Staff News

Human Capital Chief Robert Abel was honored this week with the 2025 Distinguished Service Award by the Council of the Great City Schools for his distinguished service in urban education. 

The award is sponsored by Kelly Education and is given to an individual from the management services ranks during the annual Chief Human Resources Officers meeting, which this year took place in Baltimore, Md.

With over two decades of experience in educational leadership, Abel has continually driven meaningful change in large, urban school districts, a vital part of the Council’s mission to improve student outcomes. Since stepping into his role as chief of HCM in 2021, he has been instrumental in strategic initiatives, such as a 44% reduction in overall grievances filed while achieving a remarkable 90% reduction in Level 3 grievances. These accomplishments reflect his commitment to fostering fair and transparent employee relations.

Under his leadership, the teacher applicant pool in Dallas ISD has grown by 14%, and substitute fill rates increased from 66% to 81%. Additionally, Abel implemented the Substitute AABS monitoring and accountability system, which has yielded approximately $1.5 million in annual cost savings. His strategic oversight of the district’s excess pool also resulted in savings between $10-12 million annually, ensuring that vital resources are reinvested into the classroom.

According to the CGCS, Abel’s dedication extends beyond numbers. He is a passionate advocate for collaboration and innovation in human capital management. His involvement in districtwide initiatives—including the At-Home Learning CORE team, IT Tech Steering Committee, and Special Education Curriculum Advisory Council—underscores his focus on operational excellence and holistic support for students, educators, and team members.

“Robert Abel epitomizes the kind of leadership we strive to recognize—one marked by the profound impact on students and staff, as well as innovative solutions to urban education’s most pressing challenges,” said Nicola Soares, president of Kelly Education, which co-hosts the annual meeting. “His achievements are a testament to the power of visionary leadership in creating strong, equitable systems that benefit every level of the school community.”

Abel holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology from Oklahoma State University.

The Benefits Department is launching the 2025 Go Red—Healthy Heart Campaign, which takes place during February. This month-long campaign is all about raising awareness for heart health and encouraging a healthier lifestyle for all Dallas ISD employees. 

The campaign includes:

Go Red Ribbons  

Benefits will be sending red ribbons to all campuses and departments to wear throughout February in support of heart health awareness. Wear your ribbon proudly and show your commitment to heart health! 

Keep It Pumping: A Heart Healthy Wellness Challenge

Join the fun with a wellness challenge! Get active with activities like walking, hitting the gym, doing yoga, or even taking the stairs at work. It’s all about keeping your heart healthy. Benefits will also be providing red pledge hearts to display around the campus or work area as reminders to stay on track. 

Blood Drive: Give the Gift of Life  

In partnership with Carter Blood Care, Benefits is hosting a blood drive at the Linus D. Wright Administration Building (Room 207/208) on Monday, Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s a wonderful way to help others and support heart health in our community! Sign up to donate—every pint helps! 

Go Red, Show Red  

Wear your red on Friday, Feb. 14,  and celebrate heart health with a fun twist: wear jeans for the day. It’s a small gesture that can make a big impact—show your support for a healthy heart! 

Fresh Fruit Fridays 

H.E.B. will be providing free fresh fruit every Friday at the Linus D. Wright Administration Building. Enjoy nutritious snacks that boost your heart health, support blood pressure, and give you the vitamins and fiber you need to feel your best. 

Tips 

Stay tuned for helpful tips throughout the month on managing blood pressure, healthy eating, and simple exercises to keep your heart strong. Plus, don’t forget to download your Go Red digital email signature from the Benefits website to show your support.

If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to reach out to the Benefits Department at 972-925-4300 or email Benefits@Dallasisd.org.  

The Benefits Department is offering an opportunity to help team members plan for an exciting next chapter of their lives—retirement. Join experts for “Tuesday Talks: Achieving Your Retirement Goals”—a series of seminars designed to equip team members with the knowledge and resources to make retirement smooth and successful. 

Save the Date: Feb. 11, 2025 | 5-6 p.m. VIRTUAL 

The Benefits Department will guide participants through the essential steps to kickstart the retirement process with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and answer any questions about future retirement plans. 

Why you can’t miss this event: 

• Guidance: The team will provide valuable insights into the TRS retirement process, ensuring understanding of how to get started and what is needed to prepare.
• Q&A Session: Get answers to specific questions! Whether it’s about eligibility, benefits, or investment options, experts will be there with answers. 
• Resourceful Planning: Learn about available resources, tools, and steps that will make the transition into retirement as seamless as possible.

This event is first-come, first-served, so make sure you sign up early to guarantee a place. Register by clicking on this link to reserve a spot. The link to the virtual seminar will be sent out the day before the event.

Whether you’re just starting to think about retirement or you’re already deep in the planning process, ‘Tuesday Talks’ will provide the insights and support to move forward with confidence.

On Jan. 31, 2025, Governor Greg Abbott issued a ban prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence and social media apps affiliated with the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party on government-issued devices. The list below has been updated.

The 88th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1893 prohibiting the use of certain social media applications and services on governmental entity devices. Government Code Chapter 620 requires governmental entities to ban the software products listed below on district-owned devices and networks effective Nov. 20, 2024. This extends the network block the district instituted on Jan. 27, 2023, on the social media service TikTok (Covered Applications).

Prohibited Software/Applications/Developers

New (as of Jan 31, 2025)

• RedNote
• DeepSeek
• Webull
• Tiger Brokers
• Moomoo
• Lemon8

Existing List

• Alipay
• ByteDance Ltd.
• CamScanner
• Kaspersky
• QQ Wallet
• SHAREit
• Tencent Holdings Ltd.
• TikTok
• VMate
• WeChat
• WeChat Pay
• WPS Office
• Any subsidiary or affiliate of an entity listed above.

Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we continue to secure sensitive information in our care.

While Dallas ISD’s 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results show steady performance in math and reading for fourth and eighth graders and some student groups continuing to outperform their peers, the results also showed the district still has work to do to catch up to national public and large city schools.

The district’s eighth grade reading gains were among the highest nationally, trailing only Chicago among Trial Urban District Assessment participants. English language learners, who make up over 50% of Dallas ISD students, significantly outperformed their national and large-city peers in fourth and eighth grade reading and math. In math, Black and Hispanic fourth graders outperformed their national and large-city counterparts. Fourth graders overall outperformed 10 other TUDA districts in math.

Another highlight in the results is the trends that indicate an increase in students achieving at basic, proficient, and advanced levels across all grades and subjects tested.

“These results tell us that the supports we have implemented for the past three years both for teachers and students have helped us recover,” said Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde. “However, they also tell us that we still have work ahead of us to get back to pre-pandemic levels and to narrow the gap with our peers. It is more important than ever to invest in the education of the children in our state and our district so we can continue the learning improvements.”

Dallas ISD has emphasized teacher mentoring, development, and retention, leading to higher retention rates than other urban districts across Texas. Since 2021, the district has also prioritized reading and math academies, along with additional professional development, to strengthen instructional practices.

Ray Hart, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, praised the district’s progress: “Dallas is one of only four districts whose performance in 2024 was not significantly different than their 2019 pre-pandemic scores in all four grade and subject combinations tested, showing that federal, state, and local resources devoted to recovery from the pandemic have been extremely beneficial.”

Elizalde added: “It is thanks to the continued work of the board, administration, and our team members, as well as our steadfast focus on the goals for improving outcomes for all students in the district that these results are possible.”

As part of the district’s cloud-first strategy, the Oracle Enterprise Business Suite (EBS) infrastructure will be migrating from our current on-premise setup to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to improve system performance, scalability, and resilience.

What does this mean for users?

This migration will bring several benefits, including:

• Access anywhere : Greater accessibility to the system from any location without needing a Virtual Private Network (VPN), fostering more flexibility and ease of use.
• Enhanced performance: Optimized system response times and reduced downtime.
• Improved security: Strengthened security protocols and compliance with industry standards.
• Increased scalability: Seamlessly handle growing workloads and user demands.

Key Dates:

• Migration start: 6 p.m. on March 7
• Expected completion: 5 p.m. on March 16
• Downtime window: 6 p.m. on March 7 through 5 p.m. on March 16

During the migration, there will be a scheduled downtime to ensure a smooth and successful transition. The migration has been planned to coincide with the week of spring break to avoid any disruption to regular district activities. Team members’ support as the district works to modernize its systems is appreciated.

Very Influential Principals in the vertical teams were identified by their executive directors and associate superintendent last fall and represent outstanding principals in their areas. 

Recommended characteristics of a Vertical Team VIP include: 

• Influencing positive culture on campus and within the vertical team,
• Cultivating leaders,
• Retaining employees across all campus roles,
• Implementing strategic actions and activities focused on students’ personal growth and well-being, and 
• Collaborating with, cheering for, and counseling colleagues.

REGION I 

W.H. Adamson HS: Stephanie Amaya

Moisés E. Molina HS: Norma Barragan

Skyline HS: Kiashan King

L.G. Pinkston HS: Josefina Murillo

Sunset HS: Sherri Rogers-Hall

REGION II

Bryan Adams HS: Audrey De La Cruz

Seagoville HS: Katrina Gibson

W.W. Samuell HS: Linda Kratzert

Woodrow Wilson HS: Brittany Thompson

Grady Spruce HS: Samantha White

REGION III

Hillcrest HS: Beverly Mullins Ford

Emmett J. Conrad HS: Maria Puente-Mejia

North Dallas HS: Mary Ann Suhl

W.T. White HS: Ashley Toole

Thomas Jefferson HS: James Wallace

REGION IV

Madison/Lincoln: Jennifer Atkins

Justin F. Kimball HS: Sonja Barnes

David W. Carter HS: Demetria Bell-Ellis

South Oak Cliff HS: Willie Johnson

Franklin D. Roosevelt / Wilmer Hutchins: Stacy Ray

REGION V

Magnet Team: Valarie Kendrick

Transformation & Innovation: Molly Lynch and Chealsie Sanchez

Dallas ISD team members spent their winter break at home or traveling with family while others visited new places to rest and recharge for the new year. Several share their stories and photos below.

Sarah Foster, principal at Bryan Adams High School Leadership Academy

She spent her winter break traveling to the Bahamas, where she and her family enjoyed the amazing blue waters of Exuma. 

“We usually spend every other Christmas as a blended family on a big trip,” Foster said. “It includes all of the Dad’s side of the family, my mom, my blended siblings, and our kids. It makes so many memories!”

Karyn Pfeffer, auditor with Internal Audit

She traveled to Omaha, Neb., to be with her aging parents, and learned during her trip that she is, unfortunately, not a good cook though she did not share details of what led to this conclusion. 

“Taking my dad to what will hopefully be his last radiation treatment and seeing him ring the bell,” she said was an important memory of the trip.

William Perez, early learning specialist

He had a wonderful winter break staying home to celebrate Christmas with family and then traveling to Portland, Ore., to visit close friends. They really loved the opportunity to visit Silver Falls State Park and Mount Hood. 

“Growing up in the ‘80s meant that you watched the movie Goonies several hundred times,” he said. “We could not miss the opportunity to visit the Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach (at the end of the movie) and the original Astoria home. It was an amazing experience! Goonies never say die.”

Jordan Hillis, Montessori teacher at Montessori Academy at Onésimo Hernandez 

She spent her 20s and the majority of her 30s working on cruise ships during summers and holidays and traveling to more than 100 countries. Then, she settled down at 40 and had a baby, so the break was spent with family enjoying the baby’s first Christmas. 

“My husband is a photographer, and we love to create memories in photos,” she said. “We dressed our son as an elf, took pictures in a cup of hot chocolate, and captured him enjoying his first snowfall!”

“I’ve been a teacher for more than 15 years, and I find so much joy in watching my students blossom in the classroom and beyond,” she added. “Their curiosity and sweetness inspired me and gave me the courage to have a child of my own, and I’ll always be grateful to them for that.”

Yvonne Rojas, principal at Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School

She spent a lot of quality time locally with her daughter—Leyah, a third grader at  Winnetka Elementary School—visiting many outdoor locations, such as the Dallas Arboretum, Klyde Warren Park, the Omni Hotel for ice skating and New Year’s. They also had fun indoors with games and movies like Moana and Wicked. 

“We also did a lot of crafts and cooking at home which was very fun to do with her because of her interest in trying new things,” she said. “The best part was all the smiles and giggles we had, especially when we would discuss our day and laugh about our favorite parts. She loves her school and teachers, so everywhere we go, she would tie it back into something she learned at some point during the year. For example, in art, her teacher talked to them about sculptures around Dallas, and every time we would see one, she wanted to take a picture of it and discuss its meaning or importance to art.”

Alexis Crain, third grade teacher at Jerry Junkins Elementary School

She spent the winter break traveling—one week in Louisiana and one week in Florida.

Most of my time in Louisiana was spent in the Baton Rouge area but also a few smaller cities. Her favorite part was seeing fields of sugarcane in St. Martinville. 

“My friend’s family used to farm sugar cane, so I was able to learn some interesting facts about it,” she said. “I have always been fascinated by Louisiana history and culture.”

From Louisiana, she traveled to Orlando, where her favorite spot was Universal Islands of Adventure. 

“It was nostalgic seeing the Harry Potter attractions, and they brought back childhood memories,” she said. “The roller coasters were so much fun! Surprisingly, I am not a fan of roller coasters but proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone. I learned to take risks and try new things.”

Gabriela Mejía Villarreal, a dual language teacher at Jerry Junkins Elementary School

She spent the winter break visiting family in Mexico and welcoming the new year in Las Vegas. The highlight of her break was getting engaged at Horseshoe Bend in the Grand Canyon. She also went to Cirque du Soleil’s “One,” a show based on Michael Jackson’s music, where dancers were moonwalking on the wall.

“We visited the Lower Antelope Canyon afterwards and celebrated our engagement with the breathtaking views of the canyon,” she said.  

New data from the Texas Education Agency confirms that Dallas ISD retained more teachers than similar urban districts, those in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and those across Texas while teacher turnover increased from across the state.

Each year, TEA publishes data on teacher turnover in the Texas Academic Performance Reports that give districts a consistent method to benchmark turnover against peers across the state.

“We begin projecting turnover early each fall, but when we received the data over the winter break, for the second year in a row, the Dallas ISD teacher retention rate was higher than the state and Region 10,” said Human Capital Management Chief Robert Abel. “The data is clear: Dallas ISD is retaining more teachers and at higher rates than comparable districts.”

Even better, TEI data shows that among those teachers, the district continues to retain the most effective teachers at a rate above 90% annually, Abel said.

Abel attributes the lower attrition rate to the district’s comprehensive retention strategy that pairs market-leading compensation under TEI with wrap-around teacher development opportunities and supportive campus leaders that balance high expectations with opportunities for success.

“It’s a whole philosophy of supporting teachers and making sure they have everything they need to help their students succeed,” he said. 

For early career teachers, Dallas ISD’s teacher mentor program has more than doubled the number of teacher mentors to more than 950 this school year, and the program provides targeted support to accelerate professional growth of those new to the district, he said. 

“Dallas ISD is a great place to call home, and we’re excited by the opportunities and support available to our teachers in the District,” Abel said.

Deon H., a fourth grader at J.P. Starks Math, Science, and Technology Vanguard, is the winner of the 33rd Annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition.

In total, eight students across Dallas ISD took the stage for the annual competition, which took place at the AT&T Performing Arts Center on Friday, Jan, 17.

The theme this year was “what would Dr. King tell us about our responsibility as citizens and leaders in America today?” Each student delivered a 3-to-5-minute speech that incorporated the theme with lessons taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Second place went to Sidiba D., a fourth grade student at Solar Preparatory for Girls, and fifth-grader, Danielle A., from Clara Oliver Elementary School, came in third place.

The rest of the semi-finalist for the 2025 MLK Jr. Oratory Competition are:

• Sullivan P., fourth grade: Adelle Turner Elementary School
• Jaxon W., fourth grade: Charles Rice Learning Center
• Ivan S., fifth grade: Arturo Salazar Elementary School
• Khalyn T., fifth grade: Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy
• Zayden V, fifth grade: Frederick Douglass Elementary School