14 Jul 2004
DALLAS—Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Moses on Wednesday submitted his resignation to the Board of Trustees informing them that he wished to step down as superintendent effective Aug. 31, 2004.
The superintendent indicated that he would work with the board in the event that additional time is needed to ensure a smooth transition.
"When I was identified as the finalist for this position on Oct. 9, 2000, the job did not actually begin that day," Moses said. "However, the feeling of accountability and responsibility for the improvement of the district certainly did. In the almost four years that have followed, the work has been extremely intense, very visible, and at times emotionally exhausting."
When Moses began his service in Dallas, he pointed toward five primary goals. These included the safety of all children, improvement of student achievement, a supportive and nurturing environment for all staff members, responsible stewardship of district funds, and improved facilities. During his tenure, considerable progress has been made in each of these areas.
"While I have raised concerns about the safety of our schools and will continue to do that, I am proud of the students and staff members for the progress that has been made in the area of student achievement. We are certainly not where we need to be, but there is no doubt that we are a rapidly improving urban school district," Moses said.
When Moses became superintendent, teachers were picketing and marching at the administration building for better health insurance and benefits.
"It pleases me that we have been able to improve the working environment for our teachers and staff members. Paying teachers for out-of-pocket supply purchases, buying a laptop computer for every teacher, and changing the health insurance program to better control costs have taken place, and I hope that these are factors that teachers examine when considering Dallas as a place to teach," Moses said.
During his service, the district has had numerous financial successes. The ending of the lengthy FBI investigation, the district's highest evaluations ever from the outside accounting firm KPMG, and the successful completion and implementation of a Texas Performance Review by the comptroller of public accounts have all occurred on his watch. The fund balance position of the district has improved from $60 million to almost $120 million.
In the area of facilities, Moses helped spearhead the passage of the largest bond issue in the history of Texas public schools and one of the largest in the nation when Dallas voters approved a $1.37 billion proposal Jan. 19, 2002, by a 78 percent margin.
"Significant progress has been made toward the goals that I established when I came to the district. Nevertheless, we never bring closure to the pursuit of improvement. We simply pass the baton to someone else to build on the improvements. It is my hope that we have created a culture and a momentum that can be sustained in the district. Members of the Board of Trustees, administrators, principals, teachers and all support staff members have my deepest thanks and gratitude for their work. It is they who have placed public service and the betterment of our society as their greatest goals in life. It has been my honor to be associated with them," Moses said.
Moses indicated that he will work with trustees to begin making transition plans for later in the summer. He wants to ensure that preparations are made to ensure a smooth start of the new school year.
While unsure of his future plans, he has indicated that he will in all likelihood be working in some area of higher education with linkages back to public education.
"Looking back at a career of 30 years in public education, there are many blessings that my family and I have received," Moses said. "The community of Dallas has been very kind and thoughtful to us, and I shall always be grateful. Nevertheless, there comes a time when one must stop, reflect and consider taking new challenges in life, and I have come to that point."
ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE DISTRICT
Release from federal court desegregation order after 32 years
• Moses made efforts on behalf of the district and trustees to establish a nationally recognized series of commitments and covenants to the community to follow on the release from a 32-year-old desegregation case.
•Work with the district staff and the community legal system to establish that the district was in compliance with Federal Judge Barefoot Sanders' 1998 rulings, which led to the dismissal of the case after 32 years of court control.
Passage of largest school bond issue in the history of Texas
•Approved recommendation to move forward with proposing the largest school bond program in the history of Texas. The $1.37 billion program will mean 20 new schools, 40 additions, and renovations to all 218 existing campuses in the district as well as the addition of a centralized kitchen and a new athletic field facility in south Dallas.
State accountability ratings improved
•There was dramatic change in the state's accountability ratings with the number of exemplary schools almost doubling and the number of low performing schools being cut in half. While the district had 28 low performing schools when Moses became superintendent, early indications are that the district will have as few as two low performing schools this year. Results have shown a rise in achievement scores on final years of the TAAS tests, an increase of this year's TAKS test, record levels of student performance on standardized achievement tests, and a closing of the achievement gap between various ethnic groups in the district.
Curriculum alignment of district reading and math programs.
Moses took immediate action to require the Open Court reading program and the math program, Everyday Math, to be used uniformly in all 157 elementary schools in the district. This was put in place to ensure that the 31 percent of the district's students who were mobile did not fall behind as they moved from school to school throughout a school year.
Sound financial condition
•Closure to long-time FBI investigation of the district
•District received most favorable external audit ever by the outside accounting firm KPMG
• The district received 193 recommendations for improvement from the state comptroller and implemented 192 of the recommendations within a two-year period, earning the district an A+ rating from the state comptroller in 2002.
Significant pay raise for district employees, intensified teacher recruitment campaign
•Championed one of the most significant pay raises for district employees to make the district more competitive and offering the highest beginning teacher salary in Dallas County.
•Launched an innovative multi-state recruitment campaign to bring new teachers to the district. The year before the program, only 179 teachers applied in a one-month period. The year of the media campaign, the number increased to 1,200 in a single month. The New York Times made note of the district's efforts and quoted an Oklahoma school administrator as saying that they wanted to "build a fence at the Red River to keep Oklahoma teachers from going to Dallas."
• Began an intensive campaign to recruit bilingual teachers from south Texas and Mexico with almost 100 teachers being hired from Mexico and South America last year.
Resolution of Litigation
During Moses' tenure, at least a dozen significant lawsuits involving the Dallas Independent School District that had existed for several years were resolved, settled, or dismissed.
Other achievements that occurred during the tenure of Moses include:
• Termination of contracts with Edison and CEP following much controversy and concern over performance
• Record $10 million private gift to district fine arts school
• Reading First grant of $6.9 million was one of the largest in Texas and will be used to improve students' reading skills
• Establishment of a district police force
• Uniform dress code for students
•A record E-rate grant for wiring and other technology improvements of $122.8 million
• Ensured the district compliance with state and federal laws regarding special education and ended the need for a Texas Education Agency appointed monitor
• Created a District Improvement Plan and Central Office Appraisal System that included the Balanced Scorecard management approach
• Focused staff development training that supports district initiatives
• State-of-the-art new teacher training
• Opened Intake Center for new immigrant students
• Initiated parent academies attended by more than 3,000 parents this past year
• Initiated laptop computer program for teachers as well as a supply stipend for teachers
• Established a Lone Star Emmy award-winning television program School Zone Dallas
• Resolved health benefits issues
• Established New Teacher Initiatives Department to retain teachers in DISD