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Dallas Independent School District, Texas

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Dallas Independent School District
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Dallas, Texas
District details
Superintendent: Stephanie Elizalde
# of school board members: 9
Website: Link

Dallas Independent School District is a school district in Texas.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

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This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Stephanie Elizalde is the superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District. She was appointed in May and started serving on July 1, 2022. Her previous experience includes working as superintendent for the Austin Independent School District since 2020. Prior to this, she served as the Chief of School Leadership for the Dallas ISD.[1][2]

Past superintendents

  • Michael Hinojosa was the superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District from June 2015 until July 2022. He was originally appointed interim superintendent, and was appointed his own permanent successor in September 2015. Hinojosa's previous career experience includes working in the district as the superintendent, a teacher, and a coach.[1][3][4]

School board

The Dallas Independent School District board of trustees consists of nine members elected to three-year terms. All board members are elected by district.[5]


Elections

See also: Dallas Independent School District, Texas, elections

Members of the board are elected annually in May to overlapping three-year terms.[5]

Three seats on the board were up for general election on May 3, 2025. The filing deadline for this election was February 14, 2025.

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.


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Public participation in board meetings

The Dallas Independent School District board of trustees maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[6]


District map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[7]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $343,918,000 $2,370 16%
Local: $1,669,084,000 $11,502 75%
State: $200,641,000 $1,383 9%
Total: $2,213,643,000 $15,255
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $2,422,714,000 $16,695
Total Current Expenditures: $1,776,240,000 $12,240
Instructional Expenditures: $982,630,000 $6,771 41%
Student and Staff Support: $236,763,000 $1,631 10%
Administration: $213,524,000 $1,471 9%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $343,323,000 $2,365 14%
Total Capital Outlay: $392,131,000 $2,702
Construction: $362,362,000 $2,497
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $10,694,000 $73
Interest on Debt: $157,130,000 $1,082


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2023-2024[8] $61,500 $109,000
2022-2023[9] $60,500 $108,000
2021[10] $47,000 $114,973

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[11]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 31 60 20 32 30-39 39 61
2018-2019 47 65 34 49 40-44 54 69
2017-2018 44 56 30 46 40-44 50 66
2016-2017 71 75 60 73 70-74 75 83
2015-2016 66 71 54 69 65-69 76 83
2014-2015 62 66 48 65 65-69 69 81
2013-2014 65 69 54 68 65-69 69 83
2012-2013 68 75 59 70 70 76 84
2011-2012 74 71 64 77 75-79 82 87
2010-2011 77 65 68 79 76 85

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 36 55 26 36 35-39 45 70
2018-2019 40 51 30 41 40-44 50 68
2017-2018 37 47 28 38 40-44 51 67
2016-2017 62 63 52 64 60-64 77 82
2015-2016 61 58 53 62 60-64 79 83
2014-2015 63 56 55 64 60-64 76 83
2013-2014 64 60 57 66 60-64 76 85
2012-2013 70 66 66 70 74 80 88
2011-2012 82 69 78 83 85-89 88 92
2010-2011 82 67 79 83 85 91

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2018-2019 85 80-84 83 85 60-79 70-79 89
2017-2018 87 80-84 85 87 >=80 80-89 90
2016-2017 88 85-89 86 88 >=80 80-89 90
2015-2016 87 80-84 87 87 80-89 80-89 91
2014-2015 87 85-89 85 87 80-89 80-89 92
2013-2014 86 75-79 83 87 80-89 80-89 86
2012-2013 85 70-74 81 86 90-94 70-79 88
2011-2012 81 80-84 79 83 85-89 60-69 83
2010-2011 77 75-79 75 78 75-79 70-79 83


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 141,169 -1.7
2021-2022 143,558 -1.1
2020-2021 145,113 -6.0
2019-2020 153,861 -0.8
2018-2019 155,119 -1.1
2017-2018 156,832 -0.7
2016-2017 157,886 -0.5
2015-2016 158,604 -1.0
2014-2015 160,253 0.3
2013-2014 159,713 0.5
2012-2013 158,932 0.9
2011-2012 157,575 0.3
2010-2011 157,162 0.0
2009-2010 157,111 -0.2
2008-2009 157,352 -0.3
2007-2008 157,804 -0.8
2006-2007 159,144 -1.3
2005-2006 161,244 2.0
2004-2005 158,027 -1.6
2003-2004 160,584 -1.7
2002-2003 163,347 -0.1
2001-2002 163,562 1.2
2000-2001 161,548 0.7
1999-2000 160,477 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Dallas Independent School District (%) Texas K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.5 0.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.3 5.1
Black 20.7 12.8
Hispanic 70.2 52.9
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.2
Two or More Races 1.3 3.0
White 6.1 25.7

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Dallas Independent School District had 9,952.05 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 14.18.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 638.27
Kindergarten: 598.02
Elementary: 3,325.17
Secondary: 3,914.32
Total: 9,952.05

Dallas Independent School District employed 339.61 district administrators and 756.04 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 339.61
District Administrative Support: 1,143.61
School Administrators: 756.04
School Administrative Support: 787.59
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 2,097.08
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 14.76
Total Guidance Counselors: 422.51
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 95.55
Library/Media Support: 6.00
Student Support Services: 969.72
Other Support Services: 4,442.02


Schools

The Dallas Independent School District operates 248 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Adelfa Botello Callejo El542PK-5
Adelle Turner El285PK-5
Alex Sanger Preparatory School766PK-8
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy5996-8
Anne Frank El1,088PK-5
Annie Webb Blanton El663PK-5
Ann Richards Steam Academy1,1746-8
Anson Jones El497PK-6
Arcadia Park El571PK-6
Arlington Park Early Childhood Center74PK-PK
Arthur Kramer El454PK-5
Arturo Salazar El409PK-5
Ascher Silberstein El486PK-5
Barack Obama El Male Leadership Academy0
Barack Obama Male Leadership Acad At A Maceo Smith4996-12
Barbara Jordan El454PK-5
Barbara M Manns H S Daep2379-12
Barbara M Manns Middle Daep1186-8
Bayles El409PK-5
Benjamin Franklin International Exploratory Acad8786-8
Ben Milam El293PK-5
B H Macon El507PK-5
Billy Earl Dade Middle6366-8
Biomedical Preparatory At Ut Southwestern126PK-1
Birdie Alexander El252PK-5
Bishop Arts Steam Academy295PK-5
Booker T Washington Spva Magnet9509-12
Boude Storey Middle4456-8
Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy2,2719-12
Callier Center Pre-School Deaf (0-5)70PK-PK
Casa View El621PK-5
C A Tatum Jr El391PK-5
Cedar Crest El321PK-5
Celestino Mauricio Soto Jr El471PK-5
Central El516PK-5
Cesar Chavez Learning Center558PK-5
C F Carr El281PK-6
Chapel Hill Preparatory-A Personalized Lrning Sch371PK-5
Charles A Gill El587PK-5
Charles Rice Learning Center433PK-5
Citylab H S2209-12
Clara Oliver El204PK-5
Clinton P Russell El558PK-5
D A Hulcy Steam Middle4236-8
Dallas Environmental Science Academy4276-8
Dallas Hybrid Preparatory At Stephen J Hay1293-8
Dan D Rogers El428PK-5
Daniel Webster El326PK-5
David G Burnet El631PK-6
David W Carter H S1,0829-12
Downtown Montessori At Ida B Wells Academy307PK-4
Dr Frederick Douglass Todd Sr Middle4236-8
Dr Frederick Haynes Iii Global Prep At Paul Quinn1746-8
Dr Martin Luther King Jr Arts Academy452PK-7
Dr Wright L Lassiter Jr Early College H S2659-12
Ebby Halliday El622PK-5
E B Comstock Middle6836-8
Eddie Bernice Johnson Stem Academy502PK-5
Edna Rowe El345PK-5
Eduardo Mata Montessori School721PK-8
Edward Titche El678PK-5
Edwin J Kiest El574PK-5
Eladio R Martinez Learning Center536PK-6
Elementary' Disciplinary Alternative Education Prg92-5
Elisha M Pease El817PK-5
Emmett J Conrad H S1,2809-12
Esperanza Medrano El324PK-5
Everette Lee Degolyer El360PK-5
Ewell D Walker Middle8306-8
Felix G Botello Personalized Learning El517PK-5
For Future Use0PK-7
F P Caillet El552PK-5
Francisco Pancho Medrano J H7176-8
Frank Guzick El636PK-5
Franklin D Roosevelt H S Of Innovation7489-12
Frederick Douglass El424PK-5
Gabe P Allen Charter School345PK-6
Geneva Heights El341PK-5
George B Dealey Montessori Academy620PK-8
George Herbert Walker Bush El624PK-5
George Peabody El359PK-6
George W Truett El901PK-5
Gilbert Cuellar Sr El666PK-5
Hall Personalized Learning Academy At Oak Cliff427PK-5
Harold Wendell Lang Sr Middle8146-8
Harrell Budd El405PK-5
Harry C Withers El427PK-5
Harry Stone Montessori Academy538PK-8
Hector P Garcia Middle5956-8
Henry B Gonzalez Personalized Learning Academy566PK-5
Henry W Longfellow Career Exploration Academy4306-8
H Grady Spruce H S1,5589-12
H I Holland El At Lisbon394PK-6
Hillcrest H S1,6109-12
Hogg New Tech Center315PK-5
Hospital/Homebound39PK-12
H S Thompson Learning Center498KG-5
Ignacio Zaragoza El292PK-5
Ignite Middle3926-8
Ilearn Virtual Academy At Dallas Isd1123-8
Innovation Design Entrepreneurship Academy2019-12
International Steam School0
Irma Rangel Young Women'S Leadership School5996-12
Jack Lowe Sr El526PK-5
James Bowie El345PK-5
James Madison H S3599-12
Jerry R Junkins El566PK-5
Jesus Moroles Expressive Arts Vanguard627PK-8
Jill Stone El At Vickery Meadow393PK-5
Jimmie Tyler Brashear El601PK-5
J L Long Middle1,1276-8
J N Ervin El646PK-5
John F Peeler El336PK-5
John J Pershing El381PK-5
John Lewis Social Justice Academy At O W Holmes5816-8
John Neely Bryan El379PK-5
John Q Adams El452PK-5
John W Carpenter El184PK-5
John W Runyon El434PK-5
Jose 'Joe' May El732PK-6
Joseph J Rhoads Learning Center101PK-PK
J P Starks El225PK-8
Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet4789-12
Judge Louis A Bedford Jr Law Academy5596-8
Julian T Saldivar El786PK-6
Julius Dorsey Leadership Academy408PK-5
Justin F Kimball H S1,1929-12
Juvenile Justice Aep216-11
Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy3449-12
K B Polk Center For Academically Talented & Gifted412PK-8
Kennedy-Curry Middle6266-8
Kleberg El816PK-5
Lakewood El959KG-5
Larry G Smith El740PK-5
Lee A Mcshan Jr El567PK-5
Leila P Cowart El559PK-5
Leonides Gonzalez Cigarroa Md El584PK-6
Leslie A Stemmons El597PK-5
L G Pinkston H S1,1399-12
Lida Hooe El345PK-5
Lincoln Humanities/Communications Magnet High Sch7009-12
L L Hotchkiss El495PK-7
L O Donald El327PK-5
Lorenzo De Zavala El442PK-6
Louise Wolff Kahn El531PK-6
L V Stockard Middle8686-9
Maple Lawn El502PK-5
Marcus Leadership Academy644PK-5
Margaret B Henderson El352PK-5
Maria Moreno Steam Academy356PK-5
Mark Twain School For The Talented And Gifted206KG-6
Martha Turner Reilly El494PK-5
Martin Weiss El467PK-5
Marvin E Robinson School Of Business And Mgmt4479-12
Mary Mcleod Bethune El565PK-5
Maya Angelou H S97-11
Mockingbird El673KG-5
Moises E Molina H S2,0749-12
Montessori Academy At Onesimo Hernandez El353PK-6
Mount Auburn Steam Academy540PK-5
Nancy J Cochran El405PK-5
Nancy Moseley El618PK-5
Nathan Adams El393PK-5
Nathaniel Hawthorne El420PK-5
New Tech H S At B F Darrell H S4419-12
North Dallas H S1,2619-12
North Lake Early College H S2499-12
N W Harllee Early Childhood Center189PK-2
Oak Cliff Transformation School0
Obadiah Knight El317PK-5
Oran M Roberts El349PK-5
Otto M Fridia El197PK-5
Paul L Dunbar Learning Center531PK-5
Personalized Learning Academy At Highland Meadows713PK-5
Personalized Learning Preparatory At Sam Houston284PK-5
Piedmont Global Academy7846-8
Pleasant Grove El469PK-5
Prek Partnership Center1,375PK-PK
Preston Hollow El400PK-5
Prestonwood Montessori At E D Walker291PK-3
Raul Quintanilla Sr Middle Steam Academy5926-8
Reinhardt El429PK-5
Reserved For Future Use0
Richard Lagow El440PK-5
Robert T Hill Middle8036-8
Ronald E Mcnair El477PK-5
Rosemont Lower - Chris V Semos Building758PK-5
Rosemont Upper1456-8
Rosie Sorrells Education And Social Services H S1799-12
Roy P Benavidez El0
Rufus C Burleson El506PK-5
Sam Tasby Middle7096-8
San Jacinto El411PK-5
School For The Talented And Gifted5349-12
School For The Talented & Gifted In Pleasant Grove3834-8
School Of Health Professions4659-12
School Of Science And Engineering4909-12
Seagoville El607PK-5
Seagoville H S1,7799-12
Seagoville Middle1,4196-8
Seagoville North El767PK-5
Skyline H S4,1669-12
Solar Preparatory School For Girls At Bonham743PK-8
Solar Prep For Boys At John F Kennedy427PK-6
South Oak Cliff H S1,5139-12
S S Conner El620PK-5
Stephen C Foster El639PK-6
Stevens Park El640PK-6
Stone Hotchkiss Area0
Sudie L Williams Talented And Gifted Academy4294-8
Sunset H S2,1879-12
Sylvia Mendez Crew Leadership Academy467PK-5
Tbd Early Childhood Center0
T G Terry El292PK-5
Thelma Elizabeth Page Richardson El506PK-5
Thomas C Marsh Middle7626-8
Thomas Jefferson H S1,4529-12
Thomas J Rusk Middle4436-8
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy444PK-5
Thomas Tolbert El311PK-5
Tom C Gooch El373PK-5
Trinidad Garza Early College At Mt View4389-12
Trinity Heights Gifted And Talented School3001-8
T W Browne Middle4786-8
Umphrey Lee El394PK-5
Urban Park El512PK-5
Victor H Hexter El441PK-5
W A Blair El397PK-5
Walnut Hill International Leadership Academy398PK-8
W E Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy1,2796-8
West Dallas Stem School373PK-8
W H Adamson H S1,4829-12
W H Gaston Middle6886-8
Whitney M Young Jr El313PK-5
William B Miller El239PK-5
William B Travis Vanguard Acad Of Academically Tag5024-8
William Lipscomb El434PK-5
William M Anderson El504PK-5
Wilmer-Hutchins El562PK-5
Wilmer-Hutchins H S1,0209-12
Winnetka El759PK-5
Woodrow Wilson H S1,8099-12
W T White H S2,1499-12
W W Bushman El0
W W Samuell H S1,8719-12
Young Men'S Leadership Academy At Fred F Florence5596-8
Young Women'S Steam Academy At Balch Springs Middl8696-8
Zan Wesley Holmes Jr Middle6446-8

Noteworthy events

2017: District says its schools are welcoming and protective to all students

See also: Sanctuary policy preemption conflicts between the federal and local governments
Ballotpedia Exclusive Logo-Light.png
Sanctuary policy conflicts
Dallas Independent School District was one of 15 districts tracked by Ballotpedia that debated sanctuary policies as of October 16, 2017.
Learn more about these debates on Ballopedia's coverage of sanctuary jurisdictions  »

The Dallas Independent board of trustees unanimously approved a resolution on February 23, 2017, that designated the district campus as "Welcoming and Protective of all its students and their families to the fullest extent of the law." The resolution also directed the superintendent to ensure students are aware of post-high school opportunities, such as scholarships and internships, regardless of their immigration status.[12]

The approval of the resolution followed two days of student protests in response to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issuing guidance memos on the enforcement of immigration laws and President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration. The memos called for more Border Patrol agents and prioritized the removal of individuals convicted or charged with a crime and reinforced prosecutorial discretion.[13][14]

A total of 23,000 district students were also absent on February 16, 2017, due to the Day Without Immigrants protest. Though officials from DHS said that the guidance memos would not impact the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects minors brought to the U.S. without legal permission, teachers and students spoke about students' fears of deportation at the school board meeting on February 23, 2017.[13][15]

Unlike other districts across the country, the resolution did not label the Dallas ISD a sanctuary district or safe zone.[13] It also said that the resolution should not "be construed to require an employee or agent of Dallas Independent School District to take any action in violation of federal or state law."[12]

2016: Choice schools

Four new choice schools in Dallas ISD began accepting applications in January 2016.[16] According to the Dallas Observer, choice schools "operate a bit like DISD’s highly regarded magnets, in that they have specialized programs that draw students from throughout the district, but they lack the academic- and performance-based admissions requirements that keep most families out of the district’s top campuses."[17] The district stated it would provide transportation for attending students and that it intended to open 35 choice schools by 2020.[16]

2015: Superintendent Mike Miles resigns

Mike Miles announced his resignation on June 23, 2015. Miles stated the move was due to family matters.[18]

The board unanimously voted to hire Michael Hinojosa as interim superintendent after Miles resigned. Hinojosa previously served the district as superintendent from 2005 to 2011. At the time, he left to serve a school district in Georgia. In September 2015, the board appointed Hinojosa full superintendent.[3]

Miles spoke of his impact in the district highlighting the district's updated teacher evaluation system and increase in early childhood education under his leadership. According to NBC 5, Miles stated that he had "made decisions that, while not always popular, were done with the best interests of children and the district in mind."[18]

Miles joined the school district in 2012 after serving as the superintendent of Harrison School District Two in Colorado for six years. He previously worked as a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department.[19]

2015: Forced resignation attempts and a letter of concern

Following Superintendent Mike Miles' performance review at the board of trustee's meeting on May 1, 2015, the members adopted a letter of concern against Miles but did not fire him. The performance review came after board members Joyce Foreman, Elizabeth Jones, and Bernadette Nutall sued the district when a performance review was not scheduled for Miles in a timely manner after they requested one. Dallas County District Judge Carl Ginsberg ruled in favor of the trustees, mandating a special meeting to review the superintendent on May 1, 2015.[20]

At the meeting, Foreman called for a motion to force Miles to resign in December 2015. The motion failed 6-3, with Jones and Nutall voting with Foreman. Fellow trustee Eric Cowan said he was not satisfied with Miles' performance, but he believed making such a change would be irresponsible.[20]

The letter of concern with Miles was passed after the resignation motion failed. The letter was adopted with a vote of 7-2.[21]

At the meeting, Foreman called Miles' hiring practices questionable, said he was a bad manager, and blamed him for the district's high turnover rate. She also criticized an incident from October 2014, when Nutall was physically removed from the premises of Dade Middle School. After her removal from the school, Nutall said that Miles had accused her of trespassing and had ordered the school's officers to escort her out. She had arrived at the building shortly before a staff meeting that was only supposed to include staff members and district administrators. Nutall said she had not planned on attending the meeting, asserting that she had only gone to the school to encourage the teachers there. After the incident, both Nutall and Miles asked the other to apologize to the community.[22]

In response to Foreman's criticisms, Miles told the board he had been hired to reform the district and that he knew it was not going to be an easy process.[20][21]

2014-2015: Home-rule effort by Support Our Public Schools

Volunteers with a local group called Support Our Public Schools circulated petitions starting on March 4, 2014, to turn the Dallas Independent School District into a home-rule district. A state law passed in 1995 allowed local residents to replace their existing district structure with a home-rule charter. This charter could bypass some state regulations including minimum salary schedules for teachers, curriculum standards, and the number of days in a school year. On January 20, 2015, a home-rule commission voted 10-5 against granting Dallas a home-rule charter.[23] Commission members had until June 2015 to develop a home-rule charter for the district. If approved by the Texas Commissioner of Education, voters would have approved or rejected the charter at the polls. State law required a simple majority and at least 25 percent of registered voters to cast ballots in the charter election.[24]

Support Our Public Schools was a group funded by former hedge fund manager John Arnold and several anonymous donors through his nonprofit organization, the Action Now Initiative. Arnold worked with local officials, including board member Mike Morath, to form the group due to concerns about the district's record of academic performance. Morath supported Support Our Public Schools but did not serve on the group's board.[25] The organization hoped to complete the entire process in time for the gubernatorial election on November 4, 2014. If successful, Dallas Independent School District would have been the first school district in Texas to use the home-rule charter process.[24]

Support Our Public Schools submitted more than 48,000 petition signatures to the school district in May 2014. District officials certified that enough valid signatures were submitted to proceed to the next step in the process.[26][27] The group had to gather at least 24,459 valid signatures, or five percent of registered voters in the district, to force the creation of a charter commission by the school board. School board members appointed 15 members to the charter commission during a meeting on June 19, 2014.[28]

Two members of the commission were selected by the entire board, four educators were selected by an advisory panel, and each trustee selected one commission member. D. Marcus Ranger, the husband of former trustee Carla Ranger, and Lew Blackburn, Jr., the son of trustee Lew Blackburn Sr., were appointed to the commission. The state's home-rule charter law does not restrict spouses or relatives of current board members from serving on commissions. An article published following the failure of the home-rule effort noted that eight of the nine Dallas board members opposed the initiative, which Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings suggested resulted in anti-initiative appointees. Commission chairman Bob Weiss rejected this argument and stated, "I certainly respect the mayor’s point of view but will politely disagree with the inference that the process was doomed because the commission did not act in good faith. This commission was not responsible for the appointment process."[23]

The following table details the charter commission, including how they were appointed:[28]

Charter commission[28]
Member Appointed by
Bob Weiss Entire board
Stephanie Elizalde Entire board
Melissa Malonson District 1 trustee Elizabeth Jones
Edwin Flores District 2 trustee Mike Morath
Jeff Veazey District 3 trustee Dan Micciche
Ricardo Mendez District 4 trustee Nancy Bingham
Lew Blackburn, Jr. District 5 trustee Lew Blackburn Sr.
D. Marcus Ranger District 6 trustee Carla Ranger
Jerome Garza District 7 trustee Eric Cowan
Danae Gutierrez District 8 trustee Miguel Solis
Shirley Ison-Newsome District 9 trustee Bernadette Nutall
Isaac Freeman Advisory panel
Ron Oliver Advisory panel
Bonita Reece Advisory panel
Julie Sandel Advisory panel

Local officials and advocates debated the group's efforts during the petition drive. Mayor Rawlings supported the effort in order to bring change to the district while board members Lew Blackburn and Bernadette Nutall questioned the motivations of Support Our Public Schools. Superintendent Mike Miles neither endorsed nor rejected the movement but argued the home-rule effort was unnecessary since the district had already initiated reforms.[29] Alliance-AFT president Rena Honea argued that this effort was "part of a plan to underfund our schools, declare them a failure, and contract out to private operators the control of our neighborhood schools, disenfranchising parents and community stakeholders and de-professionalizing teaching."[24][30]

Mark Melton, a local attorney and charter supporter, published a seven-page constitution in May 2014 intended to guide the charter commission. This constitution developed by Melton and four colleagues would have left the district largely unchanged. The document proposed a three-term limit on all board members, a provision for recalling board members and an earlier start date for district schools. Melton's proposal would have allowed a recall election to take place if 15 percent of residents in a trustee district signed petitions. He offered the proposals as a reaction to the rancorous debate taking place between Support Our Public Schools volunteers and some district residents.[27]

2013-2014: Investigation into superintendent legal bills

In late 2013, the Dallas ISD board of trustees solicited legal opinions regarding legal fees accrued by Superintendent Mike Miles during an investigation into a contract awarded earlier in the year. Miles was billed $18,143 by law firm Adams, Lynch and Loftin for representation during a hearing by arbitrator Paul Coggins in July 2013. The district paid the superintendent's legal fees due to a clause in his contract that covers fees for legal proceedings. The board heard legal opinions during a meeting on February 13, 2014, to determine if reimbursement was appropriate for an internal investigation. Coggins did not find any wrongdoing by Miles in awarding contracts but determined that Miles talked to witnesses throughout the investigation. The final report by Coggins also found that Miles helped write a resignation letter for a former district official that criticized the board of trustees. Miles was given a 90-day employee improvement period and a letter of reprimand after the hearing.[31]

Contact information

Dallas ISD logo 2.png
Dallas Independent School District
9400 N. Central Expressway
Dallas, TX 75231
Phone: 972-925-3700


About school boards

Education legislation in Texas

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Texas School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 D Magazine, "Michael Hinojosa Will Leave His Job Early. What’s Next for the Dallas ISD Super?" accessed September 20, 2023
  2. WFAA, "Dallas ISD names Dr. Stephanie Elizalde as lone finalist for superintendent," accessed September 20, 2023
  3. 3.0 3.1 Dallas Independent School District, "Superintendent Michael Hinojosa," accessed August 4, 2021
  4. WFAA, "Bad timing': Dallas ISD’s former superintendent, Dr. Michael Hinojosa, confirms he will not run for mayor," accessed September 20, 2023
  5. 5.0 5.1 Dallas Independent School District, "Board Members - Elections," accessed August 3, 2021
  6. Dallas Independent School District, "Board Meetings - Public Participation," accessed August 3, 2021
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
  8. Dallas Independent School District, "District’s 2023-2024 budget includes salary increases for staff," accessed February 2, 2024
  9. Dallas Independent School District, "District’s 2023-2024 budget includes salary increases for staff," accessed February 2, 2024
  10. Dallas Independent School District, "Salary Handbook: 2021-2022 School Year," accessed August 3, 2021
  11. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  12. 12.0 12.1 The Hub, "Trustees approve resolution designating all schools to be as welcoming and protective as possible," February 24, 2017
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Fox 4, "Dallas ISD passes welcoming resolution for undocumented students," archived February 24, 2017
  14. Department of Homeland Security, "Executive Orders on Protecting the Homeland," accessed February 22, 2017
  15. CNN, "Trump admin sets stage for mass deportations," February 22, 2017
  16. 16.0 16.1 Fox 4 News, "Dallas ISD accepting applications for 'choice' schools," archived June 22, 2016
  17. Dallas Observer, "The Learning Lab: Inside the Effort to Re-Imagine Dallas Schools," archived January 21, 2016
  18. 18.0 18.1 NBC 5 News, "Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles Resigns," June 13, 2015
  19. Dallas Independent School District, "Superintendent," archived October 10, 2014
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 Dallas Observer, "Mike Miles Doesn't Get Fired at Special Dallas ISD Board Review," archived May 5, 2015
  21. 21.0 21.1 Kera News, "Dallas School Superintendent Mike Miles Survives Another Attempt To Oust Him," archived May 6, 2015
  22. Dallas Morning News, "Video: Trustee Bernadette Nutall physically removed from school by Dallas ISD police," archived October 25, 2014
  23. 23.0 23.1 The Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD home-rule commission votes against writing charter," archived March 8, 2015
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 Dallas Morning News, "Group pushes for election to remake Dallas ISD as freer home-rule district," archived March 13, 2014
  25. Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustee Mike Morath explains his role in home-rule group," archived August 12, 2014
  26. Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustees struggle with how to form home-rule commission," archived June 3, 2014
  27. 27.0 27.1 Dallas Morning News, "Dallas attorney Mark Melton's group releases proposed home-rule charter for Dallas ISD," archived May 23, 2014
  28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustees name 15-member commission to write home-rule charter," archived June 21, 2014
  29. Dallas Morning News, "Superintendent Mike Miles: Home rule not key to a better Dallas ISD," archived November 1, 2014
  30. Dallas Observer, "Dallas ISD Trustees Are Skeptical of Shadowy Home-Rule District Push," archived March 22, 2014
  31. Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD pays superintendent’s legal bill in investigation," archived February 22, 2014