DISD Travails

Mike Miles announces resignation as Dallas ISD superintendent

Mike Miles has announced his resignation as Dallas ISD superintendent; he'll continue to serve in the role until June 25.

According to The Hub, deputy superintendent Ann Smisko will assume leadership of day-to-day operations as acting superintendent. Dr. Smisko has worked in education for more than 40 years. She has worked in Dallas ISD for the past three years, overseeing both the Dallas ISD School Leadership division and Curriculum and Instruction this past year.

"Ann Smisko is fully capable of managing the day-to-day operations of Dallas ISD and fulfilling the vision of Destination 2020," Miles said in a statement.

Miles outlined his accomplishments since he became superintendent in 2012, as follows:

Continued implementation of a rigorous principal evaluation system that uses both performance and student results to measure principal effectiveness.
Implemented the Teacher Excellence Initiative, a pay-for-performance teacher evaluation system.
Implemented the Distinguished Teacher Review process, which has fundamentally changed how highly effective teachers are identified and assessed.
Kicked off an initiative to expand the number of public choice schools, with the goal of having 35 by the year 2020.
Increased the focus on and investment in early childhood programs, which studies show is critical in laying the foundation for lifelong learning.

“While the transformation of a large, urban district takes time, with the support of the Board and the community, we were able to accomplish an incredible amount in just three years,” Miles said.

His tenure at DISD has been fraught with controversy, with some board members voting last month to fire him. There were two years remaining on his contract.

Miles said that he decided he could step aside as superintendent and rejoin his family in Colorado, knowing that the critical foundation and current leadership team are in place to continue Dallas ISD on a positive trajectory. “The team that we have assembled is committed to sustainable, positive change for our students to build an even stronger, better Dallas ISD for this community,” he said.

In his announcement, Miles thanked the board, students, teachers, staff and greater community for their commitment to continuing to improve Dallas ISD.

“It has been a privilege to serve this community and the staff and students of Dallas ISD,” he said. “I will always be grateful for the opportunity that was given to me and the common toil and struggle of a city dedicated to the education of all children and whose best days are still in front of it.”

unspecified

happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

undefined

A new happiness study has ranked Plano one of the happiest cities in America this year, and it once again landed on top as the happiest city in Texas.

Plano has moved up on the list and ranks as the 16th happiest U.S. city in 2026. Last year, it was 17th.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Plano across the three key dimensions:

No. 15 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 22 – Community and environment
No. 72 – Income and employment

Plano and its residents have continued improving their city year after year, whether its through opening new bakeries and restaurants, inviting fun pop-ups for locals, or having a strong job market.

Plano's happiness far outshines the rest of North Texas; according to WalletHub, Irving is the 70th happiest city in the country, the third-happiest in Texas, and the second-happiest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Garland ranked farther behind as No. 92 nationally, and more DFW cities ranked even lower: Grand Prairie (No. 106), Dallas (No. 111), Fort Worth (No. 113), and Arlington (No. 119).

The report additionally found that Dallasites spend the third-most amount of time at work in the nation. The city ranked No. 180 in the national analysis of U.S. cities with the "fewest work hours."

WalletHub also emphasized that money doesn't buy happiness — after a certain point.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Six-figure earners in Plano aren't necessarily as happy as those who don't make as much, as a separate financial study from SmartAsset revealed these big earners are only taking home about $72,653 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 39 – Austin
No. 128 – Houston
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

wallethub plano reports