A community conversation

Dallas ISD’s Racial Equity Office is starting a series of community conversations across the district so stakeholders can share concerns about inequities within Dallas ISD and partner with the district to effect changes.

The first community conversation will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, at L.G. Pinkston High School.

The Racial Equity Office also will host a series of film and theater showings throughout the school year. The aim of the series is to host conversations related to racial, socioeconomic and educational inequities for students, families and community members. Attendees will watch a movie or theater production followed by a discussion led by students of the youth chapters of the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The goal is to encourage participants to engage in sometimes uncomfortable discussions that challenge their thoughts, beliefs and perspectives.

The film/theater series will launch at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy with the Cara Mia Theater production of “Ursula,” a play about the journey of a 7-year-old girl separated from her mother after seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. As she waits for her asylum request to be processed, she reflects on the difficulties she is leaving behind in Honduras and the new reality she is facing. This showing is intended for audiences 12 years and older.

Core 4 power move of the week

First impressions are mental snapshots we take when encountering a person for the first time. Those snapshots are based on how we act, talk, dress, and how we present ourselves. By today’s standards, anyone who has all of these components working together in their favor are often seen as having the “it” factor. For celebrities, it’s what helps them build their fan base or followers. For everyday employees, it’s what we embody that helps us make a good first impression with customers, internally and externally.

People may not remember the color of your shirt or the exact words you say, but they will remember your attitude and how you present yourself. Projecting a positive attitude and presentation is a sure way to make a good and long-lasting impression.

Take a quick “it” factor self-assessment:

  • Positive demeanor—are you courteous and friendly in your approach?
  • Positive image—does the way you dress reflect success and pride in yourself and your job or is a makeover needed?
  • Positive focus—do your actions show that you are committed to doing great work that is effective and helps accomplish the goal?
  • Positive approach—do you demonstrate a genuine willingness to find a solution to help your customer, or, at the very least, work toward the best solution?

The fastest way to increase customer loyalty is by improving the quality of customer interaction, and that begins with making a good first impression. New customers will develop an impression about Dallas ISD in their first seven seconds of interacting with you. Let’s make the most of those seven seconds. Here are seven things to check:

  • Cleanliness (self and workspace)
  • Knowledgeable
  • Professional (attitude and dress)
  • Friendly
  • Helpful
  • Courteous
  • Responsive

As we continue to improve our customer service, remember to focus on delivering remarkable Core 4 service.

We can’t thank you enough

Hundreds of individuals and organizations from as far away as Lubbock stepped up to directly help Dallas ISD schools, students and families affected by a devastating tornado. Dallas ISD is overwhelmed and grateful for the donation of supplies for classrooms, sports equipment, gift cards for teacher materials, and help to families affected by the natural disaster.

Thank you!

The list of donors so far includes:

  • Hundreds of individuals
  • Numerous donors who have purchased items from the Amazon wish list
  • Amazon
  • Hamon Charitable Foundation
  • Thomas Jefferson Alumni Association
  • Michael’s
  • Credit Union of Texas
  • Allstate
  • Staples
  • Texas Rangers Foundation
  • NEC Corporation
  • Builders FirstSource
  • Office Depot
  • United to Learn
  • Briggs & Freeman
  • Dallas Stars Foundation
  • FC Dallas
  • Highland Park ISD Dad’s Club
  • Keller ISD
  • Boots & Badges of The South Plains (Lubbock)
  • Riverside Church Butterfly School
  • Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
  • Dallas Mavericks Foundation
  • Just Say Yes
  • Central Market
  • Parkland Hospital
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Texas Instruments

A number of individuals, businesses and organizations have also donated their time at schools where students displaced by the tornado damage are now attending classes and have offered to continue to support the district through volunteer efforts, including Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities, Colleyville ISD teachers, T-Mobile, Microsoft, Home Depot, AT&T, Allstate, and State Farm.

 

Community partnership offers free classes for district staff

District staff and their families are welcome to attend free classes offered at Frazier House, an initiative of the Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. Community Outreach Center in partnership with Dallas ISD. Frazier House is located on the first floor of the former Julia C. Frazier Elementary School. It offers multiple services in one building partnering and collaborating with other community nonprofits, service organizations and the Dallas ISD. This shared space offers access to educational, social services, job skills training and job placement opportunities for Frazier House clients.

Classes for November include topics such as:

Nov. 5—Cash Flow, Collateral and Leverage Class, 3-4:30 p.m. (if interested in attending or learning more, email info@zwhjcoc.org)

Nov. 14—Lunch & Learn with Trevor Noel, “Introduction to a Business Plan,” 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Nov. 18—LinkedIn & Medicare 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., must register with Senior Source at (214) 823-5700

Nov. 21—Lunch & Learn with Attorney Antonio Glenn, “The ABCs of Business Entities,” 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

All activities and programs are at Frazier House, 4600 Spring Ave. Dallas, TX 75210. For more information about these activities, email info@zwhjcoc.org or visit https://www.zwhjcoc.org. Dates and activities subject to change.

 

Upcoming professional development opportunities

Dallas ISD offers professional development for central and campus staff through a variety of opportunities.

Central staff

Ignite and Unleash Potential Through Talent Conversations 

Audience: Supervisors, Managers, Directors

One of the fundamental roles of a leader is to recognize and unleash the talents and strengths of others.  Talent conversations play a vital role in engaging employees and influencing their performance and development if done effectively and often enough.  This session will provide tools to prepare for and facilitate effective talent conversations.

Results Focused Leadership: Goals and Check-ins

Audience: Supervisors, New Managers, Managers, Directors

Discover how check-in meetings make it easier to manage day-to-day work of the staff and ensure it is connected to big picture goals that impact results.

Audience:  Central Staff Managers, Supervisors, Directors
This session will identify and explain the components of an individual growth plan.  A standardized purpose and language for professional growth will be discussed.

 

Campus staff

The Language, Literacy, and Social Studies departments cordially invite teachers to The Language, Literacy, and Social Studies Fall Conference 2019. This year’s theme is “Empowering Students Through Disciplinary Literacy.” The organizers are actively seeking attendees who wish to learn about how to best implement strategies to empower student voice and ownership of student learning.

The conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Bryan Adams High School. Teachers may register by clicking here. Registration is required for attendees. Keynote speakers for the conference include Dallas ISD Chief of Teaching and Learning Dr. Ivonne Durant and national literacy expert Pam Allyn. Professional development credits will apply towards Future of Learning hours. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

October staff development opportunities for central staff

Central staff can now register for staff development sessions offered in October. All sessions will take place at the Linus D. Wright Dallas ISD Administration Building.

Mindset in the Workplace

Audience:  Central staff

The differences between a growth and fixed mindset will be explored.  Participants will consider their own mindset and discover how fostering a growth mindset voice supports personal development.

The 5 Languages of Workplace Appreciation  

Audience: Managers, supervisors

When managers and supervisors understand someone’s primary and secondary language, as well as specific ways to speak to them, they can effectively communicate authentic appreciation, thus raising the level of buy-in and performance across the entire team and organization.  Session participants will learn how to express genuine appreciation to co-workers and staff even on a tight budget.  employees

Ignite and Unleash Potential Through Talent Conversations 

Audience:  Supervisors, managers, directors

One of the fundamental roles of a leader is to recognize and unleash the talents and strengths of others.  Talent conversations play a vital role in engaging employees and influencing their performance and development if done effectively and often enough.  This session will provide tools to prepare for and facilitate effective talent conversations.

 

From Wing Stop to Dallas ISD maintenance supervisor

David Ybarra was working at Wing Stop before joining Dallas ISD’s Operation Services as a groundskeeper.

“I wanted something more than a job,” Ybarra said. “I wanted a good, stable and dependable career with benefits that I could grow in.”

At age 19, Ybarra had to quickly learn the new career path and craft he signed up for. And while Ybarra admits that there were times he doubted himself over his work challenges and responsibilities, they only helped him thrive.

“It took the right leaders in the Operations Division to help me grow,” Ybarra said. “They shared their knowledge and experiences with me so I could find the solutions to challenges.”

Fast forward 10 years, and Ybarra, who has a child enrolled in Dallas ISD, is now the Interim Supervisor at the Northwest Grounds Division.

“It’s a great journey being a part of the district,” Ybarra said. “Now as a supervisor, I get to help and advise new incoming leaders who will one day grow into a bigger role like I did.”

Ybarra credits his peers and supervisors for helping him achieve the role he has today. But he added that it would not be possible without internal ambition and perseverance.

“Dallas ISD is like a big door, and once you open it, there are so many other doors of opportunities in which you can grow into,” Ybarra said. “But you just have to have the patience and strive to learn above all.”

September paycheck includes salary increases and adjustments

All qualifying employees who are not part of a district excellence initiative will see board-approved salary increases reflected in their September paychecks. Some employees also could see additional increases in their base pay to better align district salaries with market rates as recommended in the recent Texas Association of School Boards study.

Those whose salaries are determined through one of the excellence initiatives— most teachers, assistant principals, principals and executive directors of schools—will see salary increases, if eligible, reflected in their October paychecks.

Most pay ranges were increased to improve alignment with the current job market.

As part of TASB’s recommendation to align Dallas ISD to industry standards, the board-approved increase will now be an equal rate increase based on 2 percent of the pay range midpoint of an employee’s pay grade, which was determined by TASB. This is unlike in previous years when the board-approved increase was applied as a percentage of the employee’s actual hourly/annual rate.

Employees are able to log into Oracle and go to Employee Self Service to view their notice of assignment. These notices will include the employee job, salary, and pay grade information. For information on pay groups and pay grades, employees can consult the district’s 2019-2020 Compensation Resource Book.

Other changes in compensation

The main purpose of the TASB study was to analyze compensation throughout the district to ensure alignment with the current job market. Recommendations from the study included changes in pay range structures, consolidation of pay groups, and alignment of job titles. Some of these changes could have resulted in base salary changes though no salaries decreased due to the TASB-based adjustments.

Changes in pay range structures

  • Instructional support pay grades were aligned with the teacher hiring scale
  • More pay levels were added to some pay plans, such as those for paraprofessionals, instructional support, police and security and food services

Consolidation of pay groups

  • All administrative assistants moved to the office support pay group
  • All therapists, nurses and athletic coaches were moved to the instructional support pay group
  • Media assistants, community liaisons and deaf education were moved to the paraprofessional pay group

Alignment of job titles

  • Administrative and executive assistants were aligned by reporting structures
  • Central staff pay grades now distinguish between exempt and non-exempt jobs
  • Central job titles changed for consistency

Professional development opportunities available for central staff

Central staff employees can take advantage of several learning opportunities during September.  All sessions will be held at the Linus D. Wright Administration Building, 9400 N. central Expressway. The available opportunities are:

Results Focused Leadership Series—This is a three-part series that focuses on the nuts and bolts of management and tools to get results whether you are a new leader or an experienced one. Interested staff can attend all three modules or just one.  Audience:  New Managers, Managers, Supervisors.

  • Module 1:  Goals and Check-ins  Discover how check-in meetings make it easier to manage day-to-day work of the staff and ensure it is connected to big picture goals that impact results.
  • Module 2:  Developing People and Feedback  Participants will discuss development techniques and a way to structure feedback so employees will understand what you are commenting on and why.
  • Module 3:  Exercising Authority Something that sounds simple can be the source of anxiety.  This session will identify passive and aggressive behaviors and explain what it means to exercise authority without being too passive or overly aggressive.

The 5 Languages of Workplace Appreciation (Click here) When managers and supervisors understand someone’s primary and secondary language, as well as specific ways to speak to them, they can effectively communicate authentic appreciation, thus raising the level of buy-in and performance across the entire team and organization. Session participants will learn how to express genuine appreciation to co-workers and staff even on a tight budget.  Audience: Managers, Supervisors, Central Staff employees

Multiple Generations at Work (Click here) This session will identify the multiple generations in the workplace and formulate a better understanding of their needs and motivations. Language skills to effectively communicate and collaborate will be discussed.  Audience:  Central Staff employees

 

New structures and staff in new positions greet the new school year

The Teaching and Learning division shifted its organizational structure to create a more systematic approach to meeting student, parents and staff needs.

  • Shannon Trejo was named deputy chief of Academics.
  • Assistant Superintendent for Special Populations Elizabeth Casas will lead programs for special populations, which include dual language and special education services and dyslexia/504, with Michelle Brown serving as executive director, advanced academics, social emotional learning and special education auxiliary services, led by Executive Director Juany Valdespino-Gaytan
  • Language, Literacy and Social Studies responsibilities shifted resulting in a move from an assistant superintendent to an executive director level (currently vacant). This position will oversee reading language arts (3-12), social studies (3-12), world languages (K-12), and multi-tiered systems of support
  • An assistant superintendent overseeing STEM, computer science, CTE and career institutes was established. Oswaldo Alvarenga will serve in that capacity.

Other staff changes/promotions

  • Silvia Salinas was named executive director of the Athletics Department.
  • John Lawton is the new chief of police for Dallas ISD
  • Marlon Shears was selected as the new deputy chief technology officer