Staff News

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the lives of Dallas ISD staff and families, a safe, and effective tool to help us get back to normal is now available to all Dallas ISD employees.

It takes everyone to build community immunity, and Dallas County is giving all Dallas ISD employees—campus and central—to get vaccinated by filling out its registration form. District employees are in the county’s current priority group to get appointments and receive one of the three vaccines available.

More than 72 million doses of the vaccine have already been administered in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, getting vaccinated adds an important layer of protection for you, your family, and loved ones. Here are some things you should know about the COVID-19 vaccine:

• All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States are very effective at preventing the disease.
• The most common side effects are pain in the arm where you got the shot, feeling tired, headache, body aches, chills, and fever.
• Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools available—wearing masks, staying at least 6 feet apart from people who don’t live with you, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, washing your hands frequently, and, of course, getting vaccinated.

If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit CDC’s FAQs web page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html.

When filling out the Dallas County vaccine registration form, employees should make sure they choose Education as their occupation to be included in the priority list for vaccinations. Once the form is submitted, the county will contact employees with information about their appointments to receive the vaccines and other instructions when the vaccine is available. Make sure to bring your employee badge to the appointment.

Dallas ISD has secured vaccines for certified teachers through Parkland Hospital.

In Texas, people can register to get a vaccine anywhere, such as neighboring counties and medical institutions. Below are links to registration information for neighboring counties and medical facilities where people can register to receive one of the three available COVID-19 vaccines:

• Dallas County
• UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Baylor Scott & White Health
• Kaufman County
• Denton County
• Grayson County
• Hood County

Other vaccine providers have a first-come, first-serve signup list for appointments that they refresh once or several times a week. To prevent waste of vaccines, WalMart and CVS also have waiting lists in their stores. People who have added their names to the waiting lists can be called if not all vaccines are used on any given day. Call your local store for additional information about the waiting lists.

• CVS
• Walmart
• Sam’s Club

The district will be closed on Fridays this summer as central staff employees work a four-day week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monthly employees

• Employees paid monthly will work the four-day work week from June 21 through July 30.
• Monthly employees will resume their regular work hours on Aug. 2.

Biweekly employees

• Employees paid biweekly will work a four-day workweek from June 25 through Aug. 5.
• Biweekly employees will NOT work on June 25 if they participate in the four-day workweek.
• Biweekly employees who participate in the four-day workweek will resume their regular hours on Aug. 6.

Supervisors may allow employees to work a schedule other than the four-day workweek as long as the change does not negatively affect the functions of the department. In addition, some departments may choose to return to the regular work schedule sooner. Decisions regarding the work schedule are at the discretion of the department supervisor. Employees are responsible for consulting with their supervisor to determine the start, end, and lunch times of their daily work schedule during the summer.

The district will be closed for summer break July 5-9. Employees will not be allowed to work for pay while the district is closed unless the employee has received prior written approval from their department chief. All central staff will return to work on July 12.

The Dallas CIO Leadership Association (DallasCIO) has named Jack Kelanic, Dallas ISD’s chief technology officer, the winner of the 2021 Dallas CIO of the Year® ORBIE® Awards in the Public Sector category.

This technology executive recognition program in the United States recognizes chief information officers, and those in equivalent roles, who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership.

As the district’s chief technology officer, Kelanic brings more than 20 years of technology leadership experience to his post. His responsibilities include developing the long-range technology plan to enable digital learning for Dallas ISD students and improving technology support for schools and district business operations.

Dallas ISD is launching its sixth cohort of the Future Leaders Academy in partnership with UNT-Dallas this fall. Candidates accepted into the program will have the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from UNT-Dallas and will form a cohort of future leaders for Dallas ISD schools.

Highlights of this program include:

• • Course content developed in partnership with Dallas ISD
  • 18-month program resulting in an M.Ed in Educational Leadership with principal certification
  • Virtual classes, and also face-to-face classes at a central Dallas ISD location

This program is designed for educators who do not currently have their principal certification and master’s degree in Educational Leadership.  Additionally, the district will potentially reimburse up to 50% of university tuition costs.

UNT-Dallas will be hosting two information sessions via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 8, and at Thursday, March 11. If you are interested in learning more, please RSVP at the following link: tiny.cc/infosessionrsvp.  Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact LEAD@dallasisd.org.

Food and Child Nutrition Services is celebrating National School Breakfast Week starting March 8 with activities for students.

Elementary students are encouraged to use the coloring sheet available at www.dallasisd.org/fcns or create their own art piece to have a “blast” creating a colorful artwork.

High school students are encouraged to post a picture of their favorite school breakfast food to participate in a giveaway. The best pictures will be posted on social media.

Other activities during the week include incorporating one or all fun themed attire days during the week. The themes can be found on the FCNS website and include Milky Way Monday, Super Smart Tuesday, NASA Wednesday, Planet Thursday, ands Take Flight Friday. Photos of the activities—whether in-person or virtual—should be submitted to FCNSMedia@dallasisd.org for a chance to win a prize for the classroom.

All artwork submissions are due Thursday, March 11. Teachers can submit the artwork to FCNSMedia@dallasisd.org or use the hashtag #DallasISDBreakfast when posting on social media to be entered for a daily giveaway. Winners and best pictures will be posted on FCNS’s Facebook page at @DallasISDFood.

The recent frigid temperatures and winter storms that hit Texas left many Dallas ISD families facing expensive repairs to their homes and other hardships. Fortunately, there is assistance at the federal and district levels.

President Joe Biden declared an emergency for most counties in Texas, which made federal disaster assistance funds available to families to help with home repairs and other needs not covered by insurance. FEMA programs do not pay for fuel or spoiled food.

Federal assistance

To start a claim, call 800-621-3362 or go to https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ to apply for federal FEMA funds. Homeowners must be able to provide FEMA with information on insurance coverage available to them as well as documentation on insurance settlements or denials to process the application. Additional information you will need to file the claim includes:

• Social security number or the social security number of a minor child in the household who is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien
• Annual household income
• Contact information such as phone number, mailing address, email address, and address of the damaged home
• Insurance information (coverage, insurance company name, etc.)
• Bank account information (if you are eligible to receive financial assistance, the money can be deposited in your account)

District assistance

Dallas ISD has two types of leave that district staff can access if they need to take time to deal with major repairs in their homes or other hardships related to the recent winter storms.

Emergency Leave—Emergency leave includes, but is not limited to, unforeseen natural disasters or destruction of a vehicle or domicile by flood, fire, or storm involving the employee or a member of the employee’s family. Employees may be granted three paid days of emergency leave by the BRC.

The days will not be deducted from the employee’s time off. Additional days of absence will result in a deduction of accumulated time off.

Hardship Leave—Hardship leave may be granted only if the employee is not eligible for or has exhausted any other leave (e.g., FMLA leave, temporary disability leave, general medical leave, or workers’ compensation). The leave may be granted for serious illness of the employee or a family member or personal hardship for circumstances beyond the employee’s control.

Leave may be paid if the employee has available time off. Hardship leaves may be granted up to 20 business days in a school year. An extension of an additional 20 business days may be granted by the BRC with proper documentation.

For additional information about leaves and to requests one, visit the Benefits Department webpage or contact BenefitsLeaves@dallasisd.org.

You can help

Partnership and Volunteer Services is accepting donations of gift cards in amounts of $25 and $50 for distribution to families displaced or impacted by the recent snowstorm. District staff or members of the public can drop off cards purchased from retail stores, MasterCard or Visa to the PVS team at 9400 N. Central Expressway during business hours Tuesday through Friday or make a drop off appointment by calling (972) 925-5440. Family and Community Engagement Services will deliver the donated cards to families that have been identified by campuses as being in need. Families displaced from apartment complexes that suffered water damage from burst pipes are especially in need of assistance.

The 80 high priority campuses across the district are looking for outstanding teachers who are passionate about their profession and whose heart lies with helping students succeed no matter what. Teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists who are eligible and interested in working in one of these campuses can participate in a virtual high priority job fair via Brazen that will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9.

To sign up for the March 9 job fair, click here.

Then, they can take advantage of the district’s open transfer period for high priority campuses that started last week and continues through April 23. For eligibility requirements, go here.

Open transfer process

Each year, Dallas ISD teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists who meet certain guidelines can accept a position at another campus for the following school year during the open transfer period.

Eligible employees must apply online using their EAD login at www.dallasisd.org/careers using the Current Dallas ISD Employee link. Employees who do not apply will not be eligible to participate.

Working at a high priority campus has benefits beyond making a difference. Eligible teachers serving at high priority campuses in the 2021-2022 school year will:

• Earn additional DTR points on the TEI Scorecard, replacing the existing Tier I process.
• Earn additional stipends. Proposed stipend amounts are shown in the chart below.

PROPOSED 2021-22 High Priority Campus stipend amounts are below.  More information about stipend eligibility can be found here.

Nutrition deals with how the food you consume works in your body and how your body uses it to function. Dallas ISD is celebrating good nutrition during the month of March to help be healthier.

Because what we eat has an effect not just on weight but also on health, energy and focus, good nutrition dietary choices are crucial to reduce your risk of disease and to function during the day.

A balanced diet—or good nutrition—involves the right combinations of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. If you don’t have the right balance of any of these in your daily diet, your risk of developing certain disease or health conditions increases dramatically.

What are macronutrients that are the building block of nutrition?

Macronutrients are nutrients that we need in high quantities: carbohydrates, proteins, fats and water.

Carbohydrates—The best carbohydrates are not sugars. They are whole grains like brown rice, wild rice, oatmeal, whole-grain barley, bulgur, farro, buckwheat, starchy vegetables including regular and sweet potatoes, and corn. It takes the body a while to break fiber down and absorb, but afterward your body will feel fuller longer and may reduce risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal.

Proteins—Some foods provide complete proteins that contain all essential amino acids the body needs while other foods have various combinations of amino acids. Most plant-based foods don’t contain complete proteins, so vegans need to eat a range of foods daily to get the essential amino acids for optimum nutrition.

Fats—The type of fat we eat makes a difference. Plant based or unsaturated fats like from olive oil are healthier than saturated fat that come from animals. Too much fat can lead to obesity, high cholesterol, liver disease, etc. A healthy balance is crucial. Fats are an important part of good nutrition because they lubricate joints, help organs produce hormones, enable the body to absorb certain vitamins, reduces inflammation, and help preserve brain health.

Water—It doesn’t contribute calories to the body, but it remains an important part of overall nutrition because it makes up about 60% of the adult body and is needed for just about every bodily process. Water doesn’t just come in a bottle; it is a big part of most fruits and vegetables, which makes it hard to gauge what is enough water based just on quantities. The recommendation is to monitor urine color, and if it’s a pale yellow, then water levels are adequate. But the rule of thumb is that if you are thirsty you are already dehydrated, which means your body doesn’t have the optimal fluids to function at its best.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are nots as flashy, but they also contribute to good nutrition. They include including vitamins and minerals, water soluble vitamins, fat soluble vitamins, and antioxidants.

The frigid weather that recently covered the state in snow and historically low temperatures affected thousands of Dallas families and also caused damages to about 125 Dallas ISD schools. Staff from maintenance and facilities started work as soon as possible, worked over the weekend and the beginning of this week to ensure that students and staff were safe when they returned to campuses on Feb. 24. The damage to four schools—Bryan Adams and Lincoln high schools, Harold W. Lang Sr. Middle School, and J.P. Starks Math, Science and Technology Vanguard—was still being repaired this week so students and staff can return to the campuses on March 1. Dallas ISD is incredibly thankful to the outstanding maintenance and facility workers who have been tirelessly working around the clock at the schools to repair any damage caused by last week’s weather and deep freeze.

Dallas ISD’s open transfer period for the 2021-2022 school year starts in March. Principals in high priority and ACE campuses can begin sending recommendations for teachers, instructional coaches, counselors, and media specialists to HCM starting March 1 through April 23. The open transfer window for all other campuses begins March 8 and ends April 9.

The open transfer process allows current Dallas ISD teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists, who meet the guidelines outlined below, to accept a position at another campus for the following school year. During the open transfer period, current principal approval is not required.

Interested eligible employees must complete an application online by logging into www.dallasisd.org/careers with their EAD credentials and then use the internal openings link.  Employees who do not apply will not be eligible to participate.

To be eligible for an open transfer, employees must:

• Hold a valid Texas Teacher Certificate in the requested subject-area vacancy and meet TEA/SBEC Certification Standards for the position
• Not be on a growth plan or have an unsatisfactory rating on the most current evaluation
• Not be entering their fourth year of an Alternative Certification Program
• Not be identified for non-renewal at the end of the current school year due to performance and/or misconduct
• For Instructional Coaches only: must receive approval from recommending campus executive director