Subject: Jon Dahlander

• Unfair Park Exclusive: TEA Appoints Monitor For DISD's "Academically Unacceptable" Schools

  August 19, 2008

• ESPN: Now Also Jess-Obsessed

  September 10, 2008

• DISD's "State of Financial Exigency"

  September 17, 2008

• DISD's Also Sending Recruiters to the Laid-Off DISD Employee Job Fair

  October 20, 2008

• TEA, Legislators Meet with Hinojosa to Discuss DISD's Direction, We Suppose

  October 24, 2008

• DISD's Lone Ranger

  November 7, 2008

• Yet Again, DISD Hires Paul Coggins to Look Into Its Bad Bidness

  Paul Coggins After the jump, courtesy Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander, the district's announcement concerning the appointment of former U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins to look into the whole phony Social Security number mess. Coggins, now at Fish & Richardson, has a history of doing this kind of dirty work for the district: He also led the investigation into the procurement-card scandal, referring to it as "a car wreck waiting to happen" last year. Says superintendent

  November 19, 2008

• At 3700 Ross Avenue Last Night, It Got Nasty. Then, It Got Even Worse.

  Jack Lowe, DISD school board president Blacks were hissing rudely at Hispanics. Hispanics were yelling at other Hispanics. And just about everyone was taunting distraught school board trustees, themselves appearing to teeter on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Ladies and gentleman, this is your Dallas Independent School District. Last night, the DISD's trustees voted to suspend next year’s elections and change their own terms from three years to four amid an endless chorus of catcalls

  November 21, 2008

• School daze

  May 22, 1997

• Executive sweet

  July 31, 1997

• Yvonne's school of accounting

  August 7, 1997

• Buzz

  October 2, 1997

• Buzz

  October 9, 1997

• Buzz

  October 23, 1997

• Buzz

  November 27, 1997

• Getting the lead out

  December 4, 1997

• Bus rout

  August 20, 1998

• Letters

  October 1, 1998

• DISD's About to Get Very Stimulated

  Library of CongressBy now, perhaps, you've read that some $104,070,000 of the nearly $800 billion stimulus package will wind up in the pockets of the Dallas Independent School District. (If your kids aren't in the DISD, you can see how your district fared in the sweepstakes by checking out this site; Plano, $16 million should help, right?) When asked how that money will be spent, DISD spokesman Jon Dahlander told Unfair Park this evening via e-mail, "We're waiting on the regulations to come in f

  February 20, 2009

• George W. Bush Clearly Has Way Too Much Free Time

  Dallas Independent School DistrictI know, I'm asking for it. But Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander just sent over a few photos of George and Laura Bush making "a surprise visit this morning to their neighborhood school, Dallas ISD's John J. Pershing Elementary," where he hung out for more than an hour as he meeted-and-greeted with the kiddos and teachers. Says Pershing principal Margarita Hernandez, "President Bush made several students pledge and commit themselves to re

  February 25, 2009

• Bully or Bodyguard? The WSJ Looks at Mayors Who Take Over Schools.

  Alexander FloresTill Mayor Tom Leppert decides to talk for himself about his thinking about maybe one day possibly taking over the Dallas Independent School District we'll see not sure for sure who knows, it's all one big guessing game. Which doesn't stop the Dallas mayor's name from appearing in this morning's Wall Street Journal story about cities taking over their school districts, a la New York, Boston, Chicago and D.C. Milwaukee's also thinking of taking charge of its district; but at least

  March 12, 2009

• Following USA Today Report, EPA to Test Air Quality Around DISD's Harllee Elementary

  This morning, the Environmental Protection Agency released a list of 62 schools around the country set to have their air quality studied as part of what the agency calls "a new air toxics monitoring initiative." And there's a Dallas Independent School District elementary on the list: N.W. Harllee, so named for a textbook author and Dallas educator, on Eighth Street, right between R.L. Thornton Freeway and the Trinity River and across the street from Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center. The EPA says

  March 31, 2009

• Kathlyn Gilliam, Rev. Zan Holmes Among Those Nominated for New Schools' Names

  Kathyln Gilliam's already been the subject of this 2006 documentaryBack in June, the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees voted not to name the district's Ross Ave. HQ for former school board president Kathlyn Gilliam, despite the protesters at their front door. The polarizing Gilliam, who served on the school board from 1974 till she was replaced by Ron Price in '97, actually attended the meeting during which her supporters demanded the name change; alas, said trustee Jerome Gar

  April 1, 2009

• DISD's Making One Dell of a Deal

  Allen Gwinn's taken a sneak peek at the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees' briefing agenda for Thursday, and one item in particular struck him as ... well, interesting. Which is: Ratification of Authority to Execute Master Lease Agreement with Dell, Inc. for Sixty Months and Provide for Subsequent End-of-Life Leases (Not to Exceed $80,000,000 Over 5-Years). Wish we could tell you more about it, but as Allen points out, it's but a single sheet of paper containing no info whatso

  April 7, 2009

• Buzz Reviews the News of 2008: Yes. It Was All Bad.

  Sex clubs in the 'burbs, teacher layoffs in the district, black holes in the commissioners court—Buzz makes perfect sense of 2008

  January 1, 2009

• DISD: Hitting Bottom, Then Reaching for a Shovel to Dig Deeper

  Explanations be damned. There is only one justifiable response to the worst fiscal disaster in DISD history.

  November 27, 2008

• DISD In the Hole

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

  October 9, 2008

• For Whom the Bell Tolls

  Electronic monitoring may dramatically curb truancy. So why isn't DISD interested?

  June 26, 2008

• Failure to Communicate

  April 5, 2007

• Dwaine Caraway Scared DISD Away From Skyline

  The school district decides not to mess with Skyline's magnet program—or Caraway

  February 7, 2008

• Scapegoat

  How Michael Hinojosa escaped blame in the DISD credit card scandal

  September 20, 2007

• They Walk by Night

  Join us for a chilling tale of the (highly paid) un-dead at DISD headquarters

  September 28, 2000

• Out of the frying pan

  DISD's new superintendent leaves behind an FBI investigation in San Francisco to deal with Dallas' own probe

  September 9, 1999

• As DISD Shuts Down its First Campus Due to Swine Flu, What Happens After That?

  Just got off the phone with Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander, who, moments ago, announced that the district is closing Daniel Webster Elementary from tomorrow till May 11 due to one confirmed case of the swine flu at that campus. (It will remain open throughout today to accomodate working parents who may not be able to pick up their kids.) As a DISD parent myself, I was curious how the district's handling all this -- which is to say, does DISD have any intention of foll

  April 30, 2009

• 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 to four last November. Jim filed this moments ago, just as the board disappeared -- "for hours, I fear," said Dr. Schutze, who's too scared to leave and lose his seat in the packed house.As soon as t

  May 5, 2009

• Booker T. Washington Will Likely Lose 13 Positions For the 2009-'10 School Year

  Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander just called Unfair Park back to explain the figure on Page 14 of the summary of staffing formulas at DISD campuses for the 2009-'10 school year being discussed by trustees today. And while it looks as though the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts will lose 23 magnet teachers next school year -- from 26 to 3, says the document -- Dahlander says it will be about half that. Which, he acknowledges, "is still

  May 5, 2009

• 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 centers are the last remaining legacy of a successful decades-long court battle to cleanse the district of apartheid.  The administration, a majority of the school board and the district's lawyers ar

  May 8, 2009

• Eddie Bernice Johnson, Others Taking a Keen Interest In DISD Trustees' Efforts to Gut Magnet Schools and Learning Centers

  Congresswoman Eddie Bernice JohnsonThings are popping a bit today on the Dallas Independent School District magnet schools front.Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson's office confirms that Johnson is talking to the U.S. Department of Education seeking "clarification" of its current position on Title I money and school funding. Dallas school headquarters has been insisting it must slash budgets for learning centers and magnet schools because of new federal guidelines. Apparently, Johnson is aski

  May 11, 2009

• DISD Lawyer Says There Are No Waivers For Magnets. But, You See, He's Wrong.

  Woodrow Wilson High SchoolAt about 5:50 pm today, I received a call from a Fort Worth attorney, Ben Barlow, representing the Dallas Independent School District on the magnet school and learning center issue. He informed me that my piece posted to Unfair Park on Friday night was dead wrong and that there are no waivers for magnets from federal Title I requirements. Barlow -- who is, I bet, a very good lawyer -- read me the law and made a very persuasive case.One hour later, I received a call fro

  May 11, 2009

• Eddie Bernice Johnson Asks DISD Board to Delay Tonight's Staffing Vote

  Eddie Bernice JohnsonThe headline says it all. But this missive, which we just received from Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson's office concerning the fight over funding at Dallas Independent School District's magnet schools and learning centers, says it better. Certainly, longer.Update at 5:15 p.m.: As the DISD board of trustees is due to begin its called meeting shortly, I asked district spokesman Jon Dahlander whether or not the board will heed Johnson's request to delay tonight's vote. At

  May 14, 2009

• Wherein the DO and the DISD Have a Math-Off Concerning Per-Pupil Expenditures

  On Tuesday of this week Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander responded to questions I had asked him last week for my column this week about per-pupil expenditures at high school campuses. Unfortunately, his response by e-mail reached me several days after my deadline had passed. Mr. Dahlander is a busy man these days and has a lot more to do in this world than answer questions for me, so I won't hold it against him that he replied after my deadline.I only regret that I wasn

  May 20, 2009

• And Now, For Some Good DISD News ...

  Thomas Jefferson High School, which, ahem, some of us have always recognized as one of DISD's finest learning establishmentsBased on preliminary calculations and TAKS results, a record number of Dallas Independent School District campuses are poised to be classified as "recognized" or "exemplary" by the Texas Education Agency. Until now, not one non-magnet high school in the district has been deemed recognized, and this year six are slated to get the honor. One of them is Sunset High School, wh

  May 28, 2009

• In Federal Court, a Former Dallas ISD Principal Fights For Her Old Job, Salary

  While on PACER this morning, I came across a lawsuit against the Dallas Independent School District about which not one word has been written: 55-year-old Lilia Gutierrez, a former principal at Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School, is suing the district, claiming, among other things, that she was wrongfully demoted in June 2008 -- after having elevated the school from "academically acceptable" to "recognized." She also had her salary reduced by almost $20,000 and was replaced at Bethune by a 38

  June 19, 2009

• DOJ to Dallas ISD: Pay Up. And Say Adios to $150 Million in Federal Funding Requests.

  This just in from the U.S. Department of Justice's press department: The government and the Dallas Independent School District have settled their dispute involving the misuse of funds provided to the district for the so-called E-Rate program, created in 1996 to give "affordable access to telecommunications services for all eligible schools and libraries, particularly those in rural and economically disadvantaged areas." And for the punishment listed below, you can thank, in part, one Ruben Bohuc

  June 26, 2009

• 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 says this 2007-2008 at-a-glance, in which it's also explained that the money for this program comes from the feds and the state.Carla Ranger was even more specific in a blog item posted late last nig

  August 25, 2009

• 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 audit itself, which is 15 pages, but school district attorneys instead forced reporters to submit open records requests -- which means we may see the document sometime in the next, oh, two weeks. May

  August 25, 2009

• Yes, But Will DISD Kids Watch Obama?

  ​So, the Plano Independent School District has opted out of President Obama's speech to students on Tuesday, but what says the Dallas ISD? I asked Jon Dahlander, district spokesman, via e-mail this morning about the district's plans. While I was out of the office, he left the following message on my voice mail: "The president's address will be available to all of our schools on our cable system and on C-SPAN, and principals and teachers have the option to show the speech to students. That's it

  September 3, 2009

• If Nothing Else, You Can Always Go to Booker T. to Watch Obama's Speech With Ron Kirk

  ​A few minutes ago, I spoke to Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander concerning his voice-mail message this morning. I wondered if today's decision, to let teachers and principals decide whether their classes could watch President Obama's speech to students on Tuesday, was a change from any kind of previous policy in place regarding the talk. As it turns out, Dahlander says, the speech "wasn't even on the radar till yesterday," when district officials began hearing that so

  September 3, 2009

• Sikh and Tired of School Bullies

  ​The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas just sent word that the organization, in coordination with a U.N.-affiliated advocacy group called United Sikhs, sent out a letter warning Texas school districts -- including DISD -- to protect Sikh students from discrimination or bullying. The missive is after the jump. The letter reminds the superintendents of state laws requiring schools to prohibit and take steps to prevent student harassment. "Because schools are responsible for ensuring t

  October 15, 2009

• DISD's Getting a Grant to Help Kids With Science and Math. And It's from Outer Space!

  ​Speaking of the Dallas Independent School District and grant money ...I was poking around the briefing agenda for this week's meeting of the board of trustees and noticed this intriguing item: NASA -- yes, that NASA, not this NASA -- is giving the DISD, via the Foundation for Community Empowerment, $1.45 million to help students with science and math ... and to promote NASA. Per the briefing docs, half the money will go toward a "science-focused website and a computer lab in the designated ar

  November 3, 2009