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Connects, the million dollar student accountability system owned by Tyler Technologies and leased to the Fort Worth schools that has never worked will finally be scrapped, according to Superintendent Walter Dansby who announced today that the district will seek a new software program to phase in by next year. Connects was bought a couple of years ago by then-superintendent Melody Johnson who touted it as the best thing since sliced bread. What the district got were “sliced” student transcripts, “sliced” data, “sliced” attendance records, “sliced” health records, dropped grades, frequent crashes and, it even lost students.
Teachers, data clerks, and all those on the ground trying to make it work were pulling out their hair, and crying out for the district to drop the program. Other districts in Texas were dropping the program like a hot potato and suing Tyler to get their money back. However, until Dansby showed up, the district kept digging the hole deeper.
Then in November, this paper reported that Dansby had given Tyler notice that it needed to fix the problems in “thirty days” or the district would exercise its option to cancel the contract on the grounds that it was not doing what it had promised. It has been thirty days and then some, but finally the district says it is scrapping the program.
Many here hope the district will look for a replacement just up the road. The Texas Education Agency’s Region 11 has provided numerous districts in the area with a program that those using it say it works, is user friendly and cheap. And with offices not far from the district’s ad building, help would be just a hoot and a holler away.

15 COMMENTS

  1. Glory be and Hallelujah!! Thank you Superintendent Dansby. This will make everyone’s life much better. I have attended meetings in large and small schools iwith a working computer system n the metroplex for students with learning disabilities and special education students called IEP/ARD meetings. It has been wonderful for all in attendance to be able to pull up the students schedule, their individual IEP and Behavior Improvement Plan. As a team, the teachers and parent and I can add improvements to the education plan or behavior plan, track homework for each subject, see the students pattern of grades to determine if medication is affecting the student’s performance, etc. Meetings that took 2-3 hours can be completed in an hour or hour and a half. The school saves money, the parent gets valuable information and changes can start in real time.

  2. Ooooh, wow Dansby! Just in time to gain a little confidence back from your employers huh? This should’ve been done a long time ago! How convenient you are now just announcing this, considering you gave Tyler 30 days in November! Kinda like a mother counting to 3 and never delivers! While this program will make life easier for teachers, counselors, etc., I am still not convinced that you waited until now to strike, especially when YOUR iron is hot!

  3. This was an OBVIOUS response to comments made in Betty’s story yesterday about the dynamic duo of Bull and Reyna. Not to forget “Pinchy Fingers” Doug Williams. Mr. Dansby, we’re beginning to wonder; now that you are making as much as MJ, perhaps you are beginning to act like her as well.Latinos: Tuesday is your big night! Show up in force at the Board meeting. Do not let Needham continue to control this Board and District!!

  4. “Connects” was the name given the Tyler TEMS product by IT guru Kyle Davies. Davies did not want the public to associate MUNIS with Connects.
    Under Melody’s direction and the Dickerson board led blessing millions have been blown away. If it is a truly a new day the board with Dansby needs to correct these problems. Needham continues to have a stronghold. New board members are needed. Monday is an opportunity to send a message that the taxpayer demands real change. Board members why are you regurgitating what you once threw up? Bull was the vomit that MJ brought to town. Reyna called on consultant Bull to fire Joe P. There is a board meeting on Monday at 530. IA new board member will be chosen Send a message to Needham,Moss we do not need one of your Berkely cronies to represent the 66% Latino district. You have done enough
    damage already.

  5. Until a public education Taxpayer Watchdog group rises up to work together, these problems will remain. Not because Superintendent Dansby is not up to managing the many issues within FWISD, but because the culture within administration and at the board level must change. Teachers are unhappy because of the hostile work place environment within the schools. The administration building is blooted.(sp?) Does Reyna need someone to look over her work as Bull’s hiring indicates? If so perhaps Reyna’s salary should be reduced to offset what is being paid to Bull. Who is serving as risk manager for the district? Certainly, Whatley is not serving in that role. There are too many grievances and litigation cases facing this district. Finally, students are suffering. We’ve forgotten about the education of our kids with the distractions at the administrative level. We cannot expect our kids to follow a code of conduct when adults cannot.

  6. I read and agree with your comments from Betty’s other story:
    “Betty quotes from a hearing with the District’s attorney, Joe’s attorney- Mr. Smith-and Judge Womack. “The attorneys and judge agreed, the district would have to go back to a hearing (as in Hearing Officer before the board again) before Joe can be terminated”. Somehow that was not explained sufficiently to the board members prior to the fateful Feb. 14 board meeting motion.”
    As with every issue, WHEN are the Board Members going to stand up for kids and taxpayers and say ENOUGH! Stop hiding behind poor legal advise which benefits only attorneys. If Reyna or Whatley are responsible, demand Dansby grow a set and do something. These issues/cases should have been settled long ago. Why waste more $$$ going through hearings, appeals, mediation and trials? SETTLE IT NOW! Put them back to work! End Connects NOW not next year. It will soon fall to the Hispanic Community to finally show leadership. Dansby does not have it.

  7. What do you catch squirrels with in this day and age?
    Same thing we did in the 50’s !!!!

    Nuts!

    I’m seeing some squirrel bait here !

  8. bottom line, board members should not serve more than 8 yrs. they are not for the future, they are for the past. they haven’t a clue what this generation needs. why must we punish the children? children are sacred and God is watching. a line from the movie the Help: ain’t you tired yet, Ms. ____?
    Near the end of The Help, the African-American maid Aibileen asks Mrs. Hilly, easily the most prejudiced woman in her circle of Jackson, Mississippi housewives, “Ain’t you tired yet?”
    please look in the mirror and ask yourself- is this what God wants?

  9. I like the reference to the “Help”, because sometimes, it feels like WE the employees are the oppressed African-Americans and FWISD administrators and board are the bigoted people sending US outside to use the toilet! This idiotic board and administration buffoons would never think to answer or even ask a question in reference to God, b/c they are nowhere close to having a God-fearing bone in their bodies! Their lies have superseded their humanity for many years. It’s about greed and personal financial gain…to HELL with the kids in our district that are getting less smart by the minute! And to HELL with the fact that this district doesn’t care about anyone but themselves; it retains old teachers, administrators and professionals alike, like it does with old board members, who are bat Sh*t crazy and should be fired, but they are not! All the crazies are given carte blanche, while all the good ones get sick and tired of working around loony’s, so they quit or retire! The raw truth to answer your question “20 yr employee” is, “Hell no, they ain’t tired yet, b/c THEY think THEY ain’t the problem!”

  10. Nightwatcher: FYI, newly appointed J. R. Martinez lives in Berkeley. Does that make him a Needham Cronie or does it somehow make him less Hispanic. I appreciate what your’e saying but let’s not lump people into categories. It’s not fair.

  11. @Molly, or should I say Mary Bull…we’re on to you! Convenient you deleted your post here, the exact same one (verbatim) you posted on the JR Martinez story! You know the one about how you want to bring the “community together”, so you ask people (bloggers and haters of FWISD) to email you??? You are nothing but a cheap, haggard old bully, who has been hired to spy on employees. Wow, how desperate and stupid FWISD must be to hire you to infiltrate a blog and try to flush out employees, so you can obliterate them! And how sad of a person you must be, filled with hate and despise! Regular bloggers like me have a knack for calling out fakes like you! Consider yourself busted! Get your rocks off some other way Mary Bull-y! Perhaps your buddies Johnson and Needham have another dirty job you can assist them with!

  12. Response to “Molly” regarding “Nightwatcher”. Nightwatcher didn’t mention names when he/she said “we do not need one of your Berkely cronies to represent the 66% Latino district.YOU Molly, jumped in and mentioned that “Martinez lives in Berkley, so does that make him a Needham cronie?!” So how do you know this Molly? Did I miss something in the board meeting or Betty’s article about Martinez moving from Berkley to Fort Worth? If anyone was “lumping people into catagories” its YOU! Not sure what the hell you meant about it making Martinez ‘Less Hispanic” either! In fact, I’m not sure you know what the hell you are saying! I’m going with “frustrated” and assume he/she knows what they are talking about, bc judging from comments posted by you here and other stories, it sounds to me that “Molly” is a plant from Danby and Reyna! Stick to commenting on what you know “Molly”, which is NOTHING!

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