Staff News

Benefits enrollment is here, and through Aug. 21, employees can change current benefits, add or drop coverage for eligible dependents, and contribute to a Flexible Spending Account through the benefits portal at mylogin.dallasisd.org.

There are many resources available to assist staff with questions as they review their current benefits and change or elect new benefit options. These resources, as well as detailed information regarding benefits and costs, can be found in the new Benefits Department website and the Benefits Overview Guide.

Enrollment is passive for most plans this year—medical, dental, vision, life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, disability, personal legal, and sick leave bank elections will automatically roll over to the 2020–2021 plan year.

However, employees are encouraged to look at the available benefit plans because many new plans have been added.

The benefits package offers a new vision option. Vision benefits now offer the choice of three plans: basic, moderate and premium. The new premium plan allows you to purchase contacts AND glasses, or two pairs of glasses, or two orders of contacts per benefit year. There is also a higher allowance for frames and lower copays for this plan than the other two vision plan options. Enrollment is required for this plan.

Another significant change this year is that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) will administer the TRS-ActiveCare medical plans beginning Sept. 1, so employees are encouraged to look at the plans and check if their providers are still within the network and plan accordingly. Prescription drug coverage is not changing and will remain with CVS Caremark.

The dental discount plan will not be offered for 2020–2021. Those currently enrolled in the dental discount plan who would like to continue dental coverage, should log in to the Benefits Portal and enroll in a new dental plan.

These benefits choices are effective from Sept. 1, 2020, through Aug. 31, 2021, unless there is a qualified special enrollment event.

With summer break over, Dallas ISD continues to work and plan for a transition of district staff to the office in August. Health and safety guidelines for use of facilities are still in effect, and information for staff will be updated in the re-entry website.

The Benefits Department has compiled information related to COVID-19 testing and other resources and services to support district employees who may have been exposed to the virus.

Dallas ISD Employees enrolled in TRS ActiveCare will have all costs waived for all COVID-19 testing. While insurance may be accepted for COVID-19 testing, under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act approved by Congress, employees should not have any out of pocket costs with their insurance. Uninsured employees will also be covered under a program funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Employees enrolled in TRS ActiveCare may also receive waived costs for all COVID-19 testing and reduced cost for inpatient admissions for treatment of COVID-19.

Information on testing sites:

CVS

• Only a CVS that has a MinuteClinic will provide COVID testing
• Five to seven days for results
• Symptom assessment is required
• Drive-up ONLY
• Results delivered by Email/text/phone call
• Insurance is accepted at CVS test sites
• CVS testing locations may be found at CVS: Find Testing Sites (there are 29 locations within 30 miles of the administration building)

UT Southwestern

• Open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Will bill an employee’s medical insurance (copay not collected at time of service)
• If no insurance, the Cares Act will cover the cost of testing
• Appointments are required
• Drive-up testing only

Dallas County

• Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday
• Three days for results
• No appointment required
• Testing is at no cost if:
  • employee is a first responder or essential worker
  • employee is symptomatic or has been exposed to COVID-19
  • employee is 65 or older
• Dallas County COVID Testing Location
  • Ellis Davis Field House 9191 S. Polk St., Dallas, TX 75232 | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday–Saturday
  • University of Dallas 1845 E Northgate Dr, Irving, TX 75062 | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday–Saturday

Parkland Hospital (for Parkland patients only by appointment)

• Parkland Main Campus
• Hatcher Station Health Center
• Garland Health Center
• DeHaro-Saldivar Health Center
• Bluitt-Flowers Health Center
• Irving Health Center
• Southeast Dallas Health Center
• Carlyle Smith, Jr. Health Center

Walk Up Locations for COVID Testing

• Red Bird Mall / Westmoreland Park 7222 S. Westmoreland Road, Dallas, TX 75237 | Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m.–3 p.m. or until testing limit is reached. (Closed on Sundays.)
• Inspired Vision Compassion Center 2019 N. Masters Drive, Dallas, TX 75217 | Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.–3 p.m. or until testing limit is reached. (Closed on Sundays.)
• Sam Tasby Middle School 7001 Fair Oaks Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231| Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m.–3 p.m. or until testing limit is reached. (Closed on Sundays.)
• Salvation Army/Pleasant Grove Corps Community Center 8341 Elam Road, Dallas, TX 75217  Available starting July 13

For more information about contact tracing and other safety measures Dallas ISD has implemented, visit www.dallasisd.org/educationevolution.

You can help roll out the welcome wagon, greet new educators and introduce them to Dallas ISD at the district’s annual New Teacher Academy on July 30 and August 3-4. The event will consist of virtual and in-person sessions to familiarize the new teachers with district policies, share classroom management strategies and share curriculum and digital resources. Volunteers are needed to assist with the in-person sessions to be held at Billy Earl Dade Middle School. To view volunteer opportunities and sign up to assist, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/NTA2020.

For more information or to ask questions about the event, contact Kymberli Hamilton at (972) 925-3889 or kyhamilton@dallasisd.org.

Two local television channels are helping Dallas ISD students with their learning. KERA, Channel 13, and UniMas, Channel 49, are offering educational programing weekdays during the summer.

KERA is offering Summer Bridge to Math Success, targeted math instruction for students from kindergarten tthrough eighth grade by Dallas ISD teachers from noon to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until Aug. 7.

UniMas offers lessons and activities in Spanish at 7 a.m. for students from prekindergarten through second grade thanks to a partnership between the district and Univision. The programing can also be seen by visiting www.dallasisd.org/unidosparaaprender.

“We are thankful for and excited about this KERA partnership to help reach thousands of our students and provide them with the knowledge they need to successfully start the new school year in August,” said Oswaldo Alvarenga, assistant superintendent of CTE and STEM.

KERA also provides curriculum-based educational programs weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on KERA TV channel 13.1, in addition to offering KERA Kids 24/7, which features children’s programming around the clock on channel 13.2. KERA also has developed an At-Home Learning Toolkit with free resources for families and teachers, including lesson plans, activities, videos and more.

The Democratic primary runoff will take place on July 14, and several district facilities will be used as polling places.

All the facilities should be opened promptly at 5:30 a.m. to allow the election judges to set up. Election judges will need access to the buildings until 8 p.m. School leaders should ensure that school staff cooperate with the election judges regarding set-up requests and that polling locations are presentable.

This election is scheduled on a regular workday, therefore, no overtime will be paid to custodians assigned to open/close the buildings. Please note that at no time should a district facility be left unattended by school personnel. If there are any questions, please contact Orlando Alameda at (972) 925-5142 or via email at OAlameda@dallasisd.org.

Click here for list of district facilities that will be used as voting centers for the July 14 election.

While the district is closed for summer break a number of resources are available for help with benefits questions.

District schools and administrative offices will be closed for summer break from Monday, June 29, through Friday, July 3, but the benefits call center will be open from 7:30 to 5 p.m. through the week to answer calls from staff.

For non-emergency health concerns, TRS Aetna ActiveCare participants can utilize Teladoc at a reduced cost.  Call 1-855-Teladoc (835-2362) or visit their main page.

If you have questions regarding your FSA, you can contact Connect Your Care at 877-528-9876 or visit www.connectyourcare.com.  Connect Your Care is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You may reach the benefits call center at (972) 925-4000 or email benefits@dallasisd.org.  For questions regarding leaves of absence, email benefitsleaves@dallasisd.org.  During the periods in which the district is closed, the email boxes will be monitored periodically to ensure any critical issues are resolved in a timely manner.

With the launch of its new School Finder, Dallas ISD is providing families with a more effective tool to connect with a school that best meets the educational needs of their children. SchoolFinder makes it easier for families to navigate the school choice process and better understand their options.

Dallas ISD’s SchoolFinder combines all the data about the district’s 230 schools into an easy-to-navigate, bilingual website where families can research schools by grade level, proximity, academic programs, school performance and other criteria to facilitate decision making.

The new SchoolFinder replaces a system that limited families to searching for schools based solely on their home address. With the increasing number of school choices, including tuition-based prekindergarten, Dallas ISD families needed a tool that helped them easily explore the wealth of options available throughout the district.

“Dallas ISD offers a variety of excellent choices for Dallas families who are looking for the school that best fits their child’s learning needs and aspirations,” said Keisha Crowder-Davis, executive director of Transformation and Innovation. “This interactive tool makes finding that special school so much easier and practical for parents and helps them make a more informed decision so their children can be enrolled at the best Dallas ISD school for them.”

SchoolFinder offers new and powerful ways families can find a best-fit school, including options to search for schools based on their child’s interests. This option guides parents through a search based on location, grade level, and responses to  a set of questions about specific interests and the aspects that matter  most in a school.

The search yields a list of schools that match those specifications ranked by score. The list may include schools that families had not previously considered, including neighborhood schools. Parents can then more deeply research each school on the list by clicking on a link that takes them to the school’s profile. Comparing schools from the list based on preferred criteria, they can also make better informed decisions. Once families identify their favorites, the schools can be bookmarked on SchoolFinder so they are available when families are ready to embark on the enrollment process.

A new enrollment tool that facilitates a seamless enrollment process will be added to SchoolFinder on Nov. 1, 2020.

To access SchoolFinder, visit www.dallasisd.org/schoolfinder. For questions or help navigating SchoolFinder, call (972) 925-5560 or email enroll@dallasisd.org.

If you do, take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Office of Transformation and Innovation to design a future Hybrid Transformation School. OTI has launched the application process to identify design team leads and team members to develop a Public School Choice 7.0 proposal for a future hybrid school that would tentatively launch in the fall of 2021.

The Opportunity

• Participate in several school design process webinars
• Provide expertise in helping to imagine, investigate and develop a comprehensive model for an effective competency-focused student learning experience
• Collaborate with a several central staff department experts to develop and submit a Public School Choice 7.0 proposal on Jan. 5, 2021
• Launch the first Hybrid Transformation School in Dallas ISD

Application Timeline

• Application is available starting on June 24
• Application closes July 24
• Team announced first week of August

Start the application here. For more information about this exciting opportunity, contact OTI Director Shakeatha Butler at shakbutler@dallasisd.org.

New travel practices and protocols for district business have been implemented in order to follow recommended safety guidelines and ensure the safety and well-being of all.

• Out-of-district travel for professional development, conferences, or meetings that are not provided by Dallas ISD is not allowed prior to Sept. 4, 2020.
• In-district travel to district facilities should be scheduled to minimize the number of work sites visited each day.
• Exceptions must be approved by the employee’s Divisional Chief and HCM.

While families may have travel plans during summer break, Dallas ISD discourages international travel during the COVID pandemic. Employees who have traveled internationally should stay home for 14 days after their arrival into the United States. At home, employees should monitor their health and practice social distancing. See the CDC’s international travel webpage.

For additional information on the district’s new travel guidelines, visit www.dallasisd.org/educationevolution and click on the Central Staff Re-entry Playbook.

As the daily use of technology by staff and students continues to expand, the Information Technology Division has implemented a new ticketing system to meet support needs. The new system is called Support Hub and is a one-stop shop for customer questions and new technology requests.

Once employees sign in to Support Hub with their EAD credentials, they will be able to create a ticket, explore a series of helpful downloadable articles, see system notifications, or make a request for technology.

The new system allows users to choose how they communicate with IT, while providing a single location to fulfill their technology needs. Within Support Hub, users can:

1. Send an email to the Help Desk
2. Connect via chat with a virtual support agent after hours or a live agent during work hours.
3. Call the IT support help desk.

The system also can be accessed using the IOS or Android app on a mobile phone.

Staff can reach the new system at https://supporthub.dallasisd.org.