AMENDMENT NUMBER 1 TO LOCAL POLICY DK BY RANGER
Proposed amendment to Board Agenda revision of board policy DK (Local) - Thursday, January 29, 2012 - Agenda Item 9-A-3:
On page two, under the heading “SCHEDULES,” remove the strikes of the second sentence from the proposed revision. The entire paragraph then will continue to read:
Schedules shall be determined and approved by the Superintendent of Schools or designee and shall conform to TEA requirements. Time schedules may be arranged to suit the needs of individual schools, taking travel schedules into consideration, but must contain a minimum of seven hours and 45 minutes.
This is the identical policy language that existed before the current language below was adopted by the board on January 26, 2012.
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The revision currently on the Board Agenda
Schedules shall be determined and approved by the Superintendent of Schools or designee and shall conform to TEA requirements. Time schedules may be arranged to suit the needs of individual schools, taking travel schedules into consideration, but must contain a minimum of eight hours and 30 minutes
The Dallas ISD policy on teacher hours was extended by an additional 45 minutes daily on January 26, 2012. The Board policy was changed by Trustees (voting "Yes"- Blackburn-Flores-Bingham-Morath-Cowan) in a 5-3 vote on the same night eleven (11) schools were closed.
Former Trustee Edwin Flores promoted the change in these words:
"We're going to pay for eight hours, we're going to get eight hours." (Unfair Park-Mon.1-30-12 - If Nothing Else, They Won't Run Out of Things to Ask DISD Trustee Edwin Flores Tonight)
Like Dallas ISD before the Board policy was changed on January 26, 2012, some school districts such as San Antonio ISD have a specific time limit stated in Board policy that is also less than eight hours.
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San Antonio ISD Board Policy on Assignment and Schedules (DK-Local) - Employee Work Schedules - states: "Teachers shall be on duty seven and one-half hours each day, between 7:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ..."
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What is now being suggested by Board President Lew Blackburn will delegate the Board police-making authority to the Superintendent at a time when teachers are already feeling violated.
Rescinding the Board action will restore the policy as it existed prior to the change. What is now being proposed will not do so.
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Dallas ISD Board Policy DK (Local) before January 26, 2012 - "... Time schedules may be arranged to suit the needs of individual schools, taking travel schedules into consideration, but must contain a minimum of seven hours and 45 minutes."
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Trustees made the change. Trustees should correct the mistake by rescinding the action taken on January 26, 2012.
