Teaching & Learning (CONSTRAINT 1)

Math Manipulatives in Action 

• During our instructional walks focused on math instruction and manipulative use, we observed students actively engaged in small group work. They used hands-on tools to explore concepts and collaborated to solve problems, showing strong understanding through discussion and peer support. 

Region 10 Science Cadre

• Region 10 recently hosted a Science STEM Cadre, bringing together instructional leaders to collaborate and discuss best practices in science education. The session focused on strengthening science instruction, sharing strategies, and fostering STEM leadership across districts. What big things are going on this week? 

PEIMS Cross Department Collaboration 

• The Research & Evaluation department recently met with leaders across multiple departments to discuss PEIMS coding—a new collaborative practice aimed at ensuring accuracy and alignment. This cross-departmental effort supports clearer communication, consistent data reporting, and stronger coordination across teams. 

Department Updates with Principals

• The MTSS Director, EB Director, and SPED Executive Director recently met with principals to share department updates and discuss current trends. This collaborative session provided valuable insights into student needs and helped align campus support with district initiatives.

GT Collaboration at WRE

• The GT Department met with Principal Tatum for a check-in and collaborative discussion focused on vision setting for the campus GT program. The conversation centered on program goals, student support, and aligning enrichment opportunities with campus priorities. We are preparing for our District Parent GT Meeting. 

PLTW Check In was a Success

• A successful Project Lead The Way (PLTW) check-in was held with President and CEO Dr. Demmit to provide an update on program progress. The meeting highlighted key achievements, discussed next steps, and reinforced the shared commitment to expanding high-quality STEM opportunities for students.

Best in Southwest Early Literacy visit at Cockrell Hill ES, calibration of evidence in classrooms

School Leadership (CONSTRAINT 3) 

This week, school leadership efforts were grounded in campus visibility, calibration, and systems alignment, with a clear emphasis on special education supports and ensuring that our instructional environments reflect the quality our scholars deserve.

I conducted four campus walkthroughs at Cockrell Hill Elementary, The Meadows Elementary, Woodridge Elementary, and DeSoto High School. Each visit reinforced the importance of instructional readiness, strong school culture, and purposeful leadership moves. At Cockrell Hill, the walkthrough focused on preparing for the upcoming Best in Southwest convening, with leaders addressing facility readiness, safety, and classroom environments. At The Meadows, we partnered with our Region 10 consultant to observe PLCs and instructional systems in action. The collaboration was a powerful validation of the work happening on campus—the Region 10 consultant shared that this was one of the best PLCs she has observed across the schools she supports, highlighting the strength of our teachers and leaders in aligning instruction to student needs. At Woodridge, leadership engagement centered on Gifted & Fine Arts Gifted and Talented services, while at DeSoto High School, the visit spotlighted the realignment of special education supports and the urgent need to solidify systems of accountability and progress monitoring.

On Thursday, all principals participated in the Principal Meeting – Systems Support, which provided a strong platform for collaborative learning and alignment. The session centered on special education realignment, where leaders reviewed the new platform to access identification, and strong continuum of services, and explored the use of SPED trackers for accountability. Alongside this, leaders engaged in sessions on family engagement, TELPAS/LPAC data-driven decision making, and MTSS implementation. The discussion was intentional, with principals sharing best practices and walking away with clear next steps for their campuses.

The impact of this work is two-fold:

• For teachers, there is an increased level of support through well-prepared PLCs, targeted professional learning, and stronger collaboration with SPED and MTSS teams.

• For students, this alignment ensures that they are not only receiving consistent Tier I instruction but also the individualized interventions and supports necessary for equitable outcomes. At the high school level in particular, the SPED realignment represents a significant step in providing our scholars with the tools and access needed to thrive in rigorous learning environments.

Looking forward, we anticipate greater fidelity of SPED implementation, improved consistency in instructional practices, and a stronger culture of accountability across all levels. These efforts matter to the Board because they demonstrate that we are proactively addressing areas of need while building systems that will sustain improvement.

This week’s work is a clear reflection of Eagle P.R.I.D.E.:

• Purpose in aligning leadership around literacy and special education priorities.

• Results through four focused campus visits and a district-wide leadership meeting that produced actionable steps.

• Integrity in openly calibrating on areas that require improvement.

• Determination to ensure SPED accountability is non-negotiable.

• Excellence in delivering a Ritz-Carlton level of readiness for community-facing events like the Best in Southwest convening, and in earning validation from Region 10 on the strength of our PLC work.

Finance 

(CONSTRAINT 2)

District Revenues for FY26 as of Sept 19, 2025

Maintenance & Operations General Fund (199)

• Local Revenue (57XX): $25,785

•  State Revenue Available School Funds (5811): $199,871

•  Foundation School Program (5812): $1,635,009

• TRS On-Behalf (5831): $442,660

 Federal Revenue

• JROTC (5949): $18,114

• SHARS (5931): $98,561

Child Nutrition (240)

• Breakfast Revenue (57xx)

• Lunch Revenue (5751): $5,034

Debt Service (I&S) Fund (511)

• Local Tax Collections (5711/12/18/19): $64,116

Budget Forecast:

FY26 revenues are steady. State aid (ASF, FSP, TRS On-Behalf) anchors classroom instruction. Federal streams (GEAR UP, SHARS, JROTC) extend targeted supports. Child Nutrition ensures access to meals, and Debt Service protects facilities. A no-cost extension of GEAR UP ($614K) sustains mentoring and college-readiness for 440 students.

Student-Centered Alignment

• Core funds support teachers and classrooms.

• Grants extend tutoring, mentoring, and specialized services.

• Nutrition revenues meet basic needs.

• Debt service keeps learning environments safe.

Board Relevance
This budget is a moral document transparent, compliant, and aligned to board goals of equity, readiness, and student growth.

PRIDE in Action

• Perseverance: Sustaining critical programs.

• Respect: Honoring taxpayer investment.

• Integrity: Transparent reporting.

• Discipline: Managing within constraints.

• Excellence: Maximizing every resource for students.

How does our spending align with our student-centered priorities?

Our budget is intentionally designed to keep students at the center of every dollar.

• Classroom Instruction: State aid (Foundation School Program, Available School Fund, TRS On-Behalf) ensures that every campus is staffed with certified teachers and instructional leaders. These funds represent the backbone of daily teaching and learning.

• Targeted Supports: Federal funds like GEAR UP extend tutoring, mentoring, and college-readiness supports. SHARS covers direct student services, while JROTC broadens enrichment opportunities. These resources go directly to student growth beyond core academics.

• Basic Needs & Equity: Child Nutrition revenues guarantee that students are ready to learn with equitable access to healthy meals. This is not ancillary—it’s a prerequisite for learning.

• Safe Learning Environments: Debt Service collections sustain our facilities, protecting the spaces where instruction takes place.

Taken together, these revenues demonstrate that our financial plan is not abstract accounting, it is a student-centered investment strategy. Each category aligns to the district’s mission: ensuring students, without exception, learn and grow at their highest levels.

*** School Financial Update ***

DeSoto ISD has been approved for a one-year No-Cost Extension of the federal GEAR UP Next Gen grant, carrying forward $614,286.21 into 2025–2026. The extension ensures continued services for 440 students in the original cohort, including mentoring, tutoring, and first-year college support, while also preserving key staff positions funded by the grant. This outcome reflects strong compliance and fiscal stewardship, keeping resources and talent in place to directly support student success.

Human Capital Management

The Human Resources Department continues to advance district priorities through external partnerships, compliance efforts, and staff support initiatives. Key highlights from recent activities are outlined below.

• Regional Engagement: HR leadership attended the Region 10 HR Roundtable with HR leaders from across the DFW metroplex to share best practices and strengthen professional networks.

• Compliance & Awareness: Distributed posters for NAVEX Incident Reporting and Abuse and Neglect Reporting across campuses to ensure all staff have access to critical reporting information.

• Teacher Pipeline Development: Held a partnership meeting to support uncertified teachers pursuing certification through the ITEACH program, reinforcing the district’s commitment to educator development.

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Partnered with the Communications Department to coordinate messaging and resources in support of the NAVEX platform implementation.

• Staff Support & Recognition: Engaged in planning and preparation for the Mentor Teacher Kickoff, designed to celebrate and equip mentor teachers for the year ahead.

Student & Staff Support Services

**Child Nutrition**

During her exit interview with the Child Nutrition team, the auditor from the Texas Department of Agriculture provided a preliminary report following her on-site review, which commenced on Tuesday. Special recognition is due to Child Nutrition Director Neyva Alvarado, whose diligent efforts ensured that all requested documentation was readily available for the review process.

In a productive bi-weekly meeting, Dr. Morrow and the Whitsons management engaged in a thorough discussion covering various aspects of their partnership. One exciting development is the exploration of opening a deli station at the high school, a direct response to student feedback expressing a desire to create their own custom sandwiches. Whitsons continues to serve as a model for innovative school cafeteria services.

In the first six weeks of the school year, our cafeterias successfully served an impressive total of 62,927 breakfasts and 108,509 lunches, culminating in 171,476 meals for our students. This year’s meal volume reflects a notable 4.8% increase compared to the same period last year, highlighting our commitment to meeting the nutritional needs of our scholars.

Health inspections began this week, and Dr. Morrow had a productive meeting with Inspector Malvern, who expressed considerable satisfaction with the recent changes made, particularly the removal of the problematic trash compactors from the high school. Previously, these compactors had leaked and emitted unpleasant odors, raising concerns for the inspector. Their replacement with two traditional dumpsters signifies a positive step toward maintaining a clean and welcoming environment.

**Student & Staff Support Services**

Our offices experienced a slight uptick in assistance requests compared to last year during the first six weeks. This increase has largely been attributed to the transportation challenges that affected families during the initial two weeks of school. Following transportation issues, communication emerged as the second most frequent reason parents reached out to our offices. Commonly expressed communication difficulties included:

- Unanswered emails

- Unreturned phone calls

- Full voicemails

In response, Chief Thomas, Mr. White, and Dr. Morrow coordinated efforts to ensure that voicemails were promptly cleared and that any technological issues hindering parental access were resolved. Campus principals and relevant staff members were promptly informed whenever parents made contact with our offices.

Dr. Williams and her dedicated nursing team have been diligently working together to complete health screenings for students. Additionally, Dr. Williams successfully secured a medical doctor who will oversee our Automated External Defibrillator (AED) procedures and protocols. This oversight is mandated by law, as a licensed medical professional must supervise the use of AEDs within school districts. Unfortunately, the physician who provided this support last year is no longer available.

**Student Safety**

Dr. Morrow has been actively collaborating with the Texas School Safety Center to complete the district's emergency operation procedures. The deadline for submitting the required documentation is October 1, 2025, and with the assistance of our representative from the Texas School Safety Center, Dr. Morrow successfully submitted the necessary documents yesterday.

In addition to refining safety plans, Dr. Morrow is working closely with Chief Thomas and his team to ensure a safe environment during both regular school hours and extracurricular activities. The recent parade and block party demonstrated effective proactive measures, as the vigilant monitoring and mobility of the security team, along with the local police, successfully prevented any potential disruptions. The team is now preparing to ensure a fun and safe atmosphere for the upcoming homecoming game.

Mr. Manning is shifting his focus from training on our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) initiatives to developing systematic protocols that will monitor the fidelity of implementation. He and Dr. Morrow have also begun an initial analysis of the discipline data accumulated over the first six weeks, identifying several areas for improvement in both administration practices and documentation of disciplinary actions.

In a significant step towards collaboration, Dr. Perry and Dr. Morrow held their first interdepartmental meeting, where they explored strategies to better support each other's efforts across various departmental challenges. They jointly acknowledged the critical need to identify, vet, and secure a platform that will assist in addressing cases involving students caught with vapes. It is understood that punitive measures alone will not provide the necessary motivation to deter continued vaping and smoking among students.

Communications

Department – Weekly Summary

This week, the Communications Department advanced a variety of initiatives that highlight our district’s scholars, staff, and programs, while also supporting internal communications and strategic planning.

Social Media & Campaigns

• Launched the Hispanic Heritage Month Photo Series, featuring scholars across the district paying homage to notable figures in Hispanic culture. The series has been well-received and has performed strongly on social media.
  
  

• Created and shared content highlighting cell phone expectations for scholars, Hispanic Heritage Month voices and perspectives, and coverage of the DeSoto High School Dance Team’s performance at the Dallas Cowboys game, among other key topics.
  
  

Internal Communications

• Developed and distributed messaging inviting staff to participate in Leadership Navex Training and to engage in the launch of the Staff Wellness Initiative.
  
  

• Organized and communicated details regarding the retirement celebration for retiring Director of Human Resources Larry Davis.
  
  

• Issued reminders for staff to complete required compliance training.
  
  

Story Development & Coverage

• Completed stories for the October 9 Hispanic Heritage Month event, a written recap of the Best in Southwest Literacy Event, and reminders for the upcoming Fall Break.
  
  

• Published stories on the launch of the All Pro Dad initiative, a tribute to principals for National Principals Month, and prepared a written and video tribute for World Teachers Day.
  
  

• Launched the first installment of a month-long series honoring district principals and developed content for Red Ribbon Week, National Fire Prevention Week, and October Board Meeting dates.
  
  

Organizational Development

• The Chief Communications Officer (CCO) completed Beginning-of-Year (BOY) Goals and aligned departmental efforts with the district’s Strategic Goals.
  
  

Staffing & Capacity Building

• Conducted interviews with five external and one internal candidate for department openings; although all candidates showed potential, none surpassed the performance and promise of existing team members.
  
  

• Based on this assessment, the CCO proposed an internal promotion plan to recognize and reward existing talent while building departmental capacity. This plan includes:
  
  

  • Promoting the current Executive Administrative Assistant to Communications Specialist.
    
    

  • Advancing the current Communications Specialist to Communications Coordinator.
    
    

  • Transitioning the District Receptionist to the Executive Administrative Assistant role.
    
    

  • Backfilling the Receptionist position to maintain operational support.
    
    

This approach reflects a continued investment in the growth and development of internal team members, ensuring stability, strengthening departmental capacity, and furthering the Communications Department’s mission to effectively serve the district and its stakeholders.

Technology 

In support of DeSoto ISD’s strategic vision for digital transformation, we are launching a district-wide technology modernization plan focused on:

• Enhancing learning experiences

• Strengthening campus safety

• Increasing operational efficiency

This initiative spans multiple focus areas and reflects our unwavering commitment to purpose-driven education and innovation.

1. Microsoft Intune Rollout

To reinforce cybersecurity and streamline device management, Microsoft Intune has been deployed across all district-owned devices. This cloud-based platform enables:

• Remote administration and policy enforcement

• Efficient app deployment and updates

• End-to-end device lifecycle management

2. Student Laptop Upgrades

With Windows 10 support ending in October 2025, we are proactively upgrading student laptops to Windows 11-compatible models. These new devices offer:

• Improved performance and security

• Access to modern learning tools

• Priority rollout for high school students and campuses with aging hardware

3. Campus Digital Signage

To improve communication across campuses, digital signage is being installed in:

• Front offices

• Cafeterias

• Libraries

• Athletic facilities

These displays will deliver real-time updates, emergency alerts, event schedules, and student recognition—centrally managed for consistency and impact.

4. Student Device Distribution

Every student will receive a district-issued laptop for academic use. Distribution events are coordinated with campus leadership and include:

• Orientation and digital citizenship training

• On-site tech support

• Devices tagged, enrolled in Intune, and preloaded with essential educational tools

5. Security Camera Enhancements

To elevate campus safety, we are upgrading to high-definition IP cameras equipped with:

• Night vision and motion detection

• Integration with law enforcement systems

• Exploration of AI features such as facial recognition, license plate readers, and behavioral analytics

6. Document Management System Review

We are evaluating enterprise-grade document management systems to centralize records and improve collaboration. Key criteria include:

• FERPA and HIPAA compliance

• Accessibility for staff, students, and administrators

• Automation for approvals, archiving, and retention policies

Stakeholder feedback is being gathered through pilot programs and vendor demonstrations, with implementation planned following final selection.

7. Bond-Funded Technology Projects

Pending bond approval, DeSoto ISD is preparing to implement strategic upgrades through vendor partnerships:

• Chromebook/Laptop Deployment

• Audio-Visual Systems for stadiums, auditoriums, gyms, and boardroom

• Bells and Paging Systems for daily and emergency communication

• Baseball Field Technology including sound systems and live-streaming infrastructure

• Emergency Notification Systems across intercoms, signage, mobile apps, and classroom devices

• Smart Lockdown Systems with automated door locking and AI threat detection

• Board Room AV and security upgrades

• Expanded security camera coverage with advanced features

8. Password Management Improvements

To enhance digital security and user autonomy:

• Students can now reset their own passwords

• A new feature is in development allowing teachers to reset passwords for students in their classes—streamlining classroom tech support

9. Help Desk Metrics

Our Help Desk continues to deliver responsive support for the district’s growing technology infrastructure:

• Open tickets: 230

• Submitted in September: 158

• Closed in September: 169 (includes tickets from previous months) 

• Average resolution time: 34.9 minutes

These metrics reflect our commitment to timely service and continuous improvement.

10. Phone System Evaluation

To improve communication across campuses and departments, DeSoto ISD is actively evaluating modern phone system solutions. This assessment focuses on:

• Unified communication features such as voicemail-to-email, call forwarding, and mobile integration

• Enhanced security and reliability (panic buttons)

• Simplified management and scalability for future growth

• Integration with emergency notification systems and paging infrastructure

Pilot programs and vendor demonstrations have concluded and a recommendation will be submitted to meet the district’s operational needs and supports both instructional and administrative functions.

Our Commitment

Every initiative is rooted in our mission to prepare students for success in a connected, secure, and rapidly evolving world. Through infrastructure upgrades, cloud-based tools, and expanded access to digital learning, DeSoto ISD is:

• Empowering students to lead with confidence

• Equipping staff with efficient tools

• Creating safe, innovative learning environments

These efforts embody our integrity, determination, and pursuit of excellence.

Maintenance & Operations

There were a total of 126 work orders completed and there are still 50 work orders in progress in the system.

Maintenance

• LG systems at Early College - Ongoing

• Still waiting on parts

• Compressor is out

• Still painting at KJ

• On hold due to students being back in classrooms

• Finished painting at High School

• Eagle Suite

• Still working on floors

• Still replacing burned our canopy lights at KJ

• Waiting on lift rental

• Still waiting on HoltCat for generator at McCowan to get them back up and running

• Finished working on pumps for Press Box at Ben Dial Stadium

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

• Finished installing new lights around MPC building

• Installing Cat 5 for security cameras and TV's at McCowan & AG Barn

• Windows at Admin ZenDen are done, waiting on them to be painted

• Assist with Homecoming Parade preparations

• Gym 2 & 3 - working on wet roofs

• Working on fixing AG Barn fence

• Working on awning for cooling tubs at Ben Dial

Grounds

• Mowing and weed eating around district