Proposed Dallas ISD school bond package would be largest in Texas history

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DALLAS - Dallas leaders presented the results of the last Dallas ISD school bond Thursday as residents prepare to vote on another, one that would shatter records as the largest school bond in Texas history.

Largest bond in Texas history

What we know:

The proposed DISD bond package totals $6.2 billion, more than double the price tag of the previous bond. That package, which was approved in 2020, totaled $3 billion for school improvements.

Funds from the proposed 2026 bond package would go towards improving all 240 campuses within Dallas ISD. Upgrades would include removing portable classrooms, improving classroom technology, replacing aging schools and refinancing existing debt to reduce long-term costs.

"I understand when people see $6.2 billion, that is a large number," Dallas ISD trustee Lance Currie said of the bond's price tag. "[The] topline number gets so large because we are so large."

The bond would include a 1-cent tax increase for Dallas homeowners. For a $500,000 home, the average price of a home in Dallas, the cost would amount to $33 a year. 

If approved, DISD would still have the lowest tax rate among the ten largest school districts in North Texas, and the cost per household would be smaller compared to other recently passed school bonds.

Past improvements point to future success

By the numbers:

At a press conference Thursday, Dallas leaders highlighted the improvements made to Dallas ISD with money from the last two bond packages from 2020 and 2015. 

Their data showed that Dallas ISD has reduced the number of F-rated schools in the district from 24 in 2015 to only two in 2026. The number of A-rated schools improved from 30 to 60 in the same timeframe.

Thursday's presser took place near the new Marcus Elementary School building in Northwest Dallas, which was built with money from the 2020 bond package. "[In] its first full year last year, and in that year, it increased its Texas Education Agency rating by 21 points in one year," Currie said.

"Every student deserves to be in a safe and reliable classroom in DISD"

Local perspective:

"This is a transformational bond. It includes renovations to all campuses," Joe Carreon, the Dallas ISD Board President, said Thursday. "Every student deserves to be in a safe and reliable classroom in DISD."

Billey Mayer, a student at Hillcrest High School, gave a student's perspective. "We were in the middle of rehearsal when ceiling tiles fell, and murky brown water fell all over our violin section. All my conductor had to say was, "Oh my gosh, again."

The bond comes at the same time Dallas is considering a $1 billion improvement to Dallas City Hall. How would taxpayers manage all of those costs at once?

"You have to look at the results and return on investment," Dallas City Councilwoman Gay Donnell Willis said. "It's been demonstrated how investing in Dallas ISD pays out for the community, quality of life, economic development, lightens that burden on public safety."

What's next:

Dallas voters will decide whether to approve the bond during special elections on May 2.