Briefly this morning, a dispatch from the front lines of the DISD teacher layoffs coming down today -- Skyline High School in East Dallas, where 19 teachers were in line to get the ax, according to the RIF list published in the Dallas Morning News.
By 9 a.m., it was business as usual around the high school, classes started and students trickling in. One teacher who'd stepped out into the chilly morning air said he knew already he'd have to take on extra students in his classroom. He wasn't complaining, he said, just figured it's too bad the students will have to deal with even bigger classes. "It's amazing," he said. "We're the biggest school in the state, and they're cutting our staff."
Most of the teachers getting fired already knew it was coming, he said, so teachers weren't too shocked around the school this morning -- if your certification isn't in order, you can bet you're on Hinojosa's list.
On a cold, gray Thursday in Dallas, it feels a little chillier around our public schools. Skyline teachers will be gathering at 4:15 for an after-school pep talk from their principal, as you can bet they'll be doing all around the district today.
And, in a related note, DISD school board trustee Carla Ranger today writes on her blog:Hell of a way to begin a thank-you note to teachers for their service to the district. --Patrick MichelsSomething is very wrongheaded at Dallas ISD.
This will not be corrected by releasing hundreds of teachers to relieve the latest financial chaos.
The problem will not be corrected by covering up the very serious financial mismanagement.
It cannot be undone by deception or solved by CEOs.
Dallas ISD has a spreading disease that has infected the institution with wrongheadedness.
It will not soon go away.
