DALLAS \u2014 Over 200,000 Dallas and Fort Worth students are heading back to class today, kicking off a school year that could feel different after a bevy of education-focused measures became law.<\/p>\n
In particular, a new state law cracking down on cellphones and other smart devices during the school day is stirring up angst among some students and parents.<\/p>\n
In Dallas ISD, elementary school teachers will collect phones in the morning and store them until the final bell, while middle and high school students will have their phones stored in locked cellphone pouches. Fort Worth ISD will allow students to keep their phones as long as they are turned off and put away.<\/p>\n
A rollback on school programs focused on diversity, equity and inclusion bans student clubs \u201cbased on sexual orientation or gender identity\u201d and forbids instruction that acknowledges homosexuality or transgender identities. Students could also soon see the Ten Commandments displayed in their classrooms.<\/p>\n
Families in Dallas ISD, the second-largest school district in Texas, will also see more teachers and three new buildings this fall as district leaders look to build on last year\u2019s academic and enrollment growth.<\/p>\n
Enrollment in Dallas ISD increased for the first time in nearly a decade last year, but the district is still facing long-term struggles. Across Texas, enrollment is declining in many places, including Fort Worth. That strains public school finances because Texas funds its schools based on how many students attend classes.<\/p>\n
Dallas ISD leaders hope this year\u2019s enrollment will hold steady at around 140,000. As of May, the district faced a projected $129 million shortfall. That figure didn\u2019t account for an estimated $170 million of state money that is expected to flow to DISD in the next two years from an $8.5 billion school funding bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June.<\/p>\n
Schools across Texas also struggled with recruiting \u2014 and keeping \u2014 teachers in the years after the pandemic. But Dallas ISD is making strides \u2014 teacher slots this year are nearly all filled. The district, which employs nearly 10,000 teachers, had fewer than 100 vacancies by late July.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat that means is every kid is going to have a great teacher on the first day of school,\u201d Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said at DISD\u2019s New Teacher Academy in July. \u201cThat\u2019s how you begin.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first day of school also comes ahead of Friday\u2019s release of last year\u2019s A-F academic accountability grades. Elizalde said preliminary numbers show the district doubled its number of A-rated schools and is on its way to having zero F-rated schools next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cContinuing to set those goals and to help our teachers meet them through their students is what we\u2019re dedicated to doing this year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Fort Worth ISD could be at risk of a state takeover after one of the district\u2019s campuses earned a failing rating for the fifth consecutive year, according to the 2023 A-F grades released in April.<\/p>\n
New Superintendent Karen Molinar, who became the district\u2019s permanent leader in March, has pledged a stronger focus on literacy this year, acknowledging the district has much to improve.<\/p>\n
Other North Texas school districts returning Tuesday include McKinney, Plano and Richardson ISD. More schools will reopen in the coming days, while others started classes last week.<\/p>\n
—————–<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<\/p>\n
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