The Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees hosted a regular board meeting on March 22, 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:
“Made With Pride in Duncanville” Honorees Recognized
The March “Made with Pride in Duncanville” honorees include student Daniela Pedraja, teacher Melissa Wilks and staff member Ruben Solis.
Daniela Pedraja is a senior at the Duncanville High School Collegiate Academy. Daniela was nominated by Duncanville High School teacher Dedric Williams, who says she is an amazing student and strives to give her best in all that she does. Daniela serves as a senior class officer and is a member of student council, Youth & Government, and choir. Daniela is always looking out for the needs of others and is respectful towards others.
Ruben Solis is a custodian for the Summit Education Center. Mr. Solis is known around campus as a positive and encouraging person. Mr. Solis is always willing to help others and find solutions to any task. Mr. Solis always greets everyone with a genuine smile.
Melissa Wilks is a special education teacher at Bilhartz Elementary School. Ms. Wilks was nominated by parent Raquel Gomez because of the improvement she saw in her son thanks to Ms. Wilks' dedication. Ms. Wilks is patient and kind and goes the extra mile to help students who are struggling in the classroom. Ms. Gomez recalls when Ms. Wilks purchased special pencils to accommodate her son's learning and help improve his writing skills. Ms. Gomez said it's the little things Ms. Wilks notices in her students that make a huge difference in their growth.
Learn more about the honorees here.
Youth and Government Students Hold State Officer Positions
Duncanville High School students in the Youth and Government club held more than half of the officer positions at this year’s Youth and Government statewide legislative session. Jaalen Robinson was named governor and is the second Duncanville High School student to hold that position. Jamie Bowers was named Print Editor-in-Chief, Kassandra Zapata was named Photojournalism Editor-in-Chief, Evan Lee was named Social Media Editor-in-Chief and Adham Aatiq was named Broadcast Executive Producer. Students in Youth and Government learn and participate in the legislative, judicial, media and political processes to grow their understanding of government.
Superintendent’s Report
Duncanville ISD Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith began his report with athletic achievement from Duncanville High School. The Panthers basketball team earned its fifth state championship in school history during spring break. Last year, the 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.
The boys soccer team earned its 25th district championship prior to spring break and is gearing up to begin their playoff season. The team has 37 wins and 3 losses in the past two years.
The Duncanville High School Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) earned honors at the state competition. Of the 23 students who competed at State, 14 won state honor and seven are advancing to nationals. The competition categories include public speaking, lesson planning and creative lecture.
Dr. Smith thanked the Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees for their kindness and generosity.
They have gone above and beyond to help our families during the past winter season. More than 200 coats were distributed thanks to the generous donations from the Board’s third annual coat drive. Students who were in need of a coat during cold weather were able to keep warm in a new, free coat. The winter storm last month displaced families who suffered damage to their homes, including families whose homes burned in a fire at Greene Townhomes. Our board members quickly took action and launched a gift card collection drive to help families in need. Together with the Duncanville ISD Counseling Department, they identified 40 families to receive gift cards.
Dr. Smith concluded his report with an update on COVID-19 vaccinations. The district is actively seeking opportunities to make the COVID-19 vaccine readily available to district staff. Before spring break, the district announced a partnership with Parkland Hospital and its program to vaccinate teachers. There are more opportunities for all staff members to receive the vaccine, which will be announced later this week.
Other Items
The board agenda items can be found here.
Approved minutes from the February 22 board meeting
Approved financial report for January 2021
Approved budget amendments for January 2021
Approved resolution authorizing investment brokers and deals
Approved Big Thought Tutoring
Approved adoption of station instructional materials list
Approved Memorandum of Understanding with Early Matters Dallas
Approved resolution regarding payment of employees during the February 2021 winter storm emergency
Approved Instructional Materials Proclamation 2021 Textbook Adoption
Approved asbestos abatement at Reed Middle School, Pace High School and the Duncanville High School Fieldhouse
Approved e-rate resolution and filing of form 471
Approved Elementary Leadership Academy – School Choice Initiative
Discussed budget review
Discussed HB3 Reading Academies