Comments 10 | Recommend 2

Irving residents want diversity with new schools chief, consultants say

12:00 AM CST on Thursday, December 3, 2009
By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News
kunmuth@dallasnews.com

Community members want a bilingual Spanish-speaking superintendent with experience working in a diverse district, consultants reported to the Irving school board Tuesday night.

The Texas Association of School Boards Executive Search Services team presented a summary of community feedback gathered to the school board at a special meeting Tuesday.

The board has set a goal of hiring a new leader by March.

Consultant Benjamin Canada said there were concerns that the board has already made a decision about whom to hire. Former assistant superintendent Neil Dugger is currently acting superintendent.

"There was a sense initially that the decision had already been made and this was a joke," Canada said. "Each of you said it is not a joke."

The district faces the challenge of finding a new leader after an unprecedented 21 years of leadership by Jack Singley, who recently died.

Canada said it was clear that many people wanted change but were afraid that bringing that up would be seen as criticism of Singley.

"They realized that to honor that person would be to build on that foundation and not just accept the status quo," Canada said.

The consultants said 731 people filled out online feedback forms and 288 participated in public forums. Those included students, staff, parents and others.

The feedback showed strengths of the district included the use of technology, competitive salaries for teachers and a sound financial status.

Concerns raised included a lack of diversity at the administrative level, the increasing number if limited English-proficient students, lack of parent involvement and high dropout rate.

Respondents also said they preferred someone approachable, with a doctoral degree and a strong public speaker. Canada also mentioned that one student was concerned that the public forums were not held in a neighborhood community center, where some parents may feel more comfortable to attend than in a school.

He mentioned no one attended one session and that attendance was very low at first but improved at later forums.

Community activist Anthony Bond said that not enough feedback had been sought.

"I believe they have not gotten a response in our community," he said. "With seven out of 10 kids being Hispanic, they really should have focused to make a genuine effort with Hispanics."

"We did our best," Canada responded, adding that consultants couldn't force people to attend.

Trustee Nancy Jones also expressed the importance of applicants understanding that the district is majority minority with a large Hispanic and economically disadvantaged student population.

Trustee Valerie Jones said she wanted candidates to understand the district's focus on technology, which includes providing laptops to high school students.

"The person needs to be a user of technology in their personal life," she said. "That's a big one. Technology is a hallmark of our district."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... d0932.html


It looks like the only ones that showed was the illegal aliens , and there are a lot in this town ...