Dallas ISD is arming its school board members with materials to help inform residents about a potential $6 billion bond package wish list.
The district’s Citizens Bond Steering Committee has spent the year examining over 300 district buildings, including 230 schools, to identify areas in need of repairs or upgrades.
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The district is now preparing to host additional community meetings from Dec. 1 through 16, and residents will be surveyed for input on potential investments. A potential bond package could be voted on in May or November 2026, according to the district.
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Dallas ISD voters in 2020 had five bond propositions that would have given the school district money for new campuses, technology expansions and resource centers to help families in poor neighborhoods. Voters supported two bonds, worth over $3.4 billion, for campus repairs and upgrades, and to purchase and update district technology.
Brent Alfred, Dallas ISD chief construction officer, told the district at a briefing for the Board of Trustees on Thursday that the 2020 bond funds are expected to be fully utilized within the next 16 to 18 months. Establishing an overlap between the old and new possible bond programs would let the district continue its construction, staffing and vendor engagement operations, Alfred said.
Families of students that attend Obadiah Knight Elementary respond to survey questions on their phones during a bond proposal meeting at Onesimo Hernandez Elementary School, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
That work also includes state-mandated safety upgrades and replacements of aging technology and school vehicles, he said.
“Research consistently shows facilities quality influences attendance, behavior and academic outcomes,” Alfred said.
The committee could potentially ask Dallas ISD to ask voters to support bonds for replacing 29 schools, Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde previously told The Dallas Morning News. The bonds could also renovate facilities, bolster equipment, or help the district to develop a way to help provide housing for teachers, she said.
Dallas ISD’s school board is set to have another public meeting on Nov. 20 prior to next month’s community meetings. The board also has a Dec. 18 workshop meeting, where the board can review the research, feedback results and potential recommendations with district leaders, Alfred said.
The district aims to present a formal bond recommendation in January, Alfred said.
Dallas ISD trustee Joe Carreón speaks to community members during a bond proposal meeting at Onesimo Hernandez Elementary School, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
Dallas ISD’s school board would tell the district in February which bonds should appear on the ballot in May or November 2026, according to the district. If the bond proposal goes to November, the board does not have to call a vote until August, according to the district.
Joyce Foreman, a Dallas ISD Trustee, urged the district to work on reaching as many residents as possible. That’s because only three people showed up to the pop-up meeting on the possible bonds in her district, she said.
Ben Mackey, a Dallas ISD Trustee, said he hopes to see several of his school board peers at each community meeting.
“I think the more we can show a united front and hear from different parts of our community, rather than just the one I am in, it would be really beneficial,” he said.
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.