Staff News

Eligible support staff whose current base salary is less than $50,000 have received a one-time incentive of $750 in their November paychecks. The incentive was approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2020 as part of the district’s compensation package and amounts to more than $4.9 million in additional compensation to Dallas ISD staff.

The stipend was added to the paychecks of more than 6,570 non-exempt, full-time employees at campuses, central administration, Food and Child Nutrition Services, and the Maintenance and Facilities, Police and Security, IT, and  Student Transportation departments. Employees who received the stipend must have been hired prior to March 15, 2020, be an active employee as of Nov. 1 and have no break in service within that time frame.

Educators’ schedules don’t always leave room for meal planning, but success in life and on the job is often tied to good nutritional choices. Local health and fitness expert Dimitrius Glenn shares some nutrition tips as part of Dallas ISD’s Men’s Health Month series.

Of course, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to achieve health and fitness goals without a proper nutrition program and good eating habits. It’s easier to follow a proper nutrition program when you understand how the body coverts food into fuel. Since water consumption is vital, the recommendation is to gradually consume water over the course of the day.  Make a plan to figure out how to spread out the total consumption in a way that works with your daily schedule. It might take some trial-and-error experimentation to develop a working plan. Just remember that the right amount of water is the key to good nutrition.

Carbohydrates are extremely important because they fuel the body. Making sure that you load your first meal with healthy carbohydrates like fruits will give you a good start. Use vegetables and proteins throughout the day to supplement high fiber foods that can balance your energy levels throughout the day.

Proteins are essential for the growth and repair of all body tissues. They are not an efficient source of energy, and the body only uses protein as fuel in extreme cases when no carbohydrates or fat is available. Protein should not be the primary source of food intake.

Vitamins are essential nutrients because they help cell functions. While they are not a source of energy, they are essential in helping the body make energy.

The key to eating for fitness is being clear how your body uses food and choosing the proper foods and the right portions that benefit your bodily needs. For the type of schedule worked by most educators, a few nutrition options include bringing to work fresh fruits/vegetables, nuts and water.

Doing some meal preparation to have these healthy snacks handy means that when hunger strikes, you will be able to put something healthy into your bodies instead of reaching for processed foods that don’t contribute to your nutritional balance.

Even if you don’t have time for preparing meals and snacks ahead of time, you can still make healthy choices when buying prepared meals at fast food restaurants and stores. Pay attention to the ingredients, calories and your nutrition plan to make sure you are getting the variety you need to maintain your wellness and your fitness goals.

For other men’s health topics, visit www.dallasisd.org/benefits.

Dallas ISD is seeing the impact of COVID-19 in student performance and is working on plans to mitigate the learning loss, possibly with more  TIME to LEARN.

Students were assessed at the beginning of the school year through MAP, a universal screener providing national, norm-referenced and STAAR-aligned information. MAP monitors growth over time; aligns with the TEKS; provides instructional and intervention guidance and resources; complements exams like common assessment, ACP, and STAAR; includes STAAR projections, and allows teachers to set individual student growth targets.

The results of MAP showed the impact  the pandemic has had on Dallas ISD students. There was some learning loss at the elementary school level while students in the secondary levels fared slightly better. In all, 30 percent of students showed a loss in learning in reading.

In math, the impact is more pronounced—50 percent of students have a loss in learning—when compared to pre-pandemic results across grade levels.

The district is seeing continued, and large, equity gaps by race.

The district’s mitigation plan involves improving attendance, individualized supports for students who need it, and other strategies, which may included an extended school year, starting in 2021-2022.

Focus groups will continued to meet through November and December to review strategies and inform a plan that will be presented to the Board of Trustees in January. Town hall meetings and parent focus groups to gather input will be conducted during December.

Teacher input is key to the planning process. Teachers are being asked to participate by providing their opinions about the options under consideration by completing the survey. The survey closes at midnight, Thursday, Nov. 12.

Central staff who visit campuses as part of their work duties can now visit more than one campus per day. Staff must follow safety guidelines at each campus and make sure that that they sign in and out at each campus to follow district procedures and in case the information is needed for contact tracing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now defining “close contact” being within six feet of an infected individual for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. However, this does not change Dallas ISD procedures. The district has always used cumulative exposure to infected persons as part of its contact tracing procedures.

For more details on the CDC close contact clarification click here.

Veterans Day is Wednesday, Nov. 11, a day set aside by the nation to recognize those who serve the country in defense of freedom. In Dallas ISD, military veterans play essential roles in district operations. They serve in virtually every capacity, from the maintenance teams and financial management staff to school administrators, teachers and a wide variety of central office and campus positions. Applying skills and discipline learned as service men and women, veterans make a positive difference in district operations. On this Veterans Day, be sure to show your appreciation to a veteran for their service to the country and Dallas ISD.

Dallas ISD employees who refer external candidates to the Transportation Department for full time driver positions could receive a $200 bonus through the Transportation Referral Incentive Supplemental earning. Eligibility for the incentive requires the candidate to notify Human Capital Management at the time of hire of any referral via official referral form and prior to their official start date as part of their on-boarding process. The newly hired driver must complete 45 drive days based on the 185-work day calendar for the driver’s referrer to qualify for the payment.

During the district’s Men’s Health Month, the Benefit’s Department will be sharing a series of helpful articles by local health expert Dimitrius Glenn. The articles address different aspects of men’s health to encourage male educators to maintain their physical health, fitness development and emotional outlook.

According to sources like Healthline.com, the top five male health issues are heart health, respiratory disease, alcohol abuse, depression/suicide, and unintentional injuries and accidents. Several of these conditions are a direct result of lack of physical fitness or sedentary lifestyles, and poor eating habits. Some of these conditions can be easily remedied by committing to make simple changes.

For those who were already lacking exercise and making poor nutrition choices, the current COVID-19 has probably made things worse and the push to make everything virtual has curtailed exercise opportunities. According to an article published by Pennsylvania State University about teachers’ health and stress, 46% of teachers report high daily stress, which compromises their health, sleep, quality of life and teaching performance. This affects males more because they have the tendency to not communicate as well how they are feeling or things that are bothering them.

What can you do?

Regaining fitness, improving food choices, and changing your outlook can be done with some simple changes. The important thing is to get started and keep going to improve your health outlook.

• Take a stroll around the neighborhood or in a park just to free your mind
• Make sure you include more fruits and vegetables in your diet and fewer sugary drinks and processed foods
• Journal or write down your thoughts
• Communicate openly with friends and family
• Seek professional help if you feel out of control or helpless

Soon, it will be easier to access Information Technology’s Support Hub when a dedicated shortcut icon is added to district devices. Within Support Hub, staff will have the ability to order new equipment and services, as well as create an incident for IT support.  A virtual agent will also be available to address common issues and along with providing access to knowledge-base articles.  Staff can also get the most up-to-date information on planned maintenance or unplanned service outages.  To access Support Hub, click here and enter your EAD credentials.

Effective Nov. 1 Non-Exempt and Exempt Attendance Report forms and Payroll Correction and Supplemental Correction forms will be available electronically through Laserfiche, replacing the paper forms.

Timekeepers will continue to make entries to the employees’ timecards for absences and adjustments prior to the payroll bulletin deadlines; however, all payroll correction forms must be completed and approved using the Laserfiche submission process. Departments and campuses have the option to continue using a paper form for non-exempt and exempt attendance reports or start using the electronic form, but all employees must use the same type of form. If a department or school chooses to use the electronic non-exempt or exempt attendance report forms, all employees must then use the Laserfiche submission process for consistency.

The electronic forms can be found on the Payroll Services website under the Forms option starting Nov. 1. You will need to sign in using your EAD username and password to gain access to the form, which will be routed automatically to the designated supervisor for approval.

Given the trials 2020 has presented for students and the learning process, Dallas ISD is taking steps now to minimize what is expected to be a more severe loss of learning than is typically seen during the summer.

Ideas under consideration to mitigate the loss of learning include possibly extending the school year and/or rethinking the school day at certain campuses to benefit both students and teachers.

• For students, there would be increased opportunities for lifelong learning, enrichment, acceleration, recovery, and new experiences
• For teachers, there would be more time for teamwork, innovation, mentorship, and exploration

Teachers are key to the success of any proposal developed by the district, which is why their voice is critical to this process. Teachers are asked to complete this survey by Thursday, Nov. 12, to give feedback about each of the options under consideration, including the potential for an extended school year in Dallas ISD.

This video details some of the work that the district is doing to gather input from a variety of stakeholders.

The Board of Trustees will take into consideration the administration’s proposal in January. The program would be implemented for the 2021-2022 school year.