Allen Gwinn  2008-07-14 15:58  DISD (Schools)   

Update July 21: Soft-Core Adult Advertisement Appeared on Viramontes Consulting Website!

Husband and wife's combined salaries exceed $320,000 a year

DISD has long been under fire for its lax approach in handling nepotism.

In DISD, getting to that top job could even involve who you are sleeping with--literally.

Arnold Viramontes served as the district's Chief of Information Technology during 2006 through early 2008. The post was formerly held by recently convicted fraudster Ruben Bohuchot.

When he was appointed to the position of Chief Transformation Officer for Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, Arnold may have had a novel idea on who should replace him.

His wife.

Michael Davis  2008-07-22 09:35  DISD (Schools)   

Listening to KNON this morning, a caller talked about a DISD special called meeting.

I usually stay out of DISD affairs but the caller asked about this week's DISD meeting and I had to start looking into it.

Agenda item number 8 (images below) is a "Adoption of Clarification of Action Taken on August 25, 2005, regarding board file No. 46372 Consideration of Proposed Names for New and Existing Facilities, regarding Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts."

Allen Gwinn  2008-07-18 15:43  DISD (Schools)   

We received this, originally, as an anonymous comment. I felt it was worthy of posting on the front page:

My mother is a retired teacher 1969-2007. She was one of the first 13 Hispanics to force her way into the DISD "good ole boy system."

Being a Hispanic male my mother has many times asked me why I would not consider being a teacher. She says, "The young Hispanics today do not have enough positive role models mijo". "You have a way with explaining the most complex things so that even closed young minds can comprehend."

Allen Gwinn  2008-07-16 10:56  DISD (Schools)   

from Sheri Beach, SBDM Chair, Bryan-Adams HS

I spoke with Mrs. Goodsell on Tuesday regarding clarification of the band uniforms for the 08-09 school year. The following is her response:

Allen Gwinn  2008-07-02 20:37  DISD (Schools)   

We've got 'em!

Last month, the DISD Board of Trustees voted to affirm DISD administration's plan to "fix" academically-unacceptable Spruce High School by relocating it's 10th and 11th grade population to other schools.

The plan was championed by DISD Trustee Nancy Bingham who said the school was being gutted at the will of Spruce parents who told her to do it at community meetings.

This left a problem however: what to do with all those teachers who (now) used to teach at Spruce.

The solution: robo-calls. Three of them to be exact.

You know, those annoying recordings that call you up on election day to tell you that some poor schmuck politician wants to destroy the Earth as we know it? Ahh, those!

Plus, the District didn't consider the bigger problem: that we'd get our hands on copies and post them.

Allen Gwinn  2008-06-26 16:08  DISD (Schools)   

10:10 - BOARD RECESSES AS GILLIAM SUPPORTERS SHOUT AT THE BOARD! DISD POLICE MAKE AN ENTRANCE! PRICE IS FURIOUS!

DISD gets scathing presentation from Deloitte...

FIREWORKS over limiting speakers on the topic of the Kathlyn Gilliam Administration Building!

Board unlimits speakers on the budget!

Shouting erupts as the Spence issue is being debated!

5:06 and we're off with the budget meeting. This is the meeting before the real meeting. Eric Anderson is giving a budget update to the board.

There was a gaggle of teachers here, complete with black shirts and a coffin, protesting the teacher pay cuts.

The auditorium is packed and we're guaranteed an interesting evening. So refresh and scroll down often...

Dale  2008-06-02 22:32  DISD (Schools)   

The sheer notion that the Dallas ISD would ask voters to approve a $1 billion dollar plus bond package for new schools and then turn around and say we don't have enough money to pay our most experienced teachers and our support professionals is absolutely ludicrous! The Dallas ISD also is proud to pound their chest about the number of "Exemplary" and "Recognized" schools going up. Well, ladies and gentlemen, who made that possible?

Allen Gwinn  2008-04-29 08:02  DISD (Schools)   

by Kelsey Gwinn, 5th grade, Hexter Elementary

[Background: Alex W. Spence is one of two Talented-And-Gifted (TAG) academies in the Dallas Independent School District. It has historically been very competitive, and consistently ranks high in TAKS scoring. This posting is from an 11-year-old who visited the school this Spring.]

In the mail I got a flyer for an Open House at Alex W. Spence TAG Academy at Spence Middle School. My dad really wanted to go there and see what it was like. He thought the magnet schools would be higher quality than private schools. We went to the Open House and first went to an orientation in the auditorium. They were telling how great their school was and showing off all their high test scores. They also bragged about the free breakfast that everyone got to have every day. They said they had very nice meals and it was a chance for the students to be with their friends.