Carla Ranger

Last Night's Vote in Dallas ISD Was a Win for Mike Miles and a Loss for John Wiley Price

Look, life is not football. It's more important. I do get that. But, sorry. At a certain point in last night's Dallas ISD board meeting, a big scoreboard flashed in my mind. MIKE MILES, 7. JOHN WILEY PRICE, 0. Very, very superficial of me, I know. But, hey, I am not the one who set it up this way. ... More >>

Dallas ISD Trustees Voted to Fire Two Principals and Hundreds of Teachers Tonight

In a key win for the district's embattled administration, Dallas Independent School District trustees voted tonight to fire two principals and as many as 400 teachers, over the often heated objections of employees and activists. It was the culmination of months of debate and protests over Superinte ... More >>

Dallas Teachers No Longer Have to Work That Extra 45 Minutes -- For Now

Way back in January, over the objections of just about everyone affected, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees tacked a mandatory 45 minutes onto every teacher's workday. How the teachers used the time would be up to principals. Not surprisingly, the decision sparked considerable resentment among teach ... More >>

DISD Trustee Carla Ranger Keeps Standing Up for the People, and Then Walking Out on Them

I didn't catch the live version of last night's Dallas ISD board powwow to winnow its list of superintendent candidates, figuring it would go immediately into closed session and that if I wanted grainy, depressing footage, I'd be better off popping in Inside Job, which I'd somehow missed upon its re ... More >>

Before Vote to Help Uplift Sell Less Expensive Bonds, City Council to Get Schooled on Charters

​Below is the charter school briefing the city council was promised last week, but only after the heated discussion punctuated by Mayor Mike Rawlings's fiery call to expand charters -- because, as he said, "freedom is choice, choice creates excellence, and excellence graduates kids." The purpose o ... More >>

Residence Evil: DISD Trustees Can't Decide Which Employees Should Actually Live in Dallas

​Container Store co-founder Garrett Boone and the Star Employee Commission told the Dallas ISD trustees last month that the HR department was ... how did they put it ... well, let's just go with completely, totally and utterly effed. (Look, my kid reads Unfair Park, all right?) And they offered pa ... More >>

Step One Is Admitting You Have a Problem And Other Lessons Learned During Flores's Forum

​In the end, of course, the commenter was right: They took it easy on Edwin Flores last night at E.L. DeGolyer Elementary -- mighty easy. The audience was small, equal parts critics and cheerleaders; the faces, familiar -- Michael MacNaughton, Bill Betzen, one-time school board candidate Kyle Ren ... More >>

Ranger Says Dallas ISD Has Reinstated Teacher Put on Leave For Letter to Edwin Flores

​But a few hours ago, Rena Honea, president of AFT-Alliance, held a press conference and posted this petition demanding the Dallas Independent School District reinstate fourth-grade Central Elementary bilingual teacher Joseph Drake, who was put on leave late last week after he sent trustee Edwin F ... More >>

Mayor's Chief of Staff: Yes, Rawlings and Blackburn Met Friday, But Not About Charters

​Oh, and there's one more thing to ask Edwin Flores about tonight: his $10,000 check from the Dallas Regional Chamber-connected EducateDallas political action committee. At least, Carla Ranger, Flores's fellow Dallas ISD trustee, has some issues with it; she says so this morning on her blog, benea ... More >>

What Makes a Super Superintendent, Far as the DISD Trustees Are Concerned? Here You Go.

​At the beginning of the Dallas ISD trustees' long day's journey into night, I dialed up the back-and-forth over the superintendent search, as the board at long last debated what makes a super super. That video's archived here. And it was intriguing too, a peek into the thought processes of the bo ... More >>

Before DISD Trustees Vote To Close 11 Schools, Carla Ranger Urges Parents to Speak Out

Click to expand the list prepared for tomorrow's DISD school board meeting. The docs from which this comes are below.​Tomorrow is C-Day, the day we find out if the Dallas Independent School District will consolidate nine elementary schools and two middle schools in order to grapple with its lo ... More >>

Turns Out, Fort Worth ISD Wasn't On the Same Superintendent Time Line As DISD After All

​Word got out that Michael Hinojosa was leaving the Dallas Independent School District 'round the exact same time Melody Johnson announced she was resigning as Fort Worth's superintendent. Which means both school districts have known for eight months that they need new leaders. But several fellow ... More >>

DISD Trustees Don't Want to Close Campuses. But They're Told: They Have No Other Choice.

​Late Thursday afternoon, and only because interim super Alan King had a flight to catch, the Dallas Independent School District trustees finally got around to discussing the 2012-13 budget and consolidating -- which is to say, closing -- those 11 campuses in order to save a guesstimated $11.5 mil ... More >>

What the Flunk: Commission's Report Says Dallas ISD's HR Department Is Basically Useless

​Just returned from a funeral to find the Dallas Independent School District board discussing 21 ways to get better candidates down to 3700 Ross and how to restructure human resources -- which, I know, sounds boring on the surface. But this is the so-called Star Employee Commission's report to the ... More >>

If You Want to Run For Dallas ISD Board, And Want a PAC's Backing, Fill Out This Essay Test

​On May 12 of next year three Dallas Independent School District trustee spots will come up for grabs -- those presently held by Bernadette Nutall, Bruce Parrott and Edwin Flores. (And, depending on which rumors you choose to believe about possible doings on the Dallas County Commissioners Court ... More >>

There Are Two Dallas ISD Trustees Who Won't Let TFA Deal Sail Through Without a Fight

​On the eve of the final school board meeting of the year, I had a long talk with Dallas Independent School District board president Lew Blackburn, who expects tonight's adios to 2011 will be a lengthy one: "We've got a long list of people who want to speak about the possible school closings," he ... More >>

Dallas ISD Trustees, Principals Express Their Deep and Profound Love for Teach for America

​Three hours after their start time, the Dallas ISD board finally got around to discussing whether or not to extend the district's contract with Teach for America -- which would seem like a no-brainer after you read this 2010 Atlantic piece about TFA or this January 2011 study by the University of ... More >>

"If You Don't Respect the Public, Why Are You in Public Service?" One in Carla Ranger's Series.

Billboard designed by Thomas Wilson​Though there are a few exceptions to the rule, for the most part any one Dallas City Council member may pull an item from the council's agenda and have it deferred till the next voting agenda meeting. Not so with the Dallas Independent School District, not ... More >>

Some Thin-Skinned DISD Trustees Want Public to Stop Picking on Them During Board Meetings

​Leslie's up shortly with a recap of yesterday discussion about expanding the Dallas Independent School District's calendar, which got further with the trustees than some of the Friends of Unfair Park predicted earlier. I sat through the rest of the meeting to see how the board would handle that $ ... More >>

Surprisingly, DISD Trustees Aren't Ruling Out Keeping (Some) Students in School Till July 26

"If you're bad, you will stay in school longer!!!" Well, sure, maybe.​At yesterday's Dallas ISD board meeting, trustee Mike Morath had a fairly novel idea regarding the school calendar. Long story short, he said: Let's consider testing the merits of a radical school calendar change that would ... More >>

DISD Will Buy Out "Excess" Teachers & Other Highlights from Testy, Tear-Stained Meeting

Dalton Sherman, seen here in '08, showed up to defend embattled former Ebby Halliday principal Kamalia Cotton.​Thursday evening, Dallas Independent School District trustees approved resignation incentives for the 209 "unassigned" employees who are under contract but lack permanent positions af ... More >>

"Force Place" or a Cut of $3 Million: Dallas ISD Teachers, the Choice, Apparently, Is Yours

​We told you yesterday that the Dallas Independent School District is considering offering "excess" Chapter 21 employees -- teachers, principals, librarians, counselors -- a pile of cash worth $3 million to retire. After last night's called board meeting, it became clear that while that's probably ... More >>

Farewell to Philanthropist Nancy Hamon, Who Helped Foot the Bill For Dallas's Arts Scene

​When word came down earlier this evening that Nancy Hamon had died at 92, I immediately thought of the unfortunate dust-up three Julys ago, when some folks, among them Joyce Foreman and Carla Ranger, voiced their displeasure with the Dallas ISD's decision to put Hamon's name on the side of Booker ... More >>

The Replacement: Hinojosa Gets Official Nod From Georgia; Dallas ISD to Name Temp

​Dallas Independent School District trustees once more spent most of Friday afternoon and evening rating and debating the five interim superintendent candidates. But, once more, they retreated to exec session and opted to run out the clock till Michael Hinojosa was officially offered the top job i ... More >>

While Hinojosa Applied for Georgia Job in Secret, Texas Lawmakers Considered Making Superintendent Searches More Public

Photo by Patrick MichelsDISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa at the Ann Richards Middle School groundbreaking ceremony earlier this year.​Right now, DISD trustees are meeting once again in closed session (Leslie drew the short straw on this one) to discuss their pick for an interim superintendent ... More >>

Coalition Pushes For Nolan Estes's (Temporary) Return as Dallas ISD Superintendent

Nolan Estes​As Patrick noted Tuesday, the Dallas Independent School District's board of trustees has narrowed down its short list of interim superintendents and hopes to name Michael Hinojosa's temporary replacement by no later than Monday. And while newly installed board president Lew Blackburn w ... More >>

Dallas ISD Trustee Ranger Not Pleased Interim Super Talks Took Place Behind Closed Doors

Photo by Patrick MichelsThis back-and-forth between Blackburn and Ranger Tuesday led to this morning's item on Ranger's blog.​A fellow Dallas Independent School District parent, who recalls Tuesday's sparring match between Carla Ranger and newly installed board president Lew Blackburn, suggests I ... More >>

Nolan Estes, a Finalist for Interim Dallas ISD Superintendent, Would Be "Honored" to Return

Photo by Joan Burnard/Dallas Independent School DistrictNolan Estes, at right, presenting a scholarship to School of Science and Engineering student Juliana M. Hossu back in April​At this very moment, Nolan Estes is at his home in Austin filling out a questionnaire sent to the handful of finalists ... More >>

Ranger Tries to Use Outside Contributions to Tie Blackburn to Charters. Donors Say: "Nope."

Lew Blackburn​At some point this evening, the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees will elect new officers. Among the front-runners for president is Lew Blackburn, which may explain why Carla Ranger took to her blog earlier today to throw Blackburn under the bus.You see, there's no ... More >>

Two Days Before DISD Board Votes on Staffing Formulas, a Discussion About Interim Super

Photo by Todd Overman/Dallas Independent School DistrictCowan and Hinojosa with 2011 Outstanding Elementary School Volunteer Award-winner Maria Amaya last month​Michael Hinojosa is in Georgia today for a 4:30 p.m. meet-n-greet with the citizenry of Cobb County, most of whom appear happy to be taki ... More >>

Charter School "Streamlining" Proposal Yanked From Dallas ISD's Board Meeting Today

​Those tuning in to today's Dallas Independent School District board briefing expecting to hear what was sure to be a heated discussion about how to "streamline the process for implementing a charter school" are out of luck. The item's been pulled, as trustee Carla Ranger pointed out yesterday on ... More >>

TEA Looking at Letting School Districts Draw From Fund Balance During Budget Crisis

Commissioner of Education Robert Scott​About a month ago, Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander told Unfair Park that even during this current budget crisis, the district has no intention of touching its fund balance, which, he said, should sit at somewhere near the $100-milli ... More >>

Read the Dallas Independent School District's "Budget Reduction Plan Version 2.0"

The scene at 3700 Ross Avenue today, courtesy the district​Jim -- lucky -- is at 3700 Ross at this very moment, where the trustees are doing a little math involving employees and enrollment. Moments ago, Carla Ranger wanted to know: If enrollment has dropped, why has the number of employees grown? ... More >>

Students, Parents and Friends Rally at the Wyly to Save Booker T. Washington's Teachers

Photos by Patrick Michels Korey Elizabeth Parker tells a packed Wyly Theater crowd why she's going to fight to protect her teachers' jobs at Booker T. Washington.​Fired up over the very real chance that nearly half the teachers at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts ... More >>

Hinojosa Takes a Break from Budget Woes to Break Ground on Ann Richards Middle School

Photos by Patrick MichelsSuperintendent Michael Hinojosa and Dan Richards, Ann Richards' son, turned over the dirt at DISD's newest construction project, flanked by trustees Bernadette Nutall, Carla Ranger and Nancy Bingham.Potted palms and wildflowers flanked the podium at the Ann Richards Middle S ... More >>

Dallas ISD's Board of Trustees Set to Receive Glowing Update on Teach for America in Dallas

Teach for America founder (and HPHS's own) Wendy Kopp​Four months back, Dallas Independent School District trustee Carla Ranger directed our attention to a a study by UT-Austin Assistant Professor of Educational Policy and Planning Julian Vasquez Heilig that questioned whether Highland Park High S ... More >>

If You Want to Let DISD Trustees Know How You Feel About Extending Terms An Extra Year

​Remember two years ago, when there was all that ruckus over Dallas Independent School District trustees trying to extend their terms -- from three years to four? But a single trustee said: No way, no how. (Right -- it was Carla Ranger.) And remember how, in April 2009, Texas Attorney General Greg ... More >>

DISD's Lone Ranger Demands Board Discuss Extending Hinojosa's Contract Out in the Open

​Tomorrow marks the first annual Michael Hinojosa Day: At 9:30 a.m. CST, or thereabouts, the Dallas Independent School District Superintendent will be interviewed by the Clark County School District's board of trustees, after which he and Colorado's Commission of Education Dwight Jones will meet t ... More >>

DISD Trustee Carla Ranger Directs Our Attention to a New Study Critical of Teach for America

Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp​In May 2009, Highland Park High School grad Wendy Kopp's Teach for America -- which gives recent college grads a five-week crash course in teaching before dropping them in low-income urban and rural schools -- sent close to 100 rookies to Dallas. DISD Superinte ... More >>

DISD to Test Program That Lets Parents Virtually Peek Over Kids' Shoulders

​Just went over to the Dallas Independent School District's Web site to look at something else when I found this newly posted release: "Three schools launching a pilot program to give parents online access to their child's academic progress." It's pretty self-explanatory: In May the DISD will let ... More >>

Trustee Points to "Serious Violations" Found in Audit of DISD's Adult Basic Education Program

​The Dallas Independent School District's Adult Basic Education Program is available to all "adult learners and educationally disadvantaged adults in Dallas and Rockwall counties" who want to learn about, well, you name it -- everything from English to math, computer skills to parenting skills. So ... More >>

Dallas ISD Spokesman Says District's Been Working to Fix Adult Basic Ed Since March

​We end the day where we began the day, if only because we've finally spoken with Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander concerning the critical internal audit of the Adult Basic Education Program, funded last year with $3.7 million in grant money. We were expecting to post the ... More >>

In Gutting Learning Centers, the Dallas ISD Clearly Has Learned Nothing in 39 Years

Sam Tasby, who sued the DISD in 1970, when his son Phillip was denied admission to two all-white schools near the Tasby residenceWell, we have now officially turned our back on school desegregation. I'm sure some of you will be thrilled. Personally, I'm sitting here at my computer in the back corne ... More >>

Magnet Mayhem: DISD Trustees Seem Hell-Bent on Gutting the Crown Jewels of the District, and for No Good Reason

Allied Works ArchitectureThe Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual ArtsThe Dallas Independent School District is about to do massive damage to its magnet school and learning center programs. The magnets represent the best of the district's academic efforts. The learning cent ... More >>

Right Now, the DISD Board is Probably Yelling At Each Other Behind Closed Doors

DISD board trustee Ron PriceAs I noted, earlier Jim's at 3700 Ross Avenue, where, at this very moment, the board of trustees is behind closed doors, no doubt arguing over the ramifications of the Texas Attorney General's opinion that the trustees should not have extended their terms from three years ... More >>

State Rep. Yvonne Davis Proposes Bill That Would Bust-Up Dallas School District

Till late last week, the formerly prolific Carla Ranger hadn't posted to her blog for most of 2009. But the Dallas Independent School District board member has returned, and today she points our attention to state Rep. Yvonne Davis's H.B. 3532 introduced late last week, which calls for "the abolitio ... More >>

Liz Lemon Couldn't Get the Oprah Intro. But Please Welcome Dalton Sherman!

DISD In the Hole

Teachers get axed and parents fret as Dallas' school leaders scramble to cover a budget hole

DISD's Budget Shortfall: Hinojosa's One-Man Gaffe

Bond and Gagged: Notes from Last Night's DISD Board of Trustees Meeting