Carla Ranger - Dallas ISD Journal - Welcome

Teacher Hours extended 45 minutes - no pay, no questions asked

2012-02-02T23:05:00.006-06:00

On Thursday, January 26, 2012 Dallas ISD Trustees extended teacher hours without pay. No questions were asked. This is the change to Board policy DK (Local) protested by formerly suspended elementary teacher Joseph Drake.

The second change to Board policy DK (Local) states:

"In the event two or more schools are consolidated or any schools are closed, staff assigned to the closed schools shall be released into the excess pool."

The vote to extend the teacher day by 45 minutes and to automatically release teachers into the excess pool (some to be later released from employment) was as follows:

Meeting in the Small Board Room

Voting For extending teacher hours and releasing teachers/staff into the excess pool (some to be later released from employment):

Lew Blackburn

Nancy Bingham
Edwin Flores
Mike Morath
Eric Cowan

Voting Against extending teacher hours and releasing teachers/staff into the excess pool (some to be later released from employment):

Adam Medrano
Bruce Parrott
Bernadette Nutall

Not Voting - Carla Ranger
(remained in the regular Board meeting auditorium with the abandoned public)

My comment about DK (Local) at the Board briefing on Thursday, January 12, 2012: This is an anti-teacher policy change.

Consent agenda being used to deny public discussion of public issues

2012-02-01T17:18:00.000-06:00

Several months ago Trustees Bernadette Nutall, Mike Morath and Lew Blackburn re-instituted a Board policy requiring two Trustees in order to pull an item from the agenda for a separate vote.

Trustees Bernadette Nutall and Mike Morath insisted that the policy be passed. This had been done before but was finally corrected. It was intended to make opposition and dissent more difficult.

Why should a Board majority be able to hide items on a Consent Agenda and deny a Trustee the right to vote against an individual agenda item? This policy goes against the idea of public discussion of public issues.

If one of the Board agenda items below was not pulled for a separate vote, it was because no other Trustee requested that the item be pulled.

Before the Bernadette Nutall-Mike Morath-Lew Blackburn policy change, all of the items would have been immediately pulled for a separate vote on Thursday, January 12, 2012.

There were important items that were not noted at the Board meeting because of this restriction on Trustee voting rights.

On Thursday, January 12, 2012 I requested that several items be pulled from the Consent Agenda. I made the request either because some of the agenda items are troubling or the items are of public interest.

If pulled from the Consent Agenda, this would have provided the opportunity for public discussion or simply a separate vote on the following items:

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

"Will need a second" means a second Trustee must request that the item be pulled for a separate vote.
Thursday, January 12, 2012 - Board Briefing

Consider and Take Possible Action to Approve Amendment to Board Policy EIA (Local) Academic Achievement Grading/Progress Reports to Parents (No Funding Required)
Ranger - Pull for Separate Vote. Will need a Second. (... Public Interest)

Consider and Take Possible Action to Approve Amendment to Board Policy EIC (Local) Academic Achievement Class Ranking (No Funding Required )