Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas

DISD news roundup: No election, new CFO and another investigation

Lots of DISD action this week ... here's a brief summary of some of what went down, along with (of course) a little commentary:

• After its embarrassing financial crisis, DISD is spending $258,000 annually to hire a new chief financial officer. Larry Throm comes via Austin and Lubbock, where he is credited with being a tough watchdog on district finances there. "Dallas is absolutely fixable," Throm told the DMN. "I would not have taken the job if I didn't think I could be successful. They need to install some internal controls, generally accepted accounting principals and some safeguards."

DISD board vote may extend trustee terms and delay May election

When Carla Ranger starts looking like the reasonable one on the DISD board, we might have a big problem. But that seems to be the case on the board's possible vote today to delay the currently scheduled spring elections for trustee seats currently held by Edwin Flores, Leigh Ann Ellis and Ron Price.

In a nod to stability, the board is considering extending board terms, which would mean the three trustees wouldn't face re-election until 2010 as opposed to May 2009. The board is relying on a state law that allows school boards to extend trustee terms; DISD's lawyers apparently are giving the board the go-ahead even as Ranger cites other legal opinions saying such a move would be illegal.

Jim Schutze weighs in on the idea in this week's Dallas Observer, and most of his points are dead-on.

Extending trustee terms is a good idea, giving the volunteers we elect a longer period of time to learn the ropes and at least try to keep everything honest on Ross Avenue.

But voting to extend the terms to get around having an election, as opposed to making the term extension effective after the next election cycle, essentially trumps our right as voters to have a say on DISD's ongoing issues. It could very well be in DISD's best interests — and it certainly is in Supt. Michael Hinojosa's best interest — to keep these three supportive board members on the job. But that's just not the way things should be done in a democracy. An election to vote in new board members, if that occurred, might make things even more messy at DISD, while re-electing these three board members would send a message that stability is what voters want.

But that's a decision for voters to make, and it shouldn't be taken away from us by the very people whose actions many are questioning.

Around the web: Public education edition

A regular roundup of stuff that wouldn't necessarily make it on the blog, but is worth noting. Today, public education news -- and, apparently, the DISD isn't the only district with problems.

• The Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD fired its superintendent last week. Superintendent Annette Griffin was ousted after being arrested for drunk driving and then not reporting the arrest. Said one trustee: "It was not an easy decision for me in light of Dr. Griffin's significant contributions to the district over the last decade. But the superintendent must be a role model for the staff and the students. What has transpired was a breach of trust to the board and the community."

• In Lancaster, the board fired superintendent Larry Lewis Monday after he apparently withheld information from the board and tampered with members' mail. He may also have made loans with district money and spent $800,000 to hire employees who were not in the budget. Lewis' lawyer said his client had no knowledge of alleged loans and that there was no need for the superintendent to notify the board about hiring additional employees because there was money in the budget to pay for them.

• The Arlington ISD is on its third superintendent this year. Long-time superintendent Mac Bernd retired in January, and his replacement, Hector Montenegro, was forced to resign in July after questions arose about his dealings with nonprofits that did business with the district. Jerry McCullough has been interim superintendent since.

Technorati Tags: public education,schools,superintendent firings,Carrollton-Farmers Branch,Lancaster,Arlington

Woodrow Mock Trial Team offers Friday night babysitting

Since they're heading to Boston's Harvard University for a mock trial workshop, the Woodrow Wilson High School Mock Trial Team is offering "its impeccable babysitting services," according to the flier, as a fundraiser this Friday night, so that neighborhood parents can attend the Lakewood Candlelight Home Tour and Love Boat Party, Casino and Auction.

It's a full seven hours, 5 p.m.-midnight, for $45 ($25 for the second child in a family and $20 for the third). Parents can drop off their kids (who must be at least 3 and do not require diaper-changing duties) at Northridge Presbyterian Church. Dinner will be provided, and the mock trial team invites parents to bring jammies, pillows and blankets, "in case eyelids get heavy".

Woodrow Wilson High School dessert theater

A $5 ticket to this coming Monday night's show — featuring Variations: The Show Choir, Counterpoint, Woodrow Mixed Choir, Woodrow Girls Choir and Expectations, the show choir from J.L. Long Middle School — also includes a dessert and a raffle ticket. Prizes include front and center reserved seats to Woodrow's spring musical (this year it's "The Secret Garden") and a Woodrow Variations performance at your holiday party, as well as gift certificates to places like Cantina Laredo and Paciugo.

Of course, the bigger prizes require you to enter more raffle tickets, which can be purchased for $5 each. It's all for a good cause — the event is hosted by the Friends of Woodrow Choir. Desserts will be served starting at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

DISD whittles budget deficit to $28 million

Lots of DISD news Thursday, most of it positive, as the board met to discuss budget deficit progress, extending trustee terms, reviewing academic progress and evaluating how improvements to the accounting program are going. Here's a brief summary:

• The biggest news: Last year's DISD budget deficit, originally estimated at $64 million for this year, has been lowered to about $52 million as a result of additional state and local revenues. And this year's deficit, originally estimated at $84 million, has been reduced to about $75 million, prior to the recent teacher layoffs (which are projected to reduce the deficit by about $26 million) and program cuts (which reduce the projected deficit by about $28.2 million, leaving the district still about $28 million over budget for this year.

DISD 'ghosts' on the comeback trail?

Jim Schutze has a thoughtful column in this week's Dallas Observer about the state of DISD and what needs to be done. Rather than try to paraphrase what he's saying, since he covers a couple of topics, I'll let you read it. There is an interesting trip down memory lane for those of us who have been in Dallas for awhile, though, as Jim discusses past superintendents Yvonne Gonazalez and Waldemar Rojas, neither of whom lasted 12 months in the top job. The good times just keep rolling ...

How about an extra year for DISD trustees?

With many parents and teachers eager to blow up the entire DISD school board, word comes today in a DMN article that some board members not only aren't eager to leave — they're considering plans to extend their terms.

The board will consider a proposal Thursday to extend individual trustees' terms from three years to four, giving Leigh Ann Ellis, Edwin Flores and Ron Price an extra year before facing election (currently, their terms end May 2009). The rationale is that a trustee new to the board could use an additional year to do the job more effectively. Ellis told the DMN it takes a couple of years to understand the district well enough to have an impact.

Predictably, the same people who are calling for board members to resign as a result of the budget problems aren't in favor of the board extending members' terms. From a practical standpoint, the proposal makes sense — a four-year term (already implemented in Austin and Houston) would provide more time to do the job right and, theoretically, more board continuity since terms would be staggered with four members up for election at one time and the remaining five up for election two years later — as opposed to electing three board members every year.

Unfortunately, from a PR standpoint, this proposal might be a little harder to defend, since it does give the appearance of board members extending their own terms, much like Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently lobbied for in New York (he said given the troubling economic times, it would be too risky for New Yorkers to have an untested mayor on the job; Bloomberg wanted to run again, but couldn't because of term limits unless the city's charter was changed, so it was). Personally, I don't have a problem with the DISD proposal, but it probably would be better to carry out the May 2009 elections, as planned, and extend the terms of those elected then for four years, similarly adjusting the terms of the other trustees as they come up for election until the rotation is correct.

Also Thursday, the board will be hearing from Supt. Michael Hnojosa, who is scheduled to lay out a plan to make sure DISD doesn't face another budget crisis anytime soon. Who knows? Maybe public interest in what's going on in Washington will allow Hinojosa and DISD to get back on top of education here out of the limelight. Relatively.

DISD's Hinojosa could face a 'no confidence' vote by trustees Monday

DISD school board trustee Ron Price submitted a letter, co-signed by trustees Carla Ranger and Lew Blackburn, at last night's board meeting calling on the board to meet in emergency session Monday to consider a vote of "no confidence" in DISD Supt. Michael Hinojosa. The information was reported on WFAA-TV last night, along with video of people attending the school board meeting chanting "Jack Lowe must go" and yelling out all kinds of things after the board meeting ended.

A "no confidence" vote, as I understand it, doesn't have any legal status, but it would continue eroding the public's support of district leadership, as well as serve to keep the big budget scandal in the news, further eroding the public's support of district leadership. In fact, further evidence of the continuing drumbeat seeking to get rid of Hinojosa showed up on the DMN's education blog yesterday. The NEA-Dallas, a teacher's organization, attempted to survey its membership concerning Hinojosa and the school board; 428 teachers and DISD employees responded, according to the poll, which was sent to teachers and also linked on the DMN blog so other DISD employees could respond. (I'm just reading this in the introduction to the survey, which you can ready by clicking here: Download neadallas_confidence_survey.pdf)

Dallas ISD Ethics Policy: It shouldn't get lost in the fog of budget crisis

Thursday at 4:30 the DISD Board of Trustees will hold a called meeting that will include a closed session:

...to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee; including evaluation of the performance of the Superintendent of Schools.

In the aftermath of the audit, the budget crisis, the RIF, continued TEA sword rattling, and the rehiring of over 50 teachers, speculation abounds about Dr. Hinojosa's relationship with the Board and his future at DISD. 

It appears to me that this event has pushed from public consciousness the fact that at the regular Board of Trustees meeting at 5:30 the last item on the discussion agenda, item 15, calls for action on the Board's revised ethics policy. This revision had been a pretty hot topic prior to the audit results and then the surprise budget crisis. In light of the recent difficulties faced by the DISD, it seems that the revisions of this policy are an excellent place for the DISD to take affirmative steps to restore public confidence in District leadership. Oops. Review of the policy reveals another missed opportunity.