Adequate funding for Dallas ISD’s youngest students and for those who have fallen behind topped the discussion during the district’s legislative breakfast on Nov. 18.
Superintendent Mike Miles spoke to approximately 40 people including Rep. Roberto Alonzo, District 104, and several legislative aides as he outlined Dallas ISD’s Legislative Agenda starting with full state funding for full-day pre-K programs and support for programs that provide remedial instruction for students who fail one or more STAAR/EOC assessments.
“If we’re truly committed to ensuring every student performs on grade level by third grade and helping students accelerate learning to close the achievement gap, we must look at transformation,” said Miles. “We’ve been pushing the envelope in Dallas ISD, but there’s much more that we have to do, and it requires adequate funding.”
Miles added Dallas ISD’s financial health is the strongest it has ever been, but as the district addresses the needs of a high-poverty population, it is critical to restore state funding. “It takes far more resources to educate students in poverty,” he said. “Ninety percent of the district’s students come from challenging backgrounds, and we believe all students can achieve given the right instruction, but we need the resources to do it.”
Also on the district’s legislative agenda:
- Support legislation that would increase funding for the high school allotment to assist school districts in implementing HB 5.
- Support legislation that would add an adjustment factor to the funding formula to compensate districts for the additional cost of educating children who are economically disadvantaged.
- Support legislation that would provide sufficient state funding to ensure districts are able to deliver high-quality content aligned with state standards.
- Support legislation recreating an allotment that would address school district needs regarding hardware, software and all technology infrastructure that continues innovation.
- Support a high-quality evaluation system that would assess and improve teaching and learning, resulting in higher student performance.
- Support initiatives and incentives for teachers to serve in high-shortage areas and hard-to-staff positions.
- Support legislation to ensure non-Chapter 21 personnel evaluations remain confidential and not available to the public.
The Texas Legislature convenes in January.
