By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A For tens of thousands of students across Texas, the letters A-Y-P now spell “free tutoring.” Students in 60 schools are now eligible for free after-school help from for-profit companies, state officials announced Thursday. That’s because their schools failed to make “adequate yearly progress” – AYP for short – […]
Category: DMN | Education
W-H seniors get wish granted; DISD: Group to attend S. Oak Cliff; 25 schools to be youths’ new homes
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B And the winner is … South Oak Cliff High. That’s where Wilmer-Hutchins’ senior class will attend school starting next month. Wilmer-Hutchins’ financial problems led the district to seek a new home for its 2,700 students, and the Dallas school district agreed Monday to take them in. Dallas trustee […]
Suit over trustees’ removal dismissed; Wilmer-Hutchins ISD: Plaintiffs had argued official had no right
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 4B A lawsuit that could have stopped the deal between Dallas and Wilmer-Hutchins schools was dismissed Tuesday. The suit argued that state Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley did not have legal authority to remove Wilmer-Hutchins’ elected school board in May because not enough time had passed since the district was […]
DISD backs W-H deal; Southern Dallas schools to absorb kids; Wilmer might sell campuses
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A The students of Wilmer-Hutchins may finally have a home. The Dallas school board voted Monday night to accept Wilmer-Hutchins’ roughly 2,700 students into its existing south-end campuses. “We’re absolutely thrilled,” said Wilmer-Hutchins attorney Kevin O’Hanlon. “We have a home.” The adoption was made necessary by Wilmer-Hutchins’ mounting debts […]
Firm to look for TAKS cheating; Company says it will search for patterns in Texas students’ results
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 4A A Utah company has been hired to investigate the test scores of Texas schools and determine which ones are cheating. The decision to hire Caveon was prompted by a series of stories in The Dallas Morning News last winter that found highly unusual swings in test scores at […]
Suit seeks to return W-H teachers, board; Ex-principal says state law gives district more time to fix problems
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B Add one more item to the list of question marks about the future of Wilmer-Hutchins schools. A lawsuit in state district court is seeking to throw out the state-appointed board of managers, rehire all the district’s laid-off teachers and bring back the old school board that state officials […]
A family on both sides of district’s demise; Pioneer fought to save W-H; granddaughter cast key vote to close it
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Pinkie Mae Gardner entered this world in 1924, three years before the Wilmer-Hutchins school district did. She never thought she would outlive it. “I hope it lasts forever,” she says. “It doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen, though.” Ms. Gardner is a walking piece of district history. She’s […]
W-H schools may be up for sale; State agency trying to sell campuses, pay Dallas to educate its students
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B The Texas Education Agency is close to an agreement that would sell off most of Wilmer-Hutchins’ campuses and land and indirectly use the proceeds to funnel $4 million to Dallas schools. Officials hope that the extra money will make it more appealing for Dallas to accept Wilmer-Hutchins’ 2,700 […]
Decrepit conditions will keep high school closed if DISD takes over
By Joshua Benton and Tawnell Hobbs Staff Writers Page 1B The Wilmer-Hutchins High Eagles may have flown for the last time. Dallas school officials have decided that Wilmer-Hutchins High is too dilapidated to keep open – even just for the next year. “We’ve concluded and notified trustees that we’re not going to use Wilmer-Hutchins High […]
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DISD open to W-H merger; Trustees amenable to plan – as long as it doesn’t cost them
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B Dallas school officials seem ready to take on the students of Wilmer-Hutchins – as long as it doesn’t cost the district any money. “It’s not these children’s fault where they’ve been born or where they live,” trustee Ron Price said at a board meeting Thursday night. “But it […]
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