Losing faith in DISD: J.L. Long leader questions Hinojosa's decisions

Following up on Norm's great post about the Texas Education Agency possibly overseeing DISD's finances, here's some thoughtful commentary from neighborhood resident Patrick Luna, a J.L. Long Middle School and Woodrow Wlson High School parent who is head of Long's Site-Based Decision Management (SBDM) committee.

Luna says what I've heard a lot of parents say the past few weeks: DISD shouldn't solely use a formula to make staffing decisions for individual schools and, if it does, Luna's faith in Supt. Michael Hinojosa will be shaken. Luna points out that Long's enrollment falls just below 1,000, which is a DISD formula cutoff that could cost Long up to 20 employees if the RIF is carried out the way DISD administrators have planned, while if Long had 13 more students, quite a few less people than 20 would be impacted. The problem with Luna's idea: If every school was evaluated individually, would DISD solve its budget problem before it went broke?

Here's what Patrick had to say:

I spoke to (J.L. Long principal Danielle) Petters today (Friday), and she has been ordered to plan to cut 20 positions. I am shocked at the magnitude for Long. I understand that the number is so large for Long because, at the official enrollment of 987, Long is 13 students short of 1,000. Until this year, Long has had more than 1,000 students, so the DISD Formula provided a third administrator, a third counselor and so on that Long currently has. The most significant part of Hinojosa's plan, as I understand it, is to strictly enforce the Formula as the main tool to make cuts across the district.

I have been a supporter of Hinojosa, but now I have doubts. To deal with this budget problem, which has been advertised as a surprise to Hinojosa, requires more than Formulas that are simplistic and short-sighted. The responsible way to effectively fix the budget shortfall is to make a reasoned assessment of the most effective cuts. Formulas are not reasoned. I expect more from Hinojosa and the district's staff than Formulas.

I am not so naive as to think that only Long is "special"; parents of all DISD schools will want to save their school's teacher positions. But if  Hinojosa is to rely heavily on Formulas to solve this problem, then I do not believe he is the leader DISD needs. J.L. Long has recently experienced Low Performing ratings and has not met Adequate Yearly Progress, to the point last year that only an appeal kept Long from Stage 3 status. To haphazardly apply a Formula that can easily tip this school to failure, rather than make an informed assessment of other options that can keep Long on the track to improvement, is a failure of leadership. Hinojosa has recently said he is accountable for the budget shortfall, meaning is he is accountable to stay and fix the problem. I am now concerned that accountability is not the problem, but rather Hinojosa's capability.

Nevertheless, my foremost concern is that J.L. Long should not bear an unreasoned share of the budget shortfall. — Patrick Luna, Long SBDM chairman

Comments

[K Meyers]

We just heard that Stonewall Jackson Elementary is set to lose its historic and prized outdoor garden and the science teacher who has made the garden such a wonderful hands-on learning experience for the children. The parents can't believe the destruction that is being wrought in one of the crown jewels of DISD. Getting rid of a science teacher and one of the reasons why a DISD school has succeeded? Short-sighted would be an understatement.

[Alex]

Look at these maps:

http://www.dallasisd.org/demo/schoolinfo/2007elem-usage.pdf

http://www.dallasisd.org/demo/schoolinfo/2007middle-usage.pdf

http://www.dallasisd.org/demo/schoolinfo/2007high-usage.pdf

Notice how almost all the schools between 35 and 175 are only about half full. Wouldn't a responsible district make the tough choice to combine some of those student bodies? Public opposition would obviously be strong, but is it more responsible than letting a number of schools fall into 'low performing'?

[Anonymous, please!]

Alex, here you get into the racial politics. This is a situation which has existed for years, the most egregious being Madison. 1/2 capacity or less for many years. The schools which would have to be closed or combined or their districts expanded are mostly 'historically black'. To take any action would introduce a large hispanic population into those schools.

This has been resisted for many years by so called old line black 'leaders'.

It would be interesting to see how closing Spruce to juniors and seniors and sending those students to Madison and Lincoln has worked out...

I think the best solution is breaking up the district. But I wonder how that can be done - is it a petition drive to call and election or does the TEA have to step in?

[GAnon]

Luna: Long is on the verge of reconstitution, then those teachers DO need to go. Typical Lakewood parent---all you care about are YOUR kids from Lakewood and Stonewall. Cutting these teachers will means larger classes and - oh my stars - and end to the segregation of Lakewood/Stonewall students from the rest of the "real" world at Long and Woodrow.

And the Stonewall garden??? GIVE ME A BREAK!!! Get your priorities straight. You can still learn Science without your stupid garden.

With parents like you all, this budget will never be balanced.

[Concerned parent]

The anonymous writer at 10:59 is apparently from outside the district or has no kids. After years of working to make improvements, the Long teaching teams have improved substantially, and the scores for all student groups presented at the PTA Board meeting showed the effects of those improvements. The question at the board meeting was how to bring all the students up, not just the students in one's own racial group. That attitude is one of Long's strengths. And the outdoor learning center at Stonewall is one of the reasons for that school's high ratings. So, anonymous, please keep your gleeful hatefulness to yourself. Meanwhile, the DISD budget on the district's website is written so that it impossible to see how much is spent on athletics, transportation to athletic events or athletic facilities (which are lumped in the same category as textbooks). Taxpayers want to know why the district added more than $20 million in consultants and contract workers between 06 and 07 and why they cannot be cut before teachers. Also, the three accounting offices could be combined as could the two offices of oversight and professional responsiblity as clearly they've been useless. Why is Hinojosa cutting the things parents have liked best in recent years--improved teachers and class size--without cutting his consultants. And why hasn't school board member Jack Lowe offered to give up his company's contracts with the DISD without changing penalties for breaking the contracts? These are the questions DISD parents have. We say cut anywhere but teachers.

[woodrowmom]

Apparently the woodrow wilson drama and music departments are on the chopping block!! Are they trying to destroy the east dallas schools?

[WWWildcat/SMUMustang]

woodrowmom this is the first I've heard of this - email the entire DISD board http://www.dallasisd.org/about/boardcontact.htm
this week and copy to tom@tomleppert.com and commissioner@tea.state.tx.us before your favorite teacher gets “Hino-hosed”.

[Angry Teacher]

WHEN WILL IT ALL STOP? Too many rumors, too much stupidity, and too long to DO ANYTHING. And yet, the one responsible does not have to worry about his job and I wonder WHY?

Teachers who have come to work and put in all the time and effort to see kids learn -- are all hung out to dry and he sits in his golden throne room and keeps on going.

HE MUST GO

[DISDTeacher]

There really is no fair way to do it. You can't say, well we'll take 4 teachers from every school because then you would end up with schools that already have high class sizes having even higher class sizes. There has to be a formula to it. Part of the reason that the budget got to this point was principals hiring teachers without getting board approval. Taking teachers from any school is not the way this should be going, but it seems that Hinojosa will only accept that as a solution.

[alfredo]

Having worked for other large governmental organizations that have had to RIF people I understand the pain of the employees. Having said that with the 75% of the DISD budget going to employees, figure includes benefits, there is now other way to make up a FILL IN THE BLANK budget shortfall. Should we vote the board out probably but it won't happen. Should the entire upper management go, probably, but it will not happen. Just a few lambs will be get the axe,