DISD in Chaos

Even to an outsider, the Dallas Independent School District, which has had seven superintendants in the last 11 years, increasingly gives the impression of a system that is rudderless and completely out of control. At the start of the school year, they suddenly discovered a budget deficit of $84 million, necessitating over 600 layoffs, including 375 teachers. An additional 300+ employees voluntarily left.

This in itself created chaos. Classes had to be re-organized, and the process was especially cruel for teachers, some of whom had turned down jobs in other districts to teach in Dallas. Because the layoffs occurred after the start of the school year, many of them will be unable to find teaching jobs before next year.

Now, within a week after the layoffs, the Dallas Morning News reports that DISD is advertising for 60 teacher openings. Did they first go back to laid off teachers to let them know of the openings? No.

Does the right hand know what the left is doing?