From the Archive: TRE or No TRE, the Community Supported Dallas ISD Teachers

 

 

[Editor’s note: Merry Christmas! This week, we’re taking time off to focus on our loved ones, so we are sharing some of our favorite stories from this year. Keep an eye out for our top features from the archives as we rest and get ready for a brilliant 2018! Cheers, from Candy and the entire staff at CandysDirt.com!]

From Bethany Erickson: This week, we’ve picked some of our favorite posts from 2017. For me, this post still gets me right in the feels, because right when everyone was sniping at each other, something beautiful happened — everyone turned their snark into something more powerful. Since it’s Christmas, it’s a great time to look back at what a community can do in a short amount of time. It’s also a reminder that teachers, schools and students of Dallas ISD still need our support.

The daunting needs that face Dallas ISD teachers won’t disappear — not after this legislative session, where lawmakers made it clear public education wasn’t a priority. But what can we do?

As I mentioned Monday, the Dallas ISD school board could not come to a supermajority on any of the Tax Ratification Election options proposed, nor on the 2-cent tax swap.

I feel like this fact gets buried in the talk about trustees and TRE: The vote Friday wasn’t to change the tax rate. The vote Friday was to put the change on a ballot and let voters decide if they wanted to give the district more money.

This means that if the voters didn’t want to — if they felt the same way their trustee did, they could vote against it. So the vote wasn’t to raise the tax or not. The vote was whether you got to decide what to do with your money.

As I talked about this with people, something emerged that was quite beautiful Sunday night. On Facebook, a group of us began talking about the many ways frustrated, would-be voters could still make a monetary mark on the needs of teachers here.

And then something even more remarkable happened. An art teacher at Robert E. Lee Elementary posted a link to her DonorsChoose.org campaign to fund the supplies she needed to help her students explore working with clay.

And then a local business owner, Davey Devlin, who owns The Art Of Landscaping powered by Scapes Incorporated, posted this response: “ My company funded the balance on the project. Have a great year back at school and thanks to you and all the teachers for all that you do for the kids of our community. It is very much appreciated.”

This got me thinking — what if we can do that for a few more teachers and schools? What would happen if all of us began putting our money where our mouths are?

So here is the premise for this piece: I’ve been asking teachers to spam me with their DonorsChoose campaigns and their Amazon wish lists. I’m starting this list below, and as projects get funded, I will indicate it. And as teachers send me more projects and lists, I’ll add them to the bottom.

To start with, I’ve tried to incorporate campaigns from all 41 schools identified by the district as at-risk (only 14 schools are Improvement Required), as well as submitted campaigns from teachers and schools.

And if you can’t afford to give monetarily, don’t forget – anyone can join their neighborhood school’s PTA. Anyone can volunteer to be on the school’s Site-Based Decision-Making committee. Neither takes a lot of your time, but they all make a great deal of difference to that school.

Next week, school starts for Dallas ISD. And we can make a difference. I know we have some of the most generous readers out there – let’s show these teachers we understand the work they do and appreciate it.

CandysDirt.com’s Big Help List

• The Exchange Club of East Dallas provides so much for the schools in its area – 12 schools, and about $130,000 a year currently, with hopes to raise that amount to fund more scholarships, eye exams, coats, uniforms, technology, and more. You can donate here.
• Dallas ISD has several food pantries for students, including Woodrow High’s Peace Pantry. Click here for more information.
• Mr. Schnitzer, the band instructor at Booker T. Washington, gave up his own trumpet last year because a student didn’t have one. This year, he needs a trumpet and a clarinet for two students. You can help here.
• Joseph J. Rhoads is a school near and dear to my heart — I spent my first year of Reading Partners tutoring at this school. Mrs. Garza is looking to fund the purchase of four tablets for her kindergarten class during centers time.
• Ms. Washington needs tablets for her students to use during centers time and group work.
• Ms. Hill, a teacher at Zumwalt Middle School, needs earphones for her “Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader” program.
• Ms. C at Zumwalt would like the means to provide flexible seating options for her students.
• Mrs. Downs at Marsh Middle School would like to provide active seating that helps all of her learners.
• Mrs. Monroe at George W. Truett Elementary needs school supplies for her students.
• Mrs. Johnson at Edward Titche Elementary would like a cubby storage unit for her kindergarten class.
• Ms. Soto at Hogg Elementary would like some flexible seating options for her kindergarteners.
• Ms. Ford at Grady Spruce High would like reading material to expand her students’ world view.
• Mrs. Mirche at Seagoville Middle School wants to purchase Chromebooks for her AVID students.
• Mrs. Lopes at Maple Lawn Elementary needs headphones for her third and fourth graders.
• Ms. Isa at Cochran Elementary needs headphones for reading centers and I-station.
• Ms. Hillis at Molina High needs copies of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children to read and annotate.
• Ms. Gamboa at Onesimo Hernandez Elementary needs assistance with her ESL classroom.
• Ms. Daniels at D.A. Hulcy would like to stock her classroom library and the libraries of her students.

 FULLY FUNDED!
Current Total: 37 campaigns, $14,573 in donations

• Mrs. Pinella at Harlee Early Childhood Center would like materials for her special education program. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Hanel at Thomas Jefferson High needs art supplies for “The Memory Project.” – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. Moreno at J.L. Long Middle School needs school supplies for her students. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Cervantes at Winnetka Elementary needs career-related manipulatives for her pre-K students. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mr. Gatlin at Sudie Williams Elementary wants to renovate the school’s chicken coop.– FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Mann at Caillet Elementary would like to provide her class with periodicals.– FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. Phillips at J.W. Ray Elementary needs a kidney shaped table for group instruction. – FULLY FUNDED!

• Mrs. H at Albert Sidney Johnston Elementary needs craft and art supplies to use as manipulatives to teach concepts to her students. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. Brooks at Wilmer-Hutchins High School needs hygiene wipes, hygiene kits, healthy snacks, and a first aid kit for her classroom. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Heikkinen at Cary Middle School needs supplies for her classroom before the school year starts. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mr. McDonald at Dade Middle School needs two lecterns and folders to help his scholars learn the fine art of public speaking and debate.  – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. De Valle at Umphrey Lee Elementary needs an easel for her students to use when learning different concepts. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. Weatherspoon at Umphrey Lee would like to fill out her classroom library with new chapter books. – FULLY FUNDED!
• There are only four days left on Mr. Joseph’s campaign to provide his Roosevelt High School students have what they need for college.  – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Daza at Onesimo Hernandez Elementary needs math manipulatives for her kindergarteners. Help her out here, while donations are being matched. – FULLY FUNDED!
• I’ve written about Dunbar Elementary before. Mrs. Reed-Smith wants to change the trajectory of her school’s reading scores by stocking up on incentives that will make reading fun, not a chore, for her students. You can fund this by clicking here. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. Fernandez at Carr wants reading material for even the most reluctant reader. Complete her campaign to purchase comic books for her students here. FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Nelson at Dunbar needs paper. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Russell at Carr Elementary (an Improvement Required school that is one of the schools that would’ve benefited from the TRE) just got her project fulfilled, but you know extra funds will help her students, and others, flourish. You can donate to future projects here. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Fonseca at Barbara Jordan Elementary would appreciate some English-version scholastic magazines for her students. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. John at Hotchkiss Elementary would like a listening center for her pre-K students. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. Guster at Dunbar needs manipulatives for her kindergarteners. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mr. Smajlovic needs school supplies for his students at Robert T. Hill Middle School. – FULLY FUNDED!
• There are only two days left on Mrs. Camp’s campaign to create her kindergarten technology station at Sudie Williams Elementary School. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Anderson at Anne Frank Elementary would like funding for a field trip to the aquarium. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Perez at Salazar Elementary needs wobble cushions and more to help her students move while learning. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Friesenhahn at Foster Elementary needs help providing the learning technology program IXL for her class. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Fernandez at Cigarroa Elementary would like materials for her learning stations in her classroom. FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Smith at Dade needs bean bag chairs and more to create a poetry lounge vibe for her “Speak Yo’ Truth” classroom. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. Winegard’s students need Time magazine subscriptions to spur on a love of reading about current events. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Stout at Mata Elementary needs age-appropriate periodicals and biographies. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Booker at Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary needs new learning materials for an upgrade on the library. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. McGinnis at Wilmer-Hutchins needs supplies and equipment for her students, who often cannot afford school supplies. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Hashaway at Kramer Elementary would like Time for Kids subscriptions for her class. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Karolevitz at Seagoville Middle School needs snacks and sports equipment. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. A at Robert E. Lee Elementary would like some contra bass bars for her music class. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Mrs. Brown at Blanton Elementary needs bulletin board paper for her pretend and learn center. – FULLY FUNDED!
• Ms. Embry at JJ Rhoads would like help making sure her students take home and read 1,000 books before kindergarten. – FULLY FUNDED!