News Briefs

Porfirio Alvarez was on vacation when he was called in to substitute at Ignacio Zaragosa Elementary for a teacher going on maternity leave. It was his first time subbing—or teaching, for that matter—but he felt a calling to cut his vacation short and take the opportunity. Much to Alvarez’ surprise, that one day subbing transformed his life. Meet A Top 100 Teacher, a Hub feature that spotlights one of Dallas ISD’s Top 100 teachers, checked in with Alvarez in his classroom at William Anderson Elementary School. Why did you become a teacher? While subbing, I established a strong connection with those…

The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the district’s $1.4 billion budget for 2016-2017 at its June 23 meeting. Key aspects of the budget include: More than $13 million to support the opening of eight collegiate academies which will offer students the opportunity to earn an Associate of Applied Science degree, tuition-free, while in high school. A 2-percent raise for hourly workers. The budget also includes raising the minimum hourly salary for custodians and other maintenance workers to $10.37. Approximately $4.7 million to support the continued implementation of the Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) initiative, an effort to raise achievement at seven underperforming schools by providing…

The 2016 Junior Achievement Annual Celebration recognized the tremendous work that happens between this national non-profit and the Dallas ISD. Junior Achievement in the 2015-16 school year provided financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs at 59 district schools.  In total the programs were offered to more than 21,000 Dallas ISD students. More than 2,000 corporate volunteers participated, and the in-kind services provided are valued at $643,110. According to Veena Armstrong, Volunteer and Partnership Services, Junior Achievement presentations impact students long beyond the days of service.  “The discussions spur further interaction between teachers and students after the JA volunteers have…

Dallas ISD’s annual Summer Dance Intensive will culminate on Saturday, June 25, with a recital showcasing the skills students have learned and refined during the two-week camp. Students focus on a particular style of dance: Ballet, Contemporary/Modern, Hip Hop, Jazz and Latin styles. The camp is called “ intensive” because it packs in nearly a year’s worth of instruction and practice into 12 days. Students apply to participate in the program and are chosen after auditions. The majority of camp was conducted at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. As an added but unofficial component…