Staff News

Happy new year and welcome back to a fresh new start in 2020. Listen up, did you know that almost everything you do in life involves some form of communication?

Any time you interact with another person, you are communicating. Whether you smile at a stranger or ignore them, speak to someone or listen attentively when that person is talking to you, you are communicating.

We communicate for numerous reasons: to make decisions, solve problems, get answers, resolve conflicts, discuss events or tasks, or gather information. A person’s success often depends on good communication skills.

As an employee of Dallas ISD, no matter your role, you are the customers’ point of contact and often the primary source of communication.  If parents and students see you in the local grocery store or out in the community, in their eyes, you not only represent the district, you are the district.  As a district communicator, how you interact with customers is important. In fact, it is one of the most important jobs required to establish and develop relationships.

As we move forward this semester, challenge yourself to commit to doing one thing differently or better to ensure you make a positive impression on your customers. Smile. Engage. Be helpful.  Show you care.  One thing, no matter how small, can improve your communication skills and make a huge difference in building positive relationships with customers.

Hundreds of South Oak Cliff High School students were welcomed back to their school when the spring semester started Tuesday. But it wasn’t quite the same building they left when the renovation work began.

The building structure is the one that’s been there since 1952, but it has been through a $52-million overhaul that includes a gym addition, new administrative offices, a cafeteria expansion, new roofing, and interior and exterior renovations to the entire campus. The renovation work and upgrades to the building were completed using funds from the 2015 bond program.

For more information about projects from the 2015 bond program, visit Bond 2015 Progress.

Core 4 tip: Interacting Positively with Customers

Given a choice, most people would prefer to be around positive people who approach life and others in a friendly way. No one wants to work side by side with someone who is always negative, consistently bringing down the room, and clearly uninterested in being helpful. Don’t be that person.

Strive to establish rapport with colleagues and other customers and continue building a collaborative relationship by interacting with them in a positive manner. When you are positive and upbeat, people will respond similarly. Here are a few tips to consider.

Be helpful. Show your customers, including your colleagues, you are here to help them. Go the extra mile. Even if the question or request is not in your area, offering to find the best person to help, and following up to see if the customer’s needs were met is a key step in providing excellent customer service. Set a personal goal to help someone every day. You will feel better when you meet that goal, and it’s a great habit to start working on, today.

Be committed. People who are committed to their work and customers look for ways to make things better by anticipating the customers’ needs. It’s easier to do this by placing yourself in the customer’s shoes and considering what you would want if you were the customer. No matter your role, give your customers 110%.

Be a problem solver. Be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Look for answers instead of focusing on what’s wrong. People who focus on problems complain; people who focus on solutions find ways to make a difference.

Be credible. Customers appreciate nice employees, but they value knowledgeable employees. Learn as much as you can about your department.  If you need additional training, speak to your manager. Taking the time to find out what each area in your department does, is a great way to start.

Similar to this past summer, central staff employees will work a four-day workweek, and the district will close on Fridays during a portion of the summer. Central office hours during the summer will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Monthly Employees

• Employees paid monthly will work the four-day work week June 1 through July 31.
• Monthly employees will resume their regular work hours on Aug. 3.

Biweekly Employees

• Employees paid biweekly will work a four-day workweek June 5 through Aug. 6.
• Biweekly employees will NOT work on June 5 if they participate in the four-day workweek.
• Biweekly employees who participate in the four-day workweek will resume their regular hours on Aug. 7.

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. 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 June 29 through July 3. Employees will not be permitted to work for pay while the district is closed unless the employee has received prior written approval from their department chief. All central staff employees will return to work on July 6.

While the district may be closed, if you need assistance with your benefits, a number of resources are available.

District schools and administrative offices will be closed for winter break from Monday, Dec. 23, through Friday, Jan. 3, but the benefits call center will be open regular hours during that time to provide assistance, with the following exceptions:

• Dec. 24 – available from 7:30 a.m. to noon
• Dec. 25 – closed
• Dec. 26 – closed
• Dec. 31 – available from 7:30 a.m. to noon
• Jan. 1 – closed

For those non-emergency health concerns such as cold and flu, 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.

The Oracle multifactor authentication protocols are now in effect and employees are being prompted to provide a secondary security code to access the system. This secondary identification code is not unlike those used by banks and other sites to increase cybersecurity.

Oracle is used not only by district departments and schools to prepare payroll, purchase goods and services from approved vendors, and conduct other district business. It is also used by employees to access iExpense for mileage and travel expense submission, to check PTO balances, download statements of earnings and perform other activities.

Multifactor authentication is a two-step verification process that usually uses a username and password and an additional way to identify the user, such as a code sent via text message or email or provided through an app. Only one is necessary for verification, but IT recommends employees set up more than one.

Instructions and manuals to help employees with the process of accessing Oracle are available here. If you need help with setting up the multifactor authentication, you can download this helpful quick guide that is available in English and Spanish.

Employees can get their financial questions answered through individual appointments with TCG Advisors next week.

TCG Advisors, the district’s third-party investment plan administrator, will offer individual appointments onsite for financial planning.  A representative will be available to assist you with general information on planning for the future. Some of the topics that can be covered during these sessions include understanding, starting, or reviewing 403(b) and 457(b) retirement accounts; understanding the retirement income gap; the effect of TRS on Social Security benefits; and rolling over a retirement account from a previous employer.

Sessions will be available Monday, Dec. 16, and Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit Cornerstone Learning System to schedule a 30-minute appointment with a financial advisor.