THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY

Martin Luther King Jr. coined the phrase “the beloved community” to refer to our society when we are living up to the true ideals of justice, generosity and supporting each other in love. This accurately describes the community’s response to the children of Dallas ISD while schools are closed to protect students, staff and our community during the coronavirus crisis.

Volunteers have donated grocery store gift cards, set up distribution of baby items, and helped our Food & Nutrition Services staff supply families with meals. First responders and the medical community have served faithfully on the front lines treating our family, friends and neighbors who have contracted the virus. Our teachers and school administrators have gone the extra mile to continue instruction for children. Thank you to everyone has stepped up to help.

Please keep social distancing, looking out for our neighbors and providing whatever support we can for others. We will get through this crisis, and I think we will look back with pride on the ways we have acted as Dr. King’s beloved community.

PARTICIPATE IN THE 2020 CENSUS

One of the easiest, most significant actions you can take now to help our families in the future is to respond to the 2020 Census, the national count of all individuals living in the U.S. Census data helps provide vital services to residents of our community. Please take time to respond to the census questionnaire. It does not ask about income or citizenship status. Responses are required by law, and all answers are kept confidential. 

Why is your response important?

• Data collected in the census will be used to allocate more than $675 billion in federal funds to states and communities each year for the next 10 years.
• Funding based on the census count includes money for school programs and services such as special education, free and reduced-priced lunches, reductions in class sizes, technology purchases, teacher training, and afterschool programs.
• Census results impact services such as child health programs and assistance with housing, heating, and food costs.
• Our community’s representation in the U.S. Congress is determined by Census data.

To learn more, visit the Census Bureau webpage at 2020census.gov.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES UPDATE

Trustees have approved a contract to build the new H.S. Thompson Elementary School on the site of the previous school on Bexar St. in Bonton. Plans call for a two-story, 85,000-square-foot building on a 5.7-acre site to include core classrooms, a storm shelter, library/media center and gymnasium. The $23 million project is anticipated to begin in June 2020 with expected completion in time for the start of school in August 2021.   

Board members also discussed the district’s past track record of closing schools in African American communities and approved a resolution committing the district to consider racial equity in future decisions related to closing schools. The goal of the resolution is to avoid school closings that disproportionately impact certain ethnic groups, in particular African-American students.