Staff News

Spending time with family and enjoying some much-needed rest are traditions that Dallas ISD staff enjoy during the Thanksgiving break. Thank you for sharing your traditions and plans for the break with all of us.

These are some of the comments you shared:

• I am looking forward to being with my family. It’s the time to make more memories with my family especially my grandkids. We love to bake desserts for Thanksgiving.
• I just love spending time with family because life is short and eating cornbread dressing, turkey, ham, collard greens, hot water cornbread, whole cranberry sauce (lol) and a host of other dishes. We have plenty of desserts! Yummy Happy Thanksgiving, all!
• I look forward to spending time with family and friends most years. This year we don’t have plans to travel to visit family, but I look forward to a simplified day and meal for my husband and myself. It is a day not only for gratitude but also for rejuvenation of the soul.
• Thanksgiving week is an American tradition but even though I was born and raised in Mexico, my family adopted this beautiful tradition to reflect on the many blessings we have and are thankful for. If we couldn’t find turkey in our hometown, someone would get us one from across the border. Thanksgiving week also overlaps with my birthday and my brother’s birthday, so we always have turkey on the table for a triple celebration!
• I can’t wait to enjoy cooking with my kids and football!
• Looking forward to the rest, break, cooking, time with family—otherwise, let’s wrap up a great semester.
• Thanksgiving is the favorite holiday in my family since I don’t celebrate most other major holidays. Love the food, fellowship, being blessed in this country, and having a supreme being to give thanks to.
• Excited to have family in town and eat all the yummy food, go shopping and just be relaxing away from work!
• On Thanksgiving, I’m looking forward to eating, of course, cuddling on the couch with my family and watching football as well as putting up our Christmas tree later that night. I am GRATEFUL for the small things!
• I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving because my co-workers from Boude Storey, Henry B. Gonzalez, Thomas J. Rusk, Dr. Fredrick Todd, and Jimmie Tyler Brashear work together to feed our friends who are between homes. This year we will be feeding twice, on Tuesday, November 22, and again on Thanksgiving morning. It’s so refreshing to know that we still united as a collective group to serve those in need.
• Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday to spend with family. The time off is spent at home, baking our favorite dishes with grandkids. and watching holiday movies.
• A time to rest and enjoy the days with my family and friends. Sleep in late, enjoy a cup of coffee and my outdoors walks. That’s what I am looking forward too!
• No more turkey! We travel to the ocean and eat really fresh seafood. And we fly our kites.

While the district may be closed for fall break, staff can still get assistance with benefits.

District schools and administrative offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 21, through Friday, Nov. 25. Still, the benefits call center will be open regular hours during that time to assist, with the following exceptions when it will be closed:

• Thanksgiving, Nov. 24  
• Day After Thanksgiving, Nov. 25 

For those non-emergency health concerns such as cold and flu, TRS ActiveCare participants can utilize Teladoc at a reduced cost.  Call 1-855-Teladoc (835-2362) or visit their main page.

If you have questions regarding your HSA/ FSA, you can contact Optum at 877-528-9876 or visit www.optum.com.  Optum is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You may reach the benefits call center at 972-925-4000 or email benefits@dallasisd.org.  For questions regarding leaves of absence, email benefitsleaves@dallasisd.org.  During the periods in which the district is closed, the email boxes will be monitored periodically to ensure any critical issues are resolved in a timely manner.

Dallas ISD offers families more than 100 specialty programs and schools in addition to great neighborhood schools. The time to decide which one is the best fit for your child is now, and we are here to help.

Dallas ISD will hold a virtual Discover event on Dec. 3 to help parents understand the application process for choice schools and explore the variety of programs available at each grade level. Experts from each of the different programs will be available to answer questions. They will be joined by experts who can discuss transfers and special services, such as dyslexia accommodations that are available in these choice schools and programs.

We will have three virtual meetings, one for each grade level—elementary, middle, high school. Register for one or more of them at www.dallasisd.org/discover.

Arthur Ybarra is a proud product of Dallas ISD and a third grade math and science teacher at Winnetka Elementary School, but his path to success has not been easy. 

“I sit here all the time and look at this classroom and say, ‘I really shouldn’t be a teacher. I really shouldn’t be in this room,’” Ybarra said. “But my family really pushed me to succeed. Everything I do is for them—every single thing for my wife, my four kids, my house.”

Ybarra, who is Comanche, struggled to make it through school as a teenager. He dropped out twice, once in 10th grade and once in 12th grade, before his mother, Sonia L. Pahcheka, encouraged him to earn his final credit. 

When he graduated in December 1998, he told himself that he would never go back to school. For the next decade, he worked a variety of jobs, met his wife and had his first two children. But then the recession of 2008 hit, and Ybarra was laid off. He said he promised himself and his children that he would “never be in a position like that again” and enrolled at Dallas College’s El Centro Campus to earn his associate’s degree in teacher preparation. 

He worked and parented his way through school, dropping out once due to financial difficulties, but he made it to the finish line in 2016. From there, he entered Texas Tech’s one-year accelerated Tech Teach program and became a math teacher at Winnetka, where he has been teaching ever since. 

“I tell this story to my students every year,” Ybarra said. “When I was younger, I never believed that saying that you can be whatever you want to be, but you really can. I am here to show my students that no matter where you come from or who you are, you can make it.” 

He is certainly accomplishing that goal. In his five years as a teacher, he has formed meaningful connections with his students, including a fourth grade student Ybarra first met while he was proctoring a State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test. 

Before the test, Ybarra was told that the student might not try, and then Ybarra watched the student sit with his head down on a desk, only answering four questions before the test was over. That might have been the end of their interactions, but that same student ended up in Ybarra’s math class in fifth grade. 

“We built such a relationship that by the end of the year when he took the STAAR test, he ended up getting ‘meets’ in math,” Ybarra said. “That right there told me I was doing something right by encouraging him to achieve like that, especially because he had never done that before. That story always comes to mind when I think about why I do this and the relationships that I have built.” 

In addition to educating his students for success, Ybarra makes it a point to celebrate his Comanche culture each and every day. Growing up, he said he sometimes felt “embarrassed to be singled out as Native American” because there was so little representation, but now he is proud of his heritage, which includes his great-great-great grandfather Quanah Parker—known as the last Comanche chief. 

“The history behind my family goes back years and years and years in this exact area,” Ybarra said. “Many people don’t understand our geographical area. For instance, we have Comanche County in Texas because this was the Comanche area. It makes me very proud to know that’s part of my lineage.” 

While Ybarra said his personal journey has been difficult at times, he is grateful for all the support he has received along the way from his family, community and previous educators. He is determined to pay it forward by using his experiences and talents to transform student lives and make memorable moments every day. 

“I tell my students this all the time: ‘Once you enter my class, you are my student for the rest of your life. If you need somebody to push you, come back to my room, and I will push you to the moon,’” Ybarra said. “A lot of kids growing up in this area don’t have that backing, so I want to let them know that I am here for them if they need me.” 

The state of our mental health and well-being fluctuates from day to day and from week to week as we process the events unfolding around us. While we cannot control the obstacles we face, we can put simple practices in place to care for ourselves and cope with daily stressors. 

Review the following self-care practices, and consider which ideas could benefit your outlook and well-being. 

• Boost your self-confidence by completing a task that plays to your strengths. Then move on to something more difficult once you have shown yourself that you can take the first step. 
• Practice thankfulness with a gratitude journal. Write three to five things you are grateful for each day. 
• Make room for creativity by testing out a new recipe, project or hobby. Creativity has been positively linked to well-being. 
• Laugh out loud to decrease stress and produce joy. You can do this by spending time with friends, watching your favorite comedy or telling someone your favorite joke.  
• Get ahead by meal prepping or selecting your work outfits in advance. Not only will you save yourself some brain space in the morning, but you will also feel more in control of your day.
• Explore your home. You do not have to wait for an official vacation to make wonderful memories. Make a Dallas bucket list and become an at-home tourist to appreciate what is around you. 
• Prioritize your loved ones by scheduling a game night or planning a dinner. Research has shown that people are more likely to feel happy when they spend time with friends and family. 
• Spend time in nature to increase your energy and boost your health. Whether you take a 30-minute walk through your neighborhood park or explore a new trail, the fresh air will help you feel healthier.
• Hang out with a pet. Spending time with animals can lower your cortisol levels and increase your oxytocin levels, leaving you feeling happier and less stressed. 
• Get a good night’s sleep by turning your thermostat to a cooler temperature, avoiding screens right before bed and sticking to a regular sleep schedule. 

Start small and challenge yourself to turn one or two of these practices into daily habits. If you need support, ask a friend, family member or co-worker to join you and help keep you accountable. 

You can also take advantage of Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program by LifeWorks. This confidential, secure platform has counselors on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as countless other resources and mental health tips that are available to staff at no cost. Reach out to LifeWorks at (972) 925-4000 or visit www.dallasisd.org/benefits and click on Benefits Resources to access online EAP information.

*Source: Mental Health America

Rees Davies never would have guessed that he would become a speech-language pathologist at Charles A. Gill Elementary School when he was starting his career, but now he would not have it any other way. With his trusty speech therapy guitar, Nadine, in hand, Davies is passionate about transforming student lives every day. 

“In grad school they told me, ‘An SLP can take a paperclip and make an activity out of it,’ and that is definitely true with Nadine,” Davies said. “Everything is an activity, and it’s motivating for my students because it’s musical. They want to keep the beat and be a part of it.”

Nadine—who was named after a Chuck Berry song—has her own language, with chords representing everything from basic emotions to colors and phrases. Many of the students Davies encounters struggle with conversations and turn taking, so Davies often “talks” with Nadine to model communication, asking her questions and having her respond with different notes. 

While Nadine is a constant in Davies’ practice now, he never could have predicted where he would end up when he graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in 1996 with a speciality in guitar. After several years of teaching music and playing in theaters and bands, the recession of 2008 hit, and Davies started looking for alternative paths. His wife suggested speech-language pathology, and Davies decided to apply for an SLP program with a goal of working in a public school district. 

By 2015, Davies completed his SLP program, found a new home campus at Gill and began doing traditional speech therapy. Still, he said he felt like something was missing… until he picked up his guitar again and realized he could incorporate music more heavily into his therapy practice. 

Davies found that his traditional guitar was too large to carry around, so he began bringing his smaller “backpacker” guitar instead. That’s how Nadine became a staple of his work. 

Today, his students get the opportunity to practice articulating, following instructions, making auditory associations and recognizing emotions in fun ways—all by listening to Nadine’s instructions and following Davies’ cues during activities. 

Davies meets with anywhere from three to six groups of up to six students a day, and he said the impact of their time together is “inestimable.” Not only has he cheered on countless students as they pronounced their names correctly for the first time, but he has also helped students go from speaking one word in first grade to putting full sentences together and doing well in classroom settings by fourth grade. 

While there is always more work to be done, Davies said he loves what he does and cannot see himself working anywhere else. After all, the need for student support is great, yet the impact is even greater. 

“Every student has something important to say, and other people have important things to say back to them,” Davies said. “I always try to get students to buy into that idea—you can change your world by just opening your mouth and saying things. It’s not just for other people; it’s for you.” 

Did you know that Dallas ISD is partnered with four universities across Texas, with each university allowing participants to earn their master’s degree in educational leadership while obtaining a principal certification?

Dallas ISD is invested in developing future leaders to meet the needs of our diverse community. Aligned with the district’s beliefs and School Leadership’s commitment to cultivating leadership to inspire an unwavering commitment to equity and excellence so all students become career- and college-strong, Dallas ISD is proud to offer outstanding university partnerships as individuals begin their journey toward school leadership. 

University partners include Southern Methodist University, University of North Texas at Dallas, Texas A&M University-Commerce and Texas Tech University. These programs offer curricula tailored specifically to the district, and partial tuition reimbursement is offered for qualifying participants as additional support from Dallas ISD. 

Dallas ISD’s strategic partnership and collaboration with these universities uniquely position the programs to develop leaders whose learning experiences will effectively prepare them to lead Dallas ISD schools.

Minimum eligibility requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree 
• Two years of successful teaching experience 
• Current Dallas ISD employee in good standing 
• Endorsed by principal 
• Additional eligibility requirements by each university, such but not limited to completion of GRE and minimum GPA.

If you are interested in starting your journey toward school leadership, apply today! University program overviews and applications can be found here.

For more information, please contact the Leader Excellence, Advancement and Development (LEAD) team at lead@dallasisd.org or follow the department on Twitter, @LEAD_DallasISD. 

Diedrae Bell-Hunter is described by her colleagues as a leader, a visionary and someone who is innovative and supportive. So it was no surprise when Employee Benefit News (EBN) recently recognized Bell-Hunter, executive director for Benefits in HCM, with one of its Excellence in Benefits Awards for 2022. 

In her role with the district’s Human Capital Management Department she leads teams which support health benefits, leaves, wellness programs, employee relations and other resources as well such as policy and compliance. She has led her team through many challenges. None like the pandemic. 

“What benefits departments hopefully have become on the other side of the pandemic is a people servicing department,” said Bell-Hunter, who has worked in HCM for 17 years and in Benefits for 6. “For us, it’s how we responded to the needs of the employees of this district. We are much more people-focused, and there’s much more concern for the condition of the employee and how we can help the employee and their families.” 

The Benefits Department’s 11 staff who serve approximately 23,000 employees had to quickly adapt and respond to changing circumstances due to the pandemic and find not only new ways to offer the usual services and resources, but creative ways in which to deal with new challenges, such as serving employees working remotely. 

Her leadership was recognized by EBN, a prestigious online publication that serves over 300,000 leaders in the areas of employee benefits, human resources and workplace culture. Although Bell Hunter is grateful for the award,  she attributes her success and this notable recognition to her team. 

“I would not have been able to have been recognized without the work that they do,” she said. “We made sure we put the health and wellness of staff and students first in the district. They came through, they listened, they worked hard 24-hours a day, seven days a week. There was never a time when they said no, or that it was too much.” 

Not only is Bell-Hunter the only African American woman to be recognized with this award—something she hopes will change in the future—but Dallas ISD is the only school district in the country to receive the Excellence in Benefits Award. Her wish is that the district leads other school districts in doing this work. 

“That’s our goal–to make Dallas ISD shine,” she said. “I would like to see us be the number one school district in the country for teaching people self-care, health and wellness, wellness programs, benefits and rewards that we offer to our employees.”

Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde will hold two virtual meetings on Wednesday, Nov. 30—one for central staff at noon and one for campus staff at 4:30 p.m.—to discuss the results of her entry plan survey and to have an opportunity to connect with staff and answer their questions. Each virtual meeting is scheduled to last about 30 minutes. If you have questions you would like to share ahead of time, please use this form. To participate in the talks, please register for the one of the two meetings:

Central Staff: https://dallasisd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jEVtu2XMTzyQypPM5nl1Lg

Campus Staff: https://dallasisd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NV1PrWtETp-fVwYvFN9lOQ

If you would like to send in questions ahead of the Talks with the Superintendent sessions, please share them below.

Central staff session • Noon • Nov. 30

Campus staff session • 4:30 p.m. • Nov. 30

Share your question

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with Superintendent Elizalde. We look forward to seeing staff at their respective virtual meetings!

Every time Tracy Palmer, a specialist with Dallas ISD’s American Indian Education Program, sees a Native student graduate, she is glad she chose a career where she can help transform the lives of students like her.

Growing up in Oklahoma, Palmer remembers not being able to read or write because she did not have American Indian educational support, so seeing Native students graduate is “one of the greatest moments,” she said.

“Once I knew who I was and where I was, I felt like I had a big moment in life—that ‘ah ha’ moment,” said Palmer, who has been with the district since 2008. “I can actually say my dream came true, so I always tell our graduating students, ‘I’m so proud of you. You made it.’ And they will say, ‘Thank you for helping me. Thank you for caring. And thank you for what you do. You’ve changed my life.’ Those are memories that can never be forgotten.” 

Palmer started her career in Oklahoma as a proud second generation college graduate, earning first her associate’s degree from Haskell Indian Junior College and bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Tulsa and then her master’s degree from Oklahoma City University thanks to a grant-funded scholarship written by Stuart Tonemah of the Kiowa tribe. The scholarship enabled a small group of American Indian educators across the country to pursue a master’s degree specifically in gifted education for Native American students. 

“I initially thought I wanted to be a full-time artist, but then a teacher got a hold of me and said, ‘Why are you here? You need to be an educator,’” Palmer said. “That was it. I applied for the American Indian Research and Development Inc. scholarship.” 

That was when Palmer—a registered member of the Muscogee Creek Nation Tribe of Oklahoma, who is a quarter Creek, a quarter Seminole, a quarter Cherokee and a quarter Irish—found her true calling. She went on to be a field worker and project coordinator for several Oklahoma public schools, specializing in youth advocacy and American Indian education, before finding her way to Texas as a cultural consultant and tutor for Fort Worth ISD. 

From there, she joined the Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas as a job developer with employment and training, which further equipped her with more of the skills and contacts needed to thrive at Dallas ISD. 

“We did outreach for so many avenues beyond the regular services, and those relationships were crucial,” Palmer said. “It was a great job that gave me four and a half years to learn about the Native population here, who came for everything from clinical and mental health support to outreach services and our food pantry. Then I got the opportunity to transition to Dallas ISD. This is the largest district in the United States that I have ever worked for.”

Now, Palmer takes great pride in her work with Dallas ISD’s American Indian Education Program, which provides Native students with cultural enrichment programs, college and career preparation, truancy and retention support, culturally competent counseling, representative book clubs and more. She also has a vision of providing STEM enrichment opportunities to Native American students in the DFW area by collaborating with another American Indian Education Program in Fort Worth. 

After three decades of service to American Indian education across Oklahoma and Texas, Palmer said it has been an “honor” to practice her culture and remind Native families that they have “the legal right, the civil right and the cultural right of preservation and understanding of who we are as traditional people indigenous to this continent in pursuing an education.”

But none of this work has been an individual effort, Palmer said. She is glad to have spent so many years working alongside talented, passionate people who are dedicated to providing opportunities and support to Native students, and she is looking forward to the work still to come. 

“I really believe in servant leadership,” Palmer said. “As a Native woman, I can say being a servant leader in education has been a privilege. To see our Native people, our students of Dallas ISD, walk across that graduation stage, I know that no matter what their career, vocation or dream is, I was just a small part of that. That is why I am here.”