Putting reading first

Dallas ISD is taking a future-focused comprehensive approach to ensure students have the foundational reading and writing skills they will need to ensure lifelong success Through its Literacy is Transforming initiative.

The district is embracing four strategies as part of a comprehensive effort to get students reading and writing at grade level to address a 5.8 percentage-point drop from 2019 to 2021 in the number of students who passed the reading portion of the STAAR across all grade levels. Visit www.dallasisd.org/lit to learn more about the initiative.

“We must embrace innovation and research-based practices to do what we can to build our students’ literary skills,” Chief Academic Officer Shannon Trejo said. “And with the pandemic providing additional challenges to students for the past year, we are ready to accelerate student learning when everyone returns to campus for in-person learning in August.”

Project R.E.A.D

Dallas ISD is in the initial stages of investing heavily in school libraries over the coming months and years. As part of a partnership with Apple, this library redesign initiative, titled Project R.E.A.D., will see libraries evolve into exciting learning laboratories for students to engage in research, exploration, application, and design.

Reading Academies

The district is optimizing the implementation of the Texas Reading Academies, a state legislative requirement, to drive long-term growth and target closing the achievement gap for its Black and Latino students. The Reading Academies equip teachers and administrators with the evidence-based methods that best support the science of teaching reading.

Summer Breeze

Summer school programming, Summer Breeze, was been redesigned with a strong focus on literacy instruction. Through Novel Engineering, students are reading a book where they will work with peers to create a solution for the problem the character is experiencing in the book.

Disciplinary literacy

Foundational and critical reading and writing skills will be built into the curriculum across all content areas, including math and science. This will teach students how to read, write, think and discuss in ways that are particular to those areas.

Other strategies

In addition to these targeted ways to boost student literacy skills, Dallas ISD is committed to investing up to $100 million over two years to mitigate learning loss in all subject areas.

 

Leadership training opportunity

HCM Performance Management is accepting applications for Cohort 6 of Manager 101, a leadership development program hosted in partnership with the Naveen Jindal School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas. Manager 101 is a learning opportunity for professional central staff employees interested in growing their leadership capacity.

Participants will engage in learning modules and projects aligned to the Dallas ISD culture/vision tenets and central staff evaluation domains: Shaping Culture, Developing Talent, Driving Impact, and Engaging Stakeholders.

Interested candidates will:

  • Complete the applicationand submit a current resume
  • Inform their direct supervisor that HCM Performance Management will request an endorsement for the applicant
  • Plan to attend four full-day sessions on The University of Texas at Dallas campus
    • September 17
    • October 6
    • November 17
    • December 1
  • Complete all pre-work assignments and projects

All applicant materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 8. The application and additional instructions can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021M101app.

HCM will contact direct supervisors to verify support for applications and notify participants by Friday, Aug. 27.

Please contact careermanagement@dallasisd.org for questions or comments.

 

Introducing the HSA

This year, Dallas ISD offers staff who have chosen a high deductible plan the opportunity to enroll in a Health Savings Account, or HSA. Like the Flexible Spending Account, it will allow you to set aside funds for eligible health care expenses like doctor visits, prescriptions, and dental and vision care. Eligible expenses are determined by the IRS and can be viewed in detail Publication 502.

To participate in this new savings plan, you have to enroll in the TRS ActiveCare HD plan to qualify. You find out more about the medical plans available to staff by visiting www.dallasisd.org/benefits.

Like with an FSA and other health-related savings accounts, there are limits to how much you can contribute each year. Individuals age 55 or older and not yet enrolled in Medicare can make an additional “catch up” contribution of up to $1,000 per person each year.

Coverage            Maxium Amount
Individuals           $3,600
Family                 $7,200

Unlike other health savings accounts, funds in the HSA that you don’t use by the end of the year can roll over to the following enroll­ment year.

You can have both and HSA and an FSA. But you should note that if you do have both, you can use the HSA only for your medical expenses and your FSA only for vision and dental expenses.

Another exciting feature of an HSA is that you can invest your funds. You will have the option to choose from an extensive list of mutual funds to increase the value of funds that you can hold in your account.*

Ready to get enrolled? It all starts in the Benefits page at www.dallasisd.org/benefits, your one-stop-shop for all benefits information and links.

If you have questions or need help, assistance is close by. Just call (972) 925-4000 weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Spanish- and English-speaking representatives will be available to guide you through the choices and the enrollment process.

For additional information you can also look at the Benefits Overview Guide.

*Note: Investment products are not FDIC insured, and are not bank issued or guaranteed. They are subject to risk, including fluctuations in value and the possible loss of the principal amount invested.

Principal prepares to help students overcome challenges in new school year

At the end of the 2020-2021 school year in June, Boude Storey Middle School Principal Jacqueline Rivers was teary as she thought about why her heart remains in education after 28 years of working in Dallas ISD.

“I’ve always worked in schools that had high needs,” Rivers said. “I’ve had students who are homeless, who are in foster care, who are coming from no resources. And to see them beat the odds and overcome challenges and go on to live productive lives, there is no other feeling like it in the world.”

Rivers has one word to describe last school year: scary. Scary that her students, who face enough challenges in a regular year, were falling even further behind academically because of the pandemic. Scary that it seemed like a nearly impossible task to help the students catch up once in-person instruction resumed.

So when she heard about the opportunity for Boude Storey Middle School to adopt a School Day Redesign calendar–which extends the school year to start at the beginning of August and end in late June for all students–Rivers jumped at the opportunity. She got family and staff buy-in by explaining how far students were falling behind, and how providing more time to learn could make a lifelong difference.

“We will have time for small group instruction. We will have time to get to know the students and help them thrive,” Rivers said. “And we will have the support of the district as we pursue this innovative strategy.”

There are three different Dallas ISD 2021-2022 school year calendars, with three different start dates in August. Providing schools with the flexibility to adopt the calendar that best fits their needs is part of a larger strategy to help ensure the pandemic doesn’t have a long-lasting negative impact on student learning. The district is investing up to $100 million over the next two years in this comprehensive effort.

“With leaders like Principal Rivers taking the bold step to rethink how her school works and how to give more time to students, Dallas ISD will continue to improve outcomes and equity,” Deputy Chief of Academics Derek Little said. “We are so thankful for the 46 schools that are extending their school year to improve services and opportunities for students.”

Dallas ISD is home for Rivers, who attended Charles Rice Learning Center, John B. Hood Middle School and the School of Health Professions. She planned on becoming a doctor but, during a break before graduate school, she taught at Madison High School, igniting her passion for education and her 28-year career in the district.

Rivers knows there is plenty of work ahead for her team to prepare the current Boude Storey students for success after the additional challenges caused by the pandemic. But she also knows that, thanks to the extended school year calendar and her outstanding teachers and campus staff, they are up for the challenge.

“We want to make a difference,” Rivers said of the school year that begins in a few days “We want to see every student here go on to lead productive, fulfilling lives. And we are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

 

Refer a CDL driver

The Board of Trustees recently approved pay increases for Dallas ISD employees.   As of result of these increases, CDL drivers will now have a minimum hourly rate of $22.69 per hour.  Existing Dallas ISD CDL drivers will have their pay rates adjusted to the new pay scale as well and will receive approximately a 10% increase in their hourly rate.

Dallas ISD’s CDL Driver Referral Incentive program will reward any Dallas ISD staff member who refers a CDL driver applicant who is then hired as a bus driver. It will pay $200 for referring an applicant with a CDL and P/S endorsement at the time of hire and $100 for referring an applicant who has only a CDL at the time of hire.  Refer someone with a commercial drivers license and it could be a win-win for both.

For current drivers, the Dallas ISD offers a retention incentive, designed to compensate full-time CDL bus drivers who hold their passenger and student endorsements. Eligibility for the incentive requires that the employee be full time and hold a CDL with a P/S as of Jan. 1, 2021. The employee must be active at the time of payout and have remained a Transportation bus driver with no break in assignment or service. The supplemental earning amount is $800 per year with 50% paid in December and the remaining 50% paid in May.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join the team

If you know someone interested in teaching in Dallas ISD, let them know about the district’s next  “In-Person Job Fair Hiring Event” from 4 to 6 p.m.  Thursday, July 22, at Skyline High School.

During the job fair, principals will interview candidates for all campus based openings, such as teachers, teacher leads, and paraprofessionals. Campus booths and interviews will be set with social distancing that is in compliance with the CDC and state guidelines.

This who want to participate in the event will need to bring proof of teaching certification or statement of eligibly from their education preparation program. Should you have any questions, please email us at futureteacher@dallasisd.org.

Candidates who have not yet completed the district’s teacher application, should do so prior to the hiring event. Our Teacher Application can be found at www.dallasisd.org/careers.

To register for the event, click on the invitation link.

 

 

District observes new holiday

Juneteenth National Independence Day was recently established as a federal holiday, and Dallas ISD, following policy guidelines, has adopted June 19 as an official district holiday.

Traditionally, when school districts elect to honor a federal holiday, if the holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is used to commemorate the holiday. To honor the passage of this historic law—which this year took place June 17, a day before the end of the 2020-2021 school year—Dallas ISD will allocate one additional local day (PTO) to those who were full-time employees on June 18, 2021. 

Based on approved changes to DEC (Regulation), Human Capital Management has revise the 2021-2022 staff calendar and the contract start and end dates document to reflect the new federal holiday of Juneteenth National Independence Day.

Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the emancipation of slaves on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, following the Emancipation Proclamation that was issued two years earlier. Several states, including Texas, still practiced slavery despite the emancipation in 1863 until federal troops arrived in Galveston to bring word of then President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation.

Juneteenth, traditionally a Texas holiday, has gained more and more prominence among African Americans at the national level as Emancipation Day, leading to the signing of the bill by President Joe Biden that officially makes it a federal holiday. Juneteenth has been a state holiday in Texas since 1980.

At home serving his community

Corey Banks, a custodial Services Supervisor and proud South Oak Cliff Golden Bear, is committed to uplifting his community through his leadership position.

With 23 years of service under his belt, Banks manages over 80 custodial services employees who ensure the day-to-day smooth operations of 23 Dallas ISD campuses in southern Dallas. Part of his secret sauce for success stems from valuable lessons on collaboration and determination that he learned during his teenage years at South Oak Cliff High (SOC).

“I am who I am today because of the education that I received here at South Oak Cliff,” he said during an interview last year. “The love that I have for this building and for this school community is off the charts. Golden Bears bleed gold and white!”

Like him, Bank’s father graduated from a Dallas ISD school, and both of his uncles are SOC alumni. His mother graduated from Pinkston High and worked for Dallas ISD for more that 30 years, in the Sarah Zumwalt Middle School attendance office and later in Accounting at the Administration Building.

Banks finished high school in the top 20 percent of his graduating class in 1991. Decades later, both of his sons—Corey Jr. and Kendrick Banks—graduated from SOC in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Like their father, both brothers finished in the top 20 percent of their graduating class.

We spoke with Banks about his love for SOC, his best high school lessons, and the impact he wishes to have in his community.

What is South Oak Cliff High School to you?

SOC is a school of tradition. It’s a school that is loved by the community. A school known and respected by the state. Growing up as a Golden Bear was an experience that taught me how to be mentally strong and prepared me for life. It taught me teamwork, dedication, perseverance and respect. Our teachers cared about our education and our growth for the future. We trusted the process and I was under the leadership of two amazing principals, Dr. Todd and Mr. Waylan Wallace. They were personable and always had our best interest in mind. The school was old and full of history and pride. Like every high school, South Oak Cliff had its challenges, but we owned and loved our school regardless.

Tell me about a lesson that you learned in high school that still applies today.

At SOC, I learned perseverance, I learned discipline and hard work, and I carry that over to my job. Dealing with 23 campuses, you have multiple personalities and you have to be strong and learn how to be attentive to everybody’s needs. You have to push and weather the storms, to make sure that things are moving at a rate that’s pleasing the customer.

During our senior year, our class had the opportunity to join a play called Blues, Beat, Bumps. A South Oak Cliff graduate came and sang with us and taught us the play, which was about the music from the ‘60s through the ‘90s. We had wardrobe changes, dances, acting, everything. And that resonated the most with me because we all came together, all of us got really close and it taught us how to work together as a team. It taught us team-building and depending and trusting that someone else on a team has their part. It showed us versatility and how to depend on one another.

That was a great learning experience for me at SOC. And that was one of many great experiences, because I was also into sports. I played football, basketball, ran track and won games. And all of those experiences also taught me about perseverance and team building, and were great and memorable too.

How would you convince your sons that the next generation of Banks should be Golden Bears?

I don’t think I’d have to convince them or encourage them a lot, because they love SOC just as much as I do.

South Oak Cliff is an outstanding school in the inner city, located in the southern sector in a traditionally historic building and with outstanding support from the community. The people that go to South Oak Cliff High want to make sure that their community is recognized, uplifted, and brought to a point where it should be. Like me, many want their future generations to keep adding to the culture and to the commonwealth of the community.

I would tell my kids that this environment can really teach you about the importance of community.

 

It’s time! Annual enrollment is now open

If you want to make changes to your annual benefits, explore options, or check out the new Health Savings Account offered to those who have a high-deductible plan, now is the time to do it.

Annual enrollment runs through Aug. 20 and becomes effective Sept. 1. If you don’t make any changes, you will keep the same medical, vision, and dental plans; however, if you want to put money into a flexible spending account or FSA, you need to enroll every year. Now is also the time to enroll in the Sick Leave Bank.

Dallas ISD offers staff medical, dental, and vision coverage and life insurance. The district also provides several  supplemental, voluntary insurance plans that can help meet your financial needs when the unexpected happens. You can choose from four different plans that provide benefits for require hospitalization, when you face various types of critical illness, when you become disabled and unable to work, or if you need long-term care at home or at an assisted living or rehabilitation facility.

You’ll find detailed information about each of the plans—including the optional, voluntary plans—and their premium costs through the Benefits Portal.

It all starts in the Benefits page at www.dallasisd.org/benefits, your one-stop-shop for all benefits information and links. From the Benefits Resources page, check out the Benefits Overview and Plan Costs, which provides many details on your benefit options.

If you have questions or need help, assistance is close by. Just call (972) 925-4000 weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Spanish- and English-speaking representatives will be available to guide you through the choices and the enrollment process.

For additional information you can also look at at the Benefits Overview Guide.

 

Dallas ISD leadership announcement

Several changes in district leadership and a reorganization of some areas of college and career readiness will be effective July 1.

Tiffany Huitt • Acting Chief of School Leadership

Tiffany Huitt has served as deputy chief of Academics in Teaching and Learning and executive director of magnet schools in School Leadership after spending five years as the principal of the School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center, one of the top high schools in the country. She began her career in Dallas in 1999 as a science teacher at the Dallas Environmental Science Academy. Since then, she has worked as lead science teacher and instructional coach while also developing science curriculum assessments and professional development for K-12 science courses. She serves on local and state committees, including the TEA Science Standards TEKS Revisions Committee and the Leadership Council for the Global Learning Network. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Paul Quinn College and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary sciences from The University of Texas at Arlington.

 

To bring coherence and continuity to the district’s post-secondary efforts, several changes have been implemented in the Strategic Initiatives Division. In addition to moving Career Institutes to the division, two deputy chiefs over post-secondary initiatives will report to Chief of Strategic Initiatives Brian Lusk.

 

Oswaldo Alvarenga • Deputy Chief of Strategic Initiatives (Career Institutes and career readiness)

Oswaldo Alvarenga has served as assistant superintendent of STEM, CTE and Career Institutes in the Teaching and Learning Division. Previously, he was executive director of the STEM departments—mathematics, science, computer science, career technology education, STEM environmental center, and health/physical education. Originally from Chicago, Alvarenga earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has worked for various telecommunications companies as a senior design engineer. He has also worked as a high school mathematics teacher, mathematics instructional coach and supervisor, and director of educational technology in Dallas ISD.

 

Usamah Rodgers • Deputy Chief of Strategic Initiatives (P-TECH and college readiness)

Usamah Rodgers has served as assistant superintendent of Post-Secondary Partnerships and Programs. Previously, she served as assistant superintendent for Strategic Initiatives and External Relations. Prior to becoming an assistant superintendent, Rodgers served as the executive director of P-TECH and early college programs where she was responsible for assisting with the design and implementation of systems to support campuses as Dallas ISD launched 18 Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) programs. She has served as feeder pattern executive director and campus administrator at the elementary, middle and high school levels.  Rodgers received a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Missouri State University, as well as a Master of Education in education administration and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy from the University of Texas at Austin.

 

Marlon Harrison • Assistant Superintendent of Information Technology

Marlon Harrison has served as director of student systems—IT Enterprise Applications. Harrison has been with Dallas ISD since 2005 and transitioned into the Information Technology department in 2008. For the past 11 years, Harrison was the manager of the Applications Training team, which trained and supported Student Applications and Oracle EBS. He has extensive experience in design, delivery, implantation, and facilitation of student applications. Harrison has a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Hampton University.

 

Five principals have been chosen to fill vacancies in the School Leadership feeder patterns.

 

Damien Stovall has been named executive director over ACE schools. Previously, he was executive director of the Bryan Adams and North Dallas elementary feeder pattern. Prior to becoming an executive director, he was a principal at Charles A. Gill and Edward Titche elementary schools. During his tenure at Tiche, Stovall turned the school around from an IR5 school to one that earned all six distinctions, a B rating, and meeting state expectations. Titche would continue to earn six distinctions and an “A” rating the following year as well as be named a 2020 National Blue Ribbon school. Stovall has been a principal of the year and a district Master Principal.

 

Dwain Simmons has been named secondary executive director for the Skyline, H. Grady Spruce and W.W. Samuell Feeder Patterns. Simmons has been principal of Skyline High School since 2019.  Prior to that time, he led L.G. Pinkston High School, where he established the schools P-TECH program and led the expansion to include students in sixth through eighth grade. Before his tenure at Pinkston High School, Simmons was associate principal at the John Leslie Patton Jr. Academic Center, which was the district’s high school for over-aged and under-credited students. Simmons has been principal of the year and a mentor principal.

 

 

Diana Nuñez has been named elementary executive director for Seagoville and W.W.  Samuell Feeder Patterns. She has served as principal of W.H. Adamson High School since 2017, an area where she grew up and attended school. Nuñez has been with Dallas ISD for 21 years as an elementary teacher and an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Nuñez is a Master Principal and has been a principal of the year finalist. During her leadership at Dallas Environmental Science Academy, the school accomplished the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program Award in 2017. Nuñez led Adamson to become the only comprehensive high school (out of 23 high schools) to achieve “Breakthrough” Raking in Dallas ISD’s school performance framework in 2018-2019.

 

Jameile Choice has been named student services executive director. Choice began serving in education as a technology coordinator and teacher for Fort Worth ISD. Realizing his penchant to lead, Choice transitioned to servant leadership as a Dallas ISD assistant principal and then to the current principal of New Tech High School in 2016. Building on the school’s transformation, Choice worked tirelessly with his staff, making New Tech the first Dallas ISD high school to become an AVID Demonstration Site in 2017. A product of Dallas ISD (elementary, middle, and high school), Choice acknowledges his teachers’ impact and serves as an Ambassador for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Dallas, consistently advocating for mentorship and tangible support for youth.

 

Temesghen Asmerom has been named executive director in School Leadership. He has been principal of Emmett J. Conrad High School for the past four years. Under his leadership, the school has shown significant growth and has been recognized as a breakthrough campus. Conrad has been home to five distinguished NAF academies and a successful H-TECH program. Since joining Dallas ISD, Asmerom has served in seven different campuses as a member of a leadership team. Prior to joining Dallas ISD, Asmerom worked as a water chemist and research assistant.