Author: The Hub

The Dallas Observer recently ran a cover story on the district’s School Choice initiative, which aims to provide students with a best-fit education. Click here to read the full story from the Dallas Observer.

Principal Michael Jones says Seagoville High School is in a unique spot – a Dallas school that’s out in the country. Its location has in part driven interest in some of the programs offered at the school. “Many people don’t know we have a magnet school here at Seagoville High School for environmental systems, environmental science and agriculture,” he said. In addition, there are 75 or so students enrolled in the school’s Veterinary Technician program. Instructor Barry Jones said the program partners with the Humane Society to receive dogs for students to care for as they learn about veterinary. Students…

Nancy Bingham is a retired educator with 32 years of experience as a classroom teacher. She has spent the last 17 years advocating for young people as the Dallas ISD Trustee for District 4, which includes Seagoville, Southeast Dallas, and Balch Springs. In keeping with the theme of the 2016 School Board Recognition Month, “Super Heroes for School,” Trustee Bingham was asked to recall super heroes who made an impact in her life. “My mother and father were my first, and lifelong, super hero teachers. They taught me the life skills that enabled me to be an independent, productive, and…

Touched by the news coverage of the destruction wrought by recent tornadoes, Cathy Vernon was overcome with the need to do something to help victims who had lost everything. The day after the storms, Vernon, the student activities coordinator and student council sponsor at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, began calling her students and the school’s PTA president to arrange a donation drive. With school out and everyone on winter break, Vernon said she was unsure what the group could collect. Nevertheless, they put out calls to colleagues and families via social media asking…

As a student at Skyline High School (Class of 1997), John Paul Valverde’s favorite teacher provided more than an education; his intelligence and structure helped Valverde become the professional he is today. AlumNow, The Hub feature that profiles Dallas ISD alumni, caught up with Valverde for an update. What are you doing now? I’m principle/owner of Coeval Studio. Briefly list a few of your career and/or personal highlights. I opened Coeval Real Estate in 2004. In the beginning, I focused on affordable housing and then grew into high-end multifamily sales. Coeval Real Estate became Coeval Studio in 2007. We designed…

Students return on Wednesday, Jan. 6, for the start of the second semester. The final day of classes is June 2. The second semester schedule includes a day off for Presidents Day, which hasn’t been a student/staff holiday for several years. Here are some of the important dates for the second semester. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday: Jan. 18 Presidents Day Holiday: Feb. 15 Spring Break: March 14 – 18 Inclement weather makeup days: March 25, 2016, and April 11 Memorial Day: May 30 Last day of school for students: June 2 Last day of school for teachers: June 3…

As of Jan. 4, the Dallas ISD Human Capital Management department has moved to a new building at 9400 N. Central Expressway. The department is on the 14th floor of the building. The department can still be reached at 972-925-4200. As a reminder, Employee Benefits is located on the 12th floor at the same location. There should be no interruption in service. The Information Technology department will move to the location in February 2016.

Dallas ISD is considering changing the attendance boundaries or feeder pattern options for select Dallas ISD schools next school year. District leaders held eight community meetings to discuss the proposed changes and gather feedback from the public. The proposed changes are not final and require board approval. The Hub has compiled the following guide to provide information on the proposed changes. Is the district restructuring all attendance boundaries? No. In fact, most attendance boundaries will stay the same. Why is the district looking to adjust some attendance boundaries? Adjusting attendance boundaries for select schools is a strategy to more effectively distribute…

While Mike Morath recently resigned as the Dallas ISD Trustee representing District 2 to become Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, Board Recognition Month (January) is a good time to wish him well and thank him for his service to the students, parents and employees of Dallas ISD. This year’s theme for School Board Recognition Month is “Super Heroes for Schools,” and while Commissioner Morath isn’t focused on being remembered as a super hero, he remains grounded in helping students. “I just want kids to grow up to lead better lives than they would have otherwise,” Morath said. When asked…

Technology and healthy living come together for Dallas ISD’s Tech Fest 2016 Digital Media Fair Competition, which encourages students to use technology to express health-related concepts in a variety of formats. The contest is open to all Dallas ISD students. The winners will be eligible to win technology prizes and have their work displayed at Dallas ISD’s STEM Day 2016. The deadline to submit entries is Friday, Jan. 15. Entries are welcome in six categories: Animation, Digital Audio, Digital Photography, Digital Video, Desktop Publishing and Multimedia. The contest is sponsored by the district’s Health & Physical Education Department. View past winning…