Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, 6th through 12th grade courses identified as “Pre-AP” will be known as “Honors” courses. The Board of Trustees approved the name change recently to comply with College Board regulations. Mitch Morken, director of Advanced Academic Services for Dallas ISD, emphasized that the course content will remain the same; only the name is changing. Teaching and Learning departments will continue to challenge Honors students by exposing them to a challenging, enriched curriculum associated with advanced coursework. As in the past, Dallas ISD will continue to encourage equity for all by maintaining open enrollment for any student…

Dallas ISD graduating seniors can apply now for $2,500 and $10,000 scholarships funded in honor of Superintendent Michael Hinojosa. The $2,500 annual Superintendent’s Scholarships, funded through the annual Superintendent’s Scholarship Golf Tournament, will be awarded to at least two recipients from every comprehensive high school. The district will award one $10,000 Green-Garner scholarship, funded by the Council of Great City Schools. To be considered for either scholarship, students must complete the application, show acceptance to a college or university, and submit transcripts, letters of recommendation and essays. Both scholarships are listed with many others under the Scholarships 2021 tab on…

Following trustees’ general expressions of support for the proposed student and family resource centers funded in the district’s 2020 Bond election, Chief of Staff Pam Lear and Racial Equity Deputy Chief Sharon Quinn are spearheading a planning team to move the project forward. The concept calls for the creation of community hubs to house crucial social services in neighborhoods served by Lincoln, L.G. Pinkston, H. Grady Spruce and Franklin Roosevelt high schools. The $40M in bond funds allocated for the project is limited to facility construction to create space for services to these historically underserved communities. Lear recently announced that…

On January 20, Dallas ISD completed a competitive sale of the final $299.2 million in bonds from the 2015 voter-approved bond program. Initial projections suggested this final 2015 sale would be at a 3.75% interest rate amortized over 30 years. However, due to the district’s great credit rating and the strength of the market, the district received the lower rate of 1.64% amortized over only 24 years.  The successful sale resulted in the interest cost being $93.5 million less than projected. “This is a big win for Dallas ISD,” said the district’s Chief Business Officer Dwayne Thompson. “The savings from…