Staff News

Social workers play a vital role in our schools advocating for students, families and communities. During March—Social Work Month—Dallas ISD celebrates the work these professionals do to meet the needs of students and families.

“A lot of times you have to meet students and families where they are. You can’t go to them with a pious or superior attitude,” said Patricia Washington, a social worker in the district’s Child Find Department. “Sometimes they can’t help the circumstances they’re in and you have to work with them and treat them as you would want someone to treat one of your family members.” 

The theme for this year is “Empowering Social Workers,” as a way to bring awareness to better support social workers. According to the National Association of Social Workers website, it is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that nearly 800,000 people will work as social workers in the United States by 2032, an increase of 7 percent over the decade.

Washington, of two social workers in her department, said that Social Work Month brings awareness to a field that can often be thankless by highlighting all the good things social workers do. 

“Most of us are in this business because we want to help those in need, and we truly care about the needs of others,” Washington said. “I’ve helped connect people to different resources, such as housing, mental health services, food, and so on.” 

Washington, who’s been working for the district since 2015, has been a social worker for over 40 years. Before coming to the district, she worked for the Dallas Police Department in the crisis intervention area. In fact, she started working for the district on the day she retired from the police department. Prior to that, she had worked for Child Protective Services, as well as a federally funded program that helped young mothers and pregnant teens. 

Washington, who graduated from Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, took the opportunity to work in the district as a way of giving back to the community that raised her.  

While Washington says she isn’t someone who expects anything in return, she does recall moments when she felt extremely gratified for doing the work she does. She remembers a time when she helped a mother and daughter mend their relationship after the daughter had suffered some trauma that the mother wasn’t aware of. Washington intervened and helped connect them to services as well as help their relationship. 

“The mom wrote a three-page letter to my supervisor after she found out who my boss was, and let him know how grateful she was and what a difference I had made, and to this day, it is one of my memorable moments, as it was an unexpected surprise,” Washington said. 

Washington said she was made for this kind of work, and she even practices kindness and empathy outside of work. For example, she will sometimes go up to a parent with their child at a grocery store, and say “I’m proud of you.” She had also been a “Big Sister” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program for several years, where she mentored a child who is now 21 years old. She recalls the child’s mom being thankful to her for bringing different opportunities to her daughter that she otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to due to the mother’s disabilities. 

Washington said she inherited her mom’s caring heart to do this kind of work and describes her mom as someone who was always positive and gave others the benefit of the doubt. It’s that same kindness and dependability that Washington is known by her colleagues and the district’s families that she serves, and said that she truly loves the work that she does.

If you would like more information on the work that social workers do, and how you can help bring awareness, visit the National Association of Social Workers website at https://www.socialworkers.org/. 

Education has always played an important role in Dallas ISD Police Chief Albert Martinez’s life. Now, in his new role as the top police officer for the district, he is combining his support for education with his passion for serving others. 

While growing up, education was strongly emphasized by his mother, who was born and raised in Mexico and who didn’t have the same educational opportunities available to him, so it was always something she pushed, he said.  

Martinez, a 31-year police veteran, took over as the new chief of police for the district last month. He was previously the second in command at the Dallas Police Department, a role he and another chief shared, and worked directly with Dallas Chief Eddie Garcia. While Martinez didn’t grow up in Dallas—he grew up in Pecos, Texas—he has spent most of his adult life here, having arrived in Dallas in the fall of 1993. He immediately began his career in law enforcement as a student in the police academy and has been here ever since. 

He said his biggest priority at Dallas ISD is to follow the district’s and state’s safety and security mandates for all schools.  Next, he said he wants his leadership to be centered around his team members so they can better understand the value of their contributions to the Dallas ISD Police Department and the district as a whole.

“Like our teachers, our principals, and other employees, everyone’s doing this work from their heart,” Martinez said. “My job here as a leader is to tap into my people’s hearts of service. I want them to grow, not only professionally and personally. I want to foster that type of growth environment.” 

He also believes that getting a quality education is something that can make a big difference in a student’s life, as well as having it as a foundation from which to build a life. The district has a number of opportunities, and the more opportunities that students are exposed to will help them stay motivated and be less likely to make decisions that could negatively affect their future, he said. 

Martinez credits his third-grade teacher, along with his mother, for motivating him as a child, so he knows the value of students seeing role models and mentors in the schools. Martinez, who was an honors student, was told by his teacher that she was proud of him. In turn, he wanted to continue to make her proud by getting good grades. Besides excelling in school, Martinez also played trumpet in the school band, and says he’s still able to read music. 

“Our teachers, even some of the smallest acts that they do, will have a big impact, but they may not see it for years,” Martinez said. “It  may be something they said or something they did. You can see their heart of service– that they care.”

Martinez said he understands that students have challenges, which can include things happening at home, and hopes to work with the schools and community partners so students can find peace and tranquility in their school. 

“Some of our students are in survival mode, but there’s relief here, there’s food, there’s care, there’s mentorship,” Martinez said. “Even with the challenges that they may face in school, it can also be where they feel a sense of belonging.”

Building community is also one of Martinez’s priorities—working with parents, guardians and other stakeholders from within and outside the school district. This includes listening to their concerns and working together, he said. 

“The community really wants to help. You have individuals and organizations, and private corporations who have the means to help and who want  to help,” Martinez said. “We have to be part of that conduit to bring resources.” 

He said that he is looking forward to continuing to build and strengthen the relationships that his predecessor, Chief John Lawton, has created with the district and community. 

“Relationships are very critical, and so one of my foremost and  biggest tasks is to form and solidify those relationships,” Martinez said. 

Dallas ISD team members deserve to be praised for their Core 4 spirit as they demonstrate what being focused, flexible, fast and friendly means in their everyday interactions. If your central administration department has been doing regular recognitions, please nominate those you celebrated for a central-wide recognition by completing this form. 

A committee will look at the nominations and choose a central administration champion for the quarter for each of the four tenets. We’ll be asking for nominations again in a few months. Those who are recognized will receive a bag with Core 4 items and the opportunity to park in the Core 4 Champions spot at the Linus D. Wright Dallas ISD Administration Building. 

Recognizing team members in your department is part of the Core 4 experience.

Celebrate Women’s History Month with Dallas ISD’s extensive library resources. Dive into a diverse collection of e-books, access invaluable online platforms like Gale for comprehensive research, and explore enriching print books. These are available to any student and team member in the district.

“Our resources have information that inspires and educates students about the remarkable contributions of women throughout history,” said Patricia Alvarado, director of Library Media Services. 

Below are some of the resources:

Picture book biography link to access information on Teaching Books resources from the district: https://share.teachingbooks.net/QLS9CAW 

Site about women’s history from one of the district’s premium resources,

Elementary Gale in Context: Voting Rights for Women 

A short video about women’s history from Britannica High School: https://school.eb.com/levels/high/as sembly/view/253414 . 

All of these resources and more can be found at www.dallasisd.org/onlineresources

Academic Services has launched a site to help parents navigate the district’s curriculum resources through the new Parent Curriculum Support Website. As partners in your child’s education, Dallas ISD understands the importance of providing resources and activities to help parents support their students’ learning journey at home.

The curriculum strategy focuses on delivering grade-level content, aligned with state standards, while offering additional support for students who may need it. The district believes that strong collaboration between schools and families is essential for students’ success.

On the website, parents will find resources and activities designed to support children’s learning in reading language arts and mathematics. Whether it’s reinforcing concepts covered in class or exploring new topics together, these resources are available to enhance the educational experience.

In the Molina family there is an inside joke about Dallas ISD: “It’s a family business.” According to Mario Molina, who recently retired, nine out of the 11 siblings have worked for the district. To the family members, who also attended schools in the district, Dallas ISD has definitely been home over the years. 

Molina retired this past December after having worked 37 years in the district’s Evaluation and Assessment Department, where he was assigned to the warehouse service center—shipping and receiving state and local tests, among other duties. 

Molina says he is a proud product of Dallas ISD, as he and all of his siblings attended Dallas ISD schools, from elementary to high school. All but three graduated from Sunset High School. His three older siblings graduated from Crozier Tech High School, which has since closed and is a historical landmark. 

Besides his siblings, Molina’s spouse, Anita Espinosa, has worked for the district for approximately five years, and is the office manager at the School for the Talented and Gifted at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center. Molina even has nieces and nephews who work for the district as teachers or work in the school office. Espinosa, who grew up in Plano, knew that it was only a matter of time before she, too, would end up working for the district. And she was right. 

So how did this family tradition start? Molina says one of the older sisters was the first to take a job with the district, and soon other siblings followed. He said one of the things that has attracted him and family members to the district was the opportunity to work and grow in the numerous departments. 

“There’s something for everybody here in the district,” Molina said. 

Since several family members have the same holidays and vacation dates—one of the perks of working for the district—they get together for breakfast or make it a point to see each other, Molina said. While he’s enjoying his retirement, Molina said he enjoyed working with his district team and saw them more like family. 

“They become your family because you never know when they might need your help or you may need their help, without expecting anything in return—that’s what family does, related or not,” he said.

For Molina, it’s family—both biological and work family—that motivated him to get up to go to work every morning  for the district for almost four decades. But said it was the students who motivated him the most.

“Just knowing that the students were getting the supplies they needed and how I was helping counselors, teachers, and schools, was gratifying,” Molina said. While he admits that he might not have always seen the direct impact his work had on students, he knew that the role that he and his colleagues did was important. 

Espinosa began her career in the district first as an attendance clerk and then as a financial clerk, to her current job of office manager. She says she is able to see the direct impact her work has on students and team members at her school, and that it’s the little things that motivate her.  She often receives thank you notes from students after assisting them with materials they need for student activities. 

During the trajectory of Molina’s career with the district, he says he has experienced many memorable moments, but some of his favorites involve bringing sunshine to someone’s day. He recalls a moment when a campus counselor was having a challenging day and was in tears. He started telling her that everything was going to be okay and how everything would work out. 

“Seeing her demeanor change, made me feel good inside and made me want to strive to do more of that,” said Molina. “I was able to make her day a little better.”

Meeting different counselors, test coordinators, and team members from throughout the district who always had a story to tell or share about the good things happening on their campuses, was when he got glimpses of the impact that his work had on supporting the district’s students. 

For Espinosa, one of her favorite things about her role at Townview TAG is helping the parents and students. Although she’s only been on that campus since last February, she says she’s already established a rapport with students, parents and team members. 

While Molina says he misses the interaction with his colleagues, Espinosa says they both stay busy with their daughter’s athletic activities. She is a senior, so they both spend a lot of time at volleyball and softball games. In their spare time, they enjoy going out dancing to Tejano and country music and are also big Rangers fans.

“If I had to do it all over again, I would still work for the district,” Molina said. “You actually don’t know how many lives you’re touching or how many lives you’re affecting even though you’re not on campus, but your job is helping students get a step closer to where they want to go, and that makes me happy.” 

Starting as a teacher and leader in both high school and middle school in Dallas ISD, Miriam Gaytan has worked to make a positive impact on students’ lives. Now, in her role in Maintenance and Facility Services, she continues to bring her dedication and focus on pursuing the highest standards of excellence for the benefit of students and team members.

Gaytan, currently director of operations, is a Thomas Jefferson High School graduate and an example of commitment and dedication to the community. She oversees the budget and management of the 10 organizations in Maintenance and Facility Services, she said. With an outstanding 22 years of service with Dallas ISD, Gaytan has demonstrated a commitment to education and a drive for success.

“After graduating high school, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Those 13 weeks of boot camp changed me forever, and I will never forget the pride I felt earning the title of Marine,” she said. “The Corps taught me to be a better steward of my community and to be grateful for the men and women who have sacrificed for our freedom.”

Gaytan’s journey in education was inspired by her own experiences as a student in Dallas ISD. 

“As a product of Dallas ISD, I wanted to give back to the district that helped raise me,” she said. “I admired my teachers from an early age and wondered if I could be like them someday.”

She returned to Thomas Jefferson High School as a teacher and was not disappointed when she was welcomed back as a colleague by her former teachers, something that was “incredibly special. They mentored me and helped me become the teacher I always dreamt of being,” she said. 

In her current role, Gaytan is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion for women in her department. 

“As a woman in a department with majority men, I understand the importance of advocating for and creating awareness regarding the inclusion and acknowledgment of all perspectives and ideas,” she said. 

Words of wisdom Gaytan often shares: “Be proud of where you come from and give back every chance you get. Cherish those that love, grow, and believe in you. Always leave things better than you found them.”

In moments of adversity, Miriam draws strength from her parents, who emigrated from Mexico in pursuit of a better life.

“I think of my parents who raised three girls in a completely different country, and through their struggles, I saw their persistence and tenacity to always provide for our family,” she said.

Miriam’s leadership extends beyond her professional responsibilities; she makes time to interact with students and inspire the next generation. During Read Across America Day, she visited Sam Tasby Middle School to read a story to students and share her own story of motivation.

Miriam hopes her legacy of leadership, resilience, and dedication will continue to inspire generations to come. 

Guardians of the Green Conservation and Health Club, the newest club at Edward Titche Elementary School, is teaching students, families, and team members about hygiene, waste reduction, fitness, and nutrition.

The club is the brainchild of Kamron Barton, and it demonstrates her commitment to the well-being of students and the environment. 

“Establishing and sponsoring the group this year has been rewarding,” she said. 

The Guardians of the Green are impacting their school community by promoting food safety throughout the holidays, healthy eclipse viewing, and recycling. 

“In support of Earth Day’s 2024 theme we want to reduce plastic use by at least 60 percent” she said. 

As school counselor, Barton is passionate about education and is devoted to her students. With more than a decade of experience in education, she said she has dedicated her life to educating young minds and creating a culture of conservation and health awareness. Promoting positive exchange is reflected in all aspects of her work, including the health club. 

Despite the challenges of managing the club in addition to her other duties as counselor, she remains dedicated to her students and the goals of helping them improve their lives and the lives of their families.  

“Every staff member sponsors a club that meets at the same time, and all students are expected to participate in one,” she said. “Therefore, consistent meeting attendance can be a challenge, but seeing the enthusiasm and dedication of our members makes the obstacle worthwhile.” 

Barton hadn’t always envisioned herself as an educator, but the tech bust years ago drove engineers into the classroom, where she found her calling. Her experiences in the classroom and as an instructional coach reinforced her passion for counseling. She advises anyone working with children that exposure to new things is key. 

“Providing students with opportunities to experience something new and to learn its value can shape their careers and personal lives in profound ways,” she said.

Barton has also led school diversity and inclusion initiatives and has organized and implemented initiatives for Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Most of all, she is proud of helping students succeed.

“Professionally, I am proud of helping two immigrant Sheltered English students who’d lost their father pass TAKS for the first time,” she said. “I enjoyed learning that these engineers graduated from UT and Texas A&M on full Gates scholarships.”

“This year, I counseled a grieving newcomer despite language barriers,” she said. “I also prioritize guiding fourth-graders to connect learning to future careers. Coming from a low-SES high school without access to such resources, I aim to provide a different experience for my students. At Titche, fourth-graders regularly discuss connections between subjects and their career goals. It’s about showing children, parents, and staff that they are seen, heard, loved, and believed in.” 

I’m a working mother of two boys—one who is of elementary age, the other already a grownup. I’ve raised my older son, and I’m raising my son in Southeast Dallas, in the community which is known as Pleasant Grove. This corner of Dallas—my corner of the world—feels like home. My son attends Henry B. Gonzalez Personalized Learning Academy, our neighborhood school. I’m also a Dallas ISD team member, who lives, shops, dines, and volunteers in my community because I’m intentional about supporting it.. 

As a district team member, I believe in public education. I made a decision early on, that my children would attend public schools, and that we would work as a family to find that sense of community in our schools. My father was a public school teacher and always taught me the value of public education. I didn’t grow up in Dallas, but I’ve lived here longer than I have anywhere else. I’m proud to live in Southeast Dallas, the home of many hard-working families whose children attend neighborhood public schools that are gems in our community. 

You may hear a lot about Pleasant Grove, not always wonderful things, but those things don’t define us. I can assure you that there are many people who put the “pleasant” in Pleasant Grove. It is my favorite part of the city. We have the Trinity Forest and a public horse park practically in my backyard. On Lake June, across from the Pleasant Grove Branch Library, we have the largest outdoor mural gallery in the country. There are many hidden treasures in our community that should be celebrated, and our schools are no exception.

There’s a sense of connection and synergy that I’ve seen in recent years. It’s an exciting time in our schools and in our community. There are leaders and volunteers, everyday people, who are working collaboratively to advocate for this area that has been historically economically disadvantaged. I see much of this good energy in the schools, as there are active Parent Teacher Associations and different educational and extracurricular enrichment options for students. With many new opportunities available in our neighborhood schools, I see more and more community members sending their children to schools in their own neighborhoods. 

From the moment I step out the door, I see a community that works together. I see parents walk their kids to school every morning, and they are greeted by volunteers, teachers or community members who work as crossing guards. There’s a sense of empathy, unity and a community that cares.

I feel good knowing that my child is attending a Dallas ISD school, where he feels nurtured, seen, heard, and where team members work with him and other students to help them be the best scholars they can be. As a parent, I genuinely feel that the district is playing an important role in fostering a happy, healthy, and future leader, whether his role in the world is big or small. They make me feel like my child is significant, like every child is significant. He loves art and choir and is an avid reader who loves numbers. He expresses his feelings and says things like, “Mom, that makes me happy,” or “Mom, that frustrates me,” and tells me why. His school is working with me to raise not only a smart, active child, but an emotionally intelligent child. 

A friend, who is a small business owner in the community and who grew up in Mexico, says the language of her heart is Spanish. She would tell me about her dreams of her son being the first in his family to go to college. He attended schools in our neighborhood, and when it was time to attend high school, he and his mom chose W.W. Samuell High School because of the Early College option. It was his mother’s biggest, boldest dream for her son to graduate with his associate degree and attend college. Her dream came true. Her son graduated with a two-year degree and is currently attending a local university. His mother recently told me that the years of sacrifice, the blood, sweat and tears were well worth the effort. 

This is what my community is made of—hard-working families that want the best for their children, and they’ve found it in our Dallas ISD schools, where there is something for every child. My community is changing the narrative of what Pleasant Grove used to be known as. These leaders—from administrators, teachers, cafeteria workers, custodians, to students—are making history and changing the future. 

Seeing things from the lens of a parent, at Gonzalez PL Academy, I found exactly what I always wanted for my child. I’m thankful that I can find it a couple of blocks from my home. I don’t just see this in my son’s school but in all of the schools in my community. It is fitting to see the names of history makers like Sylvia Mendez and Henry B. Gonzalez in our neighborhood schools where future history makers are growing up today. When my son says he is a senator (the school’s mascot), I think to myself that maybe someday he will be one in the U.S. Congress. Whether the kids that we are growing up in our neighborhood schools will become senators or not, they are the ones who will lead us into the future and they are learning how to lead in their neighborhoods.

It’s never too early to get students interested in becoming civically engaged, and at North Dallas High School, that engagement comes in the form of a voter registration drive at school, sponsored by the Student Voter Empowerment Club.

The Student Voter Empowerment Club is a nonpartisan, student-led organization under the March to the Polls umbrella, whose projects include promoting civic education, increasing student voter turnout, and instilling a commitment to voting and civic engagement beyond the high school years. 

Rubi Chavez, office manager and the sponsor of the student-led League of United Latin American Students (LULAC) chapter at North Dallas began the SVEC chapter last year to help youth at her school understand their civic responsibility to vote. This school year, Chavez invited Jo Rohde, an English demonstration teacher and debate sponsor to join forces to co-sponsor SVEC. 

Rohde and Chavez say that it seemed like a natural fit to bring together their students, who collectively have a passion for civic engagement and who were already doing similar work.

There are approximately 25 Dallas ISD schools that have a SVEC chapter like the one at North Dallas High School. Students in grades nine through 12 can participate. For more information about SVEC and March to the Polls, click here. 

“Students are hearing about the importance of voting directly from student voices, and it encourages other students to go out and vote,” Chavez said. 

Even though Chavez and Rohde organize the monthly meetings with SVEC and have a mentor from March to the Polls who helps and guides the students, they ensure that it’s the students who will be leading the voter registration drive at the school. 

Right now, the SVEC chapter is in what Rohde describes as phase one—students are starting to get the word out to their peers. The team has been split up into two committees. The social committee will share general information on social media about the upcoming May election as well as links to voter registration. The poster committee is working on getting posters up around the school and making announcements. After spring break, the students will move into phase two, which will include picking the date for the voter registration drive and finalizing the details. 

According to Chavez, the March to the Polls organization has helped them every step of the way, including sharing resources with the students so they can be better informed about voting and the registration process. This includes resources in Spanish, as an effort to be inclusive of the Spanish-speaking population. Voter registration cards are in English and Spanish, Chavez said. 

“I want them to get all the information regardless of their age, and for them to know that they have a voice and they can express that,” Chavez said. 

While not all students might be eligible to vote this year, Chavez said students can use platforms they are passionate about to get the word out. Chavez believes that the more this generation is exposed to voter education, the more likely they will talk about it among their peers and family members, and become lifelong voters. 

As a debate coach for the last 12 years, Rohde has seen her students research local and national elections and said she has really seen the impact when students inform themselves about their elected officials and where they stand on different topics. 

“Something we’ve learned in debate is how important the local elections are and how they drive us,” she said. “For me, wanting to be part of this SVEC club and helping students get the knowledge they need to become those informed voters who can really make a change is what motivates me.” 

Primaries early voting

Early voting for the March primaries is going on now through March 1. For more information about early voting and the March 5 primaries, visit www.votetexas.gov.