Central Staff News

Do you want to sharpen your professional skills, develop your leadership ability, and become a more confident communicator?

At Dallas ISD Talk it Up! Toastmasters, you can accomplish these goals in a self-paced supportive environment alongside others pursuing the same goals. Toastmasters learn by doing, by following a proven program of speeches and leadership activities. Want to learn firsthand how Toastmasters can help you give voice to your potential?  Register through Cornerstone to attend Dallas ISD Talk It Up! Toastmasters Open House on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m. at the Linus D. Wright Administration Building, 9400 N. Central Expressway, Room 300.

Dallas ISD Talk It Up! meets Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Meetings are held at the H.B. Bell School Support Services Building on the first, third and fifth Wednesdays of the month and at the Linus D. Wright Dallas ISD School Administration Building on the second and fourth Wednesdays.

Educators looking to continue their education and service to Dallas ISD students can apply for the annual $20,000 scholarship offered by Credit Union of Texas in honor of former Dallas ISD administrator William H. Cotton Scholarship. The scholarship offers $20,000 in financial assistance to a Dallas ISD educator seeking to pursue post-baccalaureate education to further their career in the field of education at Dallas ISD. The deadline to submit the application is March 29, 2019. Go here to download the application. Finalists for the award will be contacted by April 30, 2019, and the winner will be named by May 30, 2019.

Principal of Jose “Joe” May Elementary, Israel Rivera, received the 2018 scholarship.

This year, an estimated 250,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed. The good news is that prevention and early detection are saving lives. Dallas ISD staff have the opportunity to donate toward breast cancer research by participating in the districtwide “Pink Out” day on Friday, Oct. 5.

Staff are encouraged to wear pink shirts, sweaters, cardigans, or other appropriate tops. Those who choose to donate toward breast cancer research can take advantage of the “Denim Day” also on Oct. 5 and wear work-appropriate jeans.

For instructions to donate via Oracle Employee Self-Service, click here. For any questions or additional information, contact the Benefits Department at benefits@dallasisd.org or (972) 925-4300.

The Benefits Department is hosting flu shot clinics this fall at district buildings and campuses from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. To view the locations and times of the clinics, visit www.passageware.com/ClinicSignUp/DISD/.

Passport Health accepts the following PPO insurance plans:

• TRS-Aetna ActiveCare 1-HD and 2 Plans – covered at 100%
  • TRS SELECT plans cannot be accepted. *
  • Scott & White Plans cannot be accepted. *
• Aetna*
• Blue Cross Blue Shield*
• Cigna*
• Humana
• United Health Care
• Medicare Part B (Flu shots only-please provide a copy of any supplement plans also)

For employees who do not have an accepted insurance plan, the cost is $20 for the Quadrivalent flu vaccine, payable by cash or check, made out to Staying Healthy Medical Services.

To take advantage of the clinic, sign up online or with the campus organizer. Locations with low sign up counts may be cancelled prior to the clinic date. For additional information, contact the Benefits Department at benefits@dallasisd.org or (972) 925-4300.

*TRS Aetna ActiveCare Select plans and Scott & White plans cannot be accepted. Employees on these plans must see a Baylor Scott & White physician for all services, including vaccinations for the plan to cover the services. We are unable to accept HMO plans, Aetna & BCBS Bronze, Silver and Gold plans and Cigna Local Plus. Please see consent form for other known exceptions.

Dallas ISD has already surpassed its student enrollment projections for the school year, with more than 156,100 enrolled as of Sept. 7.

The district, which originally projected an enrollment of 155,089 students this school year, is on track to top last year’s enrollment of 156,832 students.

District officials said one reason for the higher-than-projected enrollment is that more Dallas-area families are learning about and choosing best-fit schools in Dallas ISD. From collegiate academies—where students can earn up to 60 hours of college credit or an associate degree while still in high school—and innovative choice schools to the district’s growing high-quality pre-K program, district officials said there is an ideal school for every student in the Dallas area.

But more than any other factor, district officials credited the higher-than-projected enrollment to the Texas Education Agency’s accountability ratings showing tremendous gains across the district. The new TEA state accountability rating known as “A through F” graded school districts on student achievement, school progress/growth, and closing the achievement gap. Dallas ISD received a “B” letter grade and is home to six of the 12 schools that achieved the highest-possible score on the 2018 STAAR test, according to the TEA.

Meanwhile, Dallas ISD has also achieved a steep decline in the number of Improvement Required campuses, from 43 in 2013-2014 to four in 2017-2018.

“We are proud of our tremendous gains in Dallas ISD, and our families, teachers and staff should feel great accomplishment in what we have done together,” Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said. “But this is not the finish line, we have just started this race. We still have much more work to do.”

School Leadership has established the Leader Excellence, Advancement and Development program, or LEAD, to develop a principal pipeline strategy focusing on attracting, preparing, developing and retaining the best educators. Coordinating with internal and external partners, LEAD will spearhead several key initiatives for the district.

LEAD’s first initiative this year is to revise the principal selection process, ensuring the highest quality leaders and best-fit candidates for all schools will be identified and selected. This new process will launch on Sept. 1.

Those who are interested in applying for a principal position, meet the qualifications, and wish to take part in the selection process for the 2019-2020 school year can apply via Applitrack no later than Sept. 30.

For additional information, please contact Menay Harris, executive director for the LEAD program, atLEAD@dallasisd.org or (972) 925-4627.

Accounting Services has created a new Oracle iExpense expense type for Local Mileage Reimbursement. The new expense type is called District Mileage. The Monthly Mileage expense type will no longer be available in the dropdown menu.

Employees will no longer be required to track and enter odometer readings or attach the Travel Mileage Reimbursement Form.

For additional instructions and contact information, employees can go to the Application Training and Support website by clicking on https://www.dallasisd.org/ats, or from the Dallas ISD main page click on Departments and select Application Training & Support Select Oracle Resources and I-Expense.

Accountability ratings released today by the Texas Education Agency show that Dallas ISD is making tremendous gains.

The new state accountability system known as “A through F” grades school districts on student achievement, school progress/growth, and closing the achievement gap. Dallas ISD received a “B” letter grade and is home to six of the 12 schools that achieved the highest-possible score on the 2018 STAAR test, according to the TEA.

“We are proud of our tremendous gains in Dallas ISD, and our families, teachers and staff should feel great accomplishment in what we have done together,” Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said. “But this is not the finish line, we have just started this race. We still have much more work to do.”

Recent data continues to prove Dallas ISD schools are trending upward in academic achievement across multiple measures, with 66 percent of its campuses scoring 80 percent or higher on the new grading system. The scores are another indication that Dallas ISD students continue to narrow the achievement gap between the district and the state. A steep turnaround of Improvement Required campuses— coupled with strong performances in both reading and math—are significant achievements that can be attributed to the district’s rise.

Other factors for the district’s growth include the expansion of the collegiate academies, schools of choice, early learning programs, and a strategic compensation initiative that rewards teacher excellence.

Rising Academic Achievement in Dallas ISD includes:

• Dallas ISD is home to six out of 12 schools that received the highest possible score of 99 on the 2018 STAAR.
• Dallas ISD achieved a steep decline in the number of Improvement Required campuses, from 43 in 2013-2014 to four in 2017-2018.
• More Dallas ISD students are meeting state standard on the STAAR exam, narrowing the gap between the district and the state:
  • 2013-2014: 27% Dallas ISD; 39% State
  • 2017-2018: 40% Dallas ISD; 47% State