New School Year Offers Opportunity For Continued Growth, Innovation

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desoto isd board of trustees

Parents, Community, and District Staff:

This upcoming school year will be one of great significance for DeSoto ISD. We will come to discover that if we dare to innovate and step beyond our traditional approach to education, that this year will be one like no other. This year, we must challenge ourselves to envision the “what ifs” and bring those ideas to fruition to provide extraordinary possibilities for every student we serve.

Steps towards transitioning the district from the process of visioning to realizing our goals for DeSoto ISD include:

  • Improving student achievement at every district campus
  • Attracting, recruiting and retaining quality teachers
  • Engaging parents, families and community in the education setting
  • Creating a culture of collaboration, trust, and accountability

We realize that we are fighting for our place in an ever-changing education market where our families have more choices than ever. But we are also committed to ensuring that our students and families understand the wide range of quality educational options available to them right here in DeSoto ISD. By increasing family engagement, whether face-to-face or online, DeSoto ISD is committed to repositioning the district and restoring its pride.

Propelled by research documenting that 90 percent of human brain development happens before the age of five, DeSoto ISD continues to offer three and four-year-old pre-K programs with the goal of providing our youngest learners the academic foundation needed to be competitive as they advance through school. Following through on that intention, we continue to review and revise our approach to academic instruction and learning, supporting our commitment to competitive school choice options starting in kindergarten as students matriculate up through graduation.

As we know, student learning is optimized through specialized and extracurricular learning, which is why we continue to grow and support our K-12 magnet program offerings. Those include STEM and STEAM, the arts, blended learning, career and technical learning, and academically rigorous programs like the district’s Early College High School where students can earn an associate’s degree for free as well as athletics and the arts. We want our children to have every possible opportunity to be successful here in DeSoto ISD including the district’s upcoming annual Female Leadership Forum open to girls in grades 5-12 set to take place October 6 at DeSoto High School.

As a parent of two DeSoto ISD students, I understand that parent involvement is essential to student success. That is why we are working to encourage continued parent engagement opportunities at both the district and campus level, ensuring DeSoto ISD parents have the information and access they need to support student success and achievement.

The impact that teachers have on students’ educational experiences cannot be overstated. Research confirms that teachers are the most important school-based factor in student achievement, which is why DeSoto ISD is prioritizing our Talent Management efforts with regard to staffing district classrooms. In order to remain proactive in recruiting talented educators, the DeSoto ISD Talent Management team will host the first job fair of the new school year from 9am to noon on Sept. 22 at the DeSoto ISD Instructional Support Center in the district’s boardroom. The ISC is located at 200 E. Belt Line Road in DeSoto. Those interested in learning more about hiring opportunities in DeSoto ISD can pre-register for the event at www.TeachDeSoto.org or they can contact DeSoto ISD’s Talent Management team at 972.223.6666 for more information about this exciting hiring event.

All of these efforts place students FIRST. Whether through the new state-of-the-art learning facility at Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy, through fully-equipped spaces to support career and technical education experiences, or through our flex learning spaces that support students’ magnet program experiences, we are committed to providing first-class spaces to house innovative and exciting academic opportunities.

The DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees understands the work ahead of us and the expectation that we have from our parents, families, and community to incite positive growth and progress this year. We want parents and students to choose DeSoto ISD, to feel confident in our services as a viable educational option in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and to know we are hard at work ensuring the best possible outcome for every student and family we serve.

Let’s get ready for the best school year yet!

Respectfully,

Carl Sherman Jr.
President, DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees