18 Feb 2011
Arnold Viramontes to Lead Technology Department
DALLAS--Arnold Viramontes, chief of staff for the Dallas Independent School District since June 2008, announced today that he has accepted a position as Chief Technology Information Officer with the Houston Independent School District.
Viramontes has been part of Dallas ISD since September 2005, serving as the Associate Superintendent for Technology Services and later as Chief Transformation Officer.
"Arny was more than the chief of staff; he was known around the office as the chief of stuff. His leadership skills particularly shined in helping the district through the financial crisis in the fall of 2008," said Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa. "In addition, he was successful in establishing the district's Parent Portal, principal dashboards and school scorecards. He will be greatly missed."
Viramontes secured a $5 million grant from The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation in 2007 to create a data warehouse, an initiative aimed at boosting student achievement through increased visibility to actionable data. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported the effort by donating an additional $3.8 million.
"This has been a terrific opportunity. I would hope that people think that I made a difference in the lives of students in Dallas," said Viramontes. "I sincerely enjoyed working with many dedicated professionals throughout the district. I am especially proud of putting in place the data warehouse and parent portal. These tools put timely information into the hands of people to help them make informed decisions."
Because of the uncertainty with state funding for public education, Hinojosa said that the district will reduce a chief position and begin the complete process of reducing central office positions. Both Dallas ISD and Houston ISD are working together to determine when Mr. Viramontes will begin his new position, but it will likely be in late March or early April.
-30-