Save DISD

The new guy has hit the ground running.  Superintendent Mike Miles presented the first draft of his District Improvement Plan to the Dallas Board of Trustees today.  The webcast of his presentation will be posted on the DISD website after Monday, 5/14.  He started at about 1:45pm, so go about 2 1/2 hours into the video to find the start of the presentation. 

To see the slides and video clips that he used, see the Dallas ISD report of the meeting.

Some notable statements:

The Board of Trustees announced today that Mike Miles is the lone finalist in the search for our new Superintendent. For more info, check out the link and the videos below:

Dallas ISD Press Release & Web Article

Video of DISD Press Conference 4-2-12:

Mike Mikes is nationally known for the innovative Pay-For-Performance teacher compensation system he put into place in Harrison School District Two (Colorado Springs, CO).

We march again in March.  Calling all parents - come to Austin on Saturday, March 24.  Join Save Texas Schools to push for good education for all Texas children.

Last March 13,000 people decended upon Austin.  They were there to protest the enormous budget cuts planned to all levels of education in Texas.  Although many lawmakers were expecting a teacher union protest, what they got was an overwhelming number of parents, students, grandparents and community volunteers.  Of the few good things to come from the budget crisis in 2011, one was that so many average citizens began paying attention to how the tax system in Texas works.

Now it's one year later, and the structural deficit in our tax system has not been fixed. 

Two of the biggest cuts the DISD administration has been planning from the beginning of the year to make are:

• Closing 11 schools, including Exemplary schools and a National Blue Ribbon school - this passed at January's board meeting
  Click here to see highlights from public speakers, including the event that angered the Board President
  Click here to read a letter to the Trustees from the SaveDISD webmaster regarding public frustration with the school closing process
• Cutting teachers by raising the student:teacher ratio at elementary schools from 22:1 to 24:1.
  This will be discussed at the February 9th Board Briefing - watch the webcast if you can't make the meeting in person.

"Wait a minute," you may say.  "Isn't there a state cap of 22:1?  How can they do this?"