DISTRICT ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
This chapter discusses the organization and management of the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) in seven sections:
- A. Governance
- B. Planning
- C. Policies and Procedures
- D. District Management
- E. School Management and Site-Based Decision-Making
- F. Legal Services
- G. Desegregation Order
The organization and management of a school district requires cooperation between elected members of the Board of Education and district staff. The board's role is to set goals for the district in both instructional and operational areas, determine the policies that will govern the district, approve the plans to implement those policies and provide the funding necessary to carry out the plans.
BACKGROUND
Under the Texas Education Code, the Board of Education of a Texas independent school district is a corporate body, elected by the public with the "exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district." The board, as a legal agent of the State of Texas, derives its status from the Texas Constitution and the Legislature. It must function in accord with state and federal statutes, as well as regulations that interpret those statutes and relevant court decisions. Specific powers granted to the board under the Education Code include the powers and duties to:
- Adopt rules and bylaws necessary to govern and oversee management of the public schools of the district;
- Acquire and hold real and personal property, sue and be sued and receive bequests and donations and other money or funds;
- Dispose of property no longer necessary for the operation of the school district;
- Levy and collect taxes; issue bonds, including determining the tax rate when a specific tax rate has not been adopted at an election authorizing a tax;
- Prepare, adopt and file a budget for the next fiscal year and file a report of the revenues and expenditures for the preceding fiscal year;
- Have district accounts audited following the close of each fiscal year at district expense;
- Ensure that a district improvement plan and campus improvement plans are developed, reviewed and revised annually;
- Publish an annual report describing the district's educational performance, including campus performance objectives and the progress of each campus toward the objectives; and
- All powers and duties not specifically delegated by statute to the Texas Education Agency or to the State Board of Education.
The school district staff is responsible for implementing on a day-to-day basis the plans approved by the board and recommending modifications to ensure the district operates effectively. The superintendent, as the chief executive officer of the district, recommends the staffing levels and the resources necessary to operate and accomplish the board's goals and objectives.