We are in the process of putting updated databases online starting with the DISD salary database--current as of June 30, 2008 (just before the school year ended).

In order to access the data, you will need to create an account. According to the data furnished by the District, it paid a total of $975,106,822.09 in gross pay (total compensation) in 2007 to a total of 25,411 employees.

The beta-test database can be accessed here.

A week ago, the stories about the new grading policy dominated the media.  On Tuesday, it was learned that the District formed a committee charged with drafting the new policy.

The following people, according to the District, drafted the controversial policy.

Click here to view the list.

UPDATE: 8/21 - Transmittal email from Renita Berry calls regulations "finalized" appearing to contradict what was said to Alliance/AFT representatives earlier in the week.

When the Dallas Morning News reported on DISD's plans to change the District's grading policy (oops make that "regulations"), it unleashed a firestorm.  But did the District deserve it?

The story began breaking last Friday, on a day the District was closed, with the leaking of a memo that the District now says was an "older draft."  District spokesman Jon Dahlander didn't really have anything, so over the weekend things got really out of hand.

Update July 21: Soft-Core Adult Advertisement Appeared on Viramontes Consulting Website!

Husband and wife's combined salaries exceed $320,000 a year

DISD has long been under fire for its lax approach in handling nepotism.

In DISD, getting to that top job could even involve who you are sleeping with--literally.

Arnold Viramontes served as the district's Chief of Information Technology during 2006 through early 2008. The post was formerly held by recently convicted fraudster Ruben Bohuchot.

When he was appointed to the position of Chief Transformation Officer for Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, Arnold may have had a novel idea on who should replace him.

His wife.

We've got 'em!

Last month, the DISD Board of Trustees voted to affirm DISD administration's plan to "fix" academically-unacceptable Spruce High School by relocating it's 10th and 11th grade population to other schools.

The plan was championed by DISD Trustee Nancy Bingham who said the school was being gutted at the will of Spruce parents who told her to do it at community meetings.

This left a problem however: what to do with all those teachers who (now) used to teach at Spruce.

The solution: robo-calls. Three of them to be exact.

You know, those annoying recordings that call you up on election day to tell you that some poor schmuck politician wants to destroy the Earth as we know it? Ahh, those!

Plus, the District didn't consider the bigger problem: that we'd get our hands on copies and post them.