Dallas tops in gang sweep arrests
By TANYA EISERER and MICHELLE MITTELSTADT / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas led the nation in arrests during a two-week crackdown on violent street gangs with Central American ties, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Friday.
“These are very, very, violent people that we’ve taken off the streets,” said Thomas Homan, assistant special agent in charge of ICE’s Dallas area office. “Dallas ranked No. 1 in arrests.”
The sweep, which began Feb. 24 and ended Thursday, netted 375 arrests in 23 states, including 44 arrests in the Dallas area. The local arrests were mostly made in Northwest Dallas.
The number of local arrests easily outpaced that of other major cities, such Los Angeles, with 9 arrests, San Diego, with 41 arrests, and Miami, with 22.
Members of the Dallas gang unit attended a local news conference. Dallas First Assistant Chief David Brown also was on hand in Washington D.C. for a news conference at the agency’s national headquarters.
“Those who we arrested had criminal histories that include aggravated assault with deadly weapons, burglary of vehicles, weapons offenses and drug offenses - just to name a few,” Chief Brown said.
This crackdown “has had an immediate impact to create a safer community,” he added.
The recent effort was part of ICE’s ongoing “Operation Community Shield,” a campaign to crackdown and dismantle violent street gangs with mostly foreign-born membership. Dallas officials credited the effort with helping fuel the city’s nearly 19 percent decline in murders for 2005.
Since ICE launched the campaign in February 2005, there have been about 2,390 arrests of gang members from roughly 240 street gangs, including about 920 from the violent street gang Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13.
About 530 face criminal charges and 1,855 believed to be illegal immigrants have been targeted for removal from the United States.
Of the total, about 150 were arrested in the Dallas area alone, and about just over a third of those were members of MS-13. Most of its members are former members of the El Salvadoran military.
Last March, MS-13 members were accused of shooting and killing a 19-year-old as he played soccer. The shooter asked the victim what gang he belonged to. The victim said he wasn’t a gang member, and he was shot in the back of the head as he started to walk away.
Since the crackdown began a year ago, much of the gang’s leadership has left Dallas, Agent Homan said. “Dallas can sleep a little bit better knowing that 149 violent gang members are off the street,” he said.
Of the 44 Dallas area arrests, 37 were foreign born, about five were MS-13, and 28 were members of VNS, another violent Latino street gang. Of those, 14 have already been deported, 13 are awaiting an immigration hearing, seven face state criminal charges and three are in federal custody.
In Washington, D.C., Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff praised the federal-state-local partnership, saying that it targets “the worst of the worst in terms of criminal activity.”
“This is the way we protect communities that have been terrorized for too long by gang violence,” he said.
News from the Lone Star State
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McKinney high schools need longer school day
McKinney: Classes in session 30 minutes less than necessary
By KAREN AYRES / The Dallas Morning News
McKINNEY, Texas – The school day may seem long to high school students in McKinney, but apparently it's not long enough.
McKinney school district leaders said they recently discovered that for the last two years, ninth- through 12th-graders were in school 30 minutes a day less than state law requires.
In other words, more than 4,000 students missed out on more than 80 hours each year.
District officials said the law was not intentionally ignored, and they have contacted the state for advice. The district plans to add a half-hour to the schedule in the coming school year to fix the shortfall.
State officials say all schools are required to provide a seven-hour school day, but there is no penalty for districts that do not. School districts receive full state funding as long as students are in class more than four hours a day.
"Technically, if we had enough districts violating it, something could be done," Texas Education Agency spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson said. "But there is nothing per se in the law that says if you don't do this then this is what is going to happen to you."
Most districts in the Dallas area operate school seven hours a day, some longer.
Tutorial time
Two years ago, school officials in McKinney set up a 6 ½-hour day with an extra half-hour of tutorial time in the mornings.
The district's new administration recently realized that the schedule might not meet the rules because the tutoring is optional and school buses generally don't arrive in time for bused students to use it.
If the district were to include the 30 minutes of tutoring in its formal timetable, Ms. Culbertson said, the law is silent on whether that would meet the requirement.
But the current high school schedule runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; the optional tutoring is not part of it.
Whether officials from the district's previous administration expected tutoring to stop being optional is beside the point, district spokesman Cody Cunningham said.
"Regardless of whether they intended it to be mandatory, it's really not taking place to the extent that we think it should be," he said. "We feel that by moving to a seven-hour mandatory day and offering the tutorials before and after school, we can move forward."
The district contacted TEA to figure out whether the current schedule is illegal.
Ms. Culbertson said Thursday that she couldn't comment on the request.
She said it's unclear how many districts fall short of the seven-hour requirement because each school system sets its own schedule.
Some area districts, including Allen, allow some students to set up their schedules so they don't attend classes for the entire day. However, Allen ISD spokesman Tim Carroll said the district meets state requirements because it offers more than seven hours of instruction.
Fort Worth schedule
In Fort Worth, administrators learned in June that first- and second-graders had been spending only 6 hours and 15 minutes in class. They recently set up a plan to fix the schedule in the coming school year.
"The additional time that has been identified will go to art, music and physical education," Fort Worth ISD spokeswoman Barbara Griffith said Thursday.
Based on Fort Worth records, former administrators there knew they were violating the law as early as 1997. Costs were likely a factor, records show.
No extra costs
Mr. Cunningham said the new schedule wouldn't cost McKinney ISD more money because teachers and students are already in the buildings. Teachers are required to be in the schools from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"None of this was done as a cost savings," Mr. Cunningham said.
Teachers will not be paid extra under the new schedule because they will be required to be in the school the same amount of time.
The new high school schedule, which will end at 4 p.m. every day, will also solve the district's busing conflicts because high school students will no longer be released at the same time as elementary students, Mr. Cunningham said.
The schedules will not change for elementary or middle schools, which currently operate on seven-hour schedules.
The district expects to gain 105 class periods out of the switch in the coming school year. Though the high schools currently use a modified block schedule, the district is switching to a regular, seven-period day.
School board president Geralyn Kever said the board did not get involved in setting the high school schedule two years ago, but she believes former Superintendent David Anthony and his staff had good intentions.
"The intent was just to give students the opportunity for more individualized, prescriptive time in front of their teachers for remediation or enrichment," she said.
Nonetheless, Ms. Kever said she supports the plan to change the schedule.
"The words 'optional' and 'mandatory' do make a difference in terms of how many kids you can touch in that 30-minute window," she said.
_____________________________________________________________
By the numbers:
30 Minutes per day missing from McKinney high school schedules
5,280 Total minutes lost in a 176-day school year
88 Hours of lost time
105 Class periods gained next year
SOURCE: McKinney Independent School District
McKinney: Classes in session 30 minutes less than necessary
By KAREN AYRES / The Dallas Morning News
McKINNEY, Texas – The school day may seem long to high school students in McKinney, but apparently it's not long enough.
McKinney school district leaders said they recently discovered that for the last two years, ninth- through 12th-graders were in school 30 minutes a day less than state law requires.
In other words, more than 4,000 students missed out on more than 80 hours each year.
District officials said the law was not intentionally ignored, and they have contacted the state for advice. The district plans to add a half-hour to the schedule in the coming school year to fix the shortfall.
State officials say all schools are required to provide a seven-hour school day, but there is no penalty for districts that do not. School districts receive full state funding as long as students are in class more than four hours a day.
"Technically, if we had enough districts violating it, something could be done," Texas Education Agency spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson said. "But there is nothing per se in the law that says if you don't do this then this is what is going to happen to you."
Most districts in the Dallas area operate school seven hours a day, some longer.
Tutorial time
Two years ago, school officials in McKinney set up a 6 ½-hour day with an extra half-hour of tutorial time in the mornings.
The district's new administration recently realized that the schedule might not meet the rules because the tutoring is optional and school buses generally don't arrive in time for bused students to use it.
If the district were to include the 30 minutes of tutoring in its formal timetable, Ms. Culbertson said, the law is silent on whether that would meet the requirement.
But the current high school schedule runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; the optional tutoring is not part of it.
Whether officials from the district's previous administration expected tutoring to stop being optional is beside the point, district spokesman Cody Cunningham said.
"Regardless of whether they intended it to be mandatory, it's really not taking place to the extent that we think it should be," he said. "We feel that by moving to a seven-hour mandatory day and offering the tutorials before and after school, we can move forward."
The district contacted TEA to figure out whether the current schedule is illegal.
Ms. Culbertson said Thursday that she couldn't comment on the request.
She said it's unclear how many districts fall short of the seven-hour requirement because each school system sets its own schedule.
Some area districts, including Allen, allow some students to set up their schedules so they don't attend classes for the entire day. However, Allen ISD spokesman Tim Carroll said the district meets state requirements because it offers more than seven hours of instruction.
Fort Worth schedule
In Fort Worth, administrators learned in June that first- and second-graders had been spending only 6 hours and 15 minutes in class. They recently set up a plan to fix the schedule in the coming school year.
"The additional time that has been identified will go to art, music and physical education," Fort Worth ISD spokeswoman Barbara Griffith said Thursday.
Based on Fort Worth records, former administrators there knew they were violating the law as early as 1997. Costs were likely a factor, records show.
No extra costs
Mr. Cunningham said the new schedule wouldn't cost McKinney ISD more money because teachers and students are already in the buildings. Teachers are required to be in the schools from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"None of this was done as a cost savings," Mr. Cunningham said.
Teachers will not be paid extra under the new schedule because they will be required to be in the school the same amount of time.
The new high school schedule, which will end at 4 p.m. every day, will also solve the district's busing conflicts because high school students will no longer be released at the same time as elementary students, Mr. Cunningham said.
The schedules will not change for elementary or middle schools, which currently operate on seven-hour schedules.
The district expects to gain 105 class periods out of the switch in the coming school year. Though the high schools currently use a modified block schedule, the district is switching to a regular, seven-period day.
School board president Geralyn Kever said the board did not get involved in setting the high school schedule two years ago, but she believes former Superintendent David Anthony and his staff had good intentions.
"The intent was just to give students the opportunity for more individualized, prescriptive time in front of their teachers for remediation or enrichment," she said.
Nonetheless, Ms. Kever said she supports the plan to change the schedule.
"The words 'optional' and 'mandatory' do make a difference in terms of how many kids you can touch in that 30-minute window," she said.
_____________________________________________________________
By the numbers:
30 Minutes per day missing from McKinney high school schedules
5,280 Total minutes lost in a 176-day school year
88 Hours of lost time
105 Class periods gained next year
SOURCE: McKinney Independent School District
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TexasStooge
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Inheritance scheme targets elderly Dallas residents
By ALAN MELSON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Three men are believed to be running a scheme where they approach elderly residents in parking lots and steal money after winning their trust with a fake story, Dallas police said.
Police have received complaints about the con at least five times since Feb. 1 - three times in east Dallas, once in Northwest Dallas in the 10800 block of Webb Chapel Road and once in the Red Bird area in the 3700 block of West Camp Wisdom Road. Similar incidents have taken place before.
“They follow a script and don’t vary from it much,” Dallas police Detective Bob Neuman said. “In all cases, it was so similar we figured it had to be the same group.”
Investigators said the scammers have netted at least $1,800 each time. In one of the East Dallas incidents - on Feb. 15 in the 9600 block of Audelia Road in Far Northeast Dallas - the victim lost $15,190. “We had a victim in December that lost $25,000,” Det. Neuman said. “That’s a lot of money … to any person.”
The complex scam involves tricking the victim into believing that one of the suspects is from Africa and has inherited a large sum of money that he wants to donate to a local church. The second suspect pretends to be a bystander who agrees to help.
They eventually persuade the victims to withdraw money from a bank account, which they take during a bait-and-switch operation. A third suspect, who has been following in a separate car, picks up the co-conspirators.
“It sounds complicated and stupid, but it runs really well when you’re a good actor,” Det. Neuman said.
Police believe the three male suspects alternate roles, making it more difficult for victims to provide a description. Det. Neuman said the suspects apparently choose victims partially based on perceived income.
“I think it’s more of a wealth thing - what kind of car they are driving, what did they purchase,” Det. Neuman said.
Anyone with information can call 214-671-3511.
By ALAN MELSON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Three men are believed to be running a scheme where they approach elderly residents in parking lots and steal money after winning their trust with a fake story, Dallas police said.
Police have received complaints about the con at least five times since Feb. 1 - three times in east Dallas, once in Northwest Dallas in the 10800 block of Webb Chapel Road and once in the Red Bird area in the 3700 block of West Camp Wisdom Road. Similar incidents have taken place before.
“They follow a script and don’t vary from it much,” Dallas police Detective Bob Neuman said. “In all cases, it was so similar we figured it had to be the same group.”
Investigators said the scammers have netted at least $1,800 each time. In one of the East Dallas incidents - on Feb. 15 in the 9600 block of Audelia Road in Far Northeast Dallas - the victim lost $15,190. “We had a victim in December that lost $25,000,” Det. Neuman said. “That’s a lot of money … to any person.”
The complex scam involves tricking the victim into believing that one of the suspects is from Africa and has inherited a large sum of money that he wants to donate to a local church. The second suspect pretends to be a bystander who agrees to help.
They eventually persuade the victims to withdraw money from a bank account, which they take during a bait-and-switch operation. A third suspect, who has been following in a separate car, picks up the co-conspirators.
“It sounds complicated and stupid, but it runs really well when you’re a good actor,” Det. Neuman said.
Police believe the three male suspects alternate roles, making it more difficult for victims to provide a description. Det. Neuman said the suspects apparently choose victims partially based on perceived income.
“I think it’s more of a wealth thing - what kind of car they are driving, what did they purchase,” Det. Neuman said.
Anyone with information can call 214-671-3511.
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TexasStooge
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Arlington teens put on concert at Carnegie Hall
By JESSICA PIECZONKA / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Award-winning voices have been drifting through the halls of Martin High School in Arlington as the school's chorale prepares to showcase its talent on the grandest stage next week.
The 82-member chorale recently received a high honor: the opportunity to perform next week on the Isaac Stern Stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
"People dream of going to Carnegie Hall because it's the pinnacle of a career, and here we are doing it while we're still in high school," said chorale member Matt Nelson, 18.
Martin competed against more than 70 high schools in last spring's National High School Choral Festival to earn the honor. Music directors evaluated audiotaped performances and narrowed the field of competitors to three finalists. The festival, sponsored by the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, is in its third year.
Martin is the first Texas high school to be named a finalist. This year's other two finalists are from Michigan and Utah.
"This really is a neat thing," Martin choir director Kay Owens said. "Carnegie Hall is prestigious because it has so much history. Once you play at Carnegie, you definitely put that on your résumé."
Martin's chorale and the other finalists will perform Tuesday in a 40-minute concert based on the poetry of Walt Whitman. After the group performance, each high school will present a 15-minute concert.
"Our 15-minute musical program has such a variety," Mr. Nelson said. "We really cover all genres and reach across the musical spectrum. It is a good show."
To prepare for the concert, the winning schools' choir directors trained for several days last fall with Craig Jessop, music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Dr. Jessop came to Arlington in February for a full day of rehearsals with Martin's chorale. He will lead all three schools' choirs through four days of intense practice with a full orchestra before Tuesday's performance.
Students, staff, parents and friends – more than 250 people in all – are scheduled to leave for the Big Apple today. To help pay for the students' six-day trip, the chorale sponsored a dinner theater and auction that raised almost $7,000.
Brothers Calvin and Blake Bradley are among the chorale members making the trip.
"We've always watched each other sing but have never performed together," said Calvin, 18. "Now we get to go do it in New York City."
Though students will be busy with rehearsals, they will have free time in the evenings to explore the city. Outings will include Broadway plays, shopping and sightseeing.
"The whole school is excited for us," said chorale member Suzanne Williams, 17.
The students will return from their spring break with an unforgettable experience, Ms. Owens said.
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," she said. "I'm so proud of the chorale and can't wait to hear them at Carnegie."
Jessica Pieczonka is a Mansfield-based freelance writer.
By JESSICA PIECZONKA / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Award-winning voices have been drifting through the halls of Martin High School in Arlington as the school's chorale prepares to showcase its talent on the grandest stage next week.
The 82-member chorale recently received a high honor: the opportunity to perform next week on the Isaac Stern Stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
"People dream of going to Carnegie Hall because it's the pinnacle of a career, and here we are doing it while we're still in high school," said chorale member Matt Nelson, 18.
Martin competed against more than 70 high schools in last spring's National High School Choral Festival to earn the honor. Music directors evaluated audiotaped performances and narrowed the field of competitors to three finalists. The festival, sponsored by the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, is in its third year.
Martin is the first Texas high school to be named a finalist. This year's other two finalists are from Michigan and Utah.
"This really is a neat thing," Martin choir director Kay Owens said. "Carnegie Hall is prestigious because it has so much history. Once you play at Carnegie, you definitely put that on your résumé."
Martin's chorale and the other finalists will perform Tuesday in a 40-minute concert based on the poetry of Walt Whitman. After the group performance, each high school will present a 15-minute concert.
"Our 15-minute musical program has such a variety," Mr. Nelson said. "We really cover all genres and reach across the musical spectrum. It is a good show."
To prepare for the concert, the winning schools' choir directors trained for several days last fall with Craig Jessop, music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Dr. Jessop came to Arlington in February for a full day of rehearsals with Martin's chorale. He will lead all three schools' choirs through four days of intense practice with a full orchestra before Tuesday's performance.
Students, staff, parents and friends – more than 250 people in all – are scheduled to leave for the Big Apple today. To help pay for the students' six-day trip, the chorale sponsored a dinner theater and auction that raised almost $7,000.
Brothers Calvin and Blake Bradley are among the chorale members making the trip.
"We've always watched each other sing but have never performed together," said Calvin, 18. "Now we get to go do it in New York City."
Though students will be busy with rehearsals, they will have free time in the evenings to explore the city. Outings will include Broadway plays, shopping and sightseeing.
"The whole school is excited for us," said chorale member Suzanne Williams, 17.
The students will return from their spring break with an unforgettable experience, Ms. Owens said.
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," she said. "I'm so proud of the chorale and can't wait to hear them at Carnegie."
Jessica Pieczonka is a Mansfield-based freelance writer.
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TexasStooge
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Minorities more likely to be searched in Irving
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas – Irving police last year searched Hispanics and blacks at a greater rate than whites during traffic stops that resulted in arrests or citations, a Police Department report shows.
The statistics don't indicate racial profiling, police say. But minority group leaders say police need to continue reaching out to minorities to make them feel more comfortable with the department.
In stops that led to a citation or arrest in 2005, Irving police searched more than 13 percent of Hispanics and 10 percent of blacks. About 7 percent of whites who were stopped were searched. Nearly 4 percent of Asians and 2 percent of American Indians were searched, police say.
Racially based traffic stops have no place in police work, police say. But residents can't rely only on the report to make a conclusion about racial profiling or how Irving police work with minorities, city and police officials say.
"We're looking for a simple answer to a complex problem," Chief Larry Boyd said after presenting the report to City Council members this week. State law requires law enforcement agencies to report the data.
But racial profiling is an issue in Irving, minority group leaders say. Manny Benavides, president of the Irving chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said residents have told him that Dallas County constable deputies have been targeting Hispanic motorists. Constable R.L. Skinner has denied that charge.
Regardless of the Irving police statistics, Mr. Benavides and Tony Grimes, president of the NAACP's Irving branch, praised Chief Boyd for his efforts in communicating with community groups. Chief Boyd has been with the Irving department for about 18 months.
"I see Chief Boyd doing all the things that could bring the community and Police Department closer together," Mr. Grimes said.
But there's more work to be done, Mr. Benavides said.
"The Police Department has a lot of PR work to do in the community, especially in the Latino community," he said.
Irving police employees learn legal aspects and techniques for conducting and documenting traffic stops, according to a department report. Officers are taught Spanish, and police are planning to expand the language training.
"You have to rely much more on effective hiring standards, good supervision, and sending out the appropriate message," Chief Boyd said. "That's a lot more effective than viewing the [racial profiling] report."
Last year, the department was the target of two racial profiling allegations, both of which couldn't be substantiated, police say. People who believe they've been victims of racial profiling can contact the department's internal affairs division or submit a complaint on the department's Web site, http://www.irvingpd.com.
Mayor Herbert Gears said he doesn't receive racial profiling complaints from Irving residents about the Police Department. He said it's good news that the department received only two complaints last year.
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas – Irving police last year searched Hispanics and blacks at a greater rate than whites during traffic stops that resulted in arrests or citations, a Police Department report shows.
The statistics don't indicate racial profiling, police say. But minority group leaders say police need to continue reaching out to minorities to make them feel more comfortable with the department.
In stops that led to a citation or arrest in 2005, Irving police searched more than 13 percent of Hispanics and 10 percent of blacks. About 7 percent of whites who were stopped were searched. Nearly 4 percent of Asians and 2 percent of American Indians were searched, police say.
Racially based traffic stops have no place in police work, police say. But residents can't rely only on the report to make a conclusion about racial profiling or how Irving police work with minorities, city and police officials say.
"We're looking for a simple answer to a complex problem," Chief Larry Boyd said after presenting the report to City Council members this week. State law requires law enforcement agencies to report the data.
But racial profiling is an issue in Irving, minority group leaders say. Manny Benavides, president of the Irving chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said residents have told him that Dallas County constable deputies have been targeting Hispanic motorists. Constable R.L. Skinner has denied that charge.
Regardless of the Irving police statistics, Mr. Benavides and Tony Grimes, president of the NAACP's Irving branch, praised Chief Boyd for his efforts in communicating with community groups. Chief Boyd has been with the Irving department for about 18 months.
"I see Chief Boyd doing all the things that could bring the community and Police Department closer together," Mr. Grimes said.
But there's more work to be done, Mr. Benavides said.
"The Police Department has a lot of PR work to do in the community, especially in the Latino community," he said.
Irving police employees learn legal aspects and techniques for conducting and documenting traffic stops, according to a department report. Officers are taught Spanish, and police are planning to expand the language training.
"You have to rely much more on effective hiring standards, good supervision, and sending out the appropriate message," Chief Boyd said. "That's a lot more effective than viewing the [racial profiling] report."
Last year, the department was the target of two racial profiling allegations, both of which couldn't be substantiated, police say. People who believe they've been victims of racial profiling can contact the department's internal affairs division or submit a complaint on the department's Web site, http://www.irvingpd.com.
Mayor Herbert Gears said he doesn't receive racial profiling complaints from Irving residents about the Police Department. He said it's good news that the department received only two complaints last year.
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TexasStooge
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TAKS scores up for 5th-grade reading
Education chief worries about performance of Katrina evauees
By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – Fifth-grade students improved their overall passing rate in reading on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills this year, although nearly 59,000 children must try again to avoid flunking their grade.
About 80 percent of fifth-graders passed the TAKS on the first try, up from 75 percent a year ago, the Texas Education Agency reported Friday. Those who failed will have two more chances on the TAKS reading exam.
Among third-graders – the other group of students that must pass the state test to be promoted – 89 percent were up to the task. That leaves nearly 32,000 students who face another round of testing.
The number of those earning the label of "commended performance" on TAKS was up 6 percentage points from a year ago to 43 percent of third-graders. Among fifth-graders, the percentage of high scorers dropped a point.
State Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley said students did well despite the disruptions caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita last fall and the thousands of evacuees who poured into the state.
"This has been a stressful year for Texas students and teachers, but they have obviously stayed focused on education," Dr. Neeley said. "We continue to see more and more students who are reading at or above grade level, and that is good news."
The commissioner noted, however, that student evacuees scored well below other students.
"We have a lot of work to do with our Katrina students, whose performance lags behind that of Texas students," Dr. Neeley said.
More than 40 percent of third-graders who fled Katrina failed the TAKS reading test, and 53 percent of evacuees in fifth grade failed. About 5,000 student evacuees were tested in those grades.
"It is critical that all students, including the Katrina children, who failed this test receive additional intensive reading instruction," Dr. Neeley said.
Passing percentages for students who took the Spanish version of the TAKS were up at both the third- and fifth-grade levels, according to the TEA.
This is the second year that fifth-graders fall under a state law aimed at curbing social promotion – automatically passing students regardless of achievement – by requiring them to pass the TAKS. It is the fourth year that third-graders have been under the tougher promotion standard.
Stakes on the TAKS are highest for third- and fifth-graders, who must pass to be promoted, and for high school seniors, who must pass to be awarded a diploma.
All fifth-graders also will have to pass the TAKS math test in April.
While more than 90,000 students in the third and fifth grades have yet to pass the reading section of the TAKS, experience has shown that a significant number pass on the second or third try.
Parents can appeal if their child is slated to be retained because of a poor TAKS score. Each child's grade placement committee – made up of the principal, teacher and parent – can overturn the retention on a unanimous vote.
_____________________________________________________________
2005 TAKS results:
- Search by school or city
- Statewide results
Education chief worries about performance of Katrina evauees
By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – Fifth-grade students improved their overall passing rate in reading on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills this year, although nearly 59,000 children must try again to avoid flunking their grade.
About 80 percent of fifth-graders passed the TAKS on the first try, up from 75 percent a year ago, the Texas Education Agency reported Friday. Those who failed will have two more chances on the TAKS reading exam.
Among third-graders – the other group of students that must pass the state test to be promoted – 89 percent were up to the task. That leaves nearly 32,000 students who face another round of testing.
The number of those earning the label of "commended performance" on TAKS was up 6 percentage points from a year ago to 43 percent of third-graders. Among fifth-graders, the percentage of high scorers dropped a point.
State Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley said students did well despite the disruptions caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita last fall and the thousands of evacuees who poured into the state.
"This has been a stressful year for Texas students and teachers, but they have obviously stayed focused on education," Dr. Neeley said. "We continue to see more and more students who are reading at or above grade level, and that is good news."
The commissioner noted, however, that student evacuees scored well below other students.
"We have a lot of work to do with our Katrina students, whose performance lags behind that of Texas students," Dr. Neeley said.
More than 40 percent of third-graders who fled Katrina failed the TAKS reading test, and 53 percent of evacuees in fifth grade failed. About 5,000 student evacuees were tested in those grades.
"It is critical that all students, including the Katrina children, who failed this test receive additional intensive reading instruction," Dr. Neeley said.
Passing percentages for students who took the Spanish version of the TAKS were up at both the third- and fifth-grade levels, according to the TEA.
This is the second year that fifth-graders fall under a state law aimed at curbing social promotion – automatically passing students regardless of achievement – by requiring them to pass the TAKS. It is the fourth year that third-graders have been under the tougher promotion standard.
Stakes on the TAKS are highest for third- and fifth-graders, who must pass to be promoted, and for high school seniors, who must pass to be awarded a diploma.
All fifth-graders also will have to pass the TAKS math test in April.
While more than 90,000 students in the third and fifth grades have yet to pass the reading section of the TAKS, experience has shown that a significant number pass on the second or third try.
Parents can appeal if their child is slated to be retained because of a poor TAKS score. Each child's grade placement committee – made up of the principal, teacher and parent – can overturn the retention on a unanimous vote.
_____________________________________________________________
2005 TAKS results:
- Search by school or city
- Statewide results
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HurricaneHunter914
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Panic!: meet the press
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TexasStooge
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Manhunt continues for murder suspect
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The pre-dawn quiet of an East Dallas neighborhood was shattered Friday morning by the sound of police helicopters and a SWAT team.
Now police are looking for the 19-year-old murder suspect who somehow managed to elude the heavily armed officers who surrounded his home in the 10600 block of Hermosa Drive.
The incident left many neighbors on edge—newly aware that a suspected killer had been right next door.
Residents said the suspect, identified by police as Rolando Serna, had only lived in the house a few months with other family members.
His landlord said he was unaware of Serna's background because, he said, Serna had used a fake ID.
Dozens of police stormed the small house near White Rock Lake after receiving a tip.
"The tactical officers went out, they did search the location and did a complete search—and he was not there," said Dallas police spokesman Lt. Mike Scoggins.
Police said Serna is suspected in the shooting death of a 42-year-old man last October in Pleasant Grove. No motive has been established for the killing.
"That house always concerned me," said Serna's neighbor Cheryl Crow. "You never knew who was going to be in there. We all know each other. It is disconcerting."
Neighbors were kept from their homes for almost six hours while officers searched for Serna. Now they are hopeful he won't come back.
Police said it is possible Serna will come around, but it's more likely he'll be found somewhere else—possibly in Pleasant Grove.
"We are checking other locations he is known to visit, especially that are friends and associates of his," Lt. Scoggins said.
Serna's landlord said his rental unit has almost $10,000 in damage following the police siege. The interior reeks of tear gas, and he said his insurance company won't pay. He will have to to seek restitution from the city because he and the neighbors were unaware a murder suspect was living next door.
Devlin DeLaMar said Serna and his family were quiet. Another neighbor, Kevin Jernigan, said Friday's developments were "very shocking."
Police said Serna also goes by the name Rolando Gonzalez, and that he listed his home address in Pleasant Grove.
They tried twice to serve the murder warrant there, but the residence was vacant.
Cerna remained at large late Friday night.
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The pre-dawn quiet of an East Dallas neighborhood was shattered Friday morning by the sound of police helicopters and a SWAT team.
Now police are looking for the 19-year-old murder suspect who somehow managed to elude the heavily armed officers who surrounded his home in the 10600 block of Hermosa Drive.
The incident left many neighbors on edge—newly aware that a suspected killer had been right next door.
Residents said the suspect, identified by police as Rolando Serna, had only lived in the house a few months with other family members.
His landlord said he was unaware of Serna's background because, he said, Serna had used a fake ID.
Dozens of police stormed the small house near White Rock Lake after receiving a tip.
"The tactical officers went out, they did search the location and did a complete search—and he was not there," said Dallas police spokesman Lt. Mike Scoggins.
Police said Serna is suspected in the shooting death of a 42-year-old man last October in Pleasant Grove. No motive has been established for the killing.
"That house always concerned me," said Serna's neighbor Cheryl Crow. "You never knew who was going to be in there. We all know each other. It is disconcerting."
Neighbors were kept from their homes for almost six hours while officers searched for Serna. Now they are hopeful he won't come back.
Police said it is possible Serna will come around, but it's more likely he'll be found somewhere else—possibly in Pleasant Grove.
"We are checking other locations he is known to visit, especially that are friends and associates of his," Lt. Scoggins said.
Serna's landlord said his rental unit has almost $10,000 in damage following the police siege. The interior reeks of tear gas, and he said his insurance company won't pay. He will have to to seek restitution from the city because he and the neighbors were unaware a murder suspect was living next door.
Devlin DeLaMar said Serna and his family were quiet. Another neighbor, Kevin Jernigan, said Friday's developments were "very shocking."
Police said Serna also goes by the name Rolando Gonzalez, and that he listed his home address in Pleasant Grove.
They tried twice to serve the murder warrant there, but the residence was vacant.
Cerna remained at large late Friday night.
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TexasStooge
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State, EPA nearing High Five deal
Violations also seen at other work sites; state near deal to avoid fines
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
A federal investigation of Texas road construction projects revealed numerous environmental violations at the Dallas High Five and several other work sites.
Facing fines of up to $127,500, state officials are nearing an agreement with the EPA that imposes no penalties but calls for major changes in how the state builds roads.
Months after High Five construction began in mid-2001, an EPA inspection of the site found dozens of violations of the federal Clean Water Act. These included improper runoff controls, debris in creeks and inadequate record-keeping.
The state disputed many of the findings.
Under a proposed agreement, state and federal officials are expected to settle the matter without any fines or admission of violations.
"We didn't concede any violations actually occurred. ... Both sides agreed to settle the matter," said Rodney Concienne of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The contractor that built the High Five, Zachry Construction Corp., earned an $11 million bonus for finishing construction early.
But Zachry officials emphasized there is no relation between the project's early completion and the environmental issues identified by the EPA.
"We follow state requirements for environmental issues," said Zachry spokeswoman Vicky Waddy, who added that the company has not been involved in the EPA talks.
With EPA encouragement, the state is nearing adoption of a new environmental program that will more closely monitor its transportation projects.
It also could add to the cost of every road project in Texas.
"There were multiple TxDOT projects throughout the state that eventually led to this decision," said Mr. Concienne, who will oversee the new program.
"It is a recognition of some problems in storm water management," he said.
The settlement would lead to the creation of an Environmental Management System, a state program aimed at strengthening environmental policies and training and charting new procedures for inspections and cleanups.
Federal officials declined to comment about the proposed agreement.
"We need to conclude this and have all the signatures in place before we can discuss this publicly," EPA spokesman Dave Bary said.
High Five problems
Six months after an EPA inspection of the High Five construction site in 2001, the federal agency notified the state Transportation Department of 24 violations. The EPA also found violations at local projects on State Highway 360 and on Interstate 35E at State Highway 121.
The state Transportation Department could have faced fines ranging from $27,501 to $127,500 for the violations at the High Five, according to a 2003 Transportation Department memo.
Many of the findings centered on inadequate plans for dealing with runoff and potential effects on adjacent White Rock, Cottonwood and Floyd Branch creeks.
In one instance, the report stated, "Cottonwood Creek contained metal rebar and broken PVC piping. Two-by-fours were observed in a low collection area discharging directly into open sewer culverts."
The Clean Water Act requires major construction projects to prevent silt, sediment or other construction-related pollution from entering nearby creeks, streams or rivers.
In detailed responses, state officials disputed many of the findings.
"We responded with questions as to whether those were legitimate violations," said Tracey Friggle,director of construction for the state Transportation Department's Dallas office.
The state noted that workers cleared the creek, even though it was unclear where the debris came from.
"I felt like what Zachry did was in compliance," said project manager Dan Peden of the Transportation Department.
Ensuring compliance
The federal review raises the issue of how best to ensure environmental compliance on massive, multimillion-dollar highway projects. The High Five project stretched over 323 acres and three creeks, taking more than four years.
State project managers have authority to shut down construction for environmental infractions.
But on high-profile projects with tight schedules, shutting down all work – even for a day – can be a painful choice.
Although other states include penalties in contracts for environmental violations, Texas contracts typically do not include such fines.
Texas is considering adding incentives for contractors who comply with environmental requirements.
"It's a more logical approach, rather than the way we do it now," Mr. Concienne said. "The concept of penalties hasn't been discussed."
Another idea is to replace broad environmental directives with more specific – and more expensive – requirements in contracts. The state could also add more frequent inspections to projects.
Such measures would help clarify what's expected of contractors, industry officials said.
"Clearly, maintaining storm water prevention programs is a cost. But the fact is, it could be a whole lot worse," said Tom Johnson, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors of Texas.
"As the department gets more specific on requirements, we are a lot happier," he said. "We can charge for it and move on down the road."
Violations also seen at other work sites; state near deal to avoid fines
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
A federal investigation of Texas road construction projects revealed numerous environmental violations at the Dallas High Five and several other work sites.
Facing fines of up to $127,500, state officials are nearing an agreement with the EPA that imposes no penalties but calls for major changes in how the state builds roads.
Months after High Five construction began in mid-2001, an EPA inspection of the site found dozens of violations of the federal Clean Water Act. These included improper runoff controls, debris in creeks and inadequate record-keeping.
The state disputed many of the findings.
Under a proposed agreement, state and federal officials are expected to settle the matter without any fines or admission of violations.
"We didn't concede any violations actually occurred. ... Both sides agreed to settle the matter," said Rodney Concienne of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The contractor that built the High Five, Zachry Construction Corp., earned an $11 million bonus for finishing construction early.
But Zachry officials emphasized there is no relation between the project's early completion and the environmental issues identified by the EPA.
"We follow state requirements for environmental issues," said Zachry spokeswoman Vicky Waddy, who added that the company has not been involved in the EPA talks.
With EPA encouragement, the state is nearing adoption of a new environmental program that will more closely monitor its transportation projects.
It also could add to the cost of every road project in Texas.
"There were multiple TxDOT projects throughout the state that eventually led to this decision," said Mr. Concienne, who will oversee the new program.
"It is a recognition of some problems in storm water management," he said.
The settlement would lead to the creation of an Environmental Management System, a state program aimed at strengthening environmental policies and training and charting new procedures for inspections and cleanups.
Federal officials declined to comment about the proposed agreement.
"We need to conclude this and have all the signatures in place before we can discuss this publicly," EPA spokesman Dave Bary said.
High Five problems
Six months after an EPA inspection of the High Five construction site in 2001, the federal agency notified the state Transportation Department of 24 violations. The EPA also found violations at local projects on State Highway 360 and on Interstate 35E at State Highway 121.
The state Transportation Department could have faced fines ranging from $27,501 to $127,500 for the violations at the High Five, according to a 2003 Transportation Department memo.
Many of the findings centered on inadequate plans for dealing with runoff and potential effects on adjacent White Rock, Cottonwood and Floyd Branch creeks.
In one instance, the report stated, "Cottonwood Creek contained metal rebar and broken PVC piping. Two-by-fours were observed in a low collection area discharging directly into open sewer culverts."
The Clean Water Act requires major construction projects to prevent silt, sediment or other construction-related pollution from entering nearby creeks, streams or rivers.
In detailed responses, state officials disputed many of the findings.
"We responded with questions as to whether those were legitimate violations," said Tracey Friggle,director of construction for the state Transportation Department's Dallas office.
The state noted that workers cleared the creek, even though it was unclear where the debris came from.
"I felt like what Zachry did was in compliance," said project manager Dan Peden of the Transportation Department.
Ensuring compliance
The federal review raises the issue of how best to ensure environmental compliance on massive, multimillion-dollar highway projects. The High Five project stretched over 323 acres and three creeks, taking more than four years.
State project managers have authority to shut down construction for environmental infractions.
But on high-profile projects with tight schedules, shutting down all work – even for a day – can be a painful choice.
Although other states include penalties in contracts for environmental violations, Texas contracts typically do not include such fines.
Texas is considering adding incentives for contractors who comply with environmental requirements.
"It's a more logical approach, rather than the way we do it now," Mr. Concienne said. "The concept of penalties hasn't been discussed."
Another idea is to replace broad environmental directives with more specific – and more expensive – requirements in contracts. The state could also add more frequent inspections to projects.
Such measures would help clarify what's expected of contractors, industry officials said.
"Clearly, maintaining storm water prevention programs is a cost. But the fact is, it could be a whole lot worse," said Tom Johnson, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors of Texas.
"As the department gets more specific on requirements, we are a lot happier," he said. "We can charge for it and move on down the road."
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HurricaneHunter914
- Category 5
- Posts: 4439
- Age: 31
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- Location: College Station, TX
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TexasStooge
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That's OK Hurricane Hunter.
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One-way streets may go both ways
Dallas: Downtown workers, officials split on ease of traffic flow
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas City Hall wants it both ways.
And as far as downtown is concerned, it's getting just that, as 14 one-way street segments are planned for conversion to two-way traffic flow in the next few years.
Officials say the proposed changes will allow motorists to better navigate downtown's labyrinthine road grid while helping drive customers to fledgling center-city retailers and restaurants.
But some downtown workers predict the plan will jam rush-hour traffic.
"We want to have a broader vision for downtown that isn't just driven by how fast we can get everyone into downtown and how fast we can get everyone out in the evening," said John Brunk, Dallas' assistant director for public works and transportation.
Nine of the street conversions, which Mr. Brunk said the city plans to include in its 2006 bond program, are scheduled within the decade. The bond program would provide funding for new signs and traffic signals, and in some cases, street reconstruction.
The conversions include sections of Central Expressway and Akard, Browder, Federal, Field, Houston, Live Oak, Patterson and Pearl streets, according to the city's plan.
It's a terrible plan, said Nancy Armstrong, a legal assistant with the Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff and Miller law firm, who commutes from Arlington to her office downtown at 500 N. Akard St.
"It's going to be a catastrophe down here – an absolute fiasco," said Ms. Armstrong, who estimates that it already takes her 10 minutes to drive from downtown's freeway ring to her office, about 10 blocks away. "It's going to be awfully hard for people to get out of parking garages, and the congestion that we already have would only get worse."
But an abundance of one-way streets limits downtown traffic circulation, said Natalie Silvestri, a sales associate with Crimson in the City, a Commerce Street clothier that opened last year.
"It might make it easier for people who don't come downtown frequently to get around," said Ms. Silvestri, noting that her greatest concern is public buses that stop in front of her store.
While city officials are flirting with making Commerce and Elm streets two-way in Deep Ellum, they'd remain unchanged downtown, where they're key commuter routes.
But one-way Houston Street, between Elm and Young streets, would go two-way as part of City Hall's plan.
The result would be a return to two-way traffic near some of downtown's most notable landmarks: The Sixth Floor Museum, Dealey Plaza, Union Station, Reunion Arena and Reunion Tower.
Sebron Hood, general manager of the Hotel Lawrence Dallas on Houston Street, is unsure what to think.
"I haven't been able to find out a way that I'd really benefit, or that this would discourage business for me, either," Mr. Hood said. "My customers, they're still going to have to make multiple turns on multiple one-way streets to get here."
In contrast, converting abutting Jackson Street from one-way to two ways would help Mr. Hood generate traffic, he said, but that's not in the city's plans.
Any traffic-flow conversion will have its share of issues, said Linda Koop, chairman of the Dallas City Council's transportation and environment committee.
But the plan aligns with City Hall's goal to make downtown a vibrant urban core filled with life beyond standard business hours. And Ms. Koop is not convinced that changing some streets into two-way roads will create the traffic tangle some people predict.
"Our technical advisers would not have come up with this plan if it wasn't a viable plan," she said.
"If we're going to open up downtown, open it up," said Bill Blaydes, chairman of the council's economic development and housing committee. "With two-way streets, there's flexibility of traffic patterns. It creates an environment in the center city for renewal of retail."
Ms. Armstrong isn't convinced.
"It'll take one day," she said, "for someone to drive the wrong way down the wrong street."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One-way streets may go both ways
Dallas: Downtown workers, officials split on ease of traffic flow
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas City Hall wants it both ways.
And as far as downtown is concerned, it's getting just that, as 14 one-way street segments are planned for conversion to two-way traffic flow in the next few years.
Officials say the proposed changes will allow motorists to better navigate downtown's labyrinthine road grid while helping drive customers to fledgling center-city retailers and restaurants.
But some downtown workers predict the plan will jam rush-hour traffic.
"We want to have a broader vision for downtown that isn't just driven by how fast we can get everyone into downtown and how fast we can get everyone out in the evening," said John Brunk, Dallas' assistant director for public works and transportation.
Nine of the street conversions, which Mr. Brunk said the city plans to include in its 2006 bond program, are scheduled within the decade. The bond program would provide funding for new signs and traffic signals, and in some cases, street reconstruction.
The conversions include sections of Central Expressway and Akard, Browder, Federal, Field, Houston, Live Oak, Patterson and Pearl streets, according to the city's plan.
It's a terrible plan, said Nancy Armstrong, a legal assistant with the Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff and Miller law firm, who commutes from Arlington to her office downtown at 500 N. Akard St.
"It's going to be a catastrophe down here – an absolute fiasco," said Ms. Armstrong, who estimates that it already takes her 10 minutes to drive from downtown's freeway ring to her office, about 10 blocks away. "It's going to be awfully hard for people to get out of parking garages, and the congestion that we already have would only get worse."
But an abundance of one-way streets limits downtown traffic circulation, said Natalie Silvestri, a sales associate with Crimson in the City, a Commerce Street clothier that opened last year.
"It might make it easier for people who don't come downtown frequently to get around," said Ms. Silvestri, noting that her greatest concern is public buses that stop in front of her store.
While city officials are flirting with making Commerce and Elm streets two-way in Deep Ellum, they'd remain unchanged downtown, where they're key commuter routes.
But one-way Houston Street, between Elm and Young streets, would go two-way as part of City Hall's plan.
The result would be a return to two-way traffic near some of downtown's most notable landmarks: The Sixth Floor Museum, Dealey Plaza, Union Station, Reunion Arena and Reunion Tower.
Sebron Hood, general manager of the Hotel Lawrence Dallas on Houston Street, is unsure what to think.
"I haven't been able to find out a way that I'd really benefit, or that this would discourage business for me, either," Mr. Hood said. "My customers, they're still going to have to make multiple turns on multiple one-way streets to get here."
In contrast, converting abutting Jackson Street from one-way to two ways would help Mr. Hood generate traffic, he said, but that's not in the city's plans.
Any traffic-flow conversion will have its share of issues, said Linda Koop, chairman of the Dallas City Council's transportation and environment committee.
But the plan aligns with City Hall's goal to make downtown a vibrant urban core filled with life beyond standard business hours. And Ms. Koop is not convinced that changing some streets into two-way roads will create the traffic tangle some people predict.
"Our technical advisers would not have come up with this plan if it wasn't a viable plan," she said.
"If we're going to open up downtown, open it up," said Bill Blaydes, chairman of the council's economic development and housing committee. "With two-way streets, there's flexibility of traffic patterns. It creates an environment in the center city for renewal of retail."
Ms. Armstrong isn't convinced.
"It'll take one day," she said, "for someone to drive the wrong way down the wrong street."
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TexasStooge
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SMU's big idea for Bush library
Exclusive: Still under wraps, proposal likely to be batch of buildings for tourists, scholars
By DAVID DILLON / The Dallas Morning News
UNIVERSITY, Texas - In an aggressive bid to win the Bush presidential library, SMU envisions a complex of buildings that could include a high-tech museum and archives, a school of politics, a conference center and offices, all aimed at raising the school's national profile and making it a prime destination for scholars and tourists.
A spokesman for the National Archives in Washington confirmed that Southern Methodist University retained Hillier Architecture of Princeton, N.J., to prepare a conceptual master plan for the coveted project, tentatively plotted in the southeastern quadrant of the campus, bounded roughly by Airline Road, North Central Expressway and SMU Boulevard.
"It is intended to extend the mission of the library into the entire university," said a supporter who has seen the plan SMU presented to the presidential site selection committee in November.
"It is not going to be a stand-alone building in a field."
That's an approach that differs from recent presidential libraries, which generally have been autonomous structures, detached from their surroundings.
In the hunt for the new Bush library, Texas Tech University wants to place it and companion buildings on 100 acres in Lubbock, where "space is ample and vehicle friendly." The other finalists, Baylor University in Waco and the University of Dallas, also have offered large swaths of land – although federal guidelines have no specific size requirement for the library and museum site.
For its part, SMU hopes to turn what its competitors see as a liability – its cramped urban setting – into an asset. SMU says it has plenty of space, that it is highly visible, adjacent to retail developments, a freeway, a light-rail line and crosstown street, with links to two major airports.
"SMU offers a proposal that continues to accentuate our high accessibility and the visibility associated with our academic programs," said Brad Cheves, the school's vice president for development and external affairs.
That's not a knock on the other finalists, he said, but there are "advantages that come with our location." SMU is "part of the fabric of Dallas. That's something that by definition cannot be replicated."
In the high-stakes competition, each of the universities is counting on a bonanza of benefits if picked: a publicity windfall used to help draw donations and top-flight faculty and staff; a permanent, historical collection of Bush papers and memorabilia for students, scholars and others; and a tourist attraction that could bolster nearby businesses and community development efforts.
SMU officials, as they have throughout the selection process, declined to discuss the their proposal in any detail, saying they would defer to the selection committee to release information.
The Bush project is expected to cost more than $200 million in privately raised funds to erect and endow.
University's ties
SMU has been viewed widely as the front-runner because of its many ties to President Bush and his wife, Laura, a SMU graduate and member of its board of trustees. SMU even touts on its Web site its connections to the Bush administration. Mrs. Bush has indicated the couple will divide their post-White House life between their ranch in Crawford and a home in Dallas.
The selection panel, led in part by former Commerce Secretary Don Evans, is expected to make a decision this year. It's possible Mr. Bush would want the library and archives at SMU but place other elements with one or more of the finalists.
SMU's strategy for getting the George W. Bush library has been in the works for more than two years. Among the highlights:
•The private university hired Hillier to do the preliminary plans. A multidisciplinary firm that had a Dallas office from 1995 to 2004, it has experience in campus planning. Among its SMU projects was the Collins Executive Education Center, affiliated with the Cox School of Business. Hillier referred all questions about the project to SMU.
The Collins center was designed in the collegiate Georgian style favored by SMU President Gerald Turner and previous school leaders. Although Dr. Turner would not give specifics, he has said the library would "become an integral part of the campus" and "fit in well with the rest of the university."
•Based on the conceptual plans described to The Dallas Morning News, SMU has considered breaking the Bush project into more than one building, akin to a campus within the campus, or academic village similar to other enclaves that dot the grounds there. On its Web site, Hillier posted its recent study, "Campus Space Crunch," on colleges trying to cope with growth in tight spaces.
•With the style of the proposed library apparently set, school officials have studied various campus sites for it. The university owns about a 22-acre pie-slice-shaped tract stretching from SMU Boulevard on the north to almost Mockingbird Lane on the south. It contains student housing, athletic fields and the University Gardens condos, part of a civil suit by a former resident who says SMU fraudulently ousted residents. The university has denied that.
SMU also owns the Park Cities Plaza shopping strip, the 6.6-acre former Mrs Baird's Bakery site across Mockingbird Lane at Central, plus an office tower and the former UA Cine on Yale Boulevard.
People familiar with SMU's proposal, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Baird property is far better suited for a small hotel, an office building or other revenue-generating uses than a library. They said the university has discussed these and other options but made no final decision.
Considering concept
In a conceptual master plan, architects often present clients with several options, pointing out the merits of each to arrive at the best possible solution. At this stage, the issue is as much the validity of the overall concept – the big idea – as it is the particular details, which can change dramatically from draft to draft.
With that in mind, pushing the Bush library south toward Mockingbird Lane would be a grand civic gesture, turning the complex into a symbolic invitation for the public to visit. Moving it east, onto portions of the University Gardens site, would raise its visibility along Central Expressway, with its tens of thousands of daily commuters. Going north and west would make connections to the rest of the campus easier and stronger.
SMU officials have bristled at rival schools' suggestions that it is too squeezed for the project. "The key question is: Is there enough land?" said university spokeswoman Patti LaSalle.
The answer is an emphatic "yes," according to SMU executives, who said they could offer plenty of acreage, in addition to visibility that the other finalists couldn't provide.
The National Archives and Records Administration says there is "no specific requirement for the amount of acreage for a presidential library. The size of the site may vary due to its location." The George Bush Library at Texas A&M University covers 90 acres and had 132,000 visitors last year. The newer Clinton library, on 30 acres in Little Rock, had nearly 450,000 visitors.
Mr. Cheves would not confirm plans to construct several buildings flanking the library but noted that the school has a strong record of collaboration among its departments, faculty and students.
He added that SMU's original proposal could change significantly at the behest of the committee or the Bush family. "It's open completely to input."
Academic institute
The committee guidelines asked the schools to include plans for an academic institute associated with the library. The Tech-led coalition proposed the George W. Bush Institute for Freedom and Democracy to focus on the study of terrorism and the spread of democracy.
SMU officials declined to identify this facet of their proposal. But minutes from a Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting last year include discussion of plans for the Bush School of International Relations and Public Policy.
A faculty committee presented a draft at the meeting, noting that "to get the library, SMU needs to have a good proposal for a school to be associated with the library. It is likely that whether or not the library comes to SMU, we will develop graduate programs in political science, as there is a need for them in the metroplex."
Also, Dr. Turner said during a speech last year that a faculty committee was designing a new academic unit that would be associated with the library.
Mr. Cheves would not discuss the public policy institute, saying only that SMU is always looking for opportunities to grow and to better serve students and faculty.
Staff writers G. Robert Hillman in Washington and Colleen McCain Nelson in Dallas contributed to this report.
Exclusive: Still under wraps, proposal likely to be batch of buildings for tourists, scholars
By DAVID DILLON / The Dallas Morning News
UNIVERSITY, Texas - In an aggressive bid to win the Bush presidential library, SMU envisions a complex of buildings that could include a high-tech museum and archives, a school of politics, a conference center and offices, all aimed at raising the school's national profile and making it a prime destination for scholars and tourists.
A spokesman for the National Archives in Washington confirmed that Southern Methodist University retained Hillier Architecture of Princeton, N.J., to prepare a conceptual master plan for the coveted project, tentatively plotted in the southeastern quadrant of the campus, bounded roughly by Airline Road, North Central Expressway and SMU Boulevard.
"It is intended to extend the mission of the library into the entire university," said a supporter who has seen the plan SMU presented to the presidential site selection committee in November.
"It is not going to be a stand-alone building in a field."
That's an approach that differs from recent presidential libraries, which generally have been autonomous structures, detached from their surroundings.
In the hunt for the new Bush library, Texas Tech University wants to place it and companion buildings on 100 acres in Lubbock, where "space is ample and vehicle friendly." The other finalists, Baylor University in Waco and the University of Dallas, also have offered large swaths of land – although federal guidelines have no specific size requirement for the library and museum site.
For its part, SMU hopes to turn what its competitors see as a liability – its cramped urban setting – into an asset. SMU says it has plenty of space, that it is highly visible, adjacent to retail developments, a freeway, a light-rail line and crosstown street, with links to two major airports.
"SMU offers a proposal that continues to accentuate our high accessibility and the visibility associated with our academic programs," said Brad Cheves, the school's vice president for development and external affairs.
That's not a knock on the other finalists, he said, but there are "advantages that come with our location." SMU is "part of the fabric of Dallas. That's something that by definition cannot be replicated."
In the high-stakes competition, each of the universities is counting on a bonanza of benefits if picked: a publicity windfall used to help draw donations and top-flight faculty and staff; a permanent, historical collection of Bush papers and memorabilia for students, scholars and others; and a tourist attraction that could bolster nearby businesses and community development efforts.
SMU officials, as they have throughout the selection process, declined to discuss the their proposal in any detail, saying they would defer to the selection committee to release information.
The Bush project is expected to cost more than $200 million in privately raised funds to erect and endow.
University's ties
SMU has been viewed widely as the front-runner because of its many ties to President Bush and his wife, Laura, a SMU graduate and member of its board of trustees. SMU even touts on its Web site its connections to the Bush administration. Mrs. Bush has indicated the couple will divide their post-White House life between their ranch in Crawford and a home in Dallas.
The selection panel, led in part by former Commerce Secretary Don Evans, is expected to make a decision this year. It's possible Mr. Bush would want the library and archives at SMU but place other elements with one or more of the finalists.
SMU's strategy for getting the George W. Bush library has been in the works for more than two years. Among the highlights:
•The private university hired Hillier to do the preliminary plans. A multidisciplinary firm that had a Dallas office from 1995 to 2004, it has experience in campus planning. Among its SMU projects was the Collins Executive Education Center, affiliated with the Cox School of Business. Hillier referred all questions about the project to SMU.
The Collins center was designed in the collegiate Georgian style favored by SMU President Gerald Turner and previous school leaders. Although Dr. Turner would not give specifics, he has said the library would "become an integral part of the campus" and "fit in well with the rest of the university."
•Based on the conceptual plans described to The Dallas Morning News, SMU has considered breaking the Bush project into more than one building, akin to a campus within the campus, or academic village similar to other enclaves that dot the grounds there. On its Web site, Hillier posted its recent study, "Campus Space Crunch," on colleges trying to cope with growth in tight spaces.
•With the style of the proposed library apparently set, school officials have studied various campus sites for it. The university owns about a 22-acre pie-slice-shaped tract stretching from SMU Boulevard on the north to almost Mockingbird Lane on the south. It contains student housing, athletic fields and the University Gardens condos, part of a civil suit by a former resident who says SMU fraudulently ousted residents. The university has denied that.
SMU also owns the Park Cities Plaza shopping strip, the 6.6-acre former Mrs Baird's Bakery site across Mockingbird Lane at Central, plus an office tower and the former UA Cine on Yale Boulevard.
People familiar with SMU's proposal, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Baird property is far better suited for a small hotel, an office building or other revenue-generating uses than a library. They said the university has discussed these and other options but made no final decision.
Considering concept
In a conceptual master plan, architects often present clients with several options, pointing out the merits of each to arrive at the best possible solution. At this stage, the issue is as much the validity of the overall concept – the big idea – as it is the particular details, which can change dramatically from draft to draft.
With that in mind, pushing the Bush library south toward Mockingbird Lane would be a grand civic gesture, turning the complex into a symbolic invitation for the public to visit. Moving it east, onto portions of the University Gardens site, would raise its visibility along Central Expressway, with its tens of thousands of daily commuters. Going north and west would make connections to the rest of the campus easier and stronger.
SMU officials have bristled at rival schools' suggestions that it is too squeezed for the project. "The key question is: Is there enough land?" said university spokeswoman Patti LaSalle.
The answer is an emphatic "yes," according to SMU executives, who said they could offer plenty of acreage, in addition to visibility that the other finalists couldn't provide.
The National Archives and Records Administration says there is "no specific requirement for the amount of acreage for a presidential library. The size of the site may vary due to its location." The George Bush Library at Texas A&M University covers 90 acres and had 132,000 visitors last year. The newer Clinton library, on 30 acres in Little Rock, had nearly 450,000 visitors.
Mr. Cheves would not confirm plans to construct several buildings flanking the library but noted that the school has a strong record of collaboration among its departments, faculty and students.
He added that SMU's original proposal could change significantly at the behest of the committee or the Bush family. "It's open completely to input."
Academic institute
The committee guidelines asked the schools to include plans for an academic institute associated with the library. The Tech-led coalition proposed the George W. Bush Institute for Freedom and Democracy to focus on the study of terrorism and the spread of democracy.
SMU officials declined to identify this facet of their proposal. But minutes from a Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting last year include discussion of plans for the Bush School of International Relations and Public Policy.
A faculty committee presented a draft at the meeting, noting that "to get the library, SMU needs to have a good proposal for a school to be associated with the library. It is likely that whether or not the library comes to SMU, we will develop graduate programs in political science, as there is a need for them in the metroplex."
Also, Dr. Turner said during a speech last year that a faculty committee was designing a new academic unit that would be associated with the library.
Mr. Cheves would not discuss the public policy institute, saying only that SMU is always looking for opportunities to grow and to better serve students and faculty.
Staff writers G. Robert Hillman in Washington and Colleen McCain Nelson in Dallas contributed to this report.
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Crowds celebrate St. Patrick's Day
By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Everyone was Irish along Greenville Ave. in Dallas on Saturday.
The St. Patrick's Day celebration (yes, it was a few days early) began with a parade along Upper Greenville on Saturday morning and the all-day party then moved south toward the bars and restaurants along Lower Greenville.
Police estimated the crowd at 15,000, one of largest ever for a St. Patrick's Day celebration in Dallas, but revelers remained calm and happy, for the most part.
The parade crowds had to be cleared from Greenville Ave. before the street could be cleared for traffic, and one of the first vehicles to roll through was a beer truck to fuel the festivities.
"We probably brought in around 8,000 cases tonight," said Budweiser delivery agent Charles Hagerty.
Beer was the beverage of choice for the non-stop celebration. Bottles and cans piled up in and around trash containers.
Wearing a green T-shirt with green beads around her neck, Kelly Briar summed up the day this way: "Lots of drinking; lots of partying; lots of dancing. Sunburn, to say the least!"
Police added 50 off-duty officers to help control the large crowds, and despite the level of alcohol consumption, there only six arrests were reported by 10 p.m.
"Everybody seems to be getting along, no competitive personalities here," said Brian Johnson. " "We've seen some out of control, but for the most part, we're in a controlled environment," said Brian Johnson. "Everybody seems to be getting along; no competitive personalities here.
Police said extra patrols could continue into the late night hours.
By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Everyone was Irish along Greenville Ave. in Dallas on Saturday.
The St. Patrick's Day celebration (yes, it was a few days early) began with a parade along Upper Greenville on Saturday morning and the all-day party then moved south toward the bars and restaurants along Lower Greenville.
Police estimated the crowd at 15,000, one of largest ever for a St. Patrick's Day celebration in Dallas, but revelers remained calm and happy, for the most part.
The parade crowds had to be cleared from Greenville Ave. before the street could be cleared for traffic, and one of the first vehicles to roll through was a beer truck to fuel the festivities.
"We probably brought in around 8,000 cases tonight," said Budweiser delivery agent Charles Hagerty.
Beer was the beverage of choice for the non-stop celebration. Bottles and cans piled up in and around trash containers.
Wearing a green T-shirt with green beads around her neck, Kelly Briar summed up the day this way: "Lots of drinking; lots of partying; lots of dancing. Sunburn, to say the least!"
Police added 50 off-duty officers to help control the large crowds, and despite the level of alcohol consumption, there only six arrests were reported by 10 p.m.
"Everybody seems to be getting along, no competitive personalities here," said Brian Johnson. " "We've seen some out of control, but for the most part, we're in a controlled environment," said Brian Johnson. "Everybody seems to be getting along; no competitive personalities here.
Police said extra patrols could continue into the late night hours.
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Greenville resident wants St. Patty's retribution
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - While to some St. Patrick's Day celebrations on lower Greenville Avenue portray a sea of green in beer and profits, some people who live in the Dallas neighborhood said they get nothing out of it except problems.
However, resident Avi Adelman said he believes he has found a compromise. Adelman said he thinks bar and restaurant owners should give back by putting $2,000 in the Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association's kitty or donate to area elementary schools.
Restaurant owners in the area, such as Matt Mortimer who is part owner of Blue Goose, said they try to work with residents. Mortimer and several others from neighboring businesses go street to street and yard to yard to clean up the mess from the parade and party aftermath.
"We always have a bunch of meetings and stuff for St. Patty's Day," Mortimer said. "And we let the neighborhood associations know we'll do the cleanup afterwards, and this is just us fulfilling our part of the bargain."
But some residents said cleaning up isn't always enough.
"We're basically their parking lot for a day and we get nothing out of it but problems," Adelman said.
Adelman said he was inconvenienced at home when two vehicles blocked him in.
"I was just here parked on the street," he said. "I mean, I didn't do anything wrong and I couldn't move my truck. One cop said drive up your lawn and I said I don't need a driving lesson. I'm not going to try to take their bumpers off."
Adelman said while he doesn't mind the fun, he believes the neighborhood should be able to receive some of the pie. After all, the no parking signs for one example were paid for by residents, he said.
"My answer is great have a party, but give back to the neighbor who let's you use their neighborhood as a parking lot," he said.
Resident Janet Owen said she feels the St. Patrick Day parade and its aftermath is just part of living in the area.
"I think it's part of the character of the neighborhood," she said. "And people who have a big problem with it, maybe they shouldn't be living down here."
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - While to some St. Patrick's Day celebrations on lower Greenville Avenue portray a sea of green in beer and profits, some people who live in the Dallas neighborhood said they get nothing out of it except problems.
However, resident Avi Adelman said he believes he has found a compromise. Adelman said he thinks bar and restaurant owners should give back by putting $2,000 in the Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association's kitty or donate to area elementary schools.
Restaurant owners in the area, such as Matt Mortimer who is part owner of Blue Goose, said they try to work with residents. Mortimer and several others from neighboring businesses go street to street and yard to yard to clean up the mess from the parade and party aftermath.
"We always have a bunch of meetings and stuff for St. Patty's Day," Mortimer said. "And we let the neighborhood associations know we'll do the cleanup afterwards, and this is just us fulfilling our part of the bargain."
But some residents said cleaning up isn't always enough.
"We're basically their parking lot for a day and we get nothing out of it but problems," Adelman said.
Adelman said he was inconvenienced at home when two vehicles blocked him in.
"I was just here parked on the street," he said. "I mean, I didn't do anything wrong and I couldn't move my truck. One cop said drive up your lawn and I said I don't need a driving lesson. I'm not going to try to take their bumpers off."
Adelman said while he doesn't mind the fun, he believes the neighborhood should be able to receive some of the pie. After all, the no parking signs for one example were paid for by residents, he said.
"My answer is great have a party, but give back to the neighbor who let's you use their neighborhood as a parking lot," he said.
Resident Janet Owen said she feels the St. Patrick Day parade and its aftermath is just part of living in the area.
"I think it's part of the character of the neighborhood," she said. "And people who have a big problem with it, maybe they shouldn't be living down here."
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And so their stories begin...
University of Dallas: Students honored for children's books
By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Sheila Waterman transports readers to the Windy City. Kelly Dupen describes the life of an industrious beaver. And Jennifer Zemenick uncovers how a caterpillar finds her song.
The three University of Dallas students each wrote her first children's book last semester. Their creative tales just won the Clodecott Medal, given every year to the most outstanding books written by students in Cherie Clodfelter's child/young adult literature class.
The award program began in 1986 after a student made a comment on an assessment form for the class. "On one of the forms, a student suggested giving out a Clodecott Award, with the name [being] a play on the Caldecott national award," she said.
The American Library Association annually bestows the Caldecott Award to the author/illustrator of an outstanding illustrated children's book.
After university administration gave its approval, Dr. Clodfelter designed an official-looking medallion for the winners and arranged for judges. Because Dr. Clodfelter works so closely with the students, she refrains from judging. The judges include former winners.
According to this year's winners, the class is a lot of fun.
"It's incredible to create your own book," said Ms. Waterman, a junior from Illinois majoring in interdisciplinary studies. Her book about her hometown, Jack's Guide to Chicago, includes illustrations and photographs.
Ms. Dupen, an art major from Georgetown, Texas, enrolled in the class because she had illustrated three books for friends and wanted to do her own. Bold watercolor illustrations grace the pages of her book, Busy Beaver.
"It's my favorite class," Ms. Dupen said. "I love the homework."
Ms. Zemenick, graduate of a small college in New Hampshire, is earning her teaching certification. She said she was scared when first assigned to write a book. But everything eventually came together for her in Ellador's Song, a story about a caterpillar with no voice.
"I really learned a lot from Dr. Clodfelter and the other professors here. Their love of teaching inspires me," Ms. Zemenick said.
The books will not be officially published, but instead they will join the permanent collection of the Cherie A. Clodfelter Children's Library in the school's Department of Education. Dr. Clodfelter is head of the department.
"I still can't call it by that name," Dr. Clodfelter said about the library, "but I am so pleased with the honor."
A friend of hers with a printing business in Irving will publish extra copies for the students, she said. But she won't relinquish the originals.
About 400 of them now line the walls of her library.
The books, she said, "have special, unique and precious stories to tell. We all have those stories in us. These students have had the privilege to write them and share them for all eternity."
University of Dallas: Students honored for children's books
By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Sheila Waterman transports readers to the Windy City. Kelly Dupen describes the life of an industrious beaver. And Jennifer Zemenick uncovers how a caterpillar finds her song.
The three University of Dallas students each wrote her first children's book last semester. Their creative tales just won the Clodecott Medal, given every year to the most outstanding books written by students in Cherie Clodfelter's child/young adult literature class.
The award program began in 1986 after a student made a comment on an assessment form for the class. "On one of the forms, a student suggested giving out a Clodecott Award, with the name [being] a play on the Caldecott national award," she said.
The American Library Association annually bestows the Caldecott Award to the author/illustrator of an outstanding illustrated children's book.
After university administration gave its approval, Dr. Clodfelter designed an official-looking medallion for the winners and arranged for judges. Because Dr. Clodfelter works so closely with the students, she refrains from judging. The judges include former winners.
According to this year's winners, the class is a lot of fun.
"It's incredible to create your own book," said Ms. Waterman, a junior from Illinois majoring in interdisciplinary studies. Her book about her hometown, Jack's Guide to Chicago, includes illustrations and photographs.
Ms. Dupen, an art major from Georgetown, Texas, enrolled in the class because she had illustrated three books for friends and wanted to do her own. Bold watercolor illustrations grace the pages of her book, Busy Beaver.
"It's my favorite class," Ms. Dupen said. "I love the homework."
Ms. Zemenick, graduate of a small college in New Hampshire, is earning her teaching certification. She said she was scared when first assigned to write a book. But everything eventually came together for her in Ellador's Song, a story about a caterpillar with no voice.
"I really learned a lot from Dr. Clodfelter and the other professors here. Their love of teaching inspires me," Ms. Zemenick said.
The books will not be officially published, but instead they will join the permanent collection of the Cherie A. Clodfelter Children's Library in the school's Department of Education. Dr. Clodfelter is head of the department.
"I still can't call it by that name," Dr. Clodfelter said about the library, "but I am so pleased with the honor."
A friend of hers with a printing business in Irving will publish extra copies for the students, she said. But she won't relinquish the originals.
About 400 of them now line the walls of her library.
The books, she said, "have special, unique and precious stories to tell. We all have those stories in us. These students have had the privilege to write them and share them for all eternity."
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TexasStooge
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Graduation policy won't change
Irving ISD: Students who fail exit exam but pass classes can't walk
By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Yulissa Treminio, 18, tearfully asked Irving trustees Monday night to allow students who fail the state's exit exam to participate in graduation ceremonies.
"I don't feel I should be left behind," said The Academy of Irving ISD senior who has so far failed the science portion of the TAKS exit exam. "I want to do this to make my parents proud that I achieved their dream in coming to the United States."
But after hearing emotional pleas from 20 Academy students and their English teacher, Michel Sanchez, the board voted 5-2 not to change the district's policy.
"Life is not easy," trustee Barbara Cardwell told the students.
Added board President Ruben Franco: "You have to make the grade. In the business world, nobody wants to hear about how you've had problems."
Ms. Sanchez asked the board to reconsider the district's policy last fall, saying many minority students and those who learned English as a second language were being left out of graduation.
A district survey found the majority of responding high school seniors, parents and teachers supported changing the policy – though some officials thought the response rate was too low.
Half of seniors, or about 850 students, participated in the survey, and of those, 76 percent supported changing the policy. Of the 409 responding teachers, 57 percent supported a change. Trustees Michael Hill and Ken Murray voted to change the district's policy.
"I don't know why we would spend the money and send out a survey if we're not going to adhere to the results," Mr. Murray said.
Former Irving board President Will DeBerry also appealed to trustees to change the policy.
Students earn a high school diploma only after passing all four sections of the state's exit exam. But it is up to each district whether students who complete all the coursework but fail the test are allowed to participate in graduation.
Locally, Dallas and Plano have policies similar to Irving's. The Grand Prairie and Richardson districts, however, allow such students to walk at graduation. They may be awarded a certificate of completion.
Trustees speculated that many of the failing students might be immigrants who arrived in the district in their teens. But several of the students who spoke Monday said they were products of the Irving district.
Yulissa, for example, told trustees she had spent 12 years in Irving schools after emigrating from El Salvador.
University of Dallas education department chairwoman Cherie Clodfelter, who supported the change, questioned whether trustees valued the education students received if they passed all their courses but could not participate in graduation.
Trustee Nita Patrick said it's important that the ceremony represent completing every requirement set by the state.
"The graduation ceremony is a symbol of having secured that diploma," she said. "Participating may have some emotional meaning, but it has no academic meaning."
Trustees pledged to become more consistent and to enforce the policy at summer graduation ceremonies.
"I'm aware that most of the students are foreign," Tania Moya, 17, told the board. "But America is called the land of opportunity, and I don't think people should lose this opportunity."
Irving ISD: Students who fail exit exam but pass classes can't walk
By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Yulissa Treminio, 18, tearfully asked Irving trustees Monday night to allow students who fail the state's exit exam to participate in graduation ceremonies.
"I don't feel I should be left behind," said The Academy of Irving ISD senior who has so far failed the science portion of the TAKS exit exam. "I want to do this to make my parents proud that I achieved their dream in coming to the United States."
But after hearing emotional pleas from 20 Academy students and their English teacher, Michel Sanchez, the board voted 5-2 not to change the district's policy.
"Life is not easy," trustee Barbara Cardwell told the students.
Added board President Ruben Franco: "You have to make the grade. In the business world, nobody wants to hear about how you've had problems."
Ms. Sanchez asked the board to reconsider the district's policy last fall, saying many minority students and those who learned English as a second language were being left out of graduation.
A district survey found the majority of responding high school seniors, parents and teachers supported changing the policy – though some officials thought the response rate was too low.
Half of seniors, or about 850 students, participated in the survey, and of those, 76 percent supported changing the policy. Of the 409 responding teachers, 57 percent supported a change. Trustees Michael Hill and Ken Murray voted to change the district's policy.
"I don't know why we would spend the money and send out a survey if we're not going to adhere to the results," Mr. Murray said.
Former Irving board President Will DeBerry also appealed to trustees to change the policy.
Students earn a high school diploma only after passing all four sections of the state's exit exam. But it is up to each district whether students who complete all the coursework but fail the test are allowed to participate in graduation.
Locally, Dallas and Plano have policies similar to Irving's. The Grand Prairie and Richardson districts, however, allow such students to walk at graduation. They may be awarded a certificate of completion.
Trustees speculated that many of the failing students might be immigrants who arrived in the district in their teens. But several of the students who spoke Monday said they were products of the Irving district.
Yulissa, for example, told trustees she had spent 12 years in Irving schools after emigrating from El Salvador.
University of Dallas education department chairwoman Cherie Clodfelter, who supported the change, questioned whether trustees valued the education students received if they passed all their courses but could not participate in graduation.
Trustee Nita Patrick said it's important that the ceremony represent completing every requirement set by the state.
"The graduation ceremony is a symbol of having secured that diploma," she said. "Participating may have some emotional meaning, but it has no academic meaning."
Trustees pledged to become more consistent and to enforce the policy at summer graduation ceremonies.
"I'm aware that most of the students are foreign," Tania Moya, 17, told the board. "But America is called the land of opportunity, and I don't think people should lose this opportunity."
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TexasStooge
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Five injured on Six Flags ride
By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas - At least five people were injured at Six Flags Over Texas while riding the Texas Tornado shortly after 6:00 p.m. Sunday.The Texas Tornado is described as a circular swing ride, which is suspended in the air.
Six Flags released a statement that said the Texas Tornado experienced what they called an unexpected interruption, which caused the operator to do what he was trained to do in such instances and shut it down. However, they said as the ride shut down some of the chairs came to a jolting stop.
One woman who was on the ride with her two kids and her niece talked to News 8 via the phone while she taken to the hospital.
"And all the sudden we heard a loud pop, and the swings went from okay to basically they collapsed," said Jamie Peakell, an injured rider. "It was like bumper cars. It was horrible...My kids were in front of me and the swings got really, really loose. My kids were screaming [and] my niece was screaming."
The park closed down the ride as park engineers investigate what went wrong.
By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas - At least five people were injured at Six Flags Over Texas while riding the Texas Tornado shortly after 6:00 p.m. Sunday.The Texas Tornado is described as a circular swing ride, which is suspended in the air.
Six Flags released a statement that said the Texas Tornado experienced what they called an unexpected interruption, which caused the operator to do what he was trained to do in such instances and shut it down. However, they said as the ride shut down some of the chairs came to a jolting stop.
One woman who was on the ride with her two kids and her niece talked to News 8 via the phone while she taken to the hospital.
"And all the sudden we heard a loud pop, and the swings went from okay to basically they collapsed," said Jamie Peakell, an injured rider. "It was like bumper cars. It was horrible...My kids were in front of me and the swings got really, really loose. My kids were screaming [and] my niece was screaming."
The park closed down the ride as park engineers investigate what went wrong.
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Baby-snatcher foiled in Benbrook
BENBROOK, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Benbrook police are looking for two men who tried to kidnap a three-month-old baby.
A woman in the southwest Tarrant County community said she was on a walk with her child around 5:30 p.m. Sunday in a residential area of South Benbrook.
She told police a car pulled up, a man jumped out from the car's passenger seat and attempted to grab the infant from the stroller.
The mother pulled on the stroller and the suspect let go, got back into the car, and fled with his accomplice.
Police said the car was described as a dirty white four-door Oldsmobile or Cadillac from the early 90s.
The witness said the person who tried to grab the baby was a white male in his 20s, 5'8" tall, 180 to 190 pounds with brown hair. He was said to be wearing very dirty denim shorts and a white shirt.
The driver of the car was said to be a black male between 30 and 40 years of age. He was bald and heavy-set.
If you have any information, contact Benbrook police at 817-249-1610 or to remain anonymous, call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS.
BENBROOK, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Benbrook police are looking for two men who tried to kidnap a three-month-old baby.
A woman in the southwest Tarrant County community said she was on a walk with her child around 5:30 p.m. Sunday in a residential area of South Benbrook.
She told police a car pulled up, a man jumped out from the car's passenger seat and attempted to grab the infant from the stroller.
The mother pulled on the stroller and the suspect let go, got back into the car, and fled with his accomplice.
Police said the car was described as a dirty white four-door Oldsmobile or Cadillac from the early 90s.
The witness said the person who tried to grab the baby was a white male in his 20s, 5'8" tall, 180 to 190 pounds with brown hair. He was said to be wearing very dirty denim shorts and a white shirt.
The driver of the car was said to be a black male between 30 and 40 years of age. He was bald and heavy-set.
If you have any information, contact Benbrook police at 817-249-1610 or to remain anonymous, call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS.
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Dallas ISD 'rich'? Time to revamp
Finance fix by June 1 may save district from sending funds to state
By KENT FISCHER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - It's not as if lawmakers needed another reason to revamp the state's system of school finance. Nearly four months ago, the Texas Supreme Court found the system unconstitutional and imposed a June 1 deadline to fix it.
But last week, Dallas Independent School District officials announced that the state's share-the-wealth funding formula had caught up to Texas' second-largest school district.
When a district with as many problems as DISD lands on the list of districts with too much money, it signals a new level of crisis in the state's school finance system, critics of the system say.
DISD, district budget-makers said, will have to sacrifice $43 million to poorer districts in the coming school year.
"When you have an urban district with property wealth, that's unusual," said state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.
The state's system, commonly called Robin Hood, requires districts with high local property value to send a portion of their local tax revenues to the state to be shared with poorer districts.
While Dallas might have more property wealth per student than allowed by the state funding formula, its student body is anything but well off: 82 percent live below the federal poverty line; 60 percent are considered at risk; a third do not speak English. Those are expensive kids to educate, and two years ago, DISD overspent its budget by $13.7 million.
Dallas may end up not having to share money, however, because the court ordered lawmakers to revamp the state's funding system this spring in a special legislative session. Those changes, experts say, will probably remove DISD from the list of property-rich districts before it loses any revenue.
"The real question is whether they'll come up with a real solution or a temporary fix," said David Thompson, a Houston attorney who has represented districts in state finance lawsuits.
'We have a mandate'
Mrs. Shapiro said that the Legislature will fix school finance by the court-mandated deadline of June 1, and that the fix will, at least temporarily, save DISD.
"We will eliminate Dallas – for the time being anyway – from being a Robin Hood giver," said Mrs. Shapiro. "And we will significantly reduce Robin Hood districts all over Texas. We have a mandate in front of us."
Last year, about 134 Texas districts were considered property-rich. The idea of the state system is that sharing the wealth will enable every school district to provide equally sufficient educational services. However, as the amount of revenue being shared has grown each year – it has tripled to more than $1 billion since the early 1990s – the percentage of money the state has contributed to education has dwindled. In 2000, for example, the $172 million Dallas received in state aid amounted to 18 percent of the district's revenue. Next school year, the district is expecting less than $120 million from the state, or roughly 11 percent of its revenue.
Dallas budget-makers say they're glad legislators are confident they can fix the system soon. However, they're proceeding as if no fix is coming.
That means laying the groundwork for sending an estimated $21.9 million to property poor districts, while bracing for an additional loss of $21 million in state aid. All told, the district will have to patch a $43 million hole in its 2006-07 revenue expectations. Jim Nelson, Richardson ISD's superintendent and a former state education commissioner, said he would be shocked if Dallas remained a Robin Hood district after lawmakers address the issue this spring.
"If you had said in 1993 that large urban districts struggling with low-income kids would become Robin Hood districts, nobody would have believed you," he said. "The court ruling is driving this change now. [Lawmakers] are under the gun."
DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said last week that the district would ask lawmakers to help but would also plan to curtail spending below what was planned.
Dallas No. 1?
If nothing changes, Dallas would supersede Austin as the largest district in the state sending money back through Robin Hood. Austin has held that distinction since 2001; its payments this year will total nearly $130 million.
"Dallas and Austin have the poorest rich kids on the block," said Scott McCown, a former state district judge who now directs the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin.
Dallas joined the rich districts because its property tax rolls have grown faster than expected recently, while enrollments have remained flat. When a district's property wealth per student exceeds $305,000, it must send the excess to the state and forfeit most of its state aid. In Dallas, that figure is expected to hit $315,000 next school year. Dallas has approached the cutoff before, but the state has always stepped in and raised the amount in order to keep the district and others off the Robin Hood list.
Mr. McCown, however, was quick to point out that even with the predicted loss in state aid, DISD would have more money to spend than ever – an anticipated $1.04 billion in total revenue next school year, the bulk coming from local property taxes. That's $16 million more than this school year, according to district budget documents.
However, that additional $16 million is not enough to cover increasing expenses and to give employees a raise in 2006-07, DISD officials have said. And, in future years, as costs continue to rise with inflation and the need to enforce tougher state academic standards, the district's ability to generate adequate revenue will be limited by Robin Hood.
"That's when districts get squeezed," Mr. McCown said.
District officials are already steeling themselves for that possibility. They had wanted to boost the amount they spend on employee health insurance costs by $8.4million next year, which would have saved every DISD worker an estimated $50. They wanted to spend $3.9 million more to expand pre-kindergarten programs. An additional $2.5 million for teacher stipends was under consideration.
Now, all of those initiatives must be re-evaluated, school officials said last week.
"We have to look at everything, Dr. Hinojosa said. "Everything is on the table."
Finance fix by June 1 may save district from sending funds to state
By KENT FISCHER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - It's not as if lawmakers needed another reason to revamp the state's system of school finance. Nearly four months ago, the Texas Supreme Court found the system unconstitutional and imposed a June 1 deadline to fix it.
But last week, Dallas Independent School District officials announced that the state's share-the-wealth funding formula had caught up to Texas' second-largest school district.
When a district with as many problems as DISD lands on the list of districts with too much money, it signals a new level of crisis in the state's school finance system, critics of the system say.
DISD, district budget-makers said, will have to sacrifice $43 million to poorer districts in the coming school year.
"When you have an urban district with property wealth, that's unusual," said state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.
The state's system, commonly called Robin Hood, requires districts with high local property value to send a portion of their local tax revenues to the state to be shared with poorer districts.
While Dallas might have more property wealth per student than allowed by the state funding formula, its student body is anything but well off: 82 percent live below the federal poverty line; 60 percent are considered at risk; a third do not speak English. Those are expensive kids to educate, and two years ago, DISD overspent its budget by $13.7 million.
Dallas may end up not having to share money, however, because the court ordered lawmakers to revamp the state's funding system this spring in a special legislative session. Those changes, experts say, will probably remove DISD from the list of property-rich districts before it loses any revenue.
"The real question is whether they'll come up with a real solution or a temporary fix," said David Thompson, a Houston attorney who has represented districts in state finance lawsuits.
'We have a mandate'
Mrs. Shapiro said that the Legislature will fix school finance by the court-mandated deadline of June 1, and that the fix will, at least temporarily, save DISD.
"We will eliminate Dallas – for the time being anyway – from being a Robin Hood giver," said Mrs. Shapiro. "And we will significantly reduce Robin Hood districts all over Texas. We have a mandate in front of us."
Last year, about 134 Texas districts were considered property-rich. The idea of the state system is that sharing the wealth will enable every school district to provide equally sufficient educational services. However, as the amount of revenue being shared has grown each year – it has tripled to more than $1 billion since the early 1990s – the percentage of money the state has contributed to education has dwindled. In 2000, for example, the $172 million Dallas received in state aid amounted to 18 percent of the district's revenue. Next school year, the district is expecting less than $120 million from the state, or roughly 11 percent of its revenue.
Dallas budget-makers say they're glad legislators are confident they can fix the system soon. However, they're proceeding as if no fix is coming.
That means laying the groundwork for sending an estimated $21.9 million to property poor districts, while bracing for an additional loss of $21 million in state aid. All told, the district will have to patch a $43 million hole in its 2006-07 revenue expectations. Jim Nelson, Richardson ISD's superintendent and a former state education commissioner, said he would be shocked if Dallas remained a Robin Hood district after lawmakers address the issue this spring.
"If you had said in 1993 that large urban districts struggling with low-income kids would become Robin Hood districts, nobody would have believed you," he said. "The court ruling is driving this change now. [Lawmakers] are under the gun."
DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said last week that the district would ask lawmakers to help but would also plan to curtail spending below what was planned.
Dallas No. 1?
If nothing changes, Dallas would supersede Austin as the largest district in the state sending money back through Robin Hood. Austin has held that distinction since 2001; its payments this year will total nearly $130 million.
"Dallas and Austin have the poorest rich kids on the block," said Scott McCown, a former state district judge who now directs the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin.
Dallas joined the rich districts because its property tax rolls have grown faster than expected recently, while enrollments have remained flat. When a district's property wealth per student exceeds $305,000, it must send the excess to the state and forfeit most of its state aid. In Dallas, that figure is expected to hit $315,000 next school year. Dallas has approached the cutoff before, but the state has always stepped in and raised the amount in order to keep the district and others off the Robin Hood list.
Mr. McCown, however, was quick to point out that even with the predicted loss in state aid, DISD would have more money to spend than ever – an anticipated $1.04 billion in total revenue next school year, the bulk coming from local property taxes. That's $16 million more than this school year, according to district budget documents.
However, that additional $16 million is not enough to cover increasing expenses and to give employees a raise in 2006-07, DISD officials have said. And, in future years, as costs continue to rise with inflation and the need to enforce tougher state academic standards, the district's ability to generate adequate revenue will be limited by Robin Hood.
"That's when districts get squeezed," Mr. McCown said.
District officials are already steeling themselves for that possibility. They had wanted to boost the amount they spend on employee health insurance costs by $8.4million next year, which would have saved every DISD worker an estimated $50. They wanted to spend $3.9 million more to expand pre-kindergarten programs. An additional $2.5 million for teacher stipends was under consideration.
Now, all of those initiatives must be re-evaluated, school officials said last week.
"We have to look at everything, Dr. Hinojosa said. "Everything is on the table."
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