After holding a series of focus groups with teachers and campus leaders to get valuable input, Dallas ISD this week is getting feedback from central staff on how the district can combat serious student learning loss caused by the pandemic. Dallas ISD is exploring three different potential options for the 2021–2022 school year that would add learning and enrichment time for some or all students. The exploration comes after data shows a potentially devastating impact the pandemic is having on the academic progress of students. An initial round of focus groups got input and feedback from more than 85 teachers from…

Dallas ISD on Nov. 13 announced a new deputy superintendent, deputy chief of Construction Services and chief of Communications Services. New deputy superintendent Susana Cordova has been named deputy superintendent of Dallas ISD. Cordova currently serves as superintendent of Denver Public Schools and has more than 30 years of experience in education as a teacher and school leader at elementary, middle and high school levels. She began her teaching career as a bilingual middle and high school teacher, serving for a time as an elementary assistant principal and principal at a Title I school, which saw a 33% increase on…

As district and school leaders explore ways to mitigate learning loss related to the COVID-19 crisis, parents are reminded that regular school attendance is vital to ensure students master the skills required for academic success. The opposite is also true—students who do not attend school regularly miss essential instruction possibly resulting in learning loss and other negative consequences, including retention and penalties related to truancy. Texas state law requires students to attend 90% of scheduled class days to receive a course grade at the elementary level or credit for a class at the secondary level. Board policy requires that parents…

Eligible support staff whose current base salary is less than $50,000 have received a one-time incentive of $750 in their November paychecks. The incentive was approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2020 as part of the district’s compensation package and amounts to more than $4.9 million in additional compensation to Dallas ISD staff. The stipend was added to the paychecks of more than 6,570 non-exempt, full-time employees at campuses, central administration, Food and Child Nutrition Services, and the Maintenance and Facilities, Police and Security, IT, and  Student Transportation departments. Employees who received the stipend must have been hired…