Author: The Hub

Stephanie L. Young thought that one day she might be a teacher. However, her ambitions, which were encouraged by a favorite teacher and a central staffer, took her far beyond the classroom. Today, Young is the Associate Director of Communications at the White House, and in her short career, she has landed in some very impressive places. AlumNow, which is a Hub feature that checks in with district alumni to see where they are now, recently caught up with Young recently to see what she’s been doing since graduating from the School of Education and Social Services (known now as Rosie Sorrells School of Education…

Same-sex spouses of Dallas ISD employees are now eligible for health, dental, vision, and life insurance under the district’s benefits plan. The Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas extended its spousal benefits eligibility following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on June 26 to legalize same-sex marriage. A district employee can add a same-sex spouse to their benefits plan during the annual benefits enrollment period, which happens August 1–31.

Approximately 243,230 meals were served to children 18 and younger during the month of June as part of the Summer Food Service Program. Select Dallas ISD schools participate in the free meal program along with churches, recreation centers, and other activity sites throughout the city. The Summer Food Service Program was created to ensure that children in low-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have the benefit of school breakfasts and lunches. “Hunger does not take a break over the summer, and neither do we,” said Lesia Gray, who coordinates Dallas…

Juan Quesada, a teacher at Jill Stone Elementary School and a Distinguished Teacher candidate in the Dallas Independent School District, was among several teachers to participate in the NASA LiftOff Summer Institute at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. According to a press release, NASA’s Texas Space Grant Consortium sponsored the program. Teachers from across the nation were selected to participate and increase their knowledge of space education through this professional development summer institute. LiftOff is a collaborative effort of Texas Space Grant Consortium members and affiliates. Teachers apply for LiftOff and are selected competitively. The workshops are organized around…

A locally owned grocery store is raising money to help fund educational field trips for Dallas ISD students this upcoming school year. Elrod’s Cost Plus Supermarket, which has six locations in the DFW area, set up its Dallas ISD Field Trip Fund after a teacher from W.A. Blair Elementary School contacted them. The teacher asked Elrod’s about potentially donating hot dogs for a fundraiser at the school. After talking with the teacher, Julia Johnson, Elrod’s marketing manager, said the family owned grocery chain decided to go a step further and set up a donation fund to help finance Dallas ISD…

Teach For America – Dallas-Fort Worth (TFA) will bring together partners from Dallas ISD, Southern Methodist University’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development, and the Momentous Institute for a panel discussion about what Teach For America DFW Summer Institute means for DFW and education partners across the city. The panel discussion is set for tomorrow, July 9, from 12–1 p.m. at Stephen C. Foster Elementary School, 3700 Clover Lane. The partnership between TFA, SMU, Dallas ISD and Momentous Institute brings Teach For America’s pre-service training program to Dallas for the first time this year, with teachers completing the organization’s…

Dallas ISD has been named a District of Distinction by District Administration Magazine, a national publication dedicated to covering issues, trends and innovations in the field of education. The magazine recognized Dallas ISD for the innovative work being done through its Teacher Excellence Initiative, a non-traditional approach to raising student academic achievement by improving teacher effectiveness. The Districts of Distinction program honors school districts for implementing programs or initiatives that positively impact student outcomes, streamline operations or address community needs. The award seeks to honor initiatives that are yielding measurable benefits and can be replicated by other districts. “The 30…

The traditional valedictory speech by the top student in a high school graduating class gives student leaders a chance to share their thoughts with classmates at a time when they’ve achieved a lifetime milestone. The recently completed Dallas ISD commencement season continued the tradition, providing parents, family members and school staff a glimpse into the minds of these next generation scholars and citizens. You can hear from a few of these youthful bright lights via links to selected commencement videos produced by Dallas Schools Television. Tatian Almendarez – 2015 valedictorian, A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School Kendell Long -…

See It Again is a feature on the Hub that looks back on and reposts noteworthy stories from the past year. During Pre-K Registration Week this past school year, The Hub asked pre-K students at Cesar Chavez Learning Center and Withers Elementary about their favorite part of pre-K. Hear what they said in the above video. Pre-K Registration Week is the district’s effort to encourage parents to enroll their child in pre-K, which studies show set the child on a path of lifelong learning.

Dallas ISD has continued to impress the nation’s top investment ratings firms with its strong financial management, which could lead to millions in potential savings in debt financing costs. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P), Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings collectively cited the district’s strong financial management, conservative budgeting and strong fund balance for this outlook. The ratings are important because it enables Dallas ISD to receive financing at reduced interest rates, saving the district valuable resources when using bonds and other vehicles. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) has increased Dallas ISD’s underlying debt rate to “AA” from “AA-“ and with…