Denton ISD — Back to School 2020

Dear Denton ISD Community,

The excitement of the first day of school or the start of a new school never changes, even though the start of the 2020-21 school year looked like no other. After an off-campus hiatus since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers were eager to connect with families arriving early to login and greet anxious students on the screen.

This year started in a remote, non-traditional model with elementary students interacting on SeeSaw and secondary students navigating Canvas.

In anticipation of more than 30,000 students and more than 4,000 employees all learning via the district’s online network, the Technology Team doubled the district’s bandwidth in the days just before the start.

This school year, faculty and staff have made commitments to infrastructure, technology support, food resources, and more to help our students thrive during these unprecedented times. Has it been a challenge? Sure. Then again, most people working in public education entered into this profession for the chance to make a difference in our communities, and the desire to work with young people.

Denton ISD recently ascended to the top spot as the fastest-growing school district in North Texas, a testament to our strong sense of community and their support for public education. Despite starting the school year in a remote learning environment, our student enrollment has continued to grow.

In addition to the growth in our community, several improvement projects from the 2018 Capital Improvement Plan are in full swing. Wilson Elementary, Strickland Middle, Denton High, Guyer High, and Ryan High schools all will look vastly different once renovation, additions, and replacement campuses are completed. Many students will soon be moving to new campuses, thanks to the support of our community.

Through it all, I am proud to be a part of a community that steps-up to rally around each other and our children first and foremost. We feel very blessed to live and work in Denton ISD!

Dr. Jamie Wilson, Superintendent
Denton Independent School District