Trustee Lance Currie: Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful break and is ready for an exciting new semester.

As we begin the new semester, I’m proud to celebrate School Board Recognition Month with my fellow members at the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees. As trustees, we work to strengthen public schools and connect the district with our community. It’s an honor to serve alongside passionate and dedicated individuals committed to ensuring every student’s success and making a lasting impact in Dallas ISD.

Dallas ISD Updates

Dallas ISD Shines in teacher retention: Dallas ISD is full of amazing teachers, and they are the most important drivers of student success. Since Dallas ISD implemented its Teacher Excellence Initiative in 2014, where teachers are paid more for effectiveness rather than longevity, teacher retention has skyrocketed. Teacher turnover in Dallas ISD (16.8%) is now substantially lower than the region (19.1%) and the state (20.9%).

Community Listening progress and goal setting: Thank you to the more than 1,000 community members, staff, students, and parents who came to our community listening sessions and filled out surveys about their vision for Dallas ISD. The board reviewed all this data and worked on priorities for Dallas ISD that will guide our work over the coming five years. The discussion focused on setting goals in areas such as literacy, math, college, career and military readiness, as well as providing financial and digital literacy for students.

Dallas Receives the Highest Tier Bond Rating: Dallas ISD was recently awarded a top-tier bond rating. The Kroll Bond Rating Agency assigned Dallas ISD a bond rating of AAA. Of the 1,207 school districts in Texas, only 11 have received the AAA bond rating. Higher ratings mean lower interest rates, which can save our taxpayers millions of dollars over the life of the bonds.

Choice School application deadline: Dallas ISD families have a few more days to apply to the many school choice options still available. Enrollment will close Friday, Jan. 31. With over 100 options and programs to choose from, Dallas ISD offers families true school choice. Explore our offerings and apply at www.dallasisd.org/choosedallasisd.

District 1 Updates

Here are highlights from our District 1 schools.

Barnes & Noble donates 1,000 books to Walnut Hill International Leadership Academy: Barnes & Noble made an incredibly generous gift to the students at Walnut Hill International Leadership Academy. We were treated by an awesome student performance followed by the students picking out their next book to read.
Welcome to Marcus Leadership Academy, Principal Ruiz: When students returned from the holiday break, they welcomed a new principal, Nakita Ruiz. Principal Ruiz is a 14-year educator who recently served as an assistant principal at Hector P. Garcia Middle School. With a beautiful new school and amazing new principal, great things are happening at Marcus.
Congrats to August S. at Prestonwood Montessori at E.D. Walker: August is the winner of the Perfect Attendance Competition in District 1. Also, congrats to principal, Ashley Toole, for winning the “VIP (Very Influential Principal)” award.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve our students. If you have questions, thoughts, or want to talk about how we can work together to make Dallas ISD the best school district, just email me at LanceCurrie@dallasisd.org.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve our students. If you have questions, thoughts, or want to talk about how we can work together to make Dallas ISD the best school district, please e-mail me at LanceCurrie@dallasisd.org.