Results from a recent districtwide survey show a notable increase in the percentage of campus-based employees who believe Dallas ISD is headed in the right direction. On the Spring 2015 Campus Climate Survey, the percentage of school staff believing that the district is moving in the right direction is now at more than a 2-1 margin. The response marks a 6.5 percentage point increase from the response to the same question in Fall 2013. Meanwhile, the Spring 2015 survey showed that 56.3 percent of staff said morale at their school has improved their year, an 6.3 percentage point increase from…

The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees discussed a plan on Thursday that could consolidate approximately 400 district employees currently spread across eight locations, some of which are in dilapidated conditions, into one building. The board is expected to vote on the proposal on May 28. Dallas ISD Chief Financial Officer Jim Terry said that consolidating employees from the Human Capital Management and Information and Technology Services departments into one building at 9400 N. Central Expressway would bring multiple benefits to the district. “Having these employees in one place will boost their communication and production as they work to help our…

Dallas ISD is proposing a $1.3 billion budget for the 2015-2016 school year that would increase teacher salaries on average by $2,300, provide a 3 percent raise for non-teaching staff, continue to implement several new initiatives and keep the tax rate the same. District officials presented the proposed budget to the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees during a workshop on Thursday, May 14. Trustees will discuss the proposed budget again during the June 11 Board Briefing, and are slated to adopt the budget on June 25. Six town hall meetings will also be held so that the public can learn more about…

More than 85 percent of this year’s Distinguished Teacher Review-eligible teachers said they had a positive experience with the district’s new initiative that helps identify effective teachers. The feedback was in response to a survey that Dallas ISD issued to DTR-eligible teachers to get their thoughts on the DTR process. Dallas ISD implemented the DTR process this school year as a part of the Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI), which aims to identify and reward effective teachers. Dallas ISD had 1,477 DTR-eligible teachers this year, 1,404 of which submitted a DTR application. “Most teachers viewed the DTR process to be a…