Superintendent Of Schools

DALLAS ISD IS PUSHING AHEAD

Michael Hinojosa, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Dallas Independent School District
March 2009

This past fall, the Dallas Independent School District experienced one of the most painful times in its history.  The announcement that the district overspent its budget for the preceding year and was on its way to depleting its reserves caused the unprecedented and extraordinarily difficult action of releasing valued staff members during the middle of the school year.

As I have continued to visit schools since then, however, I have been enormously encouraged at how our teachers, principals and staff have maintained their focus on students.  While there are still understandably a lot of bridges to re-build, the resiliency of dedicated employees throughout the district should be noted and deeply appreciated by citizens everywhere.  If you come across a district employee, whether it is at church or the store or a ballgame, please thank them for what they do.  Each of them is so important to the lives of Dallas’ young people.

I have also been encouraged by the tone of the Community Conversations that took place in each of the district’s high school feeder patterns since mid-January.  These meetings helped us hear what’s on the minds of parents and community members.  Most of all, parents are interested in seeing their students achieve and want to be engaged in the process.

That’s why the recent news that Dallas ISD received is so encouraging.  A study released by the Brookings Institution, one of the nation’s most respected research organizations, noted that from 2000-2007, Dallas was second nationally and first in Texas among urban school districts in academic gains.  There is, without question, a lot of work to be done, but this is a positive indicator that we are moving in the right direction.

This coincides with the good news the district received in August that 103 schools—the most ever—earned the designation of either being rated exemplary or recognized by the Texas Education Agency.  This is the result of Dallas students scoring gains in every subject, every ethnicity and every grade except for 7th grade writing on last year’s TAKS test.  While we are setting our sights on goals far higher than TAKS mastery, the progress is apparent.

In late 2008, the National Center for Educational Achievement provided two reports to members of the board of trustees that showed that Dallas ISD is on the right track academically.  A representative for NCEA said that Dallas “has a system in place that is consistent with high-performing systems.”

In January, we were thrilled to receive a $3.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue our strong work to provide a college-readiness warning system that will help principals manage each student’s level of instruction.  Combined with a $5 million grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation received last year, the district is putting in place effective tools and strategies that will ultimately help students and parents.

Financially, I have been very pleased with the leadership that our new executive chief financial officer Larry Throm is providing.  Mr. Throm came to Dallas ISD in January after 20 years in similar positions in Austin and Lubbock ISD.  He is reorganizing the district’s financial operation and implementing changes recommended by the previous two external audits.  The district’s financial solvency cannot and will not be compromised.

To be sure, Dallas ISD still has its share of challenges.  We are working diligently to improve the level of instruction at schools designated as academically unacceptable and we know that not enough students are ready for college once they graduate from high school.  Progress, however, is measured in a series of small steps.  Thanks to the support of the board of trustees and the community, we are moving forward one day at a time.

On April 28, 2005, Dr. Michael Hinojosa was named superintendent of schools for the Dallas Independent School District, the 12th largest school district in the nation with a student population of almost 158,000. His selection brought him full circle to the school district he attended as a student and where he began his career as a teacher.

His career in Texas public education spans 30 years, starting as a teacher and coach at Dallas’ L.V. Stockard Middle School and W.H. Adamson High School. Dr. Hinojosa was a campus and central office administrator in the Grand Prairie ISD and served as superintendent in Fabens ISD, Hays CISD, and Spring ISD. He also served as the executive director of the Region 19 Education Service Center in El Paso, Texas. (more)