The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight
Bishop Bledsoe |
Written: 10/30/2009
BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE
North Texas Conference
Do you know who’s in your community? In an ongoing effort to get to know the North Texas community, I had the privilege of spending a day traveling with Mr. Bill Avera, Assistant Chief of Police for the Dallas Independent School District. We visited several elementary, middle, and high schools in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD).
Throughout the day, I received an education which I believe is worth sharing with the church. There is tremendous opportunity for evangelism and church growth in the Dallas community. Many of the schools we visited were using portable buildings to handle increased enrollment and overcrowding. DISD is a very large district, covering more than 350 square miles around the entire Dallas metroplex, extending as far south as Seagoville. The student population of DISD stands at 157,736, with the majority of enrollment being Hispanics (106,637), followed by African Americans (41,646), Anglo Americans (7,224), Asians (1,898), and American Indian (331). There are a total of 156 elementary schools and 70 secondary schools. Of the secondary schools, 5 are alternative schools and 9 are magnet high schools.
While visiting the schools, I was impressed with the scorecards on each school. Dr. Michael Hinojosa, DISD superintendent, has implemented a system to track school performance in terms of their goals and the progress they are making in the core subjects of math, reading, science, and writing. The system tracks student growth, teacher attendance and retention, and monitors the learning environment and whether students are on track. I was also impressed with the schools for the talented and gifted.
During my time with Bill Avera, I gained an appreciation for the work of the DISD police department and the commitment that they have to the students, teachers, and parents to provide a safe environment for learning and growth. Although there are neighborhood issues such as crime, gangs, drugs, and daytime curfew, they do their jobs in cooperation with other law enforcement groups.
My hope and prayer is that our church sees itself as a partner in developing safe communities for children to grow up in. For the Dallas area, the opportunities are tremendous!