The Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees hosted a regular board meeting on April 19, 2021. A video recording of the meeting will be available on the district website under Board of Trustees. Information shared and decisions made include the following:
Art Students Recognized at District Art Show and Upcoming Virtual Event
Students whose artwork will be featured in the districtwide art show displayed their pieces to the Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees. Hyman Elementary School student Amber George, Daniel Intermediate School student Liliana Cyrek, Byrd Middle School student Bailee Ross and Duncanville High School student Carolina Fletcher presented their artwork ranging from sculptures molded with tin foil to pencil sketching. The Duncanville ISD Fine Art Department invites the community to their districtwide virtual art show this Thursday, April 22 at 6:30 on YouTube Live. More than 400 art pieces from students of all grades levels will be showcased.
Duncanville High School Basketball Teams Honored for Championship Seasons
The 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 basketball season proved to be successful for the Duncanville High School girls and boys basketball teams. Last season, the Pantherettes girls basketball team won the University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A State Championship. A week later, the state of Texas issued a stay-at-home order due to the start of the pandemic and an opportunity to celebrate the Pantherettes’ victory with the community was put on hold. This week, Duncanville ISD recognized the Pantherettes for winning the 2020 state championship title and presented the team with a plaque that featured a story from the “Dallas Morning News” commemorating their win. The Pantherettes thanked the board of trustees for their support and presented them with a signed basketball on behalf of the girls and boys basketball teams.
The week following the Pantherettes’ 2020 championship, the boys basketball team was on the road to San Antonio to defend their championship title from 2019, but had to turn around and come back home due to the abrupt cancellation of the semifinals at the start of the pandemic. This year, the Panthers worked hard and earned the championship title once again. Duncanville ISD also recognized the team for their outstanding season and back-to-back championship titles. Head Coach David Peavy was also recognized for being named Coach of the Year by both the “Dallas Morning News” and MaxPreps. Plaques were presented to the team that featured stories of their championship victory and Coach Peavy’s accolades. The team presented the board with championship medals as a token of appreciation for their continuous support.
Superintendent’s Report
Duncanville ISD Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith began his report with an update on COVID-19 vaccination partnerships. In March, the district partnered with Parkland Hospital in Dallas, whose efforts provided vaccinations to teachers. The district continued to find opportunities for all of our staff and the community. Methodist Health Systems made that possible and on March 26 and April 16 the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered to nearly 1,000 staff and community members.
The Duncanville ISD Police Department established the Panther 5.0 program this year and has recently received recognition from CBS news
stations in Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Angelo and Beaumont, Texas. The mentoring program connects school district officers and student athletes in an effort to build relationships and provide support. Currently, Panther 5.0 has collaborated with the Duncanville High School High Hats dance team, freshman boys basketball and football teams and Central Elementary School. Sgt. Mitchell Lambert mentors the high school baseball team and attends practices, games and workouts. Sgt. Lambert encourages and has built trust with the players.
Other Items
The board agenda items can be found here.
Approved minutes from the March 22 board meeting
Approved financial report for February 2021
Approved budget amendments for February 2021
Approved certification of technology instructional materials allotment use of funds
Approved Board of Trustees Education Hours
Approved inter-local agreement between Dallas ISD and Duncanville ISD for meal service for P-TECH and early college high school at Mountain View Community College
Approval for out-of-state travel for the boys and girls basketball teams
Approval for quote related to Duncanville High School library furniture
Approval for laptop purchase for instructional staff
Discussion of budget review
Discussion of Acton Leadership Academy mascot
Discussion of summer school update
Discussed COVID-19 Pandemic Plan and efforts update
Discussion of virtual job fair