Education

A Friend of Unfair Park who teaches government and history in a school district not named “DISD” sends along this article from Milwaukee. Can’t imagine why. –Robert Wilonsky…

To deal with the projected $84 million budget shortfall the district is facing, superintendent Michael Hinojosa just laid out what he called “prudent, fiscally responsible, feasible” solutions that are “doable right now.” To which he added, “Despite that, they will be painful.” His solutions, however, total only $77 million. He…

Until the feed goes down, you can watch the DISD board of trustees meeting, which just began. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa has just begun discussing “the process” whereby the district will find its missing millions. “It’s not quite finished,” he said, but that “brings us to the end.” Recommendations are forthcoming…

Moments ago on The Dallas Morning News’ DALLAS ISD Blog, Kent Fischer asked the question, “Can the district borrow to fill the budget hole?” He answered it, as well: Yes, as what’s another million in interest, and just think of the goodwill it’ll buy. Alas, “Trustee Garza told me yesterday…

The Dallas Independent School District board of trustees will meet twice today: at their 3 p.m. “financial workshop,” then again for their regularly scheduled 5:30 p.m. meeting. It is the former, of course, that’s of most concern today, as on the agenda is Item No. 3, which reads, “Consideration and…

Not just because his free-wheelin’, pirate-lovin’, pass-happy Texas Tech Red Raiders are up to 10th in the nation this year. I’ve always loved Leach. Way I remember it, I once even endorsed him to be Bill Parcells’ replacement as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. “Conversate … ”? “Watch her…

Sometime in the last couple of days, the Dallas Independent School District added to its Web site a “Dallas ISD Finances” page, where it lays out those pesky frequently asked questions (as in, “How did the figure rise from $64 million to $84 million?”) and offers answers, more or less,…

Dallas Independent School District supporters, take note: Today at noon, superintendent Michael Hinojosa will deliver his annual State of the District speech to the Dallas Regional Chamber, which no doubt knows the state of the district — broke and broken. You’ll find Hinojosa at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel on N…

DISD trustee Ron Price Moments ago, near the end of the nearly three-hour-long DISD board meeting — before the board went behind closed doors to talk about the superintendent in front of his face — trustee Ron Price said, “This is a critical moment in Dallas Independent School District’s history.”…

Schutze is at 3700 Ross Avenue, and he’ll provide a wrap-up from the board meeting during which the trustees and superintendent Michael Hinojosa will likely declare a state of financial emergency following last week’s $64-million budget shortfall revelation. That said, Allen Gwinn’s very, very good at this kind of thing…

After all the brouhaha over the Dallas Independent School District’s revised grading policy, the kid’s had plenty of honest-to-God homework since starring kindergarten earlier this month — very surprising and very welcome. Nonetheless, CNN yesterday revisited the controversy. And this morning, Kent Fischer grades the (mostly absentee) committee that came…

At least one DISD student will get a brand-new computer and printer: Charles Rice Learning Center fifth-grader Dalton Sherman, courtesy Ellen Degeneres and Hewlett-Packard on yesterday’s episode of her daytime chatshow. –Robert Wilonsky…

And so it begins. Though the Dallas Independent School District’s board of trustees does not meet till 2 today, to declare a state of “state of financial exigency” so it can begin laying off teachers in the wake of its $64-million budget shortfall, already campuses have begun shedding teachers. Programs…

Now, how about some good news for the Dallas Independent School District. You recall Dalton Sherman, right? Course you do: Charles Rice Learning Center fifth-grader. Delivered the keynote at this year’s back-to-school pep rally. Was suddenly everywhere. Well, Dalton will be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show tomorrow. Writes your genial…

For whatever reason, I couldn’t access the agenda for Friday’s meeting of the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees; district spokesman Jon Dahlander was kind enough to send it. And for those who do not want to click through, here are the two items of note: 3. Consideration and…

District 1 DISD School Board Trustee Edwin Flores “Everything’s on the table,” Dallas Independent School District superintendent Michael Hinojosa keeps saying following Wednesday’s announcement that the district’s got this teensy $64 million budget shortfall to cover right quick. Which means everything from staff cuts to school closings. But, as trustee…

Who knows what Dallas Independent School District chief of staff Arnold Viramontes’s “direct action plan” will entail to prevent a $64-million wuh-oh next year. (Trustees Jack Lowe and Edwin Flores, for starters, fully expect another shortfall in the current school year’s $1.6 billion budget — so, word of warning.) But…

Jack Lowe, DISD school board president Jack Lowe, president of the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees, is in New Braunfels awaiting the birth of his seventh grandchild. But shortly before he left town yesterday, he met with DISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa, who told Lowe the bad news reported…

Intern Courtney’s at 3700 Ross Avenue this very moment, where district officials have indeed confirmed a sudden $64-million shortfall — in the 2007-’08 budget. How’d this happen? Well, see, it’s “complicated,” said superintendent Michael Hinojosa, the result of having more teachers and support staff in the schools. “The majority of…

Four days into the new school year we finally got to spend time with the boy’s terrific, beloved, 31-year-vet homeroom teacher — very exciting stuff, especially when I discovered I could still sit in a kindergartener’s plastic seat without collapsing it. Before that, though, the principal — an ebullient, sincere…

A troubling lead from this morning’s back-to-school report on KERA-FM (90.1): “About 30,000 students were no-shows in classrooms in the Dallas school district yesterday, the first day of the new school year.” And one mother of an H. Grady Spruce High School junior told B.J. Austin that her daughter, who’s…

Apologies for the delay this a.m., but there was a good reason: The boy’s first day as a Dallas Independent School District student. Heck of a moment: He was cool, calm, excited but not nervous. His father, slapped in the face by the familiar smell of DISD hallways on the…