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 October 18, 2021. A video recording of the meeting will be available on the district website under Board of Trustees.
Board of Trustees Approve Hire of Director of Curriculum and Instruction
The Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Tina Bynum to fill the Director of Curriculum and Instruction position. Mrs. Bynum is a passionate educational leader with more than 26 years of experience.
Mrs. Bynum was most recently the Pre-K – 12 English/Language Arts/Reading Curriculum Coordinator in Irving ISD. She’s also served as an assistant principal, instructional coach, dean of students and teacher.
Mrs. Bynum earned a Bachelor of Arts from Stephen F. Austin University and a Masters of Educational Administration at Lamar University.
“Made with Pride in Duncanville” Honorees Recognized at Board Meeting
Each month, Duncanville ISD honors a student, staff member and teacher who go above and beyond. They are chosen from nominations submitted by coworkers, classmates or community members. These individuals reflect the excellence and pride of our district and they are “Made with Pride in Duncanville.”
The October honorees include Reed Middle School Counselor Leah Johnson, PACE High School student Dayvion Murry and staff member Vicki Bryant, who works in the Transportation Department.
Superintendent’s Report
Duncanville ISD Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith began his report congratulating the Duncanville ISD school board for being selected as a Top 5 Honor Board finalists in the state of Texas. He congratulated the trustees for this special honor, which led to them being interviewed by a committee of Texas school administrators as part of the TASA School Board Awards program. The program honors Texas school boards that have demonstrated commitment to their students and communities. As a finalist, Duncanville ISD Board President Janice Savage-Martin was called to the stage to accept the district’s award during a general session for the convention.
Dr. Smith also talked about the invitation he accepted last week to join a panel of distinguished superintendents and Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath for a discussion about public education. As the commissioner spoke, he outlined the extreme situation schools all across the nation are experiencing when it comes to the setbacks over since the pandemic began more than 18 months ago. Dr. Smith said he believes we have the right people in positions and the right processes in place to make a difference. He said, we know our students need to recognize that we care and pair that with social and emotional strategies to reach them.
Duncanville High School’s A Cappella Men’s Choir recently received a top honor and national recognition for musical achievement. The ensemble was named a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence competition. Duncanville’s choir was one of just six chosen for this honor given by The Foundation for Music Education, which received more than 200 entries in choral, orchestral, jazz, percussion ensemble and wind band performances from 38 states. The Mark of Excellence project seeks to recognize and award outstanding achievement in performance by high school and middle school choirs, bands and orchestras. The top 25% of entrants are recognized as National Winners, with the second 25% named as Commended Winners.
Dr. Smith closed his report with recognition of National Principals Month. As he regularly says, leadership matters. We have 19 principals across the district who are tasked with taking their schools through a very challenging period. He thanked all of the principals for their commitment and focus on what really matters – students.
Other Items
The board agenda items can be found here.
Approved the hiring of Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Approved minutes from the September21 board meeting
Approved minutes from the September 16 and October 14 board training meeting
Approved financial report for August 2021
Approved budget amendments
Approved delegation of authority to superintendent to sign education service center (ESC) interlocal agreements
Approved destruction of records
Approved gradient cyber renewal
Approved purchase for Smartnet Services
Approved purchase of Stemscopes Science
Approved renewal of Achieve3000
Approved issuance of 2021 series bonds to refund multiple bonds
Approved district, campus and targeted improvement plans
Approved memorandum of understanding with Texas Woman’s University for student teaching partnership
Approved marketing purchases
Discussed Transportation Report
Discussed GEAR Up grant
Discussed COVID-19 Update