Gobble Up Goals 

Gobble Up Goals” is a district-wide Thanksgiving i-Ready initiative designed to motivate students to meet their learning goals in Reading and Math. Throughout November, students work to complete lessons, reach time targets, and demonstrate growth. The challenge encourages engagement while adding a fun, seasonal theme to academic progress.

Fry's for Fries

Frys for Fries” is a K–2 sight-word initiative designed to encourage students to strengthen their practice and mastery of Fry word lists. Classes in which 90% of students master 90% of their list earn a special prize from Teaching & Learning. This challenge helps build early literacy skills while motivating students through a fun, schoolwide activity. 

STEM Carnival

We’re excited to announce our STEM Carnival on December 4th! This event will offer a wide range of hands-on activities, interactive demonstrations, and engaging challenges that allow students and families to explore the world of STEM in a fun and meaningful way. We look forward to an evening filled with curiosity, creativity, and opportunities to discover the power of science, technology, engineering, and math together.

Math Bee in Full Swing 

The Math Bee is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen math fluency for students across the district in grades K–8. Our students are excited and prepared to showcase their skills, and we’re thrilled to announce that there will be a district-wide Math Bee Challenge featured at the upcoming STEM Carnival. We look forward to celebrating our learners’ hard work and mathematical growth!

TSI Summit

Superintendent Rodgers, Chief McCloud, Dr. Green, and DHS administrators attended the TSI Summit, where Dr. Rodgers served as the keynote speaker. Our participation reflects our district’s continued commitment to learning, collaboration, and strengthening instructional practices to support student success. 

Data Digs on the Road

Chief McCloud, the RED Team, and our instructional teams are supporting campus leadership through focused data digs as we collaborate on prescriptive plans of support. This joint effort ensures that each campus has the targeted strategies and resources needed to drive student growth and success.

Campus Spelling Bees

Campus spelling bees are in full swing, bringing excitement and strong participation from our students. We’re now one step closer to our district-wide Spelling Bee in January, where finalists will showcase their hard work and spelling mastery.

This week began with campus data meeting at McCowan Middle School before transitioning to The Meadows Elementary to review follow-up steps from our recent Region 10 visit. The focus of these meetings centered on strengthening systems of urgency and establishing targeted, laser-focused supports for new teachers. I also previewed Principal Hicks’ upcoming data meeting presentation and provided feedback to ensure alignment and clarity.

To close Monday, I met with the DHS Assistant Principals alongside our Student Support consultants. We worked collaboratively until 5:30 p.m. to establish priorities around schoolwide student behavior management, expectations, and follow-through systems. This meeting concluded just before the School Board meeting that evening.

On Tuesday, I was stationed at DeSoto High School, supporting campus operations throughout the day. This included assisting the AP team with lunch duty, observing hallway transitions, monitoring cafeteria supervision structures, and reviewing dismissal procedures. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Morrow and Mr. Miller for their partnership and hands-on support during my time on campus.

Wednesday included a stop at Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy to discuss a personnel matter with Principal Hanspard. We also aligned on prioritizing data usage and clarity in instructional focus as we move into the mid-year phase.

Additional time that afternoon was dedicated to attending the campus data meeting at West Middle School. Dr. Strickland and Assistant Principal Jones showcased innovative practices, including leveraging 8th grade Math Masters students as peer tutors for 6th graders. They are also exploring virtual tutoring options to expand academic support. Hats off to their creativity and commitment to results! 

On Thursday, I collaborated with Teaching & Learning at Woodridge Elementary and later at Moates Elementary to support instructional leadership, clarify expectations, and ensure cohesive strategies across campuses. In the afternoon, I facilitated a virtual principal meeting to establish key priorities following Thanksgiving Break, including:

• MOY i-Ready benchmark preparation

• December 5th staff professional development alignment

• Strengthening classroom walkthrough consistency with targeted feedback loops

• Maintaining a laser focus on utilizing data to drive bite-size, high-impact instructional next steps

Overall, this week reflected strong collaboration with campuses, continued alignment with Region 10 feedback, and clear forward momentum as we enter a critical phase of instructional monitoring and student progress acceleration.

Finance 

(CONSTRAINT 2)

District Revenues for FY26

 as of November 28, 2025

Maintenance & Operations General Fund (199)

• Local Revenue (57XX): $908,725

• State Revenue Available School Funds (5811): $742,378

• Foundation School Program (5812): $11,454,787

• TRS On-Behalf (5831): $888,982

• SHARS (5931): $0.00

• Indirect Cost (5929-ID): $9,719

• JROTC (5949): $29,969

Child Nutrition (240)

• Local

  • Lunch Revenue (5751): $14,061

• Federal

  • School Breakfast Program (5921): $231,531

  • National Lunch Program (5922): $637,846

  • Federal Distributed by State (5939): $19,125

Debt Service (I&S) Fund (511)

• Local Tax Collections (5711/12/18/19/42): $552,240

Human Capital Management

Substitute Fill Rate:                    67 %

Resignations:                                  1

• paraprofessional

Terminations:                                  0

Substitute and New 

Hire Onboardings:                           

New Hires - Sub and FTE:             5

Grievances:                                    2

Level 2: Termination (1)

Level 1: Staff Concerns (1)

Texas Workforce Claims:                0

Departmental/Campus Review:      1

Examination Preparation Sessions for Uncertified Teachers: 

District has sent correspondence to all uncertified teachers regarding the opportunity for tutoring and preparation session support during the Thanksgiving Break. The session details are below: 

Monday, November 24, 2025 - Passage Preparation Session for EC-6 Science 

Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 

Passage Preparation Session for 

EC-6 Math

New Hire Orientation 

Held on November 19, 2025 with all new hires that were hired during September - November 2025

Substitute New Hire Orientation

Held on November 19, 2025 with all substitutes that were hired during September - November 2025

NAVEX Weekly Incident Reporting Summary:

11.12.2025

Student Safety -

Bus loading incident with student

Campus: DeSoto High School

Status: Completed 

Findings: Substantiated

11.12.2025

Other - Alleged abuse of a student outside of school premises.

Campus: DeSoto High School

Status: In Progress

Status: In Progress

11.12.2025

Unwelcomed advances 

Allegations of unwelcomed advances - employee to employee

Campus: Frank D. Moates Elementary

Status: Completed

Findings: Inconclusive

11.18.2025

Employee Misconduct - 

Teacher demonstrated hostile behavior, loudly yelling at a student

Campus: DeSoto West Middle School

Status: In Progress

Status: In Progress

District Weekly Incident Reporting Summary:

11.17.2025

Employee Misconduct - 

Quick Tip Follow up: Basketball program incident from November 2024 that was reported November 2025

Campus: DeSoto High School

Status: Completed

Findings: Inconclusive

11.18.2025

Employee Misconduct

A.) Allegations of hair being pulled by assistant principal who worked to restrain a student from engaging in a fight. 

B.) Following the student fight, parent engaged in cursing at an employee, and a verbal altercation ensued with employee at campus.

Campus: DeSoto High School

Status: In Progress

Findings: 

A.) Unsubstantiated 

B.) Substantiated 

11.18.2025

Employee Misconduct - 

Allegation that employee engaged in verbal assault of student. Employee alleges that student began the altercation. Board was sent notification of the incident.

Campus: DeSoto High School

Status: In Progress

Findings: In Progress

11.20.2025

Employee Misconduct - 

Allegation that an employee engaged inappropriate discipline of a student.

Campus: The Meadows Elementary

Status: In Progress

Findings: In Progress

Student & Staff Support Services

Athletics

New Athletic Director MT Tyeskie started on Monday and hit the ground running. The week, Mr. Tyeskie worked on the following items:

• Meetings with key district personnel

• Reviewing the budget

• Staffing

• Call with UIL

• In addition to those things, Mr. Tyeskie is scheduling conferences with coaches, both collectively and individually.

Attendance

• Facilitated campus support visits to McCowan and High School

• SCG Huddle at Cockrell Hill 

• District PEIMS leaver coding  Meeting in BLCC

• Campus Attendance meeting at West Middle School 

• SchoolStatus touch point meeting

Child Nutrition

• Dr. Morrow and CFO McSwain participated in a joint conference call with Whitsons executive staff. They discussed food and financial options for the 2026-2027 School Year.

• Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Alvarado continue to expand their Child Nutrition knowledge at Region 10 ESC. These courses help us remain in compliance the Texas Department of Agriculture and the USDA.

Student Health

• Training for Special Population Aides

• Developed a focused training to enhance emergency readiness for aides who support students with a G-tube, and what to do if it becomes dislodged.

• Baylor Nursing Students

• Spoke to Baylor University nursing students about the clinical, educational, and leadership dimensions of school nursing. 

• Student-Specific Care & Emergency Planning

• Prepared a comprehensive care plan and an individualized emergency action plan for a special population student in advance of an ARD meeting. These documents outline daily medical needs, intervention steps, monitoring expectations, and clear emergency procedures.

Communications

This week, the DeSoto ISD Communications Department supported a wide range of district initiatives focused on visibility, compliance, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. The team covered the Board of Trustees meeting and began developing content for Trustee spotlights in recognition of Board Appreciation Month.

Significant progress was made on the district website redesign through facilitated focus groups, which provided valuable insight from leaders and stakeholder groups to guide the selection of a new site template. In addition, the department completed a high volume of web revision requests and addressed legislative compliance needs by building new pages to align with requirements stemming from the 89th Legislative Session.

The team hosted its first meeting with campus and department communications liaisons to strengthen coordinated information flow and provide coaching and training for more consistent, district-aligned communication practices. Planning also began for future professional development sessions centered on leadership development and collaborative communication strategies.

Following a recent presentation alongside Dr. Rodgers at the Texas Council of Women School Executives, the team continued refining the presentation deck for an upcoming session at TASA in January and submitted a proposal for consideration at the 2026 National School Public Relations Association conference focused on school marketing.

In support of specialized initiatives, the department worked closely with the Special Education Department on reputation management, customer service improvements, and planning for International Day of Persons with Disabilities. A communications strategy was also developed to introduce the new Athletic Director and support his integration into the DeSoto community, aligning with the long-term vision of the Triple A Experience.

The team advanced multiple marketing and visibility efforts, including the development of pre-, during-, and post-holiday communications for social media, newsletters, and web platforms. Substantial progress continued on the Winter 2025 Choice Application campaign, including a casting call and selection of talent for an upcoming advertisement, negotiation of media buys, and localized outreach to families and community stakeholders, all set to launch after the break.

Additional responsibilities included resolving open records requests, submitting district documentation to support a multi-district class action effort addressing the impact of social media on students and schools, and providing coverage of campus and district events, including Thanksgiving celebrations and the Chick-fil-A Leadership Experience for DeSoto High School scholars.

Overall, the department maintained a proactive, strategic focus while advancing district priorities in communication, marketing, compliance, and stakeholder engagement.

Technology 

Technology Modernization Overview 

In alignment with DeSoto ISD’s commitment to digital transformation, we are executing a district-wide technology modernization plan focused on: 

• Enhancing learning experiences 

• Strengthening campus safety 

• a operational efficiency 

This multi-pronged initiative reflects our dedication to purpose-driven innovation and operational excellence. 

Key Initiatives 

1. Microsoft Intune Deployment All district-owned devices are now managed via Microsoft Intune, enabling secure, cloud-based administration, app deployment, and full lifecycle oversight. 

2. Student Laptop Upgrades With Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, student laptops are being upgraded to Windows 11-compatible models—prioritizing high schools and aging inventory—to ensure improved performance and access to modern learning tools. 

3. Campus Digital Signage Real-time communication is being enhanced through digital signage installations in front offices, cafeterias, libraries, and athletic facilities. Displays will deliver alerts, event schedules, and student recognition, centrally managed for consistency. 

4. Email Threat Intelligence Abnormal Security flagged 640 email-based attacks last week—a 12.7% increase. Since integration, 33,574 threats have been identified, averaging 91 per day. This upward trend underscores the importance of proactive cybersecurity. 

5. Security Camera Enhancements Upgrades to high-definition IP cameras include night vision, motion detection, and law enforcement integration. AI features under review include facial recognition, license plate readers, and behavioral analytics. 

6. Document Management System Review Enterprise-grade systems are being evaluated to centralize records and streamline collaboration. Key criteria: FERPA/HIPAA compliance, accessibility, and automation. Stakeholder input is being gathered through pilots and demos. 

7. Bond-Funded Technology Projects Pending bond approval, strategic upgrades include: 

• Chromebook/laptop deployment 

• AV systems for stadiums, gyms, and boardroom 

• Emergency notification and paging systems 

• Baseball field tech (sound and livestreaming) 

• Smart lockdown systems with AI threat detection 

• Expanded security camera coverage 

8. Network Infrastructure Update Developing a comprehensive plan to optimize switch configurations and refine network routing protocols. This strategy aims to strengthen security, reduce latency, and maximize bandwidth utilization. By proactively designing these improvements, we will ensure resilient connectivity, safeguard critical data, and support the district’s growing reliance on cloud-based applications and digital learning environments. 

9. Help Desk Performance October metrics: 

• 78 tickets submitted 

• 80 tickets resolved 

• Avg. resolution time: 32.6 minutes 

• Avg. satisfaction rating: 4.6/5 

These results reflect our commitment to responsive support and continuous improvement. 

10. Phone System Evaluation Modern phone systems are under review to support unified communications, mobile integration, panic button features, and emergency notification compatibility. Pilot programs are complete; recommendations forthcoming. 

11. Abnormal Security Weekly Update (Nov 10–16, 2025) 

Abnormal Security detected 601 email-based attacks targeting DeSoto ISD during the past week, bringing the total since integration to 36,212. This reflects a significant increase of 107 attacks compared to the previous week, indicating an upward trend in threat activity. For detailed insights and recommendations, please visit the Abnormal Security Portal. 

12.  Domain Controller Migration to Region 10 Private Cloud 

DeSoto ISD successfully migrated its two on-premise domain controllers to Region 10’s private cloud, delivering improved reliability, scalability, and security. This transition reduces hardware maintenance costs, enhances disaster recovery capabilities, and ensures high availability through a professionally managed infrastructure. Additionally, the private cloud environment provides better compliance alignment and future-proofing for district IT operations, supporting long-term efficiency and resilience. 

13.  Infrastructure & Wireless 

A new wireless network, the DISD-Internet SSID, is actively being tested to ensure full functionality, with the goal of replacing older, existing SSIDs. 

14.  Security and Access Control
Security enhancements are a major focus, with the simultaneous setup of two key systems:

A Captive Portal is being configured to manage initial user access and acceptance of network policies.

Network Access Control (NAC) is being implemented to provide a deeper security layer by authenticating and securing all devices connecting to the network.

Our Commitment 

Through strategic upgrades, cloud-based tools, and expanded digital access, DeSoto ISD is: 

• Empowering students with confidence 

• Equipping staff with efficient tools 

• Creating safe, innovative learning environments 

These efforts reflect our enduring values of integrity, determination, and excellence.

Maintenance & Operations

Work Orders

• There were a total of 176 work orders completed and there are still 68 work orders in progress in the system.

Maintenance Highlights

• LG systems at Early College - Ongoing

• Still replacing burned out canopy lights at KJ

  1. Working on back side

• Still working on generator at McCowan

• Still cleaning trash out on Visitor's side of Ben Dial Stadium

• Installing Cat 5 for security cameras at AG Barn

• Finished fixing AG Barn fence

  1. Working on painting inside of AG Barn

• Still working on awning for cooling tubs at Ben Dial

  1. Will get worked on when finished with AG Barn fence/gates

• Finished painting hallways at KJ

• Working on greenhouse at Amber Terrace

  1. Will pick up mulch when order is ready for pick up

• Finished painting inside of Multipurpose

Groundskeeping

• Regular mowing and weed eating across the district to maintain clean and safe outdoor spaces.