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Dallas ISD approves $6.2B bond to replace aging schools
Dallas ISD voters have overwhelmingly approved a historic $6.2 billion bond package, the largest in Texas history, to replace aging facilities and eliminate portable classrooms over the next decade.
DALLAS - Dallas voters just approved a historic bond for Dallas ISD. We wanted to know the next steps and how the district will hold itself accountable with the trust of the taxpayers.
Replacing DISD schools and removing portables
What we know:
Dallas voters have just approved a massive $6.2 billion school bond, the largest in Texas history.
The voters approved four separate propositions that cover new school construction, safety and security campus upgrades, and technology, as well as buses and playgrounds.
The largest part of that money is going towards fixing up aging schools as some of the schools were built more than 50 years ago.
The district says 26 schools will be entirely replaced.
"Excited about it, but now the hard work begins. We want to be great stewards for the citizens of the city," said campaign co-chair T. Dupree Scovell. "We're teaching in buildings that are fifty, sixty, seventy years old. So not only is the technology inadequate, but I mean, it's old lighting. It's smaller classrooms. There are no lab stations there."
Prioritizing equity in school renovations
What they're saying:
At the same time, thousands of students are still learning in portable classrooms, something the district says this bond will get rid of entirely.
"It's going to eliminate every single portable in the school district. All seven hundred will be gone as a result of this bond as it rolls out over the next several years," said Dallas ISD trustee, Lance Currie.
District leaders say that where the money goes was decided through an equity-based process, ranking schools based on need. Trustees looked at the condition and needs of each school.
"I've got the lowest number of schools being replaced in any of the trustee districts in Dallas. But I'm okay with that because I've seen the data that shows me that only one school in my district, relative to others, needed to be addressed," said Currie.
Project timeline and taxpayer accountability
Dallas ISD
Dig deeper:
That means some campuses will see upgrades sooner while others might have to wait for years, because even with voter approval, the work isn’t going to happen overnight.
"And it will probably take five to ten years before all of these are rolled out," said Currie.
The district says taxpayers will be able to track spending through a dashboard as the projects roll out.
"And so the website will be set up that'll show the timing of every bond project, the scope of every bond project, the consultants that have been hired on every bond project," said Scovell.
What's next:
Voters approved the bonds with over 70 percent of the votes.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Vania Castillo.