|
Dallas ISD District 1 Newsletter – November 2025 Recap
Note: Please see our website for Spanish version which will be available in a few days.
November brought fall weather and positive results for Dallas ISD. Students and teachers continue to make Dallas ISD the best urban school district in Texas. Big news is that Dallas ISD is considering a bond program in 2026, with more news to come after meetings in November.
If you know of others that would appreciate this newsletter, they can sign up at www.lancecurrie.com/newsletter.
Dallas ISD Updates
Children at Risk Shows Dallas ISD Growth: Education advocacy group Children at Risk recently published its own independent annual A-F rankings, which showed significant progress for Dallas ISD schools. This recent Dallas Morning News editorial highlighted some of the policies that are leading to continued academic progress in our schools.
2026 Bond Update: Progress on the ongoing Citizens Bond Steering Committee planning for a potential 2026 bond was shared with the board, with an overview of the framework, timeline and process for identifying facility needs. Trustees are hosting community meetings in their districts in December to share information about the process with the public and field questions. The Board will participate in a workshop on December 18 to review the information gathered by the steering committee and consider a 2026 bond.
Superintendent Evaluation and Contract Extension: One of the most important jobs we do as trustees is to hire and evaluate the Superintendent, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the district. This month, we did both of these.
-
Evaluation: Our Superintendent appraisal is tied directly to our board goals. We measure the Superintendent by evaluating the district’s progress on meeting those goals. This year’s results are in, and they are fantastic. Dr. Elizalde’s evaluation shows she exceeded goal expectations in academics and the financial areas, and increased scores in parent and taxpayer satisfaction surveys.
-
Contract Extension: Based on her exceptional performance, the Superintendent Evaluation committee recommend the Board consider a contract extension and raise. I proudly voted to support Dr. Elizalde’s contract extension through the 2029-30 school year, which passed 8 - 0. Her new contract—now five years—corresponds directly with our new set of goals and her new salary now puts her in range of other Dallas County leaders. Under Dr. Elizalde's leadership, the District is the highest performing urban district in Texas and one of the highest performing urban districts in the nation. We look forward to continued growth for all students over the coming years.
Audit Results: Dallas ISD’s comprehensive financial report is final for the 2024-2025 school year, and we remain in a solid financial position. Our audit showed zero findings, and we have received a ‘Superior’ rating from TEA on the FIRST Financial Rating. We finished last year with a fund balance of approximately $651 million, meaning if we spend our full budget this year, including our one-year deficit budget of approximately $91 million, we will still be in strong financial standing with a fund balance at or above best practice.
Dallas ISD library checkouts are soaring as students reconnect with reading! With 2020 bond construction-refreshed libraries, librarians in every school, United to Learn Book Bashes, Dallas Education Foundation Book Vending Machines, and no smart phones bell to bell at schools, our students are enjoying a new chapter!
District 1 Updates
Here are highlights from our District 1 schools. Please e-mail any ideas you have for highlights to LanceCurrie@dallasisd.org.
-
Walnut Hill ILA Hosts Holiday Fest: Huge thank you to the WHILA Dad's Club for organizing an amazing Holiday Fest, which brought together the community fora great evening of laughter and cheer.
Upcoming Events
- December 18 at 4:00 p.m. – Board Workshop on a potential 2026 bond (5151 Samuel Blvd)
- December 18 at 4:00 p.m. – Board Meeting (5151 Samuel Blvd)
Thank you for the opportunity to serve our students. If you have questions, thoughts, or want to talk about how we can work together to make Dallas ISD the best school district, please reach out. I’m happy to grab coffee or set up a Zoom call. Just e-mail me at LanceCurrie@dallasisd.org.
Thank you.
| 
