cultural celebration and educational development.

In her own career, Alexander hopes to continue advocating for equity, ensuring young girls see themselves in STEM careers. However, her greatest motivation is her mother, whom she remembers as a mentor and support system.

“I carry my mother’s influence with me every day, especially in my role as a math and STEM educator. She instilled in me a deep sense of vigilance in helping others,” Alexander said.

Beyond education, Alexander is a dedicated advocate for the Alzheimer’s cause, a passion she developed after her mother’s diagnosis in 2015 and passing in 2018.

“I’m very active in promoting the cause, sharing information and participating in research. So many people my age are dealing with their parents who are transitioning into that stage,” Alexander said.

After losing her mother, Alexander has expanded her purpose to advocacy, researching ways to help others prepare for life changes.  She prioritizes wellness, recognizing that our bodies change over time and require intentional care.

In her work in STEM, Alexander is inspired not only by her mother but also by the women who have broken barriers in mathematics and STEM, despite it being a male dominated field.

 “Women like Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson are important because their work at NASA helped change history,” Alexander said. “Dr. Evelyn Boyd inspires me because she is one of the first Black women to earn a PhD in mathematics.”

“For me, women’s history is about recognizing the challenges women face in leadership positions within education,” Alexander said.

Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services is preparing to celebrate National School Breakfast Week March 3-7. This year’s theme, “Clue In to School Breakfast,” encourages students to start their day with a healthy breakfast.  

“We want every student to walk into the classroom feeling nourished, energized, and ready to succeed,” said Debi Rowley, executive director of FCNS. “School breakfast isn’t just about feeding kids—it’s about giving them the fuel they need to think, learn, and grow.” 

Throughout the week, cafeterias will feature special menu items, including a mini parfait on March 4 and brunch for lunch on March 6. Schools will also receive posters, promotional items, and themed attire activities opportunities to engage students and staff.  

Food and Child Nutrition Services invites elementary and middle school students to submit their artwork displaying the importance of a healthy breakfast. For more details and submission guidelines, please visit NSBW Contest Entry Forms 

Winning entries will receive prizes and will be featured in the FCNS newsletter and will be displayed in school cafeterias and at the Maria Luna Food Services building.