Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD
Spring Break is over, and the end of the school year is in sight. As usual, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees has been up to a lot over the past month, and here are some key highlights which you can find summarized below:
Dallas ISD District 7 monthly updates:
District 7 educators for Principal and Teacher of the Year: District 7 had an incredible showing with three Teacher of the Year finalists – Smriti Adhikary from Margaret B. Henderson Elementary School, George Hardeman from Louise Wolff Kahn Elementary School, and Tracy Scott from W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy. Additionally, W. H. Adamson High School’s Master Principal, Stephanie Amaya, is a finalist for Dallas ISD’s Secondary Principal of the Year.
Bond task force update: Thank you to everyone who reached out to volunteer for our Bond Planning Steering Committee. I especially want to recognize our District 7 representatives: Elizabeth Schorman, Rob Shearer, Eric Tuzin, Christian Martinez-Canchola, Traelon Rodgers, Steven Camp, and Azhalia Leal. This committee will be instrumental in shaping priorities for Dallas ISD’s next bond program.
Bond progress updates
Old W. H. Adamson High School building – Dallas ISD recently met with city officials, who advised the district to formally engage the Landmark Commission regarding the historic Adamson building and its potential future. As a result, Dallas ISD will schedule an official discussion with the Landmark Commission in the coming month.
March board meeting debrief: This month, Dallas ISD had its regular board briefing and meeting. I’ve chosen to highlight a few critical items below:
- Dallas ISD priority setting update: In March, the board and superintendent continued discussions on setting priorities for the next five years, with slight adjustments to middle school, college and career readiness, and constraints. While the current draft still doesn’t fully reflect everything I’ve been advocating for, there was progress. Notably, improvements were made to the college & career readiness metric, ensuring meaningful access to rigorous collegiate coursework. Additionally, a new financial literacy constraint was added, guaranteeing high school students gain this essential skill in a meaningful way.
- Budget update and planning: Last month, a series of community meetings provided updates on the current budget and preliminary plans for the next fiscal year. Additional budget details will be presented to the board in the coming months, with the goal of approving the 2025-2026 budget at the May meeting.
Upcoming Events:
- 6 p.m., Thursday, April 24: Dallas ISD Board Meeting
Ben Mackey
As always, please reach out to me if you have thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, or simply want to say hello. Just reach out to me at BenMackey@dallasisd.org
Best,
Ben Mackey
