Thursday, October 16, 2014

Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles use of school police to remove an elected Trustee from a public middle school violates the Texas Education Code

Texas Education Code
Section 11.151(c)
"All rights and titles to the school property of the district, whether real or personal, shall be vested in the trustees and their successors in office..."
Under the Texas Education Code, elected Trustees are the owners of all school property, not Superintendent Mike Miles. 

The Superintendent is an employee of the Board of Trustees and has no superior right to remove any Trustee from any public school property.

It does not matter what the Superintendent was doing in the facility. 

An elected Trustee has a right to access all school property and cannot be removed from the school property by Superintendent Miles, the school police or any school employee if the facility is being used for any school meeting or activity.

The police removal of a Trustee violates the property ownership rights of Trustees clearly stated in the Texas Education Code (Section 11.151(c) and Board Policy BAA (LEGAL)

This is a very serious abuse of the Superintendent's authority as an employee of the democratically elected Board of Trustees and provides  "good cause" for termination.

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V. Termination of Employment Contract: The Board may dismiss the Superintendent for good cause as that term is applied to term contract employees under Texas Law...Examples of  "good cause" include, but are not limited to: c. Insubordination... t. failure to take steps to maintain an effective working relationship, or maintain good rapport with parents, the community, staff, or the Board.

W. Any other reason constituting "good cause" under Texas law as it applies to term contract employees, as determined by the Board.


Dallas ISD
Board Policy
BAA(LEGAL)
"District Property - The Board may acquire and hold real and personal property in the name of the district. All rights and titles to the school property of the District, whether real or personal, shall be vested in the trustees and their successors in office. education Code 11.151(a),(c) [See CHG]"
V. Termination of Employment Contract: The Board may dismiss the Superintendent for good cause as that term is applied to term contract employees under Texas Law...Examples of  "good cause" include, but are not limited to: c. Insubordination... t. failure to take steps to maintain and effective working relationship, or maintain good rapport with parents, the community, staff, or the Board

http://www.dallasisd.org/cms/lib/TX01001475/Centricity/Domain/1/MMiles_Contract.pdf
V. Termination of Employment Contract: The Board may dismiss the Superintendent for good cause as that term is applied to term contract employees under Texas Law...Examples of  "good cause" include, but are not limited to: c. Insubordination... t. failure to take steps to maintain and effective working relationship, or maintain good rapport with parents, the community, staff, or the Board

http://www.dallasisd.org/cms/lib/TX01001475/Centricity/Domain/1/MMiles_Contract.pdf

Los Angeles Broad Superintendents Academy trained Superintentendent John Deasy expected to resign

Los Angeles Unified School District John Deasy, a 2006 graduate of the consistently destructive Broad Superintendents Academy, is expected to resign.

Behind the public spin on the reason for his departure is a very simple political explanation. He no longer controls a majority of the Board of Trustees.

Apparently, school board elections  prevailed to end the Broad Superintendents Academy based tenure of Los Angeles Superintendent John Deasy.

Broad trained superintendents generally are cut from the same ideology.

They are authoritarians who believe that urban city Mayors should have dictatorial authority over public school districts. They work to undermine the oversight of public school boards.

The result is usually the same - pain and disruption of public education. They are eventually forced out, and the wealthy foundation financed reform network assists them to find another position.

Eventually that is likely to happen in Dallas ISD.

"More broadly, critics have faulted Deasy for what they call an autocratic, punitive leadership style that they say has demoralized teachers and other employees."

This is an exact description of 2011 Broad Superintendents Academy graduate Mike Miles' "autocratic, punitive leadership style."

The Broad corporate reform virus is infecting Dallas ISD. 

The final result could likely be the same.

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October 4, 2013 - The Broad Foundation and Broadies: Kings of "Disruptive" and Unreasonable" Trickle-Down Reform - Click Here

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Printed in its entirety from Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1016-deasy-resigns-20141016-story.html

LAUSD Supt. John Deasy expected to resign

John DeasyLos Angeles Unified School DistrictApple iPad
L.A. Unified Supt. John Deasy has reached a settlement with the school board to step down, sources say 
Beleaguered L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy is expected to step down after reaching a settlement with the school board, several sources familiar with the negotiations said late Wednesday.

The L.A. Unified school board could name an interim superintendent as early as 10 a.m. Thursday, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it involved a personnel matter and confidential negotiations.

One source said the board was likely to select former Supt. Ramon Cortines to run the district on an interim basis.






As part of the departure agreement, Deasy is expected to receive about 60 days' pay, or roughly $60,000, the sources said. His contract, which was to run through June 2016, requires a severance payment of only 30 days.

During his 31/2 years at the helm, Deasy, 53, oversaw a continued rise in student performance during a period of financial cuts. But he could not overcome election day setbacks, poor relations with teachers and two back-to-back technology debacles.





His supporters credited him for gains in test scores, graduation rates and improved results for students learning English. They also applauded his push for more rigorous evaluations of teachers and principals, for reducing the number of student suspensions and for providing breakfast to students in the classroom.

But Deasy has faced strong criticism over the troubled rollout of a $1.3-billion effort to provide iPads to every student, teacher and campus administrator. Amid growing questions about how the iPad program was run, Deasy announced in August that he was suspending new purchases under the iPad contract.

Another technology project, a new student records system, malfunctioned this fall.






The problems prevented hundreds of students at Jefferson High School from getting the classes they needed and created problems across the school system.

More broadly, critics have faulted Deasy for what they call an autocratic, punitive leadership style that they say has demoralized teachers and other employees.

Still, Deasy has enjoyed strong support from key civic and business leaders, who have urged the Board of Education in recent weeks to retain him.






But the superintendent has not fared as well with the board, which has a majority of members who won their seats despite efforts by Deasy's allies to defeat them. Board members also complain that Deasy pays little heed to their input.

His contract, which pays $350,000 a year, was revised last year and dropped previous goals related to student achievement because test scores are not yet available from new state exams.

He was also expected to increase revenue and enrollment. District revenues have gone up sharply, but that was the result of an improved statewide funding program. Enrollment has trended downward in recent years.

Deasy had expressed reservations in recent weeks about his ability to remain effective in the job. But as of this week, he had not said publicly that he planned to quit, and even this week, it was not clear that a majority on the school board would be willing to move against him.

Deasy cut short a trip to South Korea to make the final arrangements for his departure, according to district sources. He did not return calls for comment Wednesday night.

The board voted to offer Deasy the settlement at its Tuesday meeting but didn't report the action because there was no agreement with him at that time, the sources said.

The board vote in favor of the settlement is expected to be released Thursday.

At a closed meeting Tuesday, the board also apparently selected an interim superintendent, but that decision did not take effect until Deasy agreed to step down.

The board also did not report that action Tuesday.

If Cortines takes the interim job, it would be his third stint as district leader. He retired as superintendent from L.A. Unified in April 2011.

He has a long career as a respected educator, but his exit was marred by a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a current district employee. A proposed settlement of that litigation later fell apart.
Cortines, 82, lives in the Pasadena area.

howard.blume@latimes.com
Twitter: @howardblume

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

Monday, September 15, 2014

Home-Rule School District Charter Commission community meeting at Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 1:00 P.M.

Announcement!

Everyone Invited to

The Home-Rule School District Charter Commission 

District 6 Community Meeting
to seek input from the public

1 P.M. - 3 P.M.
Saturday, September 20, 2014 

 Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy
Auditorium
 1700 East Camp Wisdom Road
 Dallas, Texas 75241

Close to the main campus of the 
University of North Texas at Dallas

Email:  homerulecharter@dallasisd.com

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Dallas ISD Home-Rule School District Charter Commission first meeting Agenda and documents - Monday, July 7, 2014 - 5:30 P.M.


Meeting Agenda and Notice
Home-Rule School District Charter Commission


A Meeting of the Home-Rule School District Charter Commission, appointed by the
Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees, will be held Monday, July 7,
2014, beginning at 5:30 p.m., in Room 105 at the Dallas ISD, Central Administration
Building 3700 Ross Ave, Dallas, Texas 75204.


The subjects to be discussed or considered or upon which any formal action may be taken are listed below. Items do not have to be taken in the same order as shown on this meeting notice and agenda.

1.  CALL TO ORDER AND ESTABLISH QUORUM

a.  Bob Weiss, Interim Chair

2.  ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION ITEMS

a.  Administration of Oath of Office

b.  Discussion and Consider Acceptance of a Resolution Authorizing the Home- Rule School District Charter Commission to Consider Framing a Charter for the District

c.  Election of Officers, Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary

d.  Overview of Home-Rule School District Charter

e.  Open Meetings Act Training

f.    Public Information Act Training

g.  Orientation of the Texas Education Code

h.  Discussion and Consider Acceptance of  Home-Rule School District Charter
Commission Operating Procedures

3.  GENERAL DISCUSSION

a.  Communications Protocol

b.  Meeting Dates and Times

4.  CLOSED SESSION - as authorized by the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas
Government Code Chapter 551.

a.  For private consultation with its attorney regarding all matters related to Home-Rule and the formation of a Home-Rule School District Charter Commission.

5.  ADJOURN

 If, during the course of the meeting, discussion of any item on the agenda should be held in a closed meeting, the commission will conduct a closed meeting in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Government Code, Chapter 551, Before any closed meeting is convened, the presiding officer will publicly identify the section or sections of the Act authorizing the closed meeting. All final votes, actions, or decisions will be taken in open meeting.

The notice for this meeting was posted in compliance with the Texas Open Meeting Act on:
Monday, July 1, 2014


********************************************************************************

DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES RESOLUTION

THE STATE OF TEXAS    §
§
COUNTY OF DALLAS    §

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE
HOME-RULE DISTRICT CHARTER COMMISSION
TO CONSIDER FRAMING A CHARTER FOR THE DISTRICT


The Dallas Independent School District (“District”) derives its legal status from the Constitution of the State of Texas and the Texas Education Code as passed and amended by the Legislature of Texas.  The District vision is to be a premiere urban school district, with a mission of educating all students for success.

The Board of Trustees (“Board”), as the duly elected corporate body has the exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the District. The Board may adopt rules and bylaws necessary to carry out these powers and duties. All powers and duties not specifically delegated by statute to the Texas Education Agency (“TEA”) or the State Board of Education are reserved for the Board.

WHEREAS, Texas Education Code, Section 12.011 authorizes a school district to adopt a home- rule school district charter under which the district will operate; and

WHEREAS, Texas Education Code, Section 12.014 states, “The board of trustees shall appoint a charter commission to frame a home-rule school district charter if: (1) the board receives a petition requesting the appointment of a charter commission to frame a home-rule school district charter signed by at least five percent of the registered voters of the district”; and

WHEREAS, on May 15, 2014, representatives of an organization known as Support Our Public Schools, a Texas Corporation operating under the Internal Revenue Code, Section 501(c)(4), presented and delivered petitions to the District Executive Director for Board Services on behalf of the Board of Trustees; and

WHEREAS, on May 22, 2014, the District Executive Director for Board Services reported to the Board that the petitions had been verified and contained the requisite number of signatures by registered voters of the District; and

WHEREAS, Texas Education Code, Section 12.015 (a) states, “Not later than the 30th day after the date of receipt of a petition or adoption of a resolution under Section 12.014, the board of trustees of the school district shall appoint 15 residents of the district to serve on the commission to frame a charter for the district”; and

WHEREAS, Texas Education Code, Section 12.015 (b) states, “The membership of the charter commission must reflect the racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity of the district. A majority of the members appointed to the commission must be parents of school-age children attending public school. At least 25 percent of the commission must be classroom teachers selected by the representatives of the professional staff pursuant to Section 11.251(e)”; and

WHEREAS, Texas Education Code, Section 12.015 (c) states, “The charter commission must complete a proposed charter not later than the first anniversary of the date of its appointment. After that date, the commission expires and the appointment under Section 12.014 is void”; and

WHEREAS, Texas Education Code, Section 12.015 (d) states, “A charter commission appointed under this section is considered a governmental body for purposes of Chapters 551 and 552, Government Code”; and

WHEREAS, on June 4, 2014, the Districtwide Advisory Committee elected and recommended Isaac Freeman, Ron Oliver, Bonita Reece and Julie Sandel to serve as teachers on the Home-Rule School District Charter Commission; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees nominated and appointed 15 residents, of the district to serve on the Dallas ISD Home-Rule District Charter Commission in accordance with the Texas Education Code, Section 12.015; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Melissa Malonson was nominated by District 1 Trustee Elizabeth Jones; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Edwin Flores was nominated by District 2 Trustee Mike Morath; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Jeff Veazey was nominated by District 3 Trustee Dan Micciche; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Ricardo Mendez was nominated by District 4 Trustee Nancy Bingham; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Lew Blackburn Jr. was nominated by District 5 Trustee Lew Blackburn; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, D. Marcus Ranger was nominated by District 6 Trustee Carla Ranger; and
WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Jerome Garza was nominated by District 7 Trustee Eric Cowan; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Danae Gutierrez was nominated by District 8 Trustee Miguel Solis; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Shirley Ison-Newsome was nominated by District 9 Trustee Bernadette Nutall; and

WHEREAS, on June 19 2014, Bob Weiss and Stephanie Elizalde were nominated as Members- at-Large to serve on the Home-Rule School District Charter Commission by Dallas ISD Board of Trustees; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 2014, Dallas ISD Board of Trustees voted to accept the recommended teachers elected by the Districtwide Advisory Committee and appointed Isaac Freeman, Ron Oliver, Bonita Reece and Julie Sandel to serve on the Home-Rule School District Charter Commission; and
WHEREAS, Bob Weiss was duly appointed by the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees to serve as Interim Chair; and

WHEREAS, the District Superintendent of Schools is hereby directed to provide reasonable and appropriate resources to support the Home-Rule School District Charter Commission for the duration of its tenure; and

WHEREAS, the Board expects the Home-Rule School District Charter Commission to operate in a deliberate, collaborative, and inclusive manner, involving a broad representation of the registered voters of the District in the formation process for the charter; and

WHEREAS, the Commission is expected to operate in accordance and compliance with federal and state law, and District policy; and

WHEREAS, the draft Home-Rule School District Charter Commission Operating Procedures, which is attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and incorporated herein by reference is recommended as a suggestion for the Commission which may be adopted, changed, modified or rejected within the sole discretion of the Commission; and

WHEREAS, the Commission has the sole discretion and authority to determine that no Home-Rule School District Charter need be adopted.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees authorizes the 15 Member Home-Rule Charter District Commission to commence work to consider the need for and to develop a new charter to be considered by the residents of the District and to complete its work within one year as provided by law.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, in the event of a vacancy on the Commission prior to the expiration of the Commission term, the Board shall fill the vacancy by utilizing the same process for appointment of initial Commission members.

Adopted on this _______ day of June, 2014.

DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES


By: ______________________________________
       Miguel Solis
President of the Board

ATTEST:

By:       Dan Micciche
Board Secretary


********************************************************************************

 EXHIBIT “A”

Home-Rule School District Charter Commission Operating Procedures


The Home-Rule School District Charter Commission Operating Procedures (“Operating Procedures”) shall govern the operations of the Charter Commission (the “Commission") and are not intended to confer legal rights on any person.  At no time are the Operating Procedures intended to supersede federal or state law and District policy.

The Trustees, as a body corporate, have the exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the District.  The Trustees may adopt rules and bylaws necessary to carry out these powers and duties.

All powers and duties not specifically delegated by statute to the Texas Education Agency (“TEA”) or the State Board of Education are reserved for the Board. Texas Education Code, Section 11.151(b) and (d).

Section I:  Purpose and Authority.

    A. Purpose. The purpose of the Commission is to draft a charter that complies with the     requirements of Texas Education Code §12.016.  The requirements are as follows:

1. Describe the educational program to be offered;
2. Provide that continuation of the charter is contingent upon acceptable student performance on assessment instruments and compliance with other applicable accountability provisions;
3. Specify any basis, in addition to a basis specified at Texas Education Code, Chapter 11, Subchapter B, on which the charter may be placed on probation or revoked;
4. Describe the governing structure of the District and campuses;
5. Specify any procedure or requirement, in addition to those at Texas Education Code, Chapter 38, the District will follow to ensure the health and safety of students and employees;
6. Describe the process by which the District will adopt an annual budget, including the use of program-weight funds;
7. Describe how the annual audit of the District's financial and programmatic operations will be conducted, including how the District will provide the necessary information to participate in the Public Information Management System; and
8. Include any other provision the Commission considers necessary.  


B. Authority. The Commission was formed under Texas Education Code §§ 12.014 and     12.015.  

Section II:  Membership.


In accordance with Texas Education Code §12.015(a), members of the Commission are appointed by the Board of Trustees of Dallas Independent School District (“Dallas ISD”) and shall consist of fifteen (15) members, which shall include at least eight (8) parents, and at least four (4) classroom teachers.  Members shall serve without compensation.

Section III:  Commission.

The Commission shall have a Chair initially appointed by the Board of Trustees of Dallas ISD.  Any vacancy of the Chair shall be elected by a majority vote of the members present at a duly called meeting in which a quorum of the Commission is present and voting in compliance with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code ("Texas Open Meetings Act").

Section IV:  Agenda; Meetings; Minutes; Attendance.

    A. Meetings. Meetings of the Commission are subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act. The Commission will meet at such intervals as are necessary to carry out its duties.  Meetings shall be called by the Chair.  The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Commission.  The Commission meetings shall be conducted in pursuant to Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised parliamentary procedures.

    B. Agenda.  In accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, no item shall be placed on the Agenda less than 72 hours in advance of the posted meeting, unless an emergency or urgent public necessity exists.

    C. Minutes.  In accordance with the Open Meetings Act, minutes shall be recorded and kept at each meeting of the Commission by the Dallas ISD Board Services ("Board Services").

    D. Attendance.  Members are required to sign in and out at each meeting.  A member's attendance at or absence from a meeting shall be recorded and maintained by Board Services.  Commission members shall endeavor to attend all meetings and may be absent for no more than three (3) meetings.  Any member absent from more than three (3) meetings during two (2) consecutive months shall be deemed to have resigned from the Commission, and another eligible person shall be appointed to fill the vacancy.

Section V: Quorum.  A majority of the Commission constitutes a quorum for any duly called meetings of the Commission.

Section VI:  Member Orientation.  Commission members shall attend compliance training as required by Texas law.  Specifically, all members shall attend training on the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Public Information Act within 90 days after assuming duties as a member of the Commission.
Section VII: Conflict of Interest.  Each member shall sign a Statement of Disclosure according to Chapter 171 and Chapter 176, Texas Local Government Code.

Section VIII: Guidance.  

A. Public Hearings: The Commission shall receive information and input from residents of the District from all sources including, but not limited to, the following: 1) District online website, and 2) public hearings throughout the geographic area of the District, including at least one hearing in each Trustee district.

B. Information: The Commission shall analyze the information regarding the District from residents of the District to ascertain and determine positive aspects of the District, with recommendations for expansion of such positive aspects throughout the District, and negative aspects, with recommendations on how to resolve such negative aspects.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Request for an Opinion of the Texas Attorney General regarding the Dallas ISD District Advisory Committee (DAC) appointments to the Home Rule School District Charter Commission

On Thursday, June 26, 2014, a request for assistance in obtaining an Opinion of the Texas Attorney General was sent to the state Commissioner of Education, Michael Williams.

The question asked:

"Whether Dallas ISD may appoint members to a Home Rule Charter 
Commission who were chosen by a District Advisory Committee that 
"included a "significant number of professional educator members who 
were not elected" and thus the District Advisory Committee (DAC)  "was 
indeed, unlawfully constituted?"
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Subject: Request for Attorney General's Opinion regarding Home Rule School District Charter Commission
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:33:20 -0500
From: Carla Ranger

To: Michael Williams <commissioner@tea.state.tx.us>, David A. Anderson <tealegal@tea.state.tx.us>

Hon. Michael Williams
Commissioner of Education
State of Texas
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701

Subject: Request for Attorney General's Opinion regarding Home Rule 
School District Charter Commission

Dear Commissioner Williams:

I was elected Dallas ISD Trustee in  2006. Currently, I am Second Vice 
President of the Board of Trustees.

This is to request  your assistance in obtaining an Opinion of the Texas 
Attorney General to determine the application of  the Texas Education 
Code - Section 11.251-Planning and Decision-Making Process (e) providing 
the following:

     "(e) The board shall adopt a procedure, consistent with Section 
21.407(a), for the professional staff in the district to nominate and 
elect the professional staff representatives who shall meet with the 
board or the board designee as required under this section."

On June 13, 2014, in the 193rd Judicial District Court, in Cause No. 
DC-14-06281, Alliance AFT, Plaintiff v. Dallas Independent School 
District, Defendant, the Court entered a Temporary Restraining Order 
stating:

     "It IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED that Dallas Independent School District, 
Defendant in this cause, be and hereby is, enjoined and commanded 
forwith to desist and refrain from appointing the teachers selected by 
the Defendant's district-level advisory committee on or about June 4, 
2014 (whose names were published on June 6, 2014) to the home-rule 
school district charter commission from the date of entry of this order 
until June 27, 2014, or until further order of this Court."

In its final order denying the request for a temporary injunction, the 
Court stated:

     "Based on the evidence presented, the Court finds & concludes that 
a significant number of the DAC's professional educator members were, 
contrary to statute, not elected, and thus the DAC was indeed, 
unlawfully constituted."

     The District Court also stated:

     "The Court agrees with Plaintiff that the harm involved is not 
merely the end product. The Home-Rule Charter process may potentially 
result in a wholesale restructuring of the School District and 
significant prejudice to the rights of Plaintiff's members. The failure 
to have adequate representation on the Commission, and theattendant 
lack of an advocate's voice,can itself be a harm. Plaintiff's potential 
harm can be summed up in the adage, "If you do not have a seat at the 
table, you are likely to be on the menu."

On last Thursday, June 19, 2014, Dallas ISD Trustees unanimously 
appointed 15 members to the Home-Rule Charter Commission, including 
members chosen by the same District Advisory Committee about which the 
Court stated:  "a significant number of the DAC's professional educator 
members were, contrary to statute, not elected, and thus the DAC was 
indeed, unlawfully constituted."

The Question:

"Whether Dallas ISD may appoint members to a Home Rule Charter 
Commission that were chosen by a District Advisory Committee that 
"included a "significant number of professional educator members who 
were not elected" and thus the District Advisory Committee (DAC)  "was 
indeed, unlawfully constituted?"

In light of the importance and time sensitivity of this matter, your 
assistance in requesting an expedited Attorney General Opinion would be 
greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your assistance.

Carla Ranger
Second Vice President &
District 6 Trustee
Dallas ISD

cc: David A. Anderson - General Counsel - TEA

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Congratulations to newly elected Dallas ISD District 6 Trustee Joyce Foreman

Congratulations to newly elected District 6 Trustee Joyce Foreman who will be officially sworn in during the monthly Board Meeting on next Thursday, June 26, 2014.

Joyce has been devoted to improving public education for many years.

Best wishes for many more years of successful service.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Judge Carl Ginsberg states Dallas ISD November ballot for home rule school district charter is "inconsistent with reality"

Based on the AFT court hearing on Wednesday, it appears that Judge Carl Ginsberg is likely to issue a temporary injunction against Dallas ISD on Thursday. 

Even if he doesn't, it is clear that civil court Judge Ginsberg has found clear violations of state law requiring members of the District Advisory Committee (DAC) to be elected. 

Judge Ginsberg also pointed out that the notion of rushing a November election is "inconsistent with reality."  Judge Ginsberg was kind.

In other words, a November vote makes no sense at all.

Dallas ISD Trustees are obligated to uphold the state laws and policies of the District.

Since state law was violated, Dallas ISD Trustees should require that the District Advisory Committee election be held in the Fall and make no other appointments until that required process is completed.

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Dallas judge calls November home-rule vote unrealistic-Click Here-June 18, 2014-Click Here

"Dallas civil court Judge Carl Ginsberg called the November target date for a district-wide election “inconsistent with reality” given all the deadlines and timetables that must be met.
 "While he has yet to issue a formal ruling, Ginsberg agreed after four hours of testimony Wednesday, saying the evidence “clearly shows that the District-wide Advisory Committee was not assembled according to the law."
"Ginsburg indicated that if he rules in favor of the teachers union, the DISD District-wide Advisory Committee could meet again at the beginning of the fall semester and select its four representatives to the home-rule constitution committee in accordance with state law.
 "The judge agreed, saying some members were there illegally.
"Any hopes to get the Dallas ISD home-rule charter initiative on the ballot for November may have been dashed Wednesday afternoon."
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Dallas-Judge-calls-November-home-rule-vote-unrealistic-263730091.html
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Dallas judge calls November home-rule vote unrealistic-June 18, 2014 at 7:41 PM

District judge agrees with big finding by Alliance-AFT in home-rule case against Dallas ISD; decision expected Thursday

Court Hearing Could Delay DISD’s Home Rule June 18, 2014 5:56 AM

Judge to rule Thursday in Alliance AFT home-rule case Posted: Jun 18, 2014 8:51 PM CST

Teachers Group Seeks Temporary Injunction Against Home Rule in DISD 

Esteemed attorney in past Dallas ISD desegregation case is co-counsel for teachers group in home-rule lawsuit

Thursday, May 22, 2014

The American Statistical Association states teacher evaluation methods based on test scores should not be used for decisions that matter

by Valerie Strauss
Answer Sheet
The Washington Post
May 18, 2014

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Arne Duncan’s reaction to new research slamming teacher evaluation method he favors-Click Here

"Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been a proponent of using students’ scores on standardized tests to evaluate teachers, even as a growing mountain of evidence has shown that the method now used in most states, known as “value-added measures,” is not reliable. With two recent reports released on VAM adding to warnings long given by assessment experts, I asked the Education Department whether Duncan’s position had changed.

"VAM purports to be able to take student standardized test scores, plug them into a complicated formula and measure the “value” a teacher adds to student learning. The method has been adopted as part of teacher evaluations in most states — with varying weights put on the results — but for years researchers have said the results aren’t close to being accurate enough to use for decisions that matter."

The American Statistical Association, the largest organization in the United States representing statisticians and related professionals, said in an April report that value-added scores “do not directly measure potential teacher contributions toward other student outcomes” and that they “typically measure correlation, not causation,” noting that “effects — positive or negative — attributed to a teacher may actually be caused by other factors that are not captured in the model.” This month, two researchers reported that they had found little or no correlation between quality teaching and the appraisals that teachers received using VAM.

"For years, many prominent researchers have warned against using VAM. They include a 2009 warning by the Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, which stated that “VAM estimates of teacher effectiveness should not be used to make operational decisions because such estimates are far too unstable to be considered fair or reliable.” The Educational Testing Service’s Policy Information Center has said there are “too many pitfalls to making causal attributions of teacher effectiveness on the basis of the kinds of data available from typical school districts,” and Rand Corp. researchers have said that VAM results “will often be too imprecise to support some of the desired inferences.”

These are just a few of the concerns that have emerged in recent years over this method. Still, there are economists enthusiastic about VAM, and their work has been embraced by school reformers who have opted to use it as part of teacher and even principal evaluation and who have chosen to ignore the much larger body of evidence warnings against using VAM for high-stakes purposes. In fact, when Michelle Rhee was chancellor of the D.C. public school system (from 2007-2010), she liked VAM so much that she instituted an evaluation system in the district in which nearly every adult in a school building was evaluated in some part by student standardized test scores, including the custodial staff. The percentage of a teacher’s evaluation linked to VAM depends on the state, from a small percentage up to 50 percent."

Statisticians slam popular teacher evaluation method-Click Here

The most meaningless teacher evaluation exercise ever?-Click Here

D.C. custodial staff were evaluated by student test scores. Really. (update)-Click Here

The American Statistical Association Statement on Value Added Assessment-Click Here

Dallas ISD - sold out to charter schools and those who privatize children for profit

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

How Charter Schools and Testing Regimes Have Helped Re-Segregate Our Schools


Reprinted from The Daily Beast

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

How Charter Schools and Testing Regimes Have Helped Re-Segregate Our Schools

"Sure, it’s mostly the courts, but as we approach the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, charter schools and testing regimes are reinforcing segregation.
 
Sixty years ago tomorrow in Brown v. Board of Education, the United States Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public education is unconstitutional, writing that “in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.”


Yet all these years later, our schools remain deeply segregated along lines of race as well as class—with charter schools and high-stakes testing making matters worse.

Schools today are as racially segregated (PDF) as they were in the 1960s. Recently, ProPublica wrote a deep and haunting exposition on the re-segregation of schools in the South, including Tuscaloosa. Post-Brown, schools in the South became the most integrated in the nation. It took a while—until the 1970s, really—but it happened.

Today? In the South and nationwide, most black and brown children attend schools where 90 percent or more of the students look like them. “In Tuscaloosa today, nearly 1 in 3 black students attends a school that looks as if Brown v. Board of Education never happened.”

Across the United States, per-student spending (PDF) in public schools with 90 percent or more white students is 18 percent higher—$733 more per student on average—than spending for public schools with 90 percent or more students of color. That can’t be attributed to different geographical tax bases alone; 40 percent of the variation (PDF) in per-pupil spending occurs within school districts. A third of the schools with the highest percentage of black and Latino students don’t offer chemistry. A quarter don’t offer Algebra II. Black and Latino students account for 40 percent of enrollment at schools with gifted programs but make up only 26 percent of the students in such programs.  

Meanwhile, we know that disadvantaged students of color end up being over-represented in the prison-industrial complex. Black students in America’s public schools are expelled at three times the rate of white students. This discrepancy starts at a frighteningly young age; black children make up 18 percent of pre-schoolers but almost half of all out-of-school suspensions. One in five girls of color with disabilities has received an out-of-school suspension. These statistics are much higher than for white peers even for the same misbehaviors.
Public schools can work. I went to one. Most everyone I know went to one.
Racial segregation in schools has increased largely because federal courts have allowed cities and states to abandon mandatory busing and other desegregation efforts imposed in the 1960s. And in 2007, a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled that public schools could no longer pursue integration strategies based explicitly on race. Yet the legal sanctioning of segregation also paved the way for white families to justify self-selecting out of what were fast becoming inferior schools in communities of color, an inferiority further fed by white flight. 

Around the same time, charter schools and testing came along and made everything worse. In a key essay in the education magazine Ed Weekly, Dr. Iris C Rotberg of George Washington University wrote in straightforward terms that research makes it clear that “charter schools, on average, don’t have an academic advantage over traditional public schools” and that “they do have a significant risk of leading to increased segregation.”

Rotberg goes on to detail study after study showing a “strong link between school choice programs and an increase in student segregation by race, ethnicity, and income.” Segregation effects are particularly pronounced at charter schools run by private companies or those that target specific racial or ethnic groups. Segregation within charter schools is particularly pronounced for students with disabilities, since charter schools often tend to skim the “best students” from communities and under-enroll those with special needs.

Before Brown was even decided, Prince Edward County, Virginia, closed its public schools rather than face integration. White and black students were sent to separate, segregated private academies until the Supreme Court ordered the public schools to reopen and desegregate. Nonetheless, in the wake of Brown, many white students fled to private and parochial options, a trend very much about race but also privatization—that we can give a good education to some select students while lining the pockets of private companies. In our time, school vouchers and charters schools all play into this dynamic.  

This is where testing comes in. To begin with, testing exacerbates—or perhaps rationalizes—inequality and segregation in schools. Charter schools that screen students based on test scores end up including fewer low-income students because study after study shows that standardized test scores correlated directly with family economic status. Yet behind the testing push is the for-profit testing industry, which is less interested in boosting student learning than boosting their bottom line.

“This market-based approach to public education—one where there are winners and losers instead of equal opportunity for all—is failing our kids and driving a deeper divide in our communities,” says Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers. “Those peddling this approach try to capitalize on the growing frustration in our neighborhoods—especially African American and Latino neighborhoods—to move their agenda.” This is after all what markets do—decide where they can make a profit and abandon the rest. Some kids are getting a leg up in the charter system and testing regime, but all the other kids are being written off.

Just as separate but equal wasn’t possible 60 years ago, it’s not possible today,” says Sabrina Joy Stevens, a former teacher and executive director of Integrity in Education. “We know that concentrated poverty and racial isolation mean unequal access to learning opportunities for traditionally under-served students—especially those who end up in fraud-prone ‘schools’ privately run by people who prey on our most neglected communities.”

Public schools can work. I went to one. Most everyone I know went to one. We had great teachers, who were in unions, who had good salaries and benefits, plenty of school supplies in the classroom and enough training and freedom to teach creatively and innovate in the classroom.  We went on to have rich academic careers because we were equipped with problem-solving skills and comprehension in math and literature and science and so much more. There is nothing wrong with public schools, or public teacher unions, that can’t be fixed—if we have the will to fix them.
On the other hand, the push toward charter schools and the larger private educational industrial complex has no good track record and is only proving worse, re-segregating education and trying to re-enshrine “separate but equal” not only in practice but in principle.  

In Brown, Chief Justice Warren wrote: “To separate [children] from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.” Yes, and separating children by race or class or test scores into pseudo-private charter schools is affecting not only those students but our communities and our nation in the very ways we once tried to undo."

Saturday, May 17, 2014

60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, integration is falling apart


Reprinted from CNN.com - Saturday, May 17, 2014
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 Linda Brown, 9, walks past Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, in 1953. Her enrollment in the all-white school was blocked, leading her family to bring a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education. Four similar cases were combined with the Brown complaint and presented to the U.S. Supreme Court as <a href='http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/04/us/brown-v-board-of-education/index.html'>Brown v. Board of Education</a>. The court's landmark ruling on the case on May 17, 1954, led to the desegregation of the U.S. education system.
Linda Brown, 9, walks past Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, in 1953. Her enrollment in the all-white school was blocked, leading her family to bring a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education. Four similar cases were combined with the Brown complaint and presented to the U.S. Supreme Court as Brown v. Board of Education. The court's landmark ruling on the case on May 17, 1954, led to the desegregation of the U.S. education system. 
Editor's note: Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor.

"(CNN) -- On Saturday, we will commemorate the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed school segregation. Across the country, people are reflecting on the current state of educational opportunities for children of color.

In Milwaukee, parents, educators, students and community members are coming together to support educational opportunities for young people, and to challenge the increasing segregation and lack of resources facing young people of color today. I will join them in that celebration.

But Milwaukee is among the most racially and economically segregated major metropolitan regions in the country. It registers the largest discrepancy in employment rates between African-Americans and whites. Wisconsin has the widest gap in test scores between black and white students.

Donna Brazile
Donna Brazile
 
The problems in Milwaukee and Wisconsin are not unique. In cities across the country, students of color increasingly attend schools that do not reflect the diversity of our national community. The biggest metro areas in the Northeast and Midwest have been epicenters of re-segregation. In the 1990s and 2000s, school districts across the South, after being released from Brown-era, court-enforced integration, began gerrymandering school attendance zones, effectively separating black and white students.

Today, black students in the South attend majority-black schools at levels not observed for 40 years. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for example, nearly one in three black students attends a school that looks like Brown never even happened.

The result is that the achievement gap, which steadily decreased during integration, is widening as re-segregation occurs.

Integrated schools help students achieve academic success in the present and personal success in the future. Students of color who attended integrated schools in the decades immediately following Brown were more likely to graduate high school, go to college, earn higher wages, live healthier lifestyles and not have a criminal record than their peers in segregated schools. (Diverse schools can also decrease prejudice and teach all students how to navigate an increasingly diverse nation.)
 
Unfortunately, many localities are embracing vouchers and charter schools as silver bullets for addressing persistent achievement gaps. Milwaukee has the largest and oldest voucher school program in the country, which funnels public dollars to private, often sectarian, schools. In 2011, Indiana created the nation's first statewide voucher program, and Louisiana followed suit in 2012. Charter schools have increased dramatically in the past decade; from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2010-2011 one, public charter school enrollment increased from 300,000 to 1.8 million.

Vouchers and charter schools just don't live up to the hype. In New Orleans, students using vouchers to attend private schools have not advanced to grade-level work any faster during the first two years of the program than public school students. A recent study found students in voucher schools are performing worse on academic benchmarks than students in Milwaukee Public Schools. And a national study comparing charter and normal public schools of similar demographics found that 29% of charter schools reported academic improvements significantly higher than public schools. Forty percent of charter schools reported no difference in academic performance, and 31% reported a performance worse than their public school counterparts.

Sixty years later, "separate and unequal" is still alive.

To fix the problem, we must recognize the problem. First, privatizing our school systems results in increased segregation, not improved opportunities. Whether in New Orleans or Philadelphia or Detroit or New York, legislative schemes perpetuate separate and unequal by privatizing large swaths of public school districts -- and in some cases, entire districts.

Second, education doesn't take place in a vacuum. Students and their families need access to health care, decent wages and affordable housing in integrated neighborhoods. Thus, Brown's legacy includes economic improvements for children and families.

Third, neither high-quality public schools nor economic improvements can occur when voters are disenfranchised. Only the right to vote protects access to education and movement toward economic improvement. Yet 34 states -- most under Republican control -- have passed laws to make it harder for minorities, the elderly, and young people to vote, including so-called voter ID laws and regulations that limit early voting.

The economic and racial inequities that existed 60 years ago persist in our communities today. They must be addressed. In the spirit of Brown, students, parents and educators are demanding solutions that go beyond the dysfunctional "education reforms" and address a wide range of community concerns, from stopping school privatization to providing universal early childhood education to raising the minimum wage.

School integration did not come to be the day after the Brown ruling was issued. Progress took years, and it took passion, strength and courage from a large group of committed individuals.

Sixty years after Brown v. Board of Education, it's time for us to take a hard look at the separate and unequal conditions that still exist in our schools and our communities, and rededicate ourselves to fulfilling the promise of equal opportunity for all."

Friday, May 16, 2014

Desoto ISD seeks to annex north Desoto residential area of Dallas ISD Trustee run-off candidate Bertha Bailey Whatley

District 6 Trustee run-off candidate Bertha Bailey Whatley, who received campaign contributions of $50,000 from the Educate Dallas PAC, (the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce PAC - Attorney Mark Melton-Chairman) and $11,705.54 from Dallas Kids First PAC, lives in Desoto, Texas.

Candidate Bertha Bailey Whatley is represented by Allyn Media, the same firm currently representing Support Our Public Schools (SOPS - the group behind the petition drive to change Dallas ISD governance to a  Home Rule School District Charter) and  previously representing Mayor Mike Rawlings' campaign. 

As of the 8th day before the May 10, 2014 election date, the Bertha Bailey Whatley Campaign made the following advertising payments to Allyn Media:
  • 4-1-14 -   $  8,000.00
  • 4-18-14 - $13,192.62
  • 4-28-14 - $12,918.36 
  • Total -      $34,110.98
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Desoto ISD Annexation Effort

Since the Fall of 2013 Desoto Superintendent David Harris has been actively exploring the process to align Desoto ISD district boundaries with the same boundaries of the City of Desoto, especially the north border which currently falls partially in Dallas ISD - the area where Trustee candidate Bertha Bailey Whatley currently lives.

If Desoto ISD succeeds with this effort, it would mean that Bertha Bailey Whatley would live in the Desoto ISD school district and no longer be eligible to serve as a Dallas ISD Trustee.

I agree with Desoto ISD that the northern part of the City of Desoto that is currently in Dallas ISD should properly be a part of Desoto ISD.

The information below describes the current effort of Desoto ISD to begin annexing the north border which currently falls within Dallas ISD and in which District 6 candidate Bertha Bailey Whatley lives in the city of Desoto.

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"Detachment and Annexation Meetings:
On March 4 and March 20 the DeSoto ISD Superintendent David Harris, along with Dallas Central Appraisal Chief Ken Nolan and Community Relations Officer Cheryl Jordan, and Dallas County Tax Assessor John Ames, provided information and answered questions regarding the proposed detachment and annexation of properties in the City of DeSoto while located in Dallas ISD or Duncanville ISD boundaries. 

Annexation Powerpoint Presentation

In the fall of 2013, DeSoto ISD explored the process to align district boundries with those of the city, in particular the north border which falls partially in Dallas ISD and partially in Duncanville ISD. Basically, there are three avenues by which ISD boundries can be detached and annexed by another ISD. Additional information is attached for others to review.
For additional information, contact Assistant Superintendent Levatta Levels
Phone (972) 274-8212 Ext. 214; llevels@desotoisd.org


1.       Districts Agreement (Either district can initiate)
No financial transaction. 

2.       Detachment & Annexation (Resident Initiated)

Pursuant to Texas Education Code Section 13.051, detachment of territory from one (or more) districts and annexation of that territory onto another district may be initiated by petition of registered voters residing in the territory or the surface owners if the territory has no residents.  None of the affected districts could initiate this process on their own. 

This process is highly technical in terms of the requirements the petition must meet and requires each affected district to conduct a hearing to determine how the proposed change would affect the social, economic, and educational well-being of current or potential future students.  Each board must then make findings as to these issues and adopt a resolution either approving or disapproving the petition.  If all affected districts approve the petition, the change can go through.  If none do, the issue is closed.  If one or more districts approves the petition and one or more disapprove it, the matter can be appealed to the Commissioner of Education, who will hear it de novo – from the beginning.

The D & A process is complex.  For example, petitions have to meet certain requirements. In addition, the petitions are not just presented to the respective boards.  There must be a formal public hearing and a resolution must issue from the respective boards which outline the findings of the board to either approve or disapprove the petition.  The findings relate to the educational interests, social, economic and educational effects of the proposed boundary change. It is not just a regular motion vote.  Further, where all boards agree with the changes, the changes must then be submitted to commissioner’s court to allocate property and indebtedness.  

3.       Chapter 41 Wealth Equalization (Chapter 41 District Initiated)
Detachment and annexation by agreement is one of the options for reducing property tax wealth that a district may use under Chapter 41 of the Texas Education Code.  It is not frequently done, as most districts prefer to purchase attendance credits or educate non-resident students as a means of equalizing their wealth level.  In any event, to the extent that one or more of the neighboring districts may be a so-called “Chapter 41 district,” they could consider detaching territory in order to annex that territory onto a non-property wealthy district, such as DeSoto ISD.  This process does not require the petition and hearing process dictated by Chapter 13 as described above, but it does require agreement between the affected districts.  Furthermore, this option can be used by the Chapter 41 school district only to the extent that it would successfully result in reduction of property tax wealth."

2014 Desoto ISD Detachment and Annexation Information - Click Here

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

God created the first teacher on the 8th day and smiled in appreciation

Teachers, thank you for embracing your students and your calling.
************
God Appreciates Teachers
In Celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week

"On the sixth day, 
God created men and women.
On the seventh day He rested.
Not so much to recuperate,
but to prepare himself for the work
He was going to do on the next day.
For it was on that day - the eighth day -
that He created the first Teacher.

 This Teacher,
though taken from among men and women,
had several significant modifications.
In general,
God made the Teacher more durable than other men and women.
He made the Teacher tough ...
but gentle too.
Into the Teacher God poured a generous amount of patience.
He gave the Teacher
a heart bigger than the average human heart.
And He gave the Teacher
an abundant supply of hope.

When God finished creating the Teacher,
He stepped back and admired the work of his hands.
And God saw that the Teacher was good.
Very good!
And God smiled,
for when He looked at the Teacher,
He saw into the future.
He was placing the future into the hands of the Teacher.

And because God loves Teachers so much, on the ninth day God created "snow days."
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from Words To Warm A Teachers Heart