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Dallas ISD is among big-city districts where Hispanic students made gains on math NAEP

According to a report released this week by the Child Trends Hispanic Institute:

Hispanic fourth- and eighth-graders in many large U.S. cities also have made significant gains—the equivalent of roughly one grade level—in math over the last ten years. Large cities, despite rates of poverty or low-in come among Hispanic students ranging from 75 to 100 percent, had greater score increases for many Hispanic subgroups, particularly at grade four, than did the nation as a whole. Top districts like Dallas and Miami-Dade score more than two grade levels higher than bottom-tier districts such as Detroit and Fresno (2013). From 2003 to 2013, districts including Boston and Los Angeles have seen remarkable score increases—roughly equivalent to two grade levels—for Hispanic students. Child Trends recognizes school districts in Charlotte, Boston, and Houston as notable for their scores and gains for Hispanic students in grade four mathematics, with honor able mentions for Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles and the District of Columbia.

The data here is from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which has managed to get itself called the “nation’s report card.” It is the one test given most consistently across the country for many years. Not every kid takes it, however. Other weaknesses in the report: It does not look at whether the gaps between Hispanic and white students closed. If not, these gains could be an artifact of the test. Or represent a troubling lack of progress. The record examined here is from 2003 to 2013.

Another weakness:

Please note that there are many possible reasons for why these changes occurred, a topic not addressed in this report. Demographic changes, such as decreases in recent immigration, increases in proportions of highly-educated families, or, yes, school reform efforts may be responsible for the changes in scores. In other words, although the named districts and states are notable for their score increases, this does not mean that school authorities in these districts and states are necessarily responsible for those increases. Please read the “Limitations of the Data” section for more information. This report does not offer an explanation for this progress, but we hope to shine a spotlight on the changes to begin to ask why—and why not.

Boldfaced words are bold in the original.

So at least two cheers, maybe, for Dallas and the other touted districts. Better up than down.

East Dallas parents, others want more folks to choose Robert E. Lee Elementary

Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Dallas ISD

Principal Bridget Ransom speaks at a Robert E. Lee Elementary open house. (Holly Hacker/DMN)

Robert E. Lee Elementary School has a dual-language program where kids learn in English and Spanish. It’s applying to become an International Baccalaureatecampus. So why don’t more local families send their kids there?

It’s a question that Lee, an East Dallas school with 350 kids and room to grow, is tackling with fresh resolve.

Lee hosted an open house this morning so current parents, prospective parents, and others could learn more. More than 100 people showed up, including two Dallas city councilmen (Philip Kingston and Adam Medrano), two DISD board members (Miguel Solis and Mike Morath), and parents with strollers and babies in tow.

“If we are going to change Robert E. Lee to the best school for this community . . . it’s going to take you, and you taking the first step today,” DISD board president Miguel Solis told the group.

Lee’s boundaries include apartment buildings along with homes priced north of $500,000. More than two-thirds of students come from low-income families. More than a quarter of students are learning English.

Lee has also had three different principals in as many years. Despite so much turnover, several parents said today they’re optimistic about the new leader, veteran DISD educator Bridget Ransom.

“It’s not that the school needs to improve. It just needs more people to know about it, and more parents to be involved,” parent Staci Howie said.

Several neighborhood associations have pledged their help, too. They’ve asked Lee teachers for classroom wish lists. Top items include copy paper, sturdy electric pencil sharpeners, and dry erase markers.

The PTA, meanwhile, has an email list of 250 and growing.

“Everything feels like it’s coming together,” parent Velouette Zavadil said.

Dallas ISD hires former U.S. Attorney to investigate trustee Bernadette Nutall; some trustees surprised by move

Superintendent Mike Miles, left, and trustee Bernadette Nutall

By Tawnell D. Hobbs and Matthew Haag
Staff Writers

Dallas ISD administrators have hired an outside attorney to investigate complaints against Trustee Bernadette Nutall, surprising school board members who were told about it for the first time Thursday night.

DISD general counsel Jack Elrod told board members in closed session that the district hired former U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins to lead the investigation, trustees told The Dallas Morning News. The complaints were made by three employees – after Superintendent Mike Miles ordered police to forcibly remove Nutall from Dade Middle School last month.

“The fact that this is coming up right now, to me — the timing of all this seems peculiar,” board President Miguel Solis said Friday.

Miles, who oversees the district, said he was unaware that Coggins was hired.

“I don’t know anything about Paul Coggins being hired,” he said Friday. “The person you need to talk to or could talk to is Jack Elrod.”

Elrod couldn’t be reached for comment. Dallas ISD spokesman Jon Dahlander said he wouldn’t comment about items discussed with trustees in closed session.

Nutall, who attended Thursday’s meeting, said the district has bigger issues to address.

“Dade Middle School is still in a state of flux, and children are suffering,” Nutall said in an email late Friday. “If Mr. Miles put as much thought, energy and effort in working with all parents, communities and trustees as he does working against certain ones, all while evading responsibility for his actions and subpar results, then this entire district would be performing better than it has under his leadership.”

The Dade incident sparked outrage among some community leaders, who are calling for Miles to resign.

Solis said he first heard about Coggins being hired Wednesday and confirmed it with Elrod before Thursday’s meeting. He said he asked Elrod to inform trustees about the investigation during the meeting.

Trustee Lew Blackburn said he also found the timing of the investigation suspicious.

“It is a strong coincidence,” Blackburn said. “I was surprised. I’m concerned that the superintendent has allowed an investigation to begin about a trustee before letting the board know from the onset.”

More to come…

Read the full story here.

Video: Miguel Solis removed as chair of Dallas ISD board meeting because of his relationship with Superintendent Miles

School board president Miguel Solis.

In a surprise move, Dallas ISD trustee Joyce Foreman won support for a proposal at Thursday’s called board meeting to remove board president Miguel Solis as chair of the meeting. Foreman said she had concerns about transparency and objectivity if Solis led the meeting.

Solis is the former special assistant to Superintendent Mike Miles, who was his boss. The trustees met Thursday to discuss the incident last month where Miles had district police officers physically remove trustee Bernadette Nutall from Dade Middle School.

Foreman offered the motion at the beginning of the meeting, and her proposal received six votes to make Lew Blackburn the chair of the meeting. Solis said at the end of the meeting that he put his ego aside and had no problem with the decision.

Trustees Nancy Bingham, Mike Morath and Solis voted against it.

After a four-hour closed door meeting, trustees voted in open session to ask for a state investigation into the Dade incident.

Matthew Haag writes about the Dallas Independent School District. Follow @matthewhaag.

Dallas ISD board to request state investigation into trustee’s removal from Dade Middle School

Superintendent Mike Miles, left, and trustee Bernadette Nutall

By Tawnell D. Hobbs and Matthew Haag 
Staff Writers

Dallas ISD trustees on Thursday opted to seek an investigation by the Texas Education Agency concerning the forcible removal of trustee Bernadette Nutall from Dade Middle School.

Superintendent Mike Miles asked Dallas ISD police officers to remove Nutall from the South Dallas school  on Oct. 13.

After four hours behind closed doors, the board voted unanimously to ask TEA to look into the matter and have the education commissioner request an opinion from the Texas Attorney General. Trustees want the attorney general to rule on a couple of issues, including whether a superintendent has the authority to have a trustee removed from school district property.

Trustees voted against hiring an outside law firm to conduct an investigation. They also took no action against Nutall and Miles, but some trustees promised they would revisit that issue when the state issues its investigative report.

“I am thoroughly disappointed that a fellow trustee was treated in that manner,” trustee Joyce Foreman said. “And if this situation is not handled, who will be the next trustee? I’m asking my fellow colleagues, when we get this information, don’t let this die.”

Several trustees said they were eager to get the Dade incident behind them. “I am disappointed that our attention is on this when it needs to be on educating our children,” trustee Dan Micciche said.

Trustee Lew Blackburn said he was disappointed that Dade has been cast in a negative light and apologized to students, staff and community.

At the start of the meeting, Foreman recommended that Blackburn, the board’s first vice president, chair the meeting. She said that board President Miguel Solis should not lead it because of his close relationship with Miles, his former boss. The board voted 6-3 to have Blackburn chair the meeting. Solis and trustees Nancy Bingham and Mike Morath voted no.

Nutall has said that she went to Dade at the request of some staff members to see what was going on after Miles replaced the principal, two assistant principals and 10 teachers.

Miles has said the staff changes had to be made immediately because very little teaching was occurring. He had planned a 6:30 a.m. staff meeting the day Nutall went to Dade. He has said that it was the first meeting for the new group and not the time for a trustee to be present.

Nutall has said that she decided not to attend the meeting when she learned Miles would be leading it. She said she was leaving Dade when she met Miles in the main entrance. She said he asked her to leave and accused her of trespassing. When she refused to leave, he had three officers put her out, she said.

A video of the incident shows two police officers, each holding one of Nutall’s arms, physically removing her from the school as Miles looks on.

The issue has caused unrest among some Dallas residents who want Miles to resign.

Also, Nutall filed a criminal complaint last week with the Dallas County district attorney’s office. She contends that Miles committed “official oppression” when he had DISD police officers remove her from Dade.

Mike Miles wants investigation into trustee Bernadette Nutall, former Dallas ISD administrator says

Superintendent Mike Miles, left, and trustee Bernadette Nutall

A former Dallas ISD executive says Superintendent Mike Miles asked her to testify in a possible investigation into trustee Bernadette Nutall’s removal from Dade Middle School.

Former school leadership chief Sylvia Reyna said Miles asked her two weeks ago about whether she would tell investigators about an incident she had with Nutall two years ago. She said Miles said he planned to call for an investigation into Nutall’s behavior and, specifically, his decision to have police physically remove her from Dade last month.

“He called me to give me a heads up that he wanted me to be deposed,” said Reyna, who retired in July. “He said, ‘I want you to be able to talk about an incident that occurred two years ago when trustee Nutall was yelling.’”

Reyna said she recalled the incident but not the details of it. Nutall got upset with Reyna at Dallas ISD headquarters and raised her voice, Reyna said. She said she told Miles last month that she would tell the truth to investigators, including that Nutall didn’t bully her.

“I didn’t feel threatened,” Reyna said about the incident. “My job was to work and resolve issues and problems, and sometimes you have tempers at the end of the day. But I never felt threatened by any board member.”

Miles didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Requests for comment were also left with spokesman Jon Dahlander.

Nutall declined to discuss the specific incident between her and Reyna two years ago. “I’m very passionate about education and our children getting the best education,” she said. “Women who are direct and pointed are deemed emotional. We get put in that box.”

The push by Miles for an investigation isn’t the first time he has wanted to put pressure on one of his nine bosses on the school board. More than a year ago, Miles used a top administrator’s resignation letter, which harshly criticized trustee Elizabeth Jones, “to generate positive publicity for himself and negative publicity for the board,” an independent investigation found.

Sylvia Reyna, Dallas ISD's former school leadership chief. (Dallas ISD )

After that investigation, the board put Miles on an improvement plan and amended his contract to make it a fireable offense if he fails to maintain “an effective working relationship” with trustees.

Dallas ISD trustees could approve an investigation at a called board meeting Thursday. They are scheduled to vote on a proposal to “employ a legal firm to conduct a fact-finding investigation of events leading up to and occurring” at Dade between Miles and Nutall. The board could also take action against Nutall and Miles over the incident.

Board president Miguel Solis said Wednesday he hopes the trustees put the Dade incident behind them. ”I’m focused on one thing, to come to a conclusion on this issue,” Solis said. “I want to put the focus of the board back on the students.”

Miles and Nutall have been at odds with each other since the superintendent came to Dallas in July 2012. Their ongoing disputes escalated last month, when Miles ordered three district police officers to remove her from Dade. Nutall said teachers invited her to go to Dade the Monday after Miles replaced 10 teachers, the principal and two assistant principals in a attempt to improve the struggling campus.

When Miles saw Nutall at Dade, he told her to leave the campus before he was about to lead a staff meeting about the personnel changes, Nutall said. When Nutall refused and told him she had the right to be at Dade, which is in her district, Miles called Dallas ISD police to remove her.

Neither Miles or Nutall have offered to dial down the tensions between them. A few days after Miles had Nutall removed, he declined to apologize to her at a community meeting in South Dallas and said that she should apologize to him. Last week, Nutall filed a complaint with the Dallas County district attorney’s office over her removal and accused him of “official oppression.”

Matthew Haag writes about the Dallas Independent School District. Follow @matthewhaag.

Dallas ISD trustees to make decisions concerning fellow member’s removal from Dade Middle School

 

Dallas ISD trustees will meet Thursday to decide whether to seek outside investigations concerning trustee Bernadette Nutall’s removal from Dade Middle School at the request of Superintendent Mike Miles.

Trustees also will decide whether any action should be taken against Nutall or Miles over the incident. Nutall was forcibly removed from the campus by DISD police on Oct. 13.

Board President Miguel Solis said it was input from attorneys and trustees that led to Thursday’s called meeting.

“It is my hope that any action the board chooses to take will lead to a better definition of governance and management and to ensure that events leading up to and occurring on October 13th do not repeat themselves,” Solis said in a statement. “It is time to shift the focus back to the education of over 160,000 students in this city and their ability to reach their dreams of success in this world.”

Trustees will hold the called meeting at 5:30 p.m. after the regular board briefings. They will consider the following items in open session:

*Whether to employ a legal firm to conduct a “fact-finding investigation” of events leading up to and occurring on Oct. 13 at Dade between Nutall and Miles.

*Whether to request a “limited” investigation by the Texas Education Agency regarding the incident, with a focus on rights and duties set by Texas Education Code.

*Whether to take possible action against Nutall as a result of the events that occurred at Dade.

*Whether to take possible action against Miles as a result of the events that occurred at Dade.

The agenda doesn’t list possible actions that could be taken against Nutall and Miles. But for a trustee, admonishment could include censure. For a superintendent, punishment could include a reprimand up to termination.

Nutall has said that she went to Dade at the request of some staff members to see what was going on after Miles replaced the principal, two assistant principals and 10 teachers.

Miles has said changes had to be made immediately because very little teaching was occurring. He had planned a 6:30 a.m. staff meeting the day Nutall went to Dade. He has said that it was the first meeting for the new group and not the time for a trustee to be present.

Nutall has said that she decided not to attend the meeting when she learned Miles would be leading it. She said she was leaving Dade when she met Miles in the main entrance. She said he asked her to leave and accused her of trespassing. When she refused to leave, he had three officers put her out, she said.

A video of the incident shows two police officers, each holding one of Nutall’s arms, physically remove her from the school as Miles looks on.

Some Dallas residents have demanded that Miles resign over the Dade incident.

Also, Nutall filed a criminal complaint last week with the Dallas County District Attorney’s office regarding the incident. She contends that Miles committed “official oppression” when he had DISD police officers remove her from the school.

Under the Texas penal code, official oppression by a public servant can include one who “intentionally subjects another to mistreatment or to arrest, detention, search, seizure, dispossession, assessment, or lien that he knows is unlawful.”

A spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s office said Friday that the complaint was being reviewed.

Dallas ISD trustee Bernadette Nutall files complaint with District Attorney’s office, accuses superintendent of “official oppression”

Dallas ISD trustee Bernadette Nutall

Updated at 2:24 p.m.: DISD spokesman Andre Riley emailed this comment: “The board and superintendent are continuing to have the important discussion about where to draw the line between governance and management. Those discussions will not distract us from the important work that we are charged to do: continue to prepare all students for college and their careers.”

Riley said district administrators had not seen a copy of Nutall’s complaint.

The DA’s Office did receive the complaint, spokeswoman Debbie Denmon said Friday afternoon. “We are in the process of reviewing it,” she said.

Original post: Dallas ISD trustee Bernadette Nutall has filed a criminal complaint with the Dallas County District Attorney’s office over being forcibly removed from Dade Middle School earlier this month.

Nutall contends that Superintendent Mike Miles committed “official oppression” when he had DISD police officers remove her from the South Dallas school on Oct. 13.

Under the Texas penal code, official oppression by a public servant can include one who “intentionally subjects another to mistreatment or to arrest, detention, search, seizure, dispossession, assessment, or lien that he knows is unlawful.”

It is not known whether the District Attorney’s office will accept the case and forward it to a grand jury for review.

Nutall confirmed the filing with the DA’s office. She had no additional comment.

Nutall said she went to Dade to see what was going on after Miles replaced the principal, two assistant principals and 10 teachers. The school has had four principals in two years – three of them placed there by Miles.

Miles has said changes had to be made immediately because very little teaching was occurring. He had planned a 6:30 a.m. staff meeting the day Nutall went to Dade. He has said that it was the first meeting for the new group and not the time for a trustee to be present.

Nutall has said that she decided not to attend the meeting when she learned Miles would be leading it. She said she was leaving Dade when she met Miles in the main entrance. She said he asked her to leave and accused her of trespassing. When she refused to leave, he had three officers put her out, she said.

A video of the incident shows two police officers, each holding one of Nutall’s arms, physcially remove her from the school. Another officer appears to be holding the door as she’s taken through it. Miles can be seen looking on.

The issue has caused unrest among some in the Dallas community. Some residents showed up at a DISD school board meeting last week and demanded that Miles resign. Their continuous chants for his resignation prompted Board President Miguel Solis to recess the meeting for several minutes to gain control.

Dallas ISD trustees have met in closed session to discuss roles and duties in response to the incident. Solis said the board would continue having discussions to determine the lines of governance and management and to prevent such an incident from happening again. He said the next discussion will be in open session.

Staff writer Holly K. Hacker contributed to this post.

Deputy chief internal auditor Don Smith, who oversaw Dallas ISD investigations, is fired

Don Smith

Deputy chief internal auditor Don Smith, who helped start the Dallas ISD’s first investigative unit and cleaned up the district’s federal E-Rate program, was fired Thursday.

Chief internal auditor Mike Singleton informed him this morning that there was going to be a change in leadership in Office of Internal Audit Investigations and that Smith would be let go, according to three people with knowledge of it. Smith has to leave district property by noon Thursday.

“I did nothing wrong. I was told I did nothing wrong. I was presented with no documentation. I was told nothing,” Smith told The News. “I was doing my job and never told I did anything wrong.”

Singleton said, “My response is no comment right now.”

Dallas ISD spokesman André Riley said, “We appreciate Don Smith’s service to the district over the years and wish him nothing but the best.”

Smith, a former investigator with the Internal Revenue Service, started the district’s Office of Professional Responsibility under former Superintendent Michael Hinojosa. Before that unit, district investigations were often conducted verbally and without documentation. The OPR department uncovered fraud, waste, abuse and cheating and brought it to administration’s attention.

While Smith was praised by Hinojosa and then interim Superintendent Alan King, he clashed with Superintendent Mike Miles. Miles criticized his handling of OPR, and, according to Smith, said his unit bullied administrators. Smith led the investigation into Miles more than a year ago that eventually went to attorney Paul Coggins.

After the Miles investigation, the DISD school board tried to protect Smith by moving OPR under Internal Audit, which reports to trustees. Smith applied for the chief internal auditor position but lost it to Singleton, a former administrator in Rockwall ISD. Smith was named deputy chief internal auditor and oversaw the investigations.

Smith’s unit uncovered questions about the district’s graduation rate, found that a former trustee helped a real estate agent land a lucrative broker deal and, recently, was looking into the handling of a technology contract.

Smith, perhaps, received the most praise for cleaning up the district’s once troubled E-Rate federal technology program. E-Rate is a federal program that supplies money to districts for technology programs.

The district was locked out of E-Rate money following the scandal a decade ago that sent former chief technology officer Ruben Bohuchot to federal prison. Smith became the chief compliance officer and trained staff on handling E-Rate contracts. Under Smith’s guidance, the federal government reached a compliance agreement with the district and reimbursed the district for some technology expenses.

Smith is the second top investigator to be fired in Dallas ISD in recent months. Jeremy Liebbe, who ran the Professional Standards Office, was let go in September. Smith’s department looked into waste, fraud and abuse, while Liebbe’s unit reviewed personnel issues.

Matthew Haag writes about the Dallas Independent School District. Follow @matthewhaag.

Petition by Dallas ISD student: Mike Miles, you have ruined teaching

A Dallas ISD student has started an online petition urging Superintendent Mike Miles to give teachers a raise and to reverse the teaching requirements that have zapped classrooms of creativity.

The petition by Lara Andree, a junior at Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, wrote that Miles’ policies make classroom no longer “a creative and mentally stimulating environment.” Andree criticizes the new weekly lesson plans DISD teachers are supposed to put together.

“Instead of allowing our teachers to be creative, and build hands-on lessons that encourage all level of students to feel included and inspired to learn, the lesson plans have become a burden to teachers and force them to stick to certain content and timelines to ensure all material is covered,” she wrote.

She wrote that, over the years, class sizes have gotten bigger, there’s less one-on-one time with teachers and her mentors in DISD have left the district. Andree said that teachers deserve a raise and shouldn’t have their salaries determine by the new performance-pay plan called the Teacher Excellence Initiative.

The petition had 223 signatures as of noon Wednesday.

Julius Mwangi, who signed the petition, wrote: “The fact that DISD student can see that something is wrong and are willing to advance for a change that DISD adults have ignored is incredible. These children can see anxiety in the teachers, who besides teaching also have a life and bills to pay.”

Matthew Haag writes about the Dallas Independent School District. Follow @matthewhaag.