An oddly interesting scene unfolded on Inwood Road earlier today: NBA legend Bob Lanier and Key Coker, Executive Vice President of BBVA Compass Bank, chatting about banking globalization, financial diversification and the tightening of government regulations as they painted the walls of a Thomas J. Rusk Middle School classroom.Lanier was…
Like I said, the Dalai Lama’s at SMU at this very moment, speaking about democracy, education and his hopes for a free Tibet. Watch it live here. It wraps shortly. He’s presently taking questions from the audience, which includes lots of high school students. I see the Lama got more…
New Observer-er Leslie Minora was headed out to an interview moments ago when she got stuck waiting for a mini-motorcade passing in front of Unfair Park HQ on Maple Ave. She asked a Dallas Police officer what was going on. He told her: Why, that’s the Dalai Lama! Oh, right…
We’ve had this discussion on and off in recent months: With all the schools coming online courtesy the 2008 bond election, when oh when will Dallas Independent School District begin shuttering some of its existing campuses? Trustee Edwin Flores says perhaps as soon as the 2012-’13 school year; this morning,…
If you’d been in one particular basement in Arlington a little more than an hour ago, you would’ve stood square in the middle of a fairly strange scene: Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa standing around, cheerful and well-dressed in a light gray suit, a few feet from American League MVP…
Former First Lady Laura Bush announced this morning that her foundation, which has provided more than $14 million in grants intended to fill school libraries with more and better books, is dispersing more than a million dollars to some 241 schools this year. Bush made the announcement at Jack Lowe…
No, that photo above is not a scene from Morgan Spulock’s latest documentary. Turns out, Dallas County Schools has teamed up with ad agency Alpha Media to stick hundreds of vinyl advertisements on the sides of their buses, generating an expected $1 million this year. As next year’s budget cuts begin…
Harmony Public Schools, Texas’ largest chain of charter schools, packed all but the uppermost tier of the Winspear last night for a celebration of its 10th anniversary. The 33-school chain is built on a math, science and engineering curriculum — a popular talking point among a series of lawmakers who,…
A Friend of Unfair Park forwards along this certificate of congratulations from the Richardson Independent School District, which has been posted to Lamebook. High five…
One thing I will do is admit when I’m wrong. And Aggies fans, I was wrong about this one and y’all were right. Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson was indeed good enough to be a first-round draft pick. In the United Football League. The Hartford Colonials last night made Johnson the…
Superintendent Media Availability (4/29/2011) from Dallas Independent School Dist on Vimeo.As the Dallas Independent School District was sending word Friday that it had just laid off 203 from central administration, and eliminating another 247 presently unfilled positions, Dallas Independent School District Michael Hinojosa was holding a press conference at 3700…
A couple of hours ago, Tawnell Hobbs wrote that she’d heard 250 central staffers at the Dallas Independent School District were being laid off today. Matter of fact, says the district in a release made available moments ago, the total number of central staff positions cut today is almost twice…
Just a few minutes ago, the Dallas Independent School District posted to its Facebook page a lengthy note that says Superintendent Michael Hinojosa has ditched his plan to split Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center into two schools while at the same time eliminating five of its seven principals. Instead, says…
This just in from The Hilltop: On May 9, the Dalai Lama’s going to appear on the Southern Methodist University campus, where he’ll speak from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at McFarlin Auditorium as part of SMU’s 10th Hart Global Leaders Forum. Per the announcement, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan…
Several Friends of Unfair Park, and many fellow Dallas Independent School Distinct parents, have sent along this morning a link to the Texas Tribune’s newly posted searchable database showing how state Rep. Scott Hochberg’s H.B 2485 — which eliminates target revenue, holds all districts to the same revenue formula and…
Looks like Mike Morath’s going to become a Dallas Independent School District trustee earlier than he’d expected. He was already running unopposed for Jack Lowe’s North Dallas-Near East Dallas District 2 seat, which is one of the reasons why the district canceled the May 14 elections. (Carla Ranger and Adam…
The battle over Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center — which Dallas Independent School District Michael Hinojosa is splitting up in order to excise five of its seven principals next school year, over parents and Carla Ranger’s objections — has reached The New York Times, via its relationship with the Texas…
Speaking of public eduction and whether or not the Dallas Independent School District can split Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center without the school board’s OK …A missive just arrived in the Unfair Park in-box that was sent today to the DISD board concerning plans to restructure Townview and cut five…
On Tuesday, the Dallas Independent School District announced it’s splitting Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center into two schools, divvying up the six magnets housed within and reducing the number of principals from seven to two in an effort to save money — and teachers. Shortly after the release went out,…
The Dallas Independent School District sent word earlier this afternoon: It is splitting the mammoth Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center on E. Eighth Street into two schools — one devoted to humanities; the other, arts and science. The six magnets housed within Townview, among them the TAG Magnet, the School…
A couple of weeks back Texas Appleseed and ACLU of Texas reps were down in Austin asking why oh why do state school districts feel the need to write class C misdemeanor tickets to students, some as young as 6, in the case of the Dallas Independent School District back…
Almost one month ago to the day the Dallas Independent School Board received an updated version of the district’s budget reduction plan made necessary, of course, in the wake of the state budget shortfall emptying classrooms of teachers and filling them with more and more students. Moments ago, the board…
