Staff News

The date to finalize your benefits choices for the 2022-2023 year is fast approaching—Aug. 18 is the last day to change or add benefits and to put money into your FSA or HSA. 

If you have questions about differences between plans, which additional benefits are offered, how the sick leave bank works or other topics, the Benefits Department is holding two more webinars to answer your questions. Just click on the links below to register.

• 12 p.m. — Tuesday, Aug. 9
• 5 p.m. — Tuesday, Aug. 16

The Benefits Department is also ready and available to assist employees with appointment options for individualized in-person and virtual assistance. For an individual in person or virtual appointment, please email Benefits@dallasisd.org and a team member will connect with you to schedule an appointment.

You can review your benefits and enroll by visiting the enrollment portal at Employee Portal. Additional information is on the Benefit website www.dallasisd.org/benefits. If you need assistance, contact the Benefits Call Center at 972-925-4000, or call or email a Benefits team member at 972-925-4300, Benefits@dallasisd.org.

About 1,500 new teachers gathered at the Winspear Opera House this week to celebrate the start of the 2022-2023 school year and their new journey with Dallas ISD. 

The atmosphere was festive and inspirational, as they watched performances by Dallas Poet Laureate Joaquín Zihuatanejo, DaVerse Lounge and the Wilmer Hutchins Blue Belles and Seagoville Blazers. Several campus leaders also took the stage to welcome the new teachers, including Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, Trustee Dan Micciche and teacher of the year finalists Anais Childress and Dutchess Gutierrez. 

Regardless of the campus or grade level, Dallas ISD’s new teachers are ready to transform student lives and make memorable moments this year. Kenneth Ho, a ninth grade biology teacher at L.G. Pinkston High School, is most excited about meeting his students. 

“My students are going to be in high school for the first time, so they’re going to be in a brand new environment the same way that I am going to be in a new environment, so I am looking forward to learning alongside them,” he said. “I also love biology, and I want to be a part of inspiring students early on to pursue science.” 

Shakira Aguinaga, a third grade bilingual teacher at Gabe P. Allen Charter School, agreed: “I am excited about the opportunity to grow, both in teaching and in growing with my students. The New Teacher Academy gave us resources to use in the classroom, and they will really help my kids.”

These incredible teachers chose to work at Dallas ISD to pursue their dreams and make a difference. Ieasha Lee, a middle school math teacher at Judge Louis A. Bedford, Jr. Law Academy, is a proud graduate of Dallas ISD who left the health care field to return to teaching. 

“I’d seen that a lot of teachers were leaving, and I saw that there was a need,” she said. “I’m one of those people who would like to meet students where they are, and I knew that I belonged in a classroom versus behind a desk.” 

Welcome home, new teachers! 

Do you have family or friends who have a conferred degree and are ready to join the classroom? Dallas ISD is now offering new certification exemptions for aspiring teachers seeking to enroll in our certification program.  

Dallas ISD has expanded new certification exemptions for professionals who do not currently hold SBEC certification/teaching credentials when high-quality, certified teachers are not available in hard-to-fill and high-demand vacant positions. 

Flexibility on teacher certification has been expanded to include the following: 

• EC-6 core subjects
• Secondary ELAR, mathematics, science and social studies

These newly expanded areas for a District of Innovation (DOI) core content local certification exemption will meet or exceed the minimum academic requirements currently required for Texas-based Alternative Certification programs per TAC §227.10 and include the following:

• Bachelor’s degree conferred
• Overall GPA of 2.5 or higher in the content field
• Core subjects EC-6: 24-semester credit hours in a combination of subjects directly related to the elementary curriculum
• Secondary (7-12): 24 semester credit hours in the subject area

Additional exemptions also include the following for non-certified experienced professionals:

• Ninth- to 12th-grade career and technical education (CTE)
• Ninth- to 12th-grade dual credit
• World languages
• Visual and performing arts 

Educators can begin their process by applying through the 2022-2023 Teacher Application and are eligible for the new teacher incentives. If you have questions regarding DOI qualifications, teacher certification or need assistance, please contact the Certification Department at 972-925-4260 or certification@dallasisd.org.

For Nancy Shotts, the piano teacher at W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy, Dallas ISD is home. Her passion for music started at 6 or 7 on a “little Hammond organ” and was fostered first at Bayles Elementary School and then at Harold Wendell Lang Sr. Middle School and Skyline High School. She returned to Dallas ISD as a teacher and for the past 18 years has been  developing her students’ own talents.  

While she loves nothing more than encouraging her students to be “superstars” with their music, she always emphasizes the life lessons at the heart of every ensemble, duet or concert. These lessons include how to focus, how to be dedicated and how to perform under pressure; and each one serves as a reminder to her students that their end goal is growth, not perfection. The “performance pyramid” is one of many visuals she uses to get this point across.  

“The bottom level is when you first are looking at a piece of music and you don’t know how to play any of it, but you study it and you figure out the patterns,” she said. “The next level, you are learning the notes and trying to make it all come together. Then the top level of the pyramid is where we want to be, and the pinnacle is that very highest point. You’re not going to be perfect, but if you are growing—that’s the standard.” 

To further emphasize music’s life lessons, Shotts encourages her classes to follow an acrostic for “piano,” where “p” stands for pride, “i” stands for integrity, “a” stands for artistry, “n” stands for knowledge (with a silent “k”) and “o” stands for ownership. 

“This is what we’re all about,” she tells her students. “Yes, we’re learning to play the piano, but these are our core beliefs. This is what I want you to demonstrate throughout the whole entire school, not just in piano but also in your family and your neighborhood.” 

One of Shotts’ biggest personal lessons in her 18 years of teaching has been authenticity. She has seen time and time again how intuitive her students are, so she works hard to be dependable, trustworthy and honest. As a result, her students recognize that she values them and are far more receptive to her teaching strategies and plans. 

Shotts is preparing for the 2022-2023 school year with a new theme to motivate her students: flourishing. After adjusting to so many changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shotts believes they are ready to thrive, and she will continue to apply her passion for teaching and music to help them achieve their goals, whether they hope to become an engineer or pursue piano at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

“These are students who wouldn’t be able to have private lessons. Their parents aren’t even able to look for that type of opportunity, much less pay for it and get them where they need to be, so the piano program makes music available to them,” Shotts said. “It’s just been a dream come true for me to be here at Greiner, so I appreciate that greatly.”

The COVID-19 pandemic created obstacles to learning for many students, including those with dyslexia who were already struggling in reading and writing. These skills are fundamental to student success and college readiness, which is why Veronica Allen, the director of Section 504 and Dyslexia Services, and her team have been working so hard to expand dyslexia intervention across Dallas ISD’s middle and high schools. 

The first goal of dyslexia intervention is to identify and remediate students as early as possible. However, regardless of the age a student is identified, all students identified with dyslexia require strong support systems in order to progress academically. Fortunately, an allocation from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund has enabled Dallas ISD to broaden services in middle schools and enter high schools for the first time during the 2021-2022 school year. 

Allen’s team used about $2.5 million in high schools and about $4.2 million in middle schools and hired 34 new secondary dyslexia interventionists to reach all secondary campuses. Some of the high school funding also went to supplies and materials, which the middle schools already had in place. As a result, there are now 189 full-time interventionists across the district who are assisting 5,886 students from elementary to high school. Their insights into the programs’ successes have been overwhelmingly positive. 

“Dyslexia interventionists are seeing these students blossom,” Allen said. “They are helping students become fluent readers and giving them more confidence. They are also teaching the students to be their own advocates and how to read their accommodation plans so they can say, ‘This is how and why I need support.’ And then they can advocate for themselves in every class.”

Providing dyslexia intervention at the middle and high school level can be difficult if  interventionists do not build trust and rapport with their students. Some students do not understand why they need to sound out letters in sessions when they are reading in class, while others may feel embarrassed to be receiving support at all. So explaining the “why” behind their sessions and getting students to buy into the dyslexia program is key. 

“It’s just a whole other ball game,” Allen said. “You have to really pour into them, so that way they trust you to go the extra mile for them. Once they start seeing and reaping the rewards, it’s unbelievable. That’s the exciting part.”

The ESSER funding for secondary dyslexia expansion will cover three years total, and then the programs will rely on the general operating budget. Allen’s primary goal continues to be early identification, but she also wants to ensure that secondary students receive exemplary dyslexia services and learn how to self-advocate so they can have a bright and successful future.

“We want these kids to succeed and be college ready,” Allen said. “If they cannot read, they are going to struggle across all core content, so once we build those skills and give them strategies to support the fundamentals of reading, then they are going to see progress across the board.”

School bus driver Edith Rodarte has been transforming the lives of students along her routes for the past 40 years. She loves working from her “office on wheels,” especially when she gets to watch students grow up.

“I had one high school student who was talking to me about moving on to college—what she was going to do and where she had been accepted,” Rodarte said. “It was just an awesome thing to be a part of that. These kids care enough about their drivers to include them in their travels through life.” 

Working for Dallas ISD’s Student Transportation Services is no easy feat. Rodarte is usually at her bus by 5 a.m. to prepare for the day ahead. The rest of her shift passes in a flurry of organizing routes, delivering students safely from point A to point B and coordinating with the bus lot to meet every need that arises. She sometimes does not finish her route until 6 or 7 p.m., but for Rodarte, every minute is worthwhile. 

“It’s a very big family environment,” she said. “We care about each other and take care of each other, and that’s with all the drivers, monitors and staff.”

Rodarte is passionate about helping Dallas ISD educate all students for success. Not only is she a proud graduate of Dallas ISD, but she also grew up dreaming of working for a school district. When she realized that teaching was not the right fit for her, in 1982, she turned her attention to driving buses for Dallas County Schools, where she worked until Dallas ISD took over student transportation in 2017. 

Providing timely, safe and efficient transportation to students across the district requires focus and flexibility, which the Student Transportation Services department has in spades. Rodarte has navigated broken down buses, bad weather and more, all while feeling confident that the district will support her no matter what. 

“Dallas ISD has taken care of me in every way I’ve ever needed to be cared for, even through illnesses and surgeries,” Rodarte said. “I love it. I absolutely love it.” 

If you know anyone who is interested in joining the Student Transportation Services family and transforming student lives on the go, the department has several positions available, including CDL Driver, CDL Trainee and MPV Driver. Visit https://www.dallasisd.org/transportation for more information. 

The health and safety of students, staff, and stakeholders remain top priorities at Dallas ISD as we get ready to start the 2022-2023 school year. Similar to other routine communicable diseases like the flu, we can reduce COVID-19 events by adhering to consistent personal and workplace safety protocols. We want to remind staff to take precautions to minimize the possibility of transmission. 

Responsible distancing

While the vaccination rate against COVID-19 among returning Dallas ISD staff is about 85%, the recommendation is to continue to responsibly distance in common areas, including conference rooms, break rooms, and elevators. When planning trainings and other large gatherings of staff, students and parents, organizers are encouraged to allow for responsible distancing and to provide personal protective equipment and sanitizing supplies. 

Masks

The district is continuously monitoring the number of positive cases in the district and in the community and working with health professionals to assess the need for additional safety measures. The use of masks can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, and Dallas ISD is currently recommending staff use masks in large gatherings, especially where responsible distancing is difficult. If the numbers increase, the district may encourage or strongly encourage the use of masks. Always, staff who are immune compromised should discuss protocols for meetings and large gatherings with their supervisors.

Cleaning and sanitizing

To ensure safe and healthy environments, Maintenance and Facility Services staff are conducting the summer deep cleaning of schools to get them ready for students and staff. In addition these preparations and to supplying PPE to all campuses for the start of the new school year, Maintenance and Facility Services staff will continue: 

• regular cleaning and sanitation of common spaces,
• Saturday sanitization of school buildings,
• monitoring areas for ventilation improvement,
• supplying PPE consumables upon request.

Reporting cases

Procedures to report positive cases of COVID-19 among staff or exposure to those who have tested positive will remain the same as last year. Requirements differ for those who have been vaccinated and boosted and those who have not been, and details can be found at www.dallasisd.org/covidstaffinformation.

Dallas ISD will continue to provide testing for employees who think they may have COVID or who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive. Information on testing sites and procedures can be found at www.dallasisd.org/Page/74200.

Staff handbook for COVID protocols

Dallas ISD will continue to update the staff handbook regarding COVID and to share updates with staff as they become available. Campus and department leaders are encouraged to review current safety procedures and implement them as needed in their respective areas to ensure a safe and healthy environment when students return to in-person learning in August.

If you have any questions, please contact  Health Services at 972-925-4211 if you believe you have been exposed to COVID for contact tracing and quarantine information, and contact Benefits at 972-925-4300 if you have a lab COVID positive test result required for Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL).

After a three-day summer summit, Dallas ISD principals are more than ready to welcome students and staff back to campus.

On the first day of the summit, principals gathered at W.H. Adamson High School, where Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde and other district leaders shared words of encouragement. Campus leaders also explored the “Essential Four” of leadership: equity, curriculum, instruction and literacy. The Essential Four were derived from “Leading with Focus: Elevating the Essentials for School and District Improvement” by Mike Schmoker, who was the event’s keynote speaker. 

Over the remaining days, principals and assistant principals gathered by networks at seven sites across the district to receive professional development in reading language arts, math, science and social studies curriculum. They also chose from 16 “choose your own adventure” sessions and engaged in network planning and collaboration to set their campuses up for success. 

Dallas ISD has switched its learning management system to Schoology, which is now available to all teachers. The district has been in the process of transitioning from PowerSchool Learning to Schoology since January because the original learning management system was being discontinued. All curricular content—including individual lesson plans—has been migrated to Schoology. 

However, official gradebooks and attendance will remain in PowerSchool. Teachers will continue to use PowerTeacher Pro to record grades and attendance for the 2022-2023 school year. 

All of the existing district curriculum and resources were automatically moved to Schoology before June 7. Individual teacher content was also migrated to their respective district Schoology accounts. While teachers will be able to access PowerSchool Learning until Sept. 23, you are asked not to upload any new material there as it will not be transferred to the new Schoology site. Teachers who uploaded material after June 6 to PowerSchool Learning will need to replicate it in Schoology.

Moving Newly Added PowerSchool Learning Content to Schoology 

Click on “Learn More” to view directions on how to migrate your PowerSchool content into Schoology. Remember, your PowerSchool Learning content was already moved to Schoology before June 7, so this would only need to be completed for content added after June 6.

Upcoming Notifications

Note that upcoming notices regarding the following topics will be updated on the Schoology PDL Homepage and the Dallas ISD Curriculum Connection Webpage. 

Look for your first opportunity to interact with Schoology in the Back to School Professional Development catalog. 

Everyone wants to achieve balance in their lives, but it’s easier said than done, especially when you have to juggle work, family and your own expectations at the same time.

Fortunately, you can put practices in place to help you organize your daily routines and produce a greater sense of balance. That sense of balance will decrease your stress levels and lead to a higher quality of life overall. Best of all, you can get started today with the following tips. 

Double check your priorities. When life gets hectic, it does not take long to feel overwhelmed. That is why it is so important to decide where to devote your energy. Take time at the beginning of each day, week or month to review recent events and what is on the horizon. Is most of your time going to your biggest priorities? If not, you may need to rearrange. 

Say no. Your time is limited, and each nonessential commitment you make prevents you from focusing on what matters most. Practice saying no to the small tasks that are draining your energy or that are keeping you away from your family and friends. When you reduce the number of commitments in your life, you will be able to enjoy what you are doing instead of endlessly running from one event to another. 

Make time for you. How many times have you placed yourself last on your priority list? While it can feel like the only option is to decrease your free time to make room for more to-dos, practicing self-care is vital to mental health and well-being. Start small if self-care seems impossible. Planning out just five minutes a day to go for a walk or talk to a friend can go a long way toward refreshing your mind and body. 

Ask for help. You do not have to tackle everything on your own. Create a chore chart with your spouse or partner, or teach your children to help with a few age-appropriate tasks around the house. If you are having trouble prioritizing your needs, call up a friend and ask them to join you in the activity to help keep you on track. 

Stay grounded. As you are setting new goals and boundaries, be realistic. You will never be perfect when it comes to finding balance, and what works for you one month may not work as well the following month. The most important element is paying attention to your needs. Only then can you maintain an overall sense of balance. 

Be present with your community. Resist the temptation to endlessly multitask and be productive. Set your phone and emails aside when you are with your loved ones, and allow yourself to live in the moment. By doing so, you will strengthen your relationships and rest more often. 

Life is called a balancing act for a reason, but the end goal is worth the effort. Practice regular intention, reflection and organization, and you will find yourself feeling more stable and at peace despite your many responsibilities. 

For more tips on improving your health and well-being, check out Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program by LifeWorks. This free, confidential platform has countless resources available online, including practical tips on subjects like work-life balance, overcoming procrastination and getting organized. Reach out to LifeWorks at (972) 925-4000, or visit www.dallasisd.org/benefits and click on Benefits Resources to access online EAP information.