Staff News

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to schools and districts as they try to provide instruction to hundreds of thousands of students, and one of the hardest to overcome has been the number of teacher absences due to illness or quarantine. Dallas ISD has been able to keep instruction going thanks, in part, to central staff pitching in as substitute teachers in schools across the district.

More than 90 staff in the Teaching and Learning division, 65 School Leadership instructional lead coaches, and almost two dozen staff members in Human Capital Management put aside their daily tasks to go back into the classroom either a day or two or five per week when the number of absences were at their highest.

For Kaitlyn Reneson, an ESL curriculum instructional specialist, going back to the classroom reignited her passion for helping students learn because the experience reminded her of why she got into education.

“Teachers were using their planning periods to sub for other teachers, doing everything to make sure students were learning,” Reneson said. “There’s something about being in it together. You say you understand but subbing for a day really makes you see that we need to be in this together. If a campus needs you, you go.”

Reneson has spent five days substituting at an elementary school—outside of her usual classroom experience in high school. Her colleague, Fernel Gonzalez, a dual language campus support coordinator, also saw first-hand the level of stress teachers and campus administrators have been under to work tirelessly to bring students up to speed under trying circumstances.

And he agreed: “We need to have each other’s backs because we need to work together to help the students.”

The instructional coaches from School Leadership have been substituting within the clusters they serve daily. Where they had more than one campus, the team divided and conquered, said Felicia Gray, director of Instructional Lead Coaches. And in schools that needed additional support due to double-digit absences, several coaches were assigned.

“While maintaining instructional support for students was paramount, they not only covered classrooms,” Gray said. “They also worked as front office staff, parking lot greeters, lunch duty monitors and any other roles needed for the campus.”

For all the central staff who worked as substitutes, their regular responsibilities and deadlines did not go away. But none minded putting in extra hours to catch up because they knew that what they were doing was crucial for students, said Mayra Rangel, a dual language campus support instructional specialist, who has also spent time substituting.

“It is worth it,” Rangel said. “We stayed open when other districts had to close down. This proves that we are a united front.”

Due to scheduling conflicts, Dallas ISD is rescheduling its February retirement webinar to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, and cancelling its March webinar. If you are planning on retiring in the next few years and want to learn how to prepare, you can register for the rescheduled webinar.

For staff who plan to retire this year, you can get cash for your unused local days through the district’s Retirement Service Award. The more days remaining, the higher the payout.

To participate in the Retirement Service Award, employees should notify Human Capital Management no later than April 15 of the date they intend to retire. Notification should be made by entering the intended retirement date in Oracle Self-Service.

The Retirement Service Awards pays employees a flat daily rate of pay for any unused local days accrued by July 31. The exact rate to be paid will be determined upon calculation of the total of all participants’ remaining local days (calculated by July 31). There is no cap to the number of local days paid. There is no time in service requirement.

If employees complete the separation process in Oracle by April 15 and work the remainder of the year, they will continue to have pay and benefits through Aug. 31. Those who do not enter their separation date in Oracle Self-Service by the April 15 deadline will not be eligible for the award.

For additional questions, employees may contact the HCM Benefits Department at 972-925-4300 or email Retirement@dallasisd.org.

What job candidate wouldn’t want the chance to work alongside a mentor, getting hands-on practice while observing an experienced person in the role? That is the opportunity given Sunset High School Principal Resident Jacob Nunez and six of his colleagues, who are the first to participate in Dallas ISD’s one-year principal residency program.

“The residency is an opportunity for in-the-moment professional development, to grow and learn,” says Nunez. He joined Dallas ISD as a world history teacher in 2005 and has been an assistant principal at W.E. Greiner Middle School, where he helped in achieving an Exemplary rating; Dr. Wright E. Lassiter Jr. Early College, which won National Blue Ribbon status during his tenure; Skyline High School, where he was on a team that moved the school out of Improvement Required status; and Justin F. Kimball High school, from which he was selected for the residency.

Sunset High School Principal Jesus Martinez, his mentor, sees the value of the residency as giving a potential principal access to the inner workings of the actual job.

“It is a program that benefits potential candidates by giving them valid and real ‘at-bats’ for doing the job and getting used to the different aspects of the job that aren’t always learned about as an assistant principal or in graduate programs,” he said.

The duo has tackled many challenges together. For a while, the principal said, “we were homeless because the school was under construction, so we were working out of Adamson High School and then Pinkston. Nunez came in during my first year as principal here, in the midst of a construction project, so he’s gotten a real crash course in some of the things that can happen, even getting a chance to see the bond construction process up close. Sooner or later, he’ll be a part of that process when he becomes a principal.”

Martha Bujanda, director of the residency program and of new leader development, said the program is “an incredible opportunity to learn the work, to learn as you go, with your mentor principal at your side guiding you through the process of what it is to be a principal and the many different aspects that entails.

“We’re giving them the experiences in the safe space of learning. That’s the power of it,” said Bujanda, who was a principal herself for nine years in Dallas ISD. “If I’d had the opportunity of actually shadowing a principal before I became one, learning at their side instead of learning on the job, I would have had a better understanding of how to address all the situations that arise after you become principal of a school.”

The residents meet at Dallas ISD’s central office once a month as a full cohort to learn and deliver content. “We give them observational feedback,” said Bujanda. “We’ll practice here, and then they’ll go and practice that in their schools. We’re providing a framework around values-based leadership—we do a lot of internal adaptive work on being able to perceive and apply feedback in order to grow.”

Martinez believes the residency program will give Dallas ISD an advantage over other districts because, “our principal candidates will enter into the principalship better prepared and ready for the challenges that come with being a first-year principal.”

Velina Willis-Smith, Minority/Women Business Enterprise coordinator, has been appointed Regional Coordinator for the American Contract Compliance Association (ACCA). The ACCA was established in 1986 as a nonprofit national organization dedicated to ensuring equitable employment and contracting practices within the public and private sectors. The organization provides professional certification credentials, training, standardization of practice, networking, and support to M/WBE, supplier diversity, affirmative action, contract compliance, equal employment, and human rights professionals across the country.  It is the only nationally recognized certifying body for professionals in the respective fields.

Willis-Smith will represent Dallas ISD and the M/WBE Department on a national level by bringing more awareness to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility to racial equity programs and initiatives.  Her primary responsibilities will include developing and increasing ACCA membership, working on the education committee, and facilitating communication between 13 states—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. As a member of the education committee, she will be involved in developing and implementing educational and professional development seminars.

Hearth disease and stroke are the main causes of deaths in the United States, but the good news is that you can do a lot to prevent developing either.

Several health conditions, your lifestyle, and your age and family history can increase your risk for heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of all Americans (47%) have at least one of three key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. Other factors like smoking also contribute to heart disease.

Making changes to your lifestyle, according to the CDC, can contribute to reducing the risk of hypertension and the resulting heart disease.

Your diet
Choose healthy meals and snacks to help prevent heart disease and its complications. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods. Eating lots of foods high in saturated fat and trans fat may contribute to heart disease. Eating foods high in fiber and low in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol can help prevent high cholesterol. Limiting salt, sugar and alcohol in your diet can also lower your blood pressure. Learn more about healthy diet and nutrition at CDC’s Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity website.

Maintain a healthy weight
People with overweight or obesity have a higher risk for heart disease. Carrying extra weight can put extra stress on the heart and blood vessels. To find out if your weight is in a healthy range, you can calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) at CDC’s Assessing Your Weight website.

Include regular physical activity
Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. For adults, the Surgeon General recommends 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking or bicycling, every week. Children and adolescents should get 1 hour of physical activity every day. For more information, see CDC’s Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity website.

Facts About Hypertension*

In 2017, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association published new guidelines for hypertension management and defined high hypertension as a blood pressure at or above 130/80 mmHg. Stage 2 hypertension is defined as a blood pressure at or above 140/90 mmHg.

• In 2019, more than half a million deaths in the United States had hypertension as a primary or contributing cause.
• Nearly half of adults in the United States (47%, or 116 million) have hypertension, defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 80 mmHg or are taking medication for hypertension.
• Only about 1 in 4 adults (24%) with hypertension have their condition under control.
• About half of adults (45%) with uncontrolled hypertension have a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher. This includes 37 million U.S. adults.
• About 34 million adults who are recommended to take medication may need it to be prescribed and to start taking it. Almost two out of three of this group (19 million) have a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher.
• High blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of death for 516,955 people in the United States in 2019.
• High blood pressure costs the United States about $131 billion each year, averaged over 12 years from 2003 to 2014.

*Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Lois Harrison-Jones, a Howard University retired professor and retired Dallas ISD administrator, will be the speaker at the African American Education Archives and History Program’s 20-year anniversary at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 8. The celebration, “Remembering Our Past, Acknowledging Our Present and Embracing Our Future,” will be available via YouTube.

Harrison-Jones is regarded as a pioneer in educational leadership and has served at virtually all levels of education from classroom teacher to instructional supervisor, principal, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent in Dallas and superintendent of schools in Richmond, Va., and Boston. She is a former associate professor at the Harvard University School of Education. To view the event, go to www.aaeahp.org and click on the YouTube icon.

The AAEAHP was founded in 2002 as a collaborative effort of local educators and the African American Museum. Oral history, an Educators Hall of Fame, archives and a history collection, a scholarship program, and curriculum development are the main goals of the organization. Programs under development include a children’s center, a social justice component to address current issues, and a digital interactive wall/multi-media project.

“It is important to preserve this history so that society can study the lessons learned through the struggles and triumphs of African American educators, students, and the community,” said Alfred L. Roberts, Sr., president of AAEAHP and one of its founding members.

The 20th anniversary celebration of AAEAHP will recognize the organization’s successful trajectory which has created an awareness of the African American educational experience in Dallas County by collecting and preserving archives, recognizing outstanding educators and others, and supporting students and young educators.

Some of those accomplishments include —

• Recognizing and inducting 156 educators into its Hall of Fame, which is proudly displayed at the African American Museum. Some of the inductees are Rosie Collins Sorrells, Emmett J. Conrad, Marvin Edwards, Yvonne A. Ewell, Kathlyn Gilliam, Mavis Knight, and Sam Tasby.
• Awarding $56,500 in scholarship funds to 28 high school students who are pursuing a degree in education.
• Completing 166 interviews with Hall of Fame inductees including Marvin Edwards, Nolan Estes, the Rev. Zan W. Holmes Jr., the Rev. Peter Johnson, Diane Ragsdale, Sam Tasby, and Roy Williams.
• Processing 50+ archival collections including those of Maurine F. Bailey, Kathlyn Gilliam, A. Maceo Smith, Eva Jessye, Trinity Links, Juanita Craft Civil Rights House, African American Newspaper Collection, Black Baptist History Archives.
• Developing a partnership with the Dallas Independent School District to create a children’s center at the African American Museum. The AAEAHP will develop online Black History Moments.
• Partnering with the African American Museum to launch a $250,000 campaign to help establish the installation of a digital interactive wall at the museum, which will include an oral history collection featuring more than 300 individuals and exhibits currently housed at there.

To learn more about AAEAHP, go to www.aaeahp.org.

Next fall, Dallas ISD will launch iLearn Virtual School, a standalone virtual school offering anytime, self-paced instruction for students in grades three through nine and ultimately grades kindergarten through 12th grade.

The school will be led by Monica Morris, a 17-year veteran Dallas ISD educator, who began as a math teacher at W.W. Samuell High School before serving as both an assistant principal and associate principal at Woodrow Wilson High School and the Townview Magnet Center. Most recently, she has been a part of the School Leadership team as a network coordinator for the magnet cluster, transformation and innovation cluster, and the single-gender cluster.

“I am humbled and honored to be named the principal of iLearn Virtual School,” Morris said. “I have learned from many great principals and leaders along the way and am looking forward to using that knowledge to lead iLearn Virtual School in a way that is as exciting and innovative as the world around us.”

Students at the virtual school will have access to all the resources afforded to traditional in-person students, including a full menu of virtual courses. Fully credentialed teachers will direct the students, who will have access to an innovative online learning platform configured for ease of use. Seats are available for grades three through nine for the 2022-2023 school year. To apply, use the district’s one-stop online application: www.dallasisd.org/choosedallasisd.

“Dallas ISD is excited to launch our first ever 100% full-time virtual campus,” said Angie Gaylord, deputy chief of the Office of Transformation. “This new boutique standalone choice option maximizes student learning in a 24/7 on-demand virtual environment.”

It has come to the district’s attention that some athletic teams, booster clubs and PTAs are using the City of Dallas Triple D logo in an unauthorized way.

The City of Dallas Triple D logo (pictured with permission) is copyrighted by the City of Dallas. Dallas ISD schools, booster clubs, athletic teams, PTAs or other district organizations are not allowed to use this logo in any way without written permission from the City of Dallas.

Unauthorized use of the Triple D logo in any form is subject to possible litigation. We want to make sure everyone is clear and stays in compliance.

With the safety and wellbeing of students and staff in mind, Dallas ISD will be updating fingerprints for employees who were fingerprinted before June 1, 2015. The fingerprinting will take place in phases based on job groups, and the affected staff will be notified of the options available for them to complete their fingerprinting prior to the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Appointments will begin within the next few weeks.

Getting updated fingerprints from staff is necessary as part of the district’s subscription to the FBI Civil RapBack program. The FBI Civil Rap Back program allows an entity, such as school districts, to receive notifications of new activity to a criminal history record of an employee at the national level.

Dallas ISD already subscribes to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Fingerprint-based Applicant Clearinghouse of Texas (FACT) to receive notifications if an employee’s criminal history record changes. For example, the district would be notified if the employee is arrested or charged with a violation of law after the initial background check. In the past, the subscription service only made notifications of new activity to a Texas criminal history record.

By subscribing to the FBI Civil Rap Back program, Dallas ISD will receive notifications of events within Texas and also notifications of events that occurred elsewhere in the nation. These programs are designed to assist Dallas ISD in the continuous vetting of employees in positions of trust and who have direct contact with students.

Employees who have questions regarding the FBI Civil Rap Back Program, should contact Erika Cazares at (972) 925-8081 or fingerprinting@dallasisd.org.

Each year Dallas ISD supports the United Negro College Fund through a workplace campaign to raise funds for deserving college-bound students. This year’s campaign will kick off with a special virtual event at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3.

UNCF, the nation’s largest minority education organization, plays a critical role in providing scholarships to more than 60,000 students each year to help them pursue higher education and become productive citizens. The funds raised from the district’s campaign will be awarded as scholarships to seniors of all races in the Dallas ISD who plan to attend a historically black college or university (HBCU) or any other four-year accredited U.S. college or university in the fall of 2022.

The workplace campaign begins February 3 and ends March 31, 2022, and is open to for donations from students, staff, and community members. Students may contribute cash donations through campus fundraising efforts. Staff may give donations in cash or contribute funds electronically through Oracle under Employee Self Service. Staff have the option of choosing a one-time donation or monthly payroll deductions. Monthly deductions will be taken out during a nine-month period starting May 1 through Jan. 31, 2023. Employees and community members may also donate to UNCF directly.

The virtual campaign will kick off from 4-4:45 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3.
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