Yes, indeed — that’s Dallas Independent School District’s Dalton Sherman, the fifth-grade feel-good story of a school year in desperate need of good news. As we noted last week, Sherman got Oprah’d yesterday: He was showcased among the handful of “Little Phenoms” Winfrey handpicked as she searches for the “World’s…
See, Patrick “Buzz” Williams, this is what happens when you’re the first one to write about the Dallas Independent School District’s Social Security number snafu — by two days, no less — only you’re all funny and forgiving about it. (To wit: “This is merely another instance of the sort…
Dalton Sherman and some other guy No doubt about it — Dalton Sherman is the Dallas Independent School District’s feel-good story of the school year and has been ever since his kick-off speech at the American Airlines Center in August. Two months later, the Charles Rice Learning Center fifth-grader found…
Just spotted this announcement on the Dallas Independent School District’s Web site and thought we’d pass it along, as the deadline is tomorrow. –Robert Wilonsky Attention: Recently RIFed Personnel Personnel who were part of the recent reduction in force will have an opportunity to address a panel composed of a…
DISD school board trustee Carla Ranger Dallas Independent School District board trustee Carla Ranger can’t understand why the district doesn’t make superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s contract available online. Because, see, the Texas Administrative Code says that really oughta be available to anyone interested in taking a peek at the document. And…
DISD school board trustee Carla Ranger Maybe we oughta turn Virtual Coffee — that’s right, isn’t it? — over to Dallas Independent School Board trustee Carla Ranger; this makes three posts in three days, fancy. But you knew this one was coming following last night’s board of trustees vote to…
That is, he’s leading in the Dallas Independent School District’s Mock Election 2008, taking place today all over the district in grades K-12. (The boy said this morning he was going to vote for Boba Fett.) And with a scant 9 percent of the vote in, it’s Barack Obama by…
DISD school board trustee Carla Ranger Yesterday, school board trustee Carla Ranger was insisting you can’t trust Dallas Independent School District’s leadership. Today, in advance of the board of trustee’s vote on their own ethics policy amendment, Ranger again insists it doesn’t mean squat: “The proposed Dallas ISD Ethics policy…
DISD school board trustee Carla Ranger Yesterday, shortly before the Dallas Independent School District officially announced it’s rehiring 57 of the teachers laid off two weeks ago, school board trustee Carla Ranger yet again laid into the district and its leadership. As in: “It is hard to do the right…
Those Eagles aren’t buzzards. Yet. Didn’t see this coming. You? When high-school coaching legend Todd Dodge took the job at North Texas back in December ’06 I predicted great things. Great, instant gratification-type things. Yikes. Never did I envision Dodge overseeing a porous defense of record-setting proportions, a 2-18 record…
Tomorrow’s the Dallas Independent School District job fair at the Dallas Convention Center, and the district’s Web site has all the details — including the list of employers who’re scheduled to attend. A few interesting names leap off the list, among them the more than 60 Texas school districts sending…
A Friend of Unfair Park whose school lost one of the 375 teachers laid off yesterday by the Dallas Independent School District sends this blog entry from National Education Association-Dallas president Dale Kaiser, which was posted Thursday evening. The gist is below. –Robert Wilonsky Today, October 15, 2008 is one…
Illustration by Brian Stauffer The Dallas Independent School District has plenty of other things to worry about, especially today, as the district begins laying off 450 teachers to make up for its $84 million budget shortfall this school year. (And for those who may have missed it, DISD Superintendent Michael…
Patrick Michels From DISD trustee Carla Ranger this morning, in a note to teachers: “May your lives be blessed in spite of the unjust price you now pay for the mistakes of others.” Briefly this morning, a dispatch from the front lines of the DISD teacher layoffs coming down today…
Brandon Thibodeaux Kent Fischer at The Dallas Morning News writes that late yesterday, he received “a copy of a document titled ‘RIF worksheet’ dated 10/14 at 8 a.m.” The district, of course, was to begin its layoffs today, but pushed back the so-called reduction in workforce till tomorrow — creating…
On the eve of Dallas Independent School District’s 460 teacher layoffs, delayed till tomorrow, the latest issue of Newsweek features an essay by Dallas teacher Heather Robinson, who proclaims, “I Am Not A Babysitter.” Below is a highlight among many from a teacher who clearly likes her gig, which was…
Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s been very clear about this one thing: He desperately wants the district to win The Broad Prize for Urban Education, given out annually “to honor urban school districts making the greatest overall improvement in student achievement while at the same time reducing achievement…
DISD school board trustee Carla Ranger Fifteen minutes before it was scheduled to begin this morning, Dallas Independent School Board trustee Carla Ranger posted this notice to her Web site: Dallas ISD, community leaders and businesses will launch a massive effort to help hundreds of teachers and other staff released…
That’s what Dallas Independent School District managers are supposed to do, right after they tell a teacher: We really, like totally, screwed up, so, like … um, ya know?. Of course, the suggested small talk — “Hey, man, how’s it hangin’?” — will no doubt cushion the blow of the…
If nothing else, someone at the Dallas Independent School District has learned how to turn a negative into a cozy, comfy positive! –Robert Wilonsky…
The Dallas Independent School District board of trustees is meeting, yet again, to discuss laying off some 675 teachers courtesy the $148-million budget shortfall. The link to the live feed’s here, as the “budget workshop” began promptly at 3:14 p.m. Feel free to watch along and pipe in with comments…
Moments ago, the Dallas Independent School District posted to its Web site a media release announcing the elimination of “at least” 160 central staff positions today — “63 of which had been filled by employees.” Says the release, it’ll save the district “up to $3.6 million for the current 2008-2009…
