Up the Academy: Better News, For Some, in the Latest Version of DISD Staffing Formulas

After the jump you'll find two things of note: the proposed 2011-'12 school year staffing formulas that could be voted on by the Dallas Independent School District trustees at their 5:30 p.m. board meeting today, and a music video featuring a young pianist and singer named Cameron Ordinario. He's a sixth-grader at Greiner's Exploratory Arts Academy who has rewritten Leonard Cohen's oft-covered "Hallelujah," among the most covered songs of all time, and given it a new title: "Please Save Greiner."

That, according to an email I received last night, is in response to proposed teacher cuts at the Oak Cliff arts magnet at W. E. Greiner Middle School, which sends some of its best and brightest to Booker T. Said the email, parents of academy students will be protesting this afternoon's board meeting because "the current budget proposal wants to cut all 9 academy teachers."

Which was true as of the fourth version of the budget that was presented to the board on May 12. On Page 56 you'll note that the district said it was proposing to eliminate all Montessori, academy and vanguard teachers at Dealey, Travis, Stone, Polk, Longfellow, Spence, Greiner and on and on. But the campus staffing formula more than likely being voted on today has reinstated many -- but not all -- of those positions. Travis still stands to lose five of its 10 vanguard/academy teachers; Greiner, half of its nine; Atwell, three of its six.

These new numbers, which could also be pulled from the agenda before the meeting, appear to be those that will be revealed in the fifth version of the proposed budget, which will be presented to the board and media at 1 p.m. District spokesman Jon Dahlander says this morning he will double-check and get back to us before then. Either way, you've got some homework waiting on the other side, and a nice soundtrack to go with.

Update at 10:02 a.m.: Dahlander says the staffing formula numbers posted on today's board agenda have indeed been updated since May 12, but "they do not include" Budget Version 5.0, which will be presented at 1 p.m. He does not have those numbers yet, but he will send, and we will post, as soon as they become available.

Staffing Formulas 2011-2012