Dallas Regional Chamber's Blog

By Trisha Windham, Director, Education & Public Policy

This Saturday, be sure to take a few minutes out of your day to cast your vote in the Dallas ISD Board of Trustee elections. The quality of our local education system and the future of Dallas ISD leadership makes a big impact on the business community, so remember to make your voice heard.   as well as the mission of the Dallas Regional Chamber.

Quality education and leadership are fundamental in achieving the mission of the Chamber, and ensuring the Dallas is the most desirable place to live and work in the country. Progress is being made, making it a more crucial time than ever to elect quality leaders to the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees.

Unsure of who to vote for? Check out EducateDallas, a non-partisan political action committee dedicated to promoting quality school board leadership in Dallas, and learn more about the candidates they are endorsing.

By Trisha Windham, Director of Public Policy & Education

You know what’s crazy?  Not exercising your right to vote in local elections.  Bear with me just a minute and I’ll tell you why.

General elections in November turn out voters.  On average, most of these elections end up with about 60 percent of our Dallas registered voters making their voices heard at the polls.  Now, don’t get me wrong – these are very important elections and we should have even more of our voters show up for these, too.  But when you flip the page and look at local government races, in particular school board races, you’ll find that voter turnout drops into the very low single digits.

So here is what kills me: local government has just as a profound impact on your life as any other form.  Local government is in charge of your streets, your sidewalks, our property values, the speed limit on my block, where your favorite restaurant and grocery store can operate, and, most importantly, the education of our children.  Your kids, my kids, our neighbors’ kids, the kids down the street – you know, your future neighbors, friends, employees, and local leaders.  And yet, sometimes only 2 percent of us learn about candidates and make the time to cast a ballot each spring.

That is CRAZY.

School board trustees are elected in Dallas via single member districts.  Of the 9 DISD trustees, three are up for election each May and then they serve a 3- year term, which means they will have at least three years to set the budget for our school district, to hold our superintendent accountable, to establish the vision and goals for our public education system, and to set tax rates within the school district.  So, in layman’s terms, they prioritize where your tax dollars go, they ensure that our superintendent is doing best by our kids every day so students can grow into successful, contributing citizens, and our school board members have a major impact on how much you pay in property taxes. In even simpler terms, they make decisions about the two most precious things in most of our lives… our children and our money.  So, every single one of us has at least one BIG reason to care, and to care a lot.

Education reform continues to be a widely discussed subject within every level of our government – from our school boards to the President of the United States. We know that great teachers changing lives in our classrooms is the key to success, but we continue to debate how to make that happen.  Here at the Chamber, we believe that every level of our district is responsible for moving our district forward, but change has to start at the top first and our leaders must be courageous as they push forward sometimes difficult policy changes in a relentless pursuit to do what’s best for kids.  Mayor Rawlings recently said that our ‘moment of truth’ is upon us.  We owe it to our kids, at the very least, to put in the effort and go vote in these important races.

Click here to view the Chamber’s endorsed candidates on the EducateDallas website, or here to find out where you can go vote.  Election is May 11th – we hope to see you at the polls!

By Penny Lynch, Communications Manager for the DRC

This week I would like to introduce you to Tara Vornkahl. Tara is the key ingredient for Dallas Regional Chamber’s  Economic Development and Innovation departments.  Read on and learn what her team doesn’t know about her.

Why is it Important to be a team player?
Not to be cliché, but two (or three, or four…) heads are better than one. Whenever I am working with a group, which is almost daily at the DRC, I’m pretty much guaranteed to learn something new or in some cases, a more efficient way to do things.

What do you miss most about being a kid?
I really miss having the “I can dig a hole to China” mentality. One summer, I couldn’t have been older than 6 or 7, I was dead set on digging to China…starting in my mom’s garden in the back yard. I am still a very optimistic person to this day and when I want to do something, I make sure that it happens. However, my dreams crashed and burned when I got a geography lesson on where China was.

What do you love most about the Dallas Regional Chamber and why?
Aside all of the great events that we get to be a part of, I just love the general work culture at the Chamber. I feel very blessed, especially being a Midwest transplant that knew no one in Dallas, to be a part of an organization that truly cares for one another. Everyone here has made me feel welcomed and appreciated from day one, and that has truly meant a lot to me. I am challenged every day and I am always learning something new, which is something that is very important to me when working in an organization. AND I have an incredible view of the City of Dallas…and Ft. Worth when it is a clear day.

What was the last movie, TV show or book that made you cry or tear up?
It was actually a commercial on KERA. It started off as a man telling a story of how he met the love of his life growing up in Brooklyn (the voice was paired with an animated rendition of the story) and how they grew up, got married, and were always inseparable. The story quickly turned into how he lost his wife in the September 11th attack and how he has had to cope with the loss of her since then. Whenever I hear stories of families of either survivors or people who lost their lives that day it gives me chills and I can’t help but get emotional.

What something your team doesn’t know about you?
One thing that I can think of that I have never mentioned is that I am published in a text book called, Business Research Methods. It’s a chart from a study my senior project group and I did. And no, I did not receive any royalties.

If you were immortal for a day, what would you do?
Oddly enough I have always been fascinated with the Cabrini Green housing authority in Chicago’s North side (most of it is shut down now). Whenever I was in the city when I lived in Illinois I always wanted to go there and take pictures and talk to the residents there and hear their stories. Being a woman and taking a stroll in that neck of the woods while being alone, it would be best if you were immortal.

What is Economic Development and why is it important to the Chamber?
I’m going to do my best to not give a bland text book definition of Economic Development. In my mind, Economic Development could be like an award winning pot of chili (vegetarian chili of course) or mystery meatloaf that you find in a questionable cafeteria. In order for that chili to be award winning and yummy, there has to be just the right amount of ingredients that cohesively work together. In this case those ingredients could be public policy, education, critical infrastructure, business development (retention and expansion), a strong workforce, healthcare, public safety, and of course a regional culture. A successful and sought after region cannot be created if those ingredients do not blend well together. There cannot be a healthy workforce without strong education institutions. There would not be good education, public safety, infrastructure and healthcare without productive individuals in office. And there most certainly would not be a vibrant culture if a good mix of people did not want to live in a particular region. All of this combined (if combined efficiently and effectively) is what can potentially draw in businesses that bring in employment opportunities to a region; thus, developing the economy. No matter which way you look at it, it is all tied together. The Dallas-Fort Worth region has been successful in their economic development efforts because all of the above parts work so well together here.

By Amb (r.) James C. Oberwetter, president and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber and Clint McDonnough ,immediate past chairman of the Dallas Regional Chamber

There should be no misunderstanding:  the Dallas Regional Chamber stands with Superintendent Miles and for the difficult decisions he is making to improve education throughout Dallas ISD.

When it comes to education, the focus should always be on doing what is best for the 160,000 Dallas ISD students who deserve and seek a quality public education in the community.  Superintendent Miles has that focus and continues to put the students first.

Students are coming to Dallas ISD from more challenging circumstances and in greater numbers than ever before.  Measurable progress was made before Superintendent Miles arrived, however to continue to move the needle new tactics and strategies are needed.  Change is hard and uncomfortable, but necessary if we are to establish a first-class education system.

The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees, the superintendent and his senior leadership team have taken a number of courageous steps in the past year.  All are aimed at putting the highest quality human capital at work in the Dallas ISD.  The difference between schools with effective change oriented leadership, versus those who accept the status quo is the difference between success and abject failure.   The outcome of change-minded, accountable principals in every school:  raised student achievement.

While the superintendent and his staff must continue to meet with, communicate with and work with community partners, the Dallas ISD needs to take the next difficult steps.  They must not be distracted from the task at hand, and continue to implement changes that improve results for students.  Those of us at the DRC are confident that Superintendent Miles and his team will continue to use the data available, reviewing what is working locally and nationally, to make solid decisions for our students.

The Dallas Independent School District, DRC and the Dallas business community gathered on Thursday, May 2nd to honor a group of staff and teachers held in high regard.  They were chosen as outstanding employees for their work and dedication to both the students and the district this school year.  More than 90 employees enjoyed an afternoon of music provided by the jazz band from the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy.  DRC Chairman of the Board Anne Motsenbocker and Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles both addressed the group thanking them for their work and service.

The DRC’s next upcoming education event is May 22nd – the third event in the Education Outlook Series.  It will feature a panel of superintendents and school board members with the North Texas Regional Consortium discussing Best Practices in Public Schools.

Register today!

By Jay Barksdale, Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Education

Since January 8th, my team and I have been running laps and logging miles escorting Dallas business leaders around the Capitol, talking to our elected officials about the priorities articulated in the DRC’s Legislative Agenda.  As the session enters its last month, we’re looking forward to seeing final resolution on some the policy debates surrounding our legislative priorities.

You’ve probably heard by now that water and transportation issues have dominated a lot of the conversation at the Capitol.  It had been really encouraging to see our elected officials understand and take on such long-term, complex issues that so dramatically impact the future of Texas. Unfortunately, the primary water funding bill was knocked down because of a technicality.  House leadership is now searching for a legislative solution and garner enough votes for passage. It would be a huge failure for Texas if we aren’t successful in the effort.

As always, education has also been widely discussed.  Many legislators have expressed a desire to reevaluate our accountability and graduation requirement systems.  A strong majority of lawmakers are also committed to replenish some of the funding that was taken out of public education last session. Unfortunately, the increase of $2.5 billion for public education is still not enough to satisfy everyone and this will lead to more legislative gamesmanship in the final weeks. Be on the lookout for this to impact important issues like the water funding bill last week.

Also in that conference, we are looking for legislators to fund economic tools like the Texas Enterprise Fund and the Emerging Technology Fund, that are so vital to the DRC’s company relocation efforts.  We have worked hard this session to help our leaders understand how important these tools are to our local and state economy.

We’re in the homestretch of session so expect a large amount of activity during these last few weeks as a number of bills are debated.   We will let you know how you can help as these issues are brought to the floor.  In many cases, a quick call to your local Legislator voicing your support for an issue can make a big difference.

It’s been a whirlwind 112 days in Austin, and we’re gearing up for a final sprint to the finish line.  We are hopeful that this will be a productive and helpful session for the business community in Dallas.