CITY & SCHOOLS
News from Dallas, Dallas ISD & Richardson ISD
NUMBERS TO KNOW This is the total budget approved May 25 by the city of Dallas for construction at the Willie B. Johnson Recreation Center in Hamilton Park. Senior activity and technology centers; a gymnasium; and a parking lot expansion comprise work underway at 12225 Willowdell Drive. The construction is funded by the 2017 bond program. $8.57M CITY HIGHLIGHTS RICHARDSON ISD The board of trustees unanimously approved more than $31.7 million for the planned expansion and renovation project at Forest Meadow Junior High School during its May 9 meeting. It also approved the nal stage for the J.J. Pearce High School renovation and expansion project for a guaranteed maximum price of just over $99 million. Funds from the 2021 RISD bond will be used to pay for the projects. DALLAS The city’s transportation department is looking to standardize its approach in addressing tra c safety concerns of residents. Director of Transportation Ghassan Khankarl said the purpose of the new system is to better track projects and provide a consistent point of contact between the city and residents. DALLAS Businesses, nonpro ts and churches within residentially zoned areas of the city are now able to be granted a neighborhood market permit. Dallas City Council approved an ordinance that expands areas where markets can be held during its May 25 meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Chad West said he was excited to potentially address “food deserts” throughout Dallas, where grocery stores are not easily accessible.
Dallas ISD seeing declining number of graduates heading to college immediately
COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AFTER GRADUATION The percentage of Dallas ISD students going to college immediately after high school has declined, though four-year college enrollments are on the rise.
Overall college enrollment Four-year college enrollment Two-year college enrollment
BY MATT PAYNE
strategic initiatives, said a “major contributing factor” to the decline was the COVID-19 pandemic. “What we want to do is make sure all students have that path forward to a living-wage job,” Lusk said. Despite the trend, the number of students enrolling in four-year schools has risen. A total of 28% of students in the class of 2021 enrolled in a four-year school, according to the presentation. That is up from 25% of the class of 2020. DISD o cials also reported an ongoing decline in enrollment to two-year schools: from 31% in 2018 to 19% in 2021. District sta attributed this trend to a rising number of associate degrees earned by students still attending DISD schools.
DALLAS ISD The number of the district’s high school graduates immediately seek- ing secondary education has declined in recent years, but the total number of students heading to four-year colleges and universities from Dallas ISD is going up. The DISD board of trustees reviewed college enrollment numbers from recent graduating classes May 12. From the classes of 2018 to 2021, overall DISD graduates who enrolled in college immediately after high school slid from 58% to 46%, a presentation from distract sta showed. The sharpest drop in those years was from the classes of 2019 to 2020. Brian Lusk, DISD chief of
Graduate enrollments
60%
12% decrease since 2018
50%
40%
1% increase since 2018
30%
20%
12% decrease since 2018
10%
0
SOURCE: DALLAS ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Board approves new sexual education curriculum for students in grades 6 12
BY MATT PAYNE
DALLAS ISD A new, opt-in sexual and reproductive health curriculum was approved May 26 for district students in grades 6-12. By a vote of 7-2, trustees approved the health education recommen- dations from the district’s School Health Advisory Council. For sex education, students with parental consent will receive instruc- tion based on materials from publisher McGraw Hill. The curriculum was not o cially submitted to the Texas Education Agency, DISD Executive Director Michael Ruiz said. He said the SHAC review found the material emphasized abstinence from sexual activity. Ruiz said TEA code mandates that must be presented as “the preferred choice of behavior.” Trustees Joyce Foreman and Camile White cast the two votes against the new curriculum package.
Improvements for competition gym oor approved at Lake Highlands High School The Lake Highlands High School competition gym oor hosts events for basketball, volleyball and more. (Jackson King/Community Impact Newspaper)
MEETINGS WE COVER
Dallas City Council meets June 15 and June 22 at 9 a.m. at Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St., Dallas. www.dallascityhall.com/ pages/default.aspx Dallas ISD board of trustees meets June 23 at 6 p.m. at 5151 Samuell Blvd., Dallas. www.dallasisd.org Richardson ISD board of trustees meets June 13 at 6 p.m. at the RISD Administration Building, 400 S. Greenville Ave., Richardson. www.risd.org Dallas County Commissioners Court meets June 21 and July 5 at 9 a.m. in the Allen Clemson Courtroom of the Dallas County Administration Building, 411 Elm St., Dallas. www.dallascounty.org
BY JACKSON KING
facilities has become a pressing need. “As demonstrated in both our 2016 and 2021 bonds, we have aging facilities,” Branum said. “Many of our aging facilities are due to water leaks and other infrastructure failures.” Lake Highlands High School’s competition gym serves as the main indoor athletic facility for the school, holding sporting events for the school’s volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball and wrestling teams.
RICHARDSON ISD The district’s board of trustees unani- mously approved improvements to the Lake Highlands High School competition gym oor during its May 23 meeting. The renovation project is expected to cost $267,390.06 and will be funded from the 2016 bond program, according to district o cials. Interim Superintendent Tabitha Branum said improve- ments to the district’s aging
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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