News Briefs

Dr. Ben Carson, the new U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, visited Dallas and Fort Worth this week as part of his listening tour to research housing issues across the country. On Thursday, he stopped by the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at the Mercy Street Athletic Complex to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before a youth baseball game. He also met and posed for photos with the Pinkston and Wilmer-Hutchins high school baseball teams, which were slated to play a game at the complex as well.

LOVE in Motion delivered treats to all staff at 15 schools this month. The goal of LOVE in motion is to remind district employees on a continual basis that there are many people in the community who highly appreciate and value the ongoing work of educators. Appreciation gifts that were distributed included a bag with a full-size candy bar, a scratch off lottery ticket and a handwritten note thanking staff for the arduous work with Dallas students. These appreciation efforts have proven to help lift staff morale, which overflows to school campuses excelling on different levels – proof that a touch…

Helena isn’t only a great student, she’s a great teacher. The Woodrow Wilson High School junior teaches a computer coding class once a week at Mt. Auburn Elementary School. Her teaching revolves around a website she is developing, findvolunteerships.com, to help fellow high school students find community service projects. “It’s really beneficial for kids to learn coding from a young age, especially with the curriculum we’ve come up with to teach the students,” she said.  “Because coding is something that’s so important in the present and the future, I think it will be a required curriculum in the coming years.” She…

The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) has awarded Dallas Independent School District its Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for excellence in budget presentation during the 2016–2017 budget year. The MBA promotes and recognizes excellence in school budget presentation and enhances school business officials’ skills in developing, analyzing and presenting a school system budget. After a rigorous review by professional auditors, the award is conferred only on school districts that have met or exceeded the program’s stringent criteria. Dallas ISD also earned the MBA distinction for its budget presentation for 2013-2014, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.