DISD - Yet again!   8/15/08
David Tuthill

One would think those in the DISD Administration and School Board would come to some realization that it is time to get their act together.  But, no such luck.

They are not only incompetent, as the purposely-delayed audit revealed, but they are criminally inept at anything.  I would imagine that 200 years ago we could place them in the pillories and have taxpayers pelt them with rotten tomatoes for their gross failures.

With the multitudes of ?feel good meetings? they must have amongst themselves, it's hard to imagine that they can dupe themselves into thinking they are doing good.  If they say it amongst themselves, that they are doing a good job, then it must be true!

Well, it isn?t.  Only a recipe for continued failure, same song next verse.

Recommendation that a stronger ethics policy be adopted at the higher levels of administration, including the school board trustees.  The only reason not to adopt a stronger ethics policy is that the Trustees are more concerned in their personal benefit from their questionable dealings (conflicts of interest in building schools and nepotism in the district, etc.) as opposed to educating students as they are charged with via our tax dollars and student enrolments.  Do as I say not as I do mentality!

The Dallas Morning News story about new policies governing grading.   It seems the road to better education, as far a the district administration is concerned, is to lower standards. These include:

* Homework grades should be given only when the grades will ?raise a student?s average not lower it?!

* Teachers must accept overdue assignments and their principal will decide whether students are to be penalized for missing deadlines.

* Students who flunk tests can retake the exam and keep the higher grade

* Teachers cannot give a zero on an assignment unless they call the parents and make ?efforts to assist students in completing their work?

* Last year the school board trustees re-affirmed a policy that prevented teachers from giving a grade lower than 50 in any one grading period.

Who in their right mind can look at these standards and make the statement that their goal is to improve the educational quality of their schools?

DISD trustees can.  They feel that as yet another reward that their terms should be lengthened from 3 years to 4 years!   Remember, voters gave them one when they passed the $1.3 Billion bond proposal for this nonsense,

The DISD?s policy is ?we produce idiots who feel good about themselves?.  This can be attested to if you work for a company and have had to hire one of their graduates.  DISD graduates lack the basics but feel entitled without merit.

David W. Tuthill