The Dallas Express is relaunching its “Bad Apple” series following the release of the Texas Education Agency’s accountability results for the 2024–25 school year. This series highlights the Dallas ISD trustees who oversee the highest number of students trapped at failing campuses.
This year’s first Bad Apple is District 8 Trustee Joe Carreón, who abandoned 2,862 students across five failing schools in his district. That is the highest count of any Dallas ISD trustee and accounts for more than one-quarter of all students left behind on failing campuses throughout the city.
According to TEA’s Student Achievement ratings, any campus scoring 69 or below is considered failing. The Dallas Express holds both the trustee responsible for that district and the broader DISD board accountable for these outcomes.
Carreón’s Failing Schools (2024–25)
- Francisco “Pancho” Medrano Junior High (59 – F) – 669 students
- Jose “Joe” May Elementary (55 – F) – 746 students
- Oran M. Roberts Elementary (55 – F) – 340 students
- Julian T. Saldivar Elementary (56 – F) – 754 students
- West Dallas Junior High (58 – F) – 353 students
Total Students Abandoned: 2,862
Despite the hard work of dedicated educators, thousands of children in West Dallas and surrounding neighborhoods within Carreón’s district continue to fall short of a quality education.
Carreón was first elected to the DISD board in May 2020. His DISD biography shows he’s a lifelong Dallas resident and attorney who has emphasized equity and resource allocation during his tenure. Yet, the latest TEA results reveal a troubling gap in outcomes for students under his oversight.
As highlighted in The Dallas Express, Texas is set to roll out the nation’s largest Education Savings Account (ESA) program in the 2026–27 school year, providing up to $10,000 per student—and up to $11,500 for special-needs students—for use toward private schools or other educational services. This school choice initiative joins the Bad Apple series in spotlighting urgent educational reforms.
More Bad Apples
The Dallas Express is spotlighting other DISD trustees who abandoned students at failing campuses in 2024–25:
- Prisma Y. Garcia — abandoned 1,895 students across three failing schools
- Byron Sanders — abandoned 1,847 students across four failing schools
- Ed Turner — abandoned 1,604 students across three failing schools
- Joyce Foreman — abandoned 1,138 students across three failing schools
- Lance Currie — abandoned 718 students at one failing school
- Dan Micciche — abandoned 670 students at one failing school
- Sarah Weinberg — abandoned 298 students at one failing school