05/12/2008

Demand for teachers in key subjects sparks hiring war in North Texas school districts
Teachers who complain about being underpaid may need to find another beef. How does $50,000 a year for a newly minted teacher sound?

How teachers compare
How teachers compare 2006 average annual salaries

Education notes

05/10/2008

Voters approve Dallas ISD bond issue

SONYA N. HEBERT/DMN

McKenzie Lubs, 10, writes returns on a white board during the Dallas ISD bond supporters' election watching party Saturday night.

Less than 5 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, but support for the bond issue was evident when early returns favored approval.
Becky Miller loses Carrollton mayor's race
Suburban voters OK school bonds
O'Hare wins in Farmers Branch
Collin County elections
Link: Full results

Adam Medrano scores decisive win, keeps Dallas ISD board seat
Mr. Medrano easily held onto the District 8 seat, in the city's northwest corner, that he filled two years ago after the sudden death of former trustee Joe May.

Highland Park, Lewisville, Plano school bonds approved
Highland Park ISD voters were considering a $75.4 million bond measure, the district’s first in almost 10 years. Lewisville ISD voters will consider two measures totaling $776 million, and Plano ISD voters were deciding whether to borrow almost a half-billion dollars for what would be the district’s largest-ever bond issue.

North Texas voters head to polls today

BEN TORRES / AL DIA

Four school districts are each asking voters for millions of dollars for campus construction, improvement and expansion projects.

North Texas voters will cast ballots today in city and school elections across the area. Several high-profile city races have featured heated debates, personal attacks and criticisms of incumbents.
Voter Guide: Compare candidates
Polling places
Recap: Read about the races

05/09/2008

Texas Tech regents vote to freeze tuition
Texas Tech University's Board of Regents on Friday bucked a statewide trend and voted to freeze tuition for next school year. Student and parking fees, as well as room and board charges, also will not go up for 2008-2009.

05/08/2008

TAKS scores up for Dallas ISD eighth-graders, but district still trails state
Dallas ISD eighth-graders posted significant gains on state exams this spring, bringing a bit of good news to a public school system that often seems mired in problems.

05/09/2008

DISD teachers, officials want students punished for false accusations
Dallas public school trustees and teacher representatives want to amend the district's student code of conduct to allow schools to punish students who falsely accuse teachers of inappropriate behavior.

05/05/2008

Allegations of tampering at Carroll ISD school forwarded to DA
The Texas Education Agency is investigating a report by the school district last month accusing a former Southlake elementary school principal of changing special education students' classroom placement at Old Union Elementary School.

05/06/2008

What do children read? Hint: Harry Potter's not No. 1
WASHINGTON – Children have welcomed the Harry Potter books in recent years like free ice cream in the cafeteria, but the nation's largest survey ever of youthful reading shows that the works of Dr. Seuss, E.B. White, Judy Blume, S.E. Hinton and Harper Lee are still the most read.

05/05/2008

UNT Dallas officials seek more time before separation from Denton campus
officials say they want an extra year just to get everything in order, including the hiring of more professors and addition of more degree programs.

05/02/2008

See how Dallas ISD would spend the $1.35B from its proposed bond issue

LAYNE SMITH/DMN Staff Artist

Use our interactive map to see how Dallas ISD administrators have proposed allocating the funds.
Supporters: Need undeniable
Portable buildings a growing concern
Officials: Much work needed
Deteriorating schools:
Video
Photos

05/05/2008

Education notes
University of Texas at Dallas researchers will start Challenging Algorithmics and Mathematics in Problem Solving, a new five-year computer science program for middle-school students, with a $2.7 million project funded by the National Science Foundation.

05/04/2008

Some parents aren't on board with McKinney ISD's zoning procedures
Every family that moves into the McKinney school district quickly learns one lesson: The school down the street may not be the one your children attend.

05/03/2008

Lovejoy school board candidates focus on financial well-being
Seats up for election: Two seats at Places 4 and 5 are open on the Lovejoy school board. Incumbent board president Richard Hickman faces one opponent at Place 5. Two newcomers are vying for Place 4. Gary Barton withdrew from the race for Place 4. The board is elected "at large." Terms last three years.

Dallas ISD audit hasn't found fraud, but that's not its aim
When Dallas school officials recently reassured the public that a long-overdue audit of district finances has not turned up any fraud, they failed to mention that their auditors are not specifically looking for fraud.

Audit definitions
Dallas ISD's overdue audit is an "annual comprehensive audit," which is different from an audit in which inspectors seek to unearth fraud or theft. Here's how the two types of audits differ:

05/02/2008

Jewish students in Plano report pressure to pick up New Testaments
Some Plano students who are Jewish say they were pressured or taunted to pick up copies of the New Testament from school display tables during recent weeks. Their parents have called for changes in district policies that allow outside groups to distribute materials on campus.

Allen parents file discrimination claims in cheerleader tryouts
Four black girls tried out for cheerleading at Allen High School this spring. None of them made it. Now, parents have filed grievances with the school district on behalf of three of the girls, arguing that they suffered racial discrimination.

05/03/2008

DISD bond supporters say need is undeniable
Few are predicting a lopsided victory May 10, when voters decide the fate of a $1.35 billion bond referendum for the Dallas ISD. "If this thing doesn't pass, the kids are going to suffer," said school trustee Edwin Flores, who represents District 1 in northwest Dallas.

05/02/2008

Garland school board votes to close Memorial
Garland school board members voted Thursday to close and revamp Memorial Preparatory School as part of an overhaul of the district's education programs for at-risk students.

04/30/2008

Dallas ISD still using portable classrooms, despite plans not to

JUAN GARCIA/DMN

Students at Hillcrest High School make their way to classes in portable buildings.

Six years ago, Dallas voters passed a $ 1.2 billion bond to help replace portable classrooms at Dallas ISD campuses, but many, including at Hillcrest High, remain throughout the district.
Voters to decide on Dallas ISD's $1.35B bond issue
Interactive map: See how Dallas ISD would spend the $1.35B
Editorial: Voters should approve Dallas ISD's $1.35B bond issue

05/02/2008

Seven North Texas school districts ranked among nation's best in music education
A national group that promotes school music programs has named seven North Texas school districts among the "Best Communities for Music Education in America."

Teacher support a popular topic in DeSoto ISD board races
Seats up for election: Seven candidates are running for three at-large seats on the DeSoto school board. Three candidates are vying for Place 3 to replace outgoing board President Janice Pettis Ingram, who is leaving after 12 years on the board. Two incumbents in Places 4 and 5 each face a challenger. The terms last three years.

04/30/2008

Texas schools testing ways to ease TAKS anxiety

WILLIAM DESHAZER/DMN

Madison Connolly drew a note of encouragement for students taking the TAKS test at Allen's Green Elementary School.

Texas schools are doing what the can to eliminate some of the pressure students feel before taking the state accountability test. Districts are trying everything from the sublime to the scientific.

04/29/2008

Dallas area test-prep company settles in copyright-infringement lawsuit
A Dallas-area test-prep company accused of using unauthorized copies of college entrance exams to give students an advantage avoided a federal lawsuit Tuesday by agreeing to a $1 million settlement.