Trustee Mackey: As we Approach the Mid-Year Break

As we approach the mid-year break, I wish you all a phenomenal and relaxing holiday filled with great food and even better company. Below you’ll find the summary for Dallas ISD and District 7 for the previous month.

Dallas ISD Offers Retention Stipend for Staff: This year has been one of the most difficult on record for our heroic educators. Dallas ISD finalized a bonus of up to $3,500 to be paid to eligible staff who stay in our system during the next school year. No amount of money can truly compensate our incredible educators, but I am proud that we are able to say “Thank You” in such a tangible way, while working to retain our world-class staff.
Culture is everything in an organization: In Dallas ISD, we are focusedon transforming student lives, fast in having urgency for all, flexible in striving for the yes, and friendly as we make memorable moments. These cultural tenets are known as the Core 4 and they ensure that Dallas ISD’s culture promotes outstanding customer service to create a positive learning environment where our students can be successful. If you have seen examples of the Core 4 culture tenets in your interactions with Dallas ISD, let us know by emailing us at core4@dallasisd.org

Board Meeting Debrief: At its regular board briefing and meeting, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees discussed two items I’d like to note here:

Two years ago, Dallas ISD trustees unanimously passed an Environmental & Sustainability Resolution, pushing Dallas ISD to deeply review its processes and procedures to become a more sustainable organization and save funding in the process. Last month, Dallas ISD adopted a major change to policy which includes many of these suggestions, including sourcing 100% renewable electricity and aiming to meet LEED Silver certifications on new buildings. Both, along with other improvements, have the ability to improve Dallas ISD’s sustainability as well as save the district money over the long term.

After two months of considering a variety of maps during the redistricting process and taking feedback from numerous town halls and community meetings, the board was presented with one map on our November 16^th board meeting to consider for possible adoption. You can see this current version of the Dallas ISD redistricting map HERE.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, or simply want to say hello!