Dallas Independent School District

How's Will the Superintendent Propose Gutting the Dallas ISD's Budget? Let's Watch!

​Shame the Dallas Independent School District's board of trustees couldn't meet yesterday, when all the teachers and students were iced in and needed something to watch -- like, say, this afternoon's board briefing, during which trustees will get their first look at Superintendent Michael Hinojosa ... More >>

The City Is Open (Mostly). Schools? Not At All.

​The Dallas Independent School District, like most others 'round these parts, is closed yet again. To the Facebook message sent earlier this morning:Guess what? Dallas ISD schools and administrative offices are closed on Wednesday, Feb. 9, because of inclement winter weather. Stay safe and warm ev ... More >>

So Filled With T.J. Patriot Pride Right Now. Also: Dallas ISD Releases Make-Up Day Plans.

​Here's something else that got lost in the snowdrift: Earlier today, the Dallas Independent School District send word that come Sunday ...Drill teams from Thomas Jefferson and W.T. White high schools will perform during the Super Bowl XLV halftime show, which will feature the Black Eyed Peas as t ... More >>

In Light of Budget Shortfall, Dallas ISD Trustees' Resolution to "Make Education a Priority"

​Earlier this afternoon, over on the DISD Blog, Matthew Haag posted a memo Dallas Independent School District sent to district employees Friday, in which the super warned: The state's mammoth budget shortfall could result in "a staggering $180-$200 million" being excised from the district's budget ... More >>

Dallas ISD One of Five U.S. Districts to See Slice of $3 Mil Aimed at Feeding Kids Breakfast

​This morning, the D.C.-based Food Research and Action Center released a report -- School Breakfast in America's Big Cities 2011 -- that takes a look at the free-breakfast programs in 29 of the nation's largest school districts, including the Dallas Independent School District. Says the study, dur ... More >>

First, DISD Opened a High School for Over-Age Students. Now, Perhaps, Comes Middle School.

​Lots of interesting items to be found on the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees' briefing agenda for Thursday, and we'll get to 'em in short order -- which is to say, in the order the phone calls are returned on the myriad subjects of interest. But let's begin with this: At its ... More >>

If You Want to Get Your Child Into a DISD Magnet or Academy, You Had Best Hustle

​Here you'll find a list of how many slots are available at each of the Dallas Independent School District's elementary vanguards, middle-school academies and magnet high schools for the 2011-'21 school year. Might wanna glance at it, hard, if you're trying to get the wee one into one of the distr ... More >>

After Fighting to Keep Adamson From Becoming Historic Landmark, DISD Backs Off. For Now.

​Speaking of historic landmarks ...For more than a year, the Dallas Independent School District has been fighting the Landmark Commission to keep Adamson High School from being designated as a city landmark -- so much so that in September '09, the board passed a resolution that said, in part, "any ... More >>

Why Bernadette Nutall Does Not Support Extending Dallas ISD Trustees' Terms

​We already know where Dallas Independent School District trustee Carla Ranger stands on extending DISD trustees'  terms from three years to four. (She's very against it.) But moments ago, as the board finally got 'round to discussing the subject, District 9 trustee Bernadette Nutall made her ... 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 >>

DOJ, FCC Settle With HP (For $16.25 Mil!) Over E-Rate Fraud In Dallas, Houston ISDs

Ruben Bohuchot​Back in June 2009, you may recall, the Dallas Independent School District and the U.S. Department of Justice settled up over the misuse of funds provided to the district for the feds' E-Rate program, which was created in 1996 to give "affordable access to telecommunications services ... More >>

DISD Has Ended Jubilee Park Land Grab

Patrick Michels​On Wednesday, word was the Dallas Independent School District was this close to backing off efforts to snatch, for pennies on the dollar or none at all, several Jubilee Park homes in order to make way for the new-and-improved O.M. Roberts Elementary, promised as part of the 2008 bo ... More >>

Online Courses, DISD's "Vision for the Future"

​Speaking of the Dallas Independent School District ...This morning, The New York Times -- or, more to the point, The Times via its new-found relationship with the Texas Tribune and, in this instance, a partnership with the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at Columbia University -- l ... More >>

Days After State Rep. Johnson Weighs In, DISD May Be Backing Off Jubilee Park Land Grab

Daniel RodrigueJubilee Park residents protest DISD's eminent domain suits outside 3700 Ross Ave. earlier this year.​Earlier this week, Robert wrote about state Rep. Eric Johnson's October 28 letter to Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, in which Johnson wondered whe ... More >>

State Rep. Johnson Demands Answers From DISD's Hinojosa Over Jubilee Park Land Grab

Patrick MichelsJubilee Park residents have been protesting DISD's land grab for almost a year.​Exactly two months ago, it appeared as though the Dallas Independent School District was backing off its intentions to seize via eminent domain houses in Jubilee Park to make way for a new-and-improved O ... More >>

What Happens in Vegas Stays in Dallas: Clark County Decides Not to Bet on DISD's Hinojosa

Dallas Independent School DistrictRound about this time yesterday, Michael Hinojosa thought he just might be leaving for Las Vegas.​No doubt you've heard: Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa's staying. Not because he wanted to; not necessarily. The entirety of the Cl ... More >>

Track How the Dallas Independent School District's Spending That '08 Bond Money

The "replacement" W.H. Adamson High School​A good Friend of Unfair Park (OK, my next-door-neighbor and fellow DISD parent) directs our attention to yesterday's announcement heralding the launch of this website, which allows you to see how the Dallas Independent School District's doling out the $1. ... More >>

News & Notes & A Day in the Park

Patrick Michels​Where to begin -- Vegas, maybe? Perhaps you've heard: Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa's now just one of two finalists for the Clark County School District's top job, since the Floridian in the mix dropped out. Meanwhile, this Thursday, the DISD's ... More >>

Dallas Independent School District Announces It Has Its Largest Budget Surplus, Like, Ever

​Shortly after the Clark County School District's board of trustees announced that Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa is a finalist for the top job there, the super released a statement in which he said, among other things:Tomorrow, we will announce our final budget ... More >>

News & Notes & A Picture

Dallas Independent School District's Facebook page​That photo above? Comes from DISD's Facebook page, from Saturday's launch of "Operation Comeback," during which Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa went out looking dropouts. The twosome ... More >>

W.H. Adamson High School Gets One Step Closer to Historic Landmark Status

​In May 2008 the Landmark Commission's Designation Committee first took up the topic of W.H. Adamson High School, once known as Oak Cliff High. At the time it was expected that the Dallas Independent School District might have some issues with designation -- not only because the district has only ... More >>

DISD's TAG, Magnet Parents Concerned Over Proposed Changes to Admissions Policy

​I've been getting all kinds of e-mails in recent days concerning tomorrow's meeting of the Dallas Independent School District's board of trustees, which will discuss changing the way students are admitted into vanguards, academies and magnets. Last week word was there'd be a lottery system of som ... More >>

Slowly, But Not Quite Surely, Dallas ISD Backs Off Efforts to Seize, Raze Jubilee Park Homes

Daniel RodrigueShawn Busari and her family grew up in this house, which DISD wanted to take for a mere $50,000.​It's been almost six months now since Jubilee Park residents began protesting the Dallas Independent School District's plans to seize their businesses and homes by any means necessary to ... More >>

Three Years Later, Dallas ISD Trustees Appear Ready to Ditch Minimum-Grade Policy

Dallas Independent School DistrictDISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa made the rounds at B.H. Macon Elementary School Monday morning.​About two months back, Dallas Independent School District trustee Carla Ranger blasted the district's no-grade-lower-than-a-50 policy (again), this time by insist ... More >>

Against DISD's Wishes, Adamson High About to Get One Step Closer to Landmark Status

​Countless times, Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander has said: The district has no plans to raze W.H. Adamson High School, due for an expansion sooner than later. But the district also doesn't want the historic Oak Cliff school designated as a city landmark -- which, after ... More >>

DISD Spares Vickery Greenhouse in Jubilee Park. But Homeowners' Fates Still Uncertain.

Daniel RodriguePat Berry​Pat Berry, owner of Vickery Wholesale Greenhouse in Jubilee Park, got the call yesterday. On the other end was Dallas Independent School District trustee Bernadette Nutall, who told him the news he'd been hoping to hear for months: The district has shelved its plans to con ... More >>

DISD To Teach Students an Interesting Lesson

Dallas Independent School District​The Dallas Independent School District's spent the summer break spending 2008 bond money renovating 79 campuses. Says Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, "When teachers, staff and students return to many of their campuses next month, they will begin to see how these ... More >>

School Board Trustee Carla Ranger Says DISD's Minimum Grade Policy Violates State Law

DISD trustee Carla Ranger​Three years ago, or shortly before the Dallas Independent School District introduced its "effort-based" grading policy, the school board reminded teachers: They were not to give students a grade lower than a 50 for any one grading period. As the great Kent Fischer noted, ... More >>

The Natural Cycle of Art

Dallas ISD Trustees Will, Yet Again, Debate the Merits of Opening Over-Age High School

​At the Dallas Independent School District board meeting two weeks ago, the trustees held off on voting yea or nay on Superintendent Michael Hinojosa's plan to open an over-age high school in the 2010-'11 school year. Most agree that, yes, it's probably a very good thing to put, say, college-age h ... More >>

Jubilee Park-ers Know How To Get Readers' Attention: With An Action-Packed Comic Strip!

​When Patrick checked in with the Jubilee Park residents last week, we reported that just because the Dallas Independent School District had called for a "time-out" of sorts while it looks at other possible alternative sites for a new site for O.M. Roberts Elementary, one group of home- and busine ... More >>

While DISD Takes A Time-Out Over O.M. Roberts Rebuilding Plans, Jubilee Park Residents Keep Their Protest Alive

Photos by Patrick MichelsNeighbors from Jubilee Park were protesting outside DISD headquarters again last night, while parents supporting expansion plans for O.M. Roberts Elementary held their own meeting at the school.The Dallas Independent School District's designs on land around O.M. Roberts Ele ... More >>

During Heated Town Hall, DISD Says It'll Put Off Jubilee Park Land Grab For Six Months

Photos by Daniel RodrigueSo, how many people were at O.M. Roberts last night (jump for it) ...​Last night, the Dallas Independent School District played host more than 150 folks in a heated -- though comfortably air-conditioned -- town hall meeting at the century-old O.M. Roberts Elementary School ... More >>

Jubilee Park-ers' Eminent Domain Hubbub Lands Them a Town Hall Meeting Next Week

O.M. Roberts​It looks like all the hubbub the Jubilee Park residents and and business owners have raised in recent weeks concerning their on-going fight to keep the Dallas Independent School District from seizing their land under eminent domain may be starting to pay off. We finally heard back f ... More >>

A Sneak Peek at Dallas ISD's 2010-11 Budget. And, For the First Time, Budget Town Halls!

​I just went over to the Dallas Independent School District's Web site to look for something relating to tomorrow's school board briefing when I found this: the proposed 2010-2011 budget. I asked DISD spokesman Jon Dahlander if this is the first time the district has posted its would-be budget in ... More >>

If Nothing Else, Teachers Seem to Like DISD Tutor's Suggestion to Bring Back the Paddle

​Gilbert Leal, who (... fondly?) remembers getting swats back at W.H. Gaston Middle School back in the day, wants to bring the paddle back to Dallas Independent School District, just like they've done down in Temple. Writes the recent DISD tutor on his Web site, Bring Back Licks:It's time for chan ... More >>

When Mayor Leppert Calls A Meeting, Dallas ISD Jumps and Schedules Emergency Jubilee Park Sitdown

Daniel RodrigueAfter yesterday's council meeting, Mayor Leppert slapped in his Bluetooth and dialed up DISD trustee Bernadette Nutall to schedule this morning's meeting.​At 9 this morning, many of those facing the loss of their property in the Jubilee Park land grab will meet with their Dallas Ind ... More >>

Jubilee Park Residents Tell DISD Board They Won't Leave Homes Without a Fight

Daniel Rodrigue​As promised, some 70 protesters marched the sidewalks around Dallas Independent School District's Ross Avenue HQ in advance of last night's board meeting. The group of men, women and children -- most of whom donned white shirts in a show of solidarity -- showed up to oppose the dis ... More >>

No Victory for Vickery: Dallas Could End Up A Lot Less Colorful If DISD Moves Ahead With Plans For a New O.M. Roberts

Photos by Daniel Rodrigue​Yesterday afternoon, before heading to the board meeting at Dallas Independent School District's Ross Avenue HQ, we stopped by Vickery Wholesale Greenhouse -- the lone business that DISD's seeking to condemn as it moves ahead with plans for a new O.M. Roberts Elementary S ... 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 >>

Dallas ISD's Long and Winding Road to Broad Prize Just Hit a Dead End

​Perhaps you've seen the promotional materials -- they've been everywhere during the past five years, as the Dallas Independent School District (and superintendent Michael Hinojosa, especially) eased on down that Road to Broad, so named for the $2 million award given to urban school districts who ... More >>

Preservationists Insist "Some Good" Has Come Out of Mediation With DISD Concerning the Fate of Oak Cliff Christian Church

Spike JohnsonDISD was all ready to raze Oak Cliff Christian a few weeks ago. So, now what?​It's been exactly two months since Unfair Park broke the news that the Dallas Independent School District had purchased the old Oak Cliff Christian Church on 10th Street with the intention of razing Charles ... More >>

Conservation League Goes to Court to Stop DISD From Razing Oak Cliff Christian

Spike JohnsonEarlier this week, crews were cutting off the gas to the old Oak Cliff Christian Church, which DISD wants to raze for tennis courts for the new Adamson.​Now we know where we'll be at 4 p.m. today: at the George Allen Court House -- specifically, in Judge Teresa Guerra Snelson's court ... More >>

In Oak Cliff Neighborhood, the Complex Negotiations Behind New Adamson High

The Concord Apartments in Oak Cliff, yet another piece of property scheduled for demolition to make room for Adamson​In recent weeks, whenever we've attempted to get information out of the Dallas Independent School District concerning its plans for the Adamson High School expansion, we've been met ... More >>

DISD's Ranger on Graduation Rates and "The Disintegration of The Family Structure"

DISD trustee Carla Ranger​As we mentioned Monday, the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees will discuss at tomorrow's meeting its contingency plans for Kimball, Roosevelt, Pinkston and Seagoville high schools should the Texas Education Agency deem them academically unacceptable for ... More >>

With Demo Permit in Hand, DISD's Closer to Razing Historic Oak Cliff Christian Church

Oak Cliff Christian Church in an undated photo, courtesy the Oak Cliff Conservation League​Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander says he can't talk about the district's intentions with the former Oak Cliff Christian Church on 10th Street, which, as we first mentioned Tuesday m ... More >>

Already Worried About DISD's Intentions With Adamson High School, Preservationists Add Old Oak Cliff Christian Church to Worry List

The former Oak Cliff Christian Church as it appeared circa 1955​A few week back Schutze wrote about Adamson High School alums' efforts to spare their old school from the wrecking ball as the Dallas Independent School District makes way for a new campus. (In the words of DISD spokesman Jon Dahlande ... More >>

Looks Like Dallas Independent School District Needs a New Chief Technology Officer

​Patricia Viramontes has long been one of Dallas Independent School District's more controversial figures, dating back to at least September 2007, when district officials concluded that, yes, maybe the DISD's executive director of instructional technology services shouldn't be reporting to her hus ... More >>

Dallas ISD Board of Trustees to Vote on a New "Superintendent Evaluation Instrument"

​Far as the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees is concerned, there are three factors that go into determining how good a job the superintendent's doing: "student achievement," "sound financial management" and "stakeholder satisfaction." Those, say the board, "embody the core beli ... More >>