Dallas ISD partners with Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Broadway Dallas for an arts education initiative during Black History Month

Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) and Broadway Dallas (BD) have joined together to advance arts education accessibility for Dallas ISD students during Black History Month. “Bodies as Site of Faith and Protest,” is available as a free virtual matinee performance for every student and grade level in Dallas ISD through February 24.

The Dallas Mavericks offer opportunities for students

The Dallas Mavericks are offering two programs during February and March to engage students, inspire future leaders and promote literacy. To honor Black History, students grades 8-12 can submit a visual art medium to the Dallas Mavericks and American Airlines Black History Art Contest. The Mavs Reading Challenge aims to foster a love of reading in students of all ages. Students K-12 who read (or are read to) for 20 minutes a day for a total of 40 days can earn prizes from the Dallas Mavericks and Whataburger.

Most Texans want ‘content ratings’ on school library books and diverse classes, poll finds

A recent poll from the University of Houston found 71% of respondents support requiring book publishers to include a content rating similar to the rating system used for movies, based on whether the title is appropriate for young children or older. The proposed HB 338 would prohibit a publisher from selling a book to a public school unless it had an age-appropriate content rating attached.

Texas legislature wants to double its investment in student mental health resources

First drafts of HB1 and SB1 would more than double the funding for the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium established by the historic SB11 in 2019. Over the next two fiscal years, $280 million would be appropriated to mental health access as emergency rooms across the state have seen as much as an 800 percent increase in youth visits related to mental health since before the pandemic.

Senate Finance Committee weighs public education funding. Here's what's on the table

The state Senate Finance Committee is considering several options, including higher per student payments and enrollment-based funding, to make more money available for schools. Several bills filed in the Senate and House this session are proposing to raise the individual student allotment from $6,160 to $7,075. Senators in support of a shift to enrollment-based funding argue that the current attendance-based model leaves about 300,000 students out of the funding formulas

New federal rules would limit sugar in school meals for the 1st time

The US Department of Agriculture released a proposal to limit the quantity of added sugars in school meals to less than 10% of total calories per week by the fall of 2027. With a goal of aligning school meal nutrition to current US dietary guidelines, the proposal also plans to reduce sodium in school meals by 30 percent by the fall of 2029.

What’s Behind the Push for a $60K Base Teacher Salary

The proposed American Teacher Act, would establish a four-year federal grant program that would provide states with funds to raise base teacher salaries to a minimum of $60K. Supporters of the bill argue that the teacher shortage is a national crisis and this bill could help elevate the teaching profession to future generations. Dallas ISD increased starting teacher pay to $60K for the 2022-2023 school year.

Letting Students Decide Where Money Should Go: How One District Did It

The Phoenix Union school district has become the country’s first school system to take student participatory budgeting districtwide. Under this system, any student can submit a proposal for how to spend small amounts of the district’s budget. Students vote on their favorite proposals, and district leaders are then required to implement the top vote-getters.