Seeking Someone Who Is Fed up with DISD

I tried DISD for 2 months(My son attended a charter school before) and I ended up pulling him out. I am now homeschooling him until we move to a better school district. I'm not saying that all DISD schools are bad, but all of them in my area were low performing except the one I chose, and I still was not impressed. Since it wasn't considered a low performing school, I couldn't transfer him under the school choice program. So, I did what I had to do.

move out of the disd!! Plano has great schools!! and Richardson also..

I too have learned a lot about DISD, been dissapointed time and again with the way things are run and mis-run there. I was ready to sue the school board for mis-use of public funds, deriliction of duty, etc. My attorney told me it wouldn't work. I was ready to run for school board, but I have 2 young children and need to be their mother first. Perhaps later.

There is no simple solution. What has worked is grassroots change at the neighborhood school level. There are a few schools (elem) where parents have truly made a vested interest to change and the schools are doing well. I think you have to start with one school and work on that. I would love for the children of Dallas to be well served, for our tax dollars to make a difference and used to actually educate.

When the parents don't care or know otherwise, the children don't know the difference and settle for what they get. It is the plight of large city school systems throughout the country. The teacher unions are strong (even in Texas- an at-will state) and oppose any type of voucher system for parents to choose the best school for their child.

You have to start at your elementary (or higher levels) school. And you have to be willing to put in time and energy to make a difference. Contact your school board representative to let them know you are ready to help make a difference.

All this being said, I tried and failed. I got worn down and we are looking into private school for our son to start Kindergarten next year. It is so heartbreaking. I can put you in touch with a couple of moms who are doing a wonderful job at standing up against DISD and making change happen. I just couldn't invest anymore energy in the fight.

good luck-- Susan.

M.,
3 of my 4 kids attend DISD. The Oldest is in 4th grade at the TAG magnet, Travis and the other 2 go to the local elementary (Hexter). While I am not hugely impressed w/ DISD overall I have been fine with the education my children are receiving.
The biggest asset a school has is involved parents. Be there- go on filed trips, volunteer in the classroom, be on the PTA. Every school has site based decision making- which is parents and educators making decisions for their schools.
Don't forget the DISD TAG High school was voted the best public high school in the US.
Just my 2 cents :-)

D.

M.:

I would do just as I have chosen to do. Don't use the public education system. I chose private Christian school for my daughter so I can be assured the education is what I want and if I don't like it can change. Granted we are looking for a change now, but at least this way it is my option and my choice. I would not use the public school system. Home schooling is even better.

Just my opinion.

J.

I COMPLETELY agree with you 100% DISD is a horrible school district. My son went to Kindegarten at a DISD school and they suspended him for issues that he could not control and that we soon found out were ADHD related. I knew after that that I did not want my son or any child I knew to go to a DISD school! They just do not care at all! I gave up our house to move our children to a better school district! I moved them to Mesquite and I love the school he goes to now!

Good luck on your fight!!!

I'm not fed up with DISD, but I can understand your frustration. Both my daughters attend DISD schools, one elementary and one middle school. The reality with any school choice is that you cannot go on autopilot with regard to your child's education. Good schools, both public and private, exist. Wherever you send your child(children), get involved! I work full-time but I volunteer whenever and however I can swing it. I recently started tutoring at the middle school because I saw a need and wanted to step up to help. Last year I helped at the elementary school with its spring carnival and with a couple of classroom parties. Good luck with wherever you go!

Hi, M.:

I feel your pain!! I've got 2 children who are facing DISD (one 3 y.o. special needs - PPCD - and one almost 5 y.o. - Kindergarten) within the next several months, and I've been terribly disappointed in my previous meetings with the administrators. Also, the folks "higher up" (area/district supervisors) *rarely* return my phone calls, and the quickest they've ever gotten back to me is 3 days after my initial call (usually its closer to a week or more). I WANT to make DISD work for my kids (after all, we pay for it each year with a significant portion of our taxes!), but they insist on making things difficult, inflexible and time-consuming for concerned parents.

At this point, I've chosen to home school my soon-to-be Kindergartener, and we're requesting only certain of the special needs services (specifically speech therapy) for my 3 y.o. son, as the PPCD school in our area is an unacceptable environment for him.

I wish I could do more to help change things, but truly, I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall when it comes to talking to these folks. At the end of the day, I have to be able to say I'm making the best educational choices for my kids, and if that means bypassing DISD (at least for the time being), then so be it. We don't want to move, and we don't have the $$ for private school, so our options are limited. I'm actually a qualified teacher and taught for several years (before kids!), so home schooling is our best bet.

Best,
LisaB