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…

The Dallas ISD board of trustees tonight unanimously approved appointing Dr. Michael Hinojosa as the district’s interim superintendent. Hinojosa will return to the district after serving as the superintendent from 2005–2011. Hinojosa told trustees that he will lead the district for as long as they need and pledged to continue to support recent reforms approved by the board during the tenure of former superintendent Mike Miles. “Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the Dallas Independent School District. This is where I went to school and where I started my career in education,” Hinojosa said. “I am honored…

The Dallas Independent School District will increase teacher salaries on average by approximately $2,300 as part of the $1.38 billion budget for the 2015-2016 school year approved by the Board of Trustees on June 25. The projected average teacher salary in Dallas ISD will increase by 4.3 percent to approximately $55,300 as part of the Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI), a plan approved by trustees last year that is believed to be one of the most innovative evaluation and compensation systems in the country.  Through TEI, Dallas teachers have the potential to earn significantly more in salary than the traditional compensation ladder.…

Dallas ISD Acting Superintendent Dr. Ann Smisko briefed trustees Thursday night on three recent surveys that asked targeted questions to students, parents, and campus staff to gather their feedback on the district. Trustees thanked district staff for compiling the survey results and asked several questions about specific parts of the different surveys. To learn more about the student survey, in which a strong majority of students said their teacher encouraged them to do their best; their teacher set high expectations; and their teacher clearly presented the information they needed to learn, click here. To learn more about the parent survey, in which 81 percent of…