A “Board Business” summary is published on the district website following each regular school board meeting convened by the Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees. School board members hosted a regular board meeting on March 20, 2023. A video recording of the meeting will be available on the district website under Board of Trustees.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Dr. Smith begins his monthly report with a legislative update, sharing that there have been over 1300 education-related bills filed to date. He highlighted two financial bills that have been voted out of committee, Senate Bill 30 and Senate Bill 4. Dr. Smith shared that a joint letter from 236 districts was sent to Governor Abbott and the Commissioner of Education Morath regarding changes to the state accountability system and the impact it will have on those districts. Dr. Smith shared the district will continue to monitor the state’s legislative process and provide continuous updates.
This year’s My Future My Choice Showcase was a success! Three hundred and forty-five families came to receive more information about the choice programs offered in the district. Dr. Smith shared that families who visited were from neighboring districts and charter schools and as a result of the showcase, 252 Collegiate Academy Choice applications and 245 Middle School Choice applications were submitted.
Dr. Smith spoke about the importance of students’ academic success and the need for school attendance and the Panther Attendance Round-Up reached out to two hundred families to determine what barriers existed that prevented their students from coming to school. The team encouraged students to return to school.
Dr. Smith’s Superinintendent’s Roundtable provided an opportunity to meet and to hear from community stakeholders, including a freshman who attends the collegiate academy.
JROTC Cadets Recognized for Acceptance into Top Military Academies
The Board of Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith congratulated JROTC Cadet Major Marisol Hernandez for her acceptance into the United States Naval Academy and Executive Officer Cadet Samantha Villa for her acceptance into the United States Air Force Academy.
True Panther Pride
The DHS Soccer team and Coach Nuno Passos were recognized as the 2023 district champions, marking the 28th time in the soccer program’s history.
Texas State Senator Royce West recognized Coach Reginald Samples and the DHS Football team players, Vernon Grant III, Academic All-State, Varsity Team Captain (Class of 2023) Noah Ponce, Academic All-State, Varsity Team Captain (Class of 2023) Caden Durham, Offensive MVP- Class 6A Division 1 Championship (Class of 2024), and Colin Simmons, Defensive MVP- Class 6A Division 1 Championship (Class of 2024) on the senate floor for their 6A Division I Championship win.
DHS Basketball player, Ron Holland was named a McDonald’s All-American team player and played in the McDonald’s All-American on March 28.
Communications and Public Relations Wins at TSPRA
The Duncanville ISD Communications and PR Department won six awards at the 2023 Annual Texas School Public Relations Conference.
Congratulations to Hillary Hopson, Multimedia Specialist on her award-winning entries.
The district received the following supply donations:
Barnes and Noble donated craft material and games Media Center (No Assigned Value)
Valerie Guzman donated clothing to McKinney Vento (Homeless Students) (No Assigned Value)
Duncanville Area Retired School Employees (DARSE) donated oatmeal and fruit cups to the Panther Pantry ($30)
Tom and Sherry Kennedy donated snacks and breakfast items to the Panther Pantry (No Assigned Value)
Holy Spirit Catholic Church donated food, sweaters, and backpacks to the Panther Pantry ($300)
Recognitions
Sparklers And Special Olympics Boys Basketball
The Board of Trustees recognized the Sparklers and Special Olympics Basketball teams for their respective competition wins.
Bronson Hooper, National Merit Scholarship Finalist
The Board of Trustees recognized graduating senior Bronson Hooper for being named a National Merit Scholarship finalist.
Made With Pride
The Board of Trustees recognized this month's Made with Pride recipients Ximena Salas, a third-grade student at Central Elementary, Patience Elliot, a second-grade teacher at Hastings Elementary, and Cesar Uriel Batres, a custodian at Duncanville High School.
Other Items
The board agenda items can be found here.
Approved minutes from the February 2023 board meeting
Approved financial report for February 2023
Approved Senior Leadership Team Contracts 23-24
Approved Educational Leadership Development Partnership with UNT at Dallas
Approved DHS Panthers Impact Summer College Tour on July 17 - 29, 2023
Approved Clinical Education Agreement with Concorde Career College/Institute
Approved Memorandum of Understanding with The Western Governors
Approved HOP-SKIP-DRIVE Contract Exceeding $50,000
Approved The 2023-2024 Academic Calendar
Approved Second Reading of TASB Local Policy Update 120 And COA (Local)
Approved E-RATE RFP and Resolution
Approved Facility Study Contract
Approved Cancellation of The School Board Election for May 6, 2023, To Elect Trustees for Places 4 And 5
Discussed Budget Update 2023-2024 Budget
Discussed School Nutrition Report
Discussed Safety and Security Update