3 Aug 1999
The Dallas Independent School District school year begins Monday, August 16. Approximately 163,000 students are expected to enroll in district schools—a 2 percent increase over the previous year.
Listed are a few new developments for the upcoming school year:
Administration
• A new superintendent, Dr. Waldemar Rojas, will head the Dallas Independent School District. He is the former school superintendent of the San Francisco School District and chair of the Executive Board of the Council of Great City Schools.
• The phone number for the School Administration Building has changed. The new main number is (972) 925-3700. Callers will receive a recorded message listing the new number for that location when dialing the old main department numbers only. Callers also may call the administration building at the number listed above for information regarding new phone numbers for personnel and schools.
New Schools
• A new elementary school, Esperanza "Hope" Medrano, will open this year. The school will be located at 2221 Lucas Drive. Medrano Elementary will relieve overcrowding at Sam Houston Elementary School. However, the school will not open until the spring. Students will attend classes at Travis Elementary School during the fall semester. The principal is Ricardo Weir.
Charter Schools
Two elementary schools—Gabe P. Allen, N. W. Harllee and will operate as charter schools starting in 1999-2000 school year. They join Prairie Creek, the district's first charter school which open its doors in 1997.
• Gabe P. Allen, the first school to be approved by the Dallas Board of Education as a charter school, will feature a full day kindergarten program, phonics-based English reading program, site-based management, intersession classes, after-school programs, an Even Start program and Adult Education programs. Also, they will offer a broader curriculum which includes, Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction, Excel Math, a proven effective math program, and computer-based language arts. The school's mission statement is: "To provide a positive climate with the opportunity to develop academic and social skills so each student can develop self-esteem and enthusiasm for learning to ensure continuing success in our school and multicultural society."
• Among N. W. Harllee's new features is a campus-based curriculum scope, all-day pre-kindergarten program, increase in parent/teacher conferences, from two periods a year to four periods a year, addition of seventh grade to the campus after the charter's second year of operation followed by an eighth grade the following year.
• Prairie Creek Academy teaching philosophy includes finding real-life solutions to daily problems, back to basics education using manipulatives and problem-solving and pro-active teaching which incorporates approval, acceptance of differences, a multi-ethnic literacy program which teaches both English and Spanish to students. The curriculum also includes a strong phonics program, creative arts and physical education. The school's Mission Statement is: "Commitment to the education of the whole child, including academic, social and multi-ethnic awareness. The goal is for each child to achieve to his/her fullest potential and become a responsible, contributing citizen to the school and the community.
School Name Changes
• The Dallas Board of Education recently approved name changes for 2 district schools. Jefferson Davis Elementary School was re-named Barbara Jordan Elementary School in honor of the Texas congresswoman. The school is located at 1111 Kiest Blvd.; the principal is Harold Morrison Jr.
• Billy Earl Dade Learning Center is the new name for the former John Henry Brown Learning Center. The name was changed in recognition of the Dallas educator. The school is located at 2801 Park Row; the principal is Patricia Weaver.
Meal Prices
• Meal prices in Dallas schools will go up 10 cents in elementary schools and 5 cents in middle and high schools. The cost of "Type A" lunches, which consists of meat, fruit and/or vegetables, bread and a half-pint of milk, is $1. For students who wish to prepay their meals, the cost of lunches will be 90 cents for elementary students and 95 cents for secondary school students.
There was no increase to the price of breakfast—50 cents.
Some students may qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. Those students will pay only 30 cents for breakfast, 40 cents for lunch and 15 cents for after-school snack.
Student Discipline
• First Alert—A voluntary student drug testing program will be piloted in secondary Dallas schools this fall. The program offers parents alcohol and drug testing information to assist them with parenting responsibilities. Furthermore, it offers students realistic ways to reject peer pressure. Non-invasive drug testing will be conducted randomly among secondary school students whose parents have signed a written consent. Confidential, written notification, including referral resources will be provided to parents of students who test positive. Parents will be asked to make a $5 contribution toward the total testing cost of $19.95. Approximately $175,000 has been secured from benefactors to offset the remaining costs of the program during the pilot year.
• Dress Code—Several revisions to the Student Dress Code will be enforced in the 1999-2000 school year. Among some of the new regulations: students are prohibited from wearing steel-toe boots or shoes at school; the length of dresses, skirts and shorts shall be no shorter than 'fingertip length' with arms in normal position; spandex or sagging pants are no longer permitted; wallet chains which may be used as weapons, bandanas and hair nets may not be worn inside the school; facial jewelry, and/or "visible" body piercing has been prohibited; tattoos with printed statements or pictures which are vulgar or obscene, or related to the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco products, or sex, or that promote hate and/or violence will not be permitted.
• Code of Conduct—The Dallas Independent School District Code of Conduct has been updated to comply with state law and the 1999 revisions to the Texas Education Code. The law requires that the district convey information regarding the various kinds of misconduct that may or, in some cases, must result in disciplinary consequences to students and parents. The district's 1999-2000 Student Code of Conduct lists offenses and consequences according to the level of infraction. The Code also provides information regarding standards of behavior, as well as consequences of misconduct. In general, disciplinary actions will be designed not merely to correct misconduct, but to encourage students to become responsible citizens of the school and community.
Safety & Security
• Increased security efforts in 1998-99 has resulted in the reduction of incidences at schools. The number of arms confiscated was reduced from 26 the previous year to 14 in 1998-99.
Security officers are participating in in-depth staff development training on how to be more efficient in reaching at-risk students. Truancy efforts and gang prevention efforts continue and, although no new officers have been hired, security coverage will be maximized by placing officers in strategic locations.
Purchasing
• Procurement Cards—Beginning this fall, district schools and departments daily purchases under $500 will be charged to a Bank of America MasterCard. Use of the purchasing card program is expected to help streamline the district's procurement process. Other benefits of the program are improved cash flow, reduced invoice and collection procedures and simplified purchasing of goods and services. Cash advances, capital equipment, restaurant and bar tabs, travel salary and utility bills are among the items which cannot be charged to the card.
Facilities Improvement
• Prairie Creek Academy—An existing 33,000-sq.-ft. church was remodeled and 5,000-sq.-ft. added to accommodate 200 kindergarten students from Titche Elementary and 150 from Prairie Creek Academy Charter School. Ten classrooms, a new library and new cafeteria were built. In addition, a new drop-off canopy was added to connect the existing building. This will be particularly useful during inclement weather.
• Woodrow Wilson Youth and Family Center—A 1536-sq.-ft. addition to the existing 1536-sq.-ft. Youth and Family Center will effectively double the building's size to provide additional counseling and meeting space. The space also will be used as a community meeting room.
• Woodrow Wilson Courtyard Plaza—Woodrow Wilson High School has constructed a new plaza in the central courtyard of the main building. The plaza includes landscaping, lighting and irrigation.
• Food and Child Nutrition Services, 8900 Old Hickory Trail—Approximately 3,000 sq. ft. of the facility has been remodeled to accommodate 22 additional work spaces for personnel and a new food quality monitoring laboratory.
In addition to replacement of mechanical and electrical systems and underpinning of portables in all schools, other facility improvements include:
Bryan Adams—New auditorium sound system and replacement of carpet in Media Center L.O. Donald, Kiest, Sequoyah, Winnetka and Gaston—Replacement of Indian logos
Twain—Painting of lockers
Bayles—Installation of metal siding in existing wood portable
Lagow—Installation of drop ceiling in cafeteria
Wm. Anderson, Lakewood, Stockard—Floor replacements
Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Parent/teacher conferences will be held on three different days, two times a year. Conferences have been scheduled as follow: October 4 for middle schools; October 5 for high schools, and October 6 for elementary schools. Spring semester conferences will be held March 6 for high schools, March 7 for elementary schools and March 8 for middle schools.
Technology
Training, hardware and software will be offered to all Kindergarten, Reading, Language Arts, Science 8 and Biology teachers. New labs will be installed in middle schools to teach computer literacy.
Other facts:
Bilingual teachers in district—791
Additional bilingual teachers needed—55
Number of new hires who will receive bonuses—850
Vacancies needed to be filled— Approximately 150 (expected to be filled by 8/16).
Number of teachers in the district—9800
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