On Aug. 21, Dallas ISD trustees voted to place a $1.6 billion bond program for Dallas ISD on the November ballot. The bond program is intended to provide new schools, facility improvements across the district, and support for growing programs. The Hub has compiled a guide to inform people regarding the bond proposal. What would the bond finance? The bond proposal, which is not expected to raise tax rates, includes the following: $465 million for nine new schools $195 million for 326 new classrooms and expanded facilities $233 million for educational adequacy, including new technology, science labs, and gym/locker room enhancements…

From a published author roaming the halls of Longfellow to a Hillcrest alum gifting a sculpture to his old school, plenty of great things are happening in Dallas ISD. Show and Tell is a feature on The Hub that rounds up some of the news happening across the district into one place. If you have any story ideas for Show and Tell, email thehub@dallasisd.org. Hillcrest alum gifts sculpture to the high school George Tobolowsky, a Hillcrest High School alum (1967), successful attorney and businessman, has turned his skills to sculpture. Tobolowsky has gifted Hillcrest with his latest sculpture, “Surfing the Warehouse.”…

As the Teacher Excellence Initiative seeks to reshape the paradigm by which teachers are evaluated and compensated—evolving from tying salary increases to years of service to rewarding teachers based on their effectiveness in the classroom—the Dallas Independent School District has worked to communicate the details of the new evaluation system. However, there have been many questions and, frankly, misinformation regarding TEI. The Hub wanted to set the record straight about five of the biggest misconceptions of TEI. TEI is a way to get rid of veteran teachers. False. TEI defines, supports and rewards excellent teachers. The evaluation system measures teacher…

A crucial part of launching any district initiative is communicating to stakeholders about how a program will affect them. The Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI) defines, supports and rewards excellent teaching. With TEI, Dallas ISD has sought to both inform and gather feedback from stakeholders, including teachers, principals, parents, students and the community, in a variety of ways. Feedback and teacher input A critical part of the TEI design process was teacher and principal input. Identified teachers became “TEI experts” who have had early and continual input into the shaping the system. The experts became important sources of information about TEI…