Lew Blackburn

Can We Pump the Brakes Before We Send Yet Another Dallas ISD Superintendent Packing?

In terms of the way we treat school superintendents in Dallas, we're kind of like the spoiled rich lady who fires her housekeepers one after another, then asks, "What on earth is wrong with the housekeepers of this world?" I can't even count how many times in the last month I have heard somebody sa ... More >>

Mike Miles versus The World

In Dallas ISD, a fight over principals, race and a slice of the pie.

DISD Trustees Are Ready to Fight for Principals

Too bad they won’t do that for the students

Mike Miles vs. Patronage: DISD's Impending Principal Purge

Are Dallas ISD trustees already preparing to protect the principals Mike Miles wants to fire?

Score One for Mike Miles

DISD's new super claimed he was targeted by a board witch hunt. He's right.

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 >>

Mayor Mike Rawlings Gives Dallas ISD Board, Central Staffers a Lesson In Marketing 101

Rmember when DISD considered replacing its logo? It might come up again.​Edwin Flores said it a couple of weeks back: The Dallas Independent School District has a communications problem. Which is one way of putting it -- the nice way of putting it. And so, following months' worth of dust-ups and s ... 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 >>

Dallas ISD Trustees Closed 11 Schools Last Night, and It Got Ugly Before It Got Done

They argued, they reasoned, they pleaded, they threatened, they chanted, they cried. But in the end, it just didn't matter. It never really did. It's over, and it was never in doubt. Under budget pressure, and after a final, five-hour session, the Dallas Independent School District's board of trust ... 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 >>

Dallas ISD's Carla Ranger: The Superintendent Search Is "Being Dragged on Too Long"

​The Dallas Independent School District board has much on its plate at today's briefing, the first of the new year: that look-see at the coming year's budget, a report on efforts to close 11 schools to save $11 million, a peek at how that under-construction teacher evaluation system is coming alon ... More >>

What the Flex: Trustees Find 2012-13 Dallas ISD School Year Calendar a Tad Confusing.

​Still watching that Dallas Independent School District trustee meeting; it's torture, man, torture. (Four hours after kick-off, we still haven't gotten 'round to the budget or campus consolidations.) Like, here: The board has spent the last 40 minutes talking about next school year's calendar. Sh ... More >>

Lew Blackburn Swears: DISD Really Wants to Know What You Want in New Superintendent

Dallas Independent School DistrictLew Blackburn with the most recent DISD Superintendent, good ol' What's His Name​The real reason I wanted to talk to Dallas Independent School District board president Lew Blackburn last week was about the district's search for a superintendent -- specifically, wh ... 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 Blackburn, Nutall Have Had It With Dallas NAACP Prez's "Slander and Libel"

Via.Juanita Wallace​Ah, so this is why Dallas Independent School District board president Lew Blackburn and trustee Bernadette Nutall want to clamp down on public speakers at school board meetings -- comments made by Dallas NAACP President Juanita Wallace at the October 20 board meeting. Specifica ... More >>

Plan on Speaking Out in Front of Dallas City Council? There May Be Some Changes Coming.

​A couple of weeks back we noted that some Dallas Independent School District trustees would love to do away with public speakers at meetings, because, in the words of board president Lew Blackburn, "Occasionally we have people come speak to the board, and it's more of a three-minute bullying, if ... More >>

Reading is Fundamental, Which Is Why DISD's Trying to Round Up 1,111 Readers For Friday

Genius.​Speaking of learnin' stuff ...At last week's Dallas ISD board meeting, district spokesman Jon Dahlander told the trustees that so far, a few hundred folks had signed up to read to kiddos on Friday, when the district's hoping to round up 1,111 volunteers for its so-called "community-wide ce ... 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 >>

Dallas ISD Trustees Want Superintendent Who's a Team Player "Here For The Right Reasons"

​At last night's called meeting of the Dallas Independent School District's board of trustees, representatives from PROACT Search, the matchmaking firm hired to help select a superintendent for the district, chatted casually with board members about the qualities they desire in a candidate. " ... 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 >>

Coalition That Wanted Nolan Estes to Return as Interim DISD Super Now Has Name, Agenda

The Rev. Zan Holmes​Back in June, some two dozen educators, religious leaders and activists -- among them The Rev. Zan Holmes, John Fullinwider, Frederick Haynes III, Diane Ragsdale and Beverly Mitchell-Brooks -- urged the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees to appoint former DISD ... 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 >>

Group Therapy: Listen In As Dallas ISD Trustees Discuss How to Be Less Dysfunctional

​Anna's going to swing by Midway Hills Christian Church tonight at 7, where Dallas Independent School District trustee Edwin Flores will host a town hall. The point of this meeting, per a DISD heads-up: "Dr. Flores requests input from the public on selecting a new Superintendent of Schools." Oh, I ... More >>

If Mayor Mike Comes Knockin' On Your Door Tomorrow, He Just Wants You Back in School

​Got a robocall from the Dallas Independent School District last night asking me to help round up any truants I might know of. Sorry, wish I could help. Turns out, it was just a precursor to tomorrow's kick-off of Operation Graduation, which is now in its fourth year and involves city and district ... More >>

Dallas Regional Chamber Wants DISD Board to Commit to Commit! Like, Right Now.

​Still waiting on a response from Mayor Mike concerning the Dallas Regional Chamber's so-called Commit! initiative, which we took at long look at Sunday. Turns out, Rawlings, Dwaine Caraway, Uplift Education board member Todd Williams and Dallas ISD board president Lew Blackburn paid The Dallas Mo ... More >>

Or Maybe the Dallas Independent School District's Trustees Should Just Visit Mesquite

​Earlier today we revisited the Dallas Regional Chamber's plan, blessed by Mayor Mike and Lew Blackburn, to save the Dallas Independent School District. And while Commit! is still in its vague, unformed infancy, clearly this is Very Important to a few very important people. Which is why Blackburn ... More >>

Back to School ... Redistricting, That Is

Click to embiggen one of the DISD maps on the table, or just go here to see all of them.​And speaking of redistricting ...The Dallas Independent School District will begin holding hearings tonight during which the public will finally get a long, hard look at the draft maps on the table, courtesy S ... More >>

As DISD Struggles to Make Budget Cuts This Year, Board Warned It's Only Gonna Get Worse

​The Dallas Independent School District board was just told it's "still in limbo" when it comes to the exact dollar figure it can expect in cuts from the state Legislature, though something could land on Gov. Rick Perry's desk as early as late next week. Right now, Senate Bill 1 would take $63 mil ... 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 >>

Six Months After Becoming Dallas ISD's CFO, Alan King's Named the Interim Superintendent

Photos by Leslie MinoraAlan King, with trustees Bruce Parrott and Adam Medrano, accepts his new position as interim superintendent.​Following their acceptance of superintendent Michael Hinojosa's resignation, the Dallas Independent School District board unanimously selected current district CFO Al ... 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 >>

DISD Board Narrows Its List of Interim Superintendents, Say They'll Decide By Monday

Photos by Patrick MichelsMichael Hinojosa and Edwin Flores bite their lips as trustees Lew Blackburn and Carla Ranger get into it.Brand-new Dallas Independent School District board president Lew Blackburn emerged from executive session this afternoon to announce the trustees have narrowed their list ... 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 >>

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 >>

New Version of Dallas ISD's Teacher RIF Proposal Eliminates CEI, Adds Back Seniority

​One week ago today we took a look at Dallas Independent School District trustee Edwin Flores's proposal to rework how the district determines who its "best teachers" are before mass layoffs begin courtesy the state's budget shortfall. After which it went before the board at Thursday's briefing. A ... 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 >>

The "Imbalance of Power": Dallas ISD Trustees Will Finally Vote Tonight on New Bullying Policy

​When we first looked at the Dallas Independent School District's proposed anti-bullying policy one month ago, it was a brief two-page document intended, as trustee Edwin Flores said at the time, to be more "comprehensive" than the existing student code of conduct. But for some, the so-called "Fre ... More >>

Dallas ISD Trustees Take A Look At Ways to Bring More Charter Schools Into the District

​A handful of Dallas Independent School District gatheredn the old board room at 3700 Ross this morning to poke at a question with big implications: How can the district get the most of its new partnerships charter schools, possibly even next school year? Born out of April's West Dallas "School Zo ... More >>

Old Guard Board Members Are At It Again, Trying To Destroy the Magnets. But A New Coalition Of Trustees Seems Determined To Stop Them.

DISD Trustee Vows to "Challenge" Super About Number of People Working in Central Office

Dr. Lew Blackburn​There are a couple of comments worth pulling out frrom yesterday's item about Dallas Independent School District's $23 million budget surplus. Among 'em: Mike MacNaughton, founding member of Dallas Friends of Public Education, recaps yesterday's budget briefing at Albert Sidney J ... More >>

Wherein Carla Ranger Refers to Her Fellow Dallas ISD Trustees as "Dastardly"

DiSD trustee Carla Ranger​Missed this one yesterday, mostly because Dallas Independent School District trustee Carla Ranger doesn't post to her blog as often as she used to. But one thing's got her attention: Fellow trustee Ron Price's proposal to rename schools for President Barack Obama and Supr ... More >>

DISD's Attempt to Gut Magnets, Learning Centers Gets Uglier With Every Misstep

Patrick MichelsThe scene outside 3700 Ross Avenue last nightLast night's decision by the Dallas Independent School District's board of trustees to delay voting on budget cuts for the district's enhanced schools was more than just a stall. The debate leading up to that decision shed a little more lig ... More >>

D? Well, Maybe D-.

Look, let me take one specific portion of the D special issue about the Dallas Independent School District that came out this week and use it to explain why I don’t think much of this stuff is worth reading. This was a sidebar under the byline of our former colleague, Mark Stuertz, who was fam ... More >>

Yet Again, Live From 3700 Ross

At DISD Board Meeting, Hinojosa Recommends Cutting ... Everything

At DISD HQ, It Begins

No Love Here