{"id":586152,"date":"2026-02-13T03:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T03:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/586152\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T03:36:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T03:36:14","slug":"dallas-isd-board-sends-6-2-billion-bond-proposal-to-voters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/586152\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas ISD board sends $6.2 billion bond proposal to voters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Voters in Dallas ISD<\/a> will see a proposed $6.2 billion bond issue<\/a> on the ballot in May.<\/p>\n

The district\u2019s board voted unanimously Thursday to send the proposal to voters. District leaders say the proposal would allow them to build more than two dozen schools, renovate existing campuses and add enough permanent classroom space to allow schools to get rid of their portable classrooms. <\/p>\n

It would also carry a property tax increase, which would amount to $33.48 on a $500,000 home, the average home price in the district.<\/p>\n

During public comments, Olivia Solis, a second grader at Solar Prep School for Girls<\/a>, urged the board to support the proposal. It\u2019s important that the district provides spaces where kids feel safe, she said.<\/p>\n

The Education Lab<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I\u2019m in my classroom, I feel safe,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd when I feel safe, I\u2019m brave enough to learn, ask questions, and imagine who I might become someday. Having a school that is taken care of helps me believe I can shine and play big.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia\u2019s dad, Miguel Solis, president of the Commit Partnership, told trustees that they\u2019re in a pivotal moment for the district. Solis, a former Dallas ISD teacher, administrator and board member, said the board has an opportunity to make sure every student can walk into a school that makes them feel that they matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is not whether this investment is too large,\u201d he said. \u201cThe question is whether Dallas will meet this moment with the ambition it requires or allow it to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dupree Scovell, a Dallas real estate executive and chairman of the district\u2019s Citizens Bond Steering Committee, said the bond package would be a good move for the city. Investing in public schools means investing in the future workforce of North Texas, he said.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde walks around tables filled with trustees and leadership team chiefs during a bond workshop on Thursday Dec. 18, 2025. The board workshopped the district\u2019s next bond package, a potential $6 billion plan aimed at modernizing campuses and stabilizing classroom conditions across the 240-school system.<\/p>\n

Angela Piazza \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Scovell said this year\u2019s bond package differs from previous iterations in that the district doesn\u2019t need to convince voters that its schools are a terrible learning environment. Most of the district\u2019s most pressing facilities issues were addressed in previous bond packages, he said. So this year, the district can campaign on continuing that momentum, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt worked in 2020, and now we\u2019re doubling down on that investment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Before the vote, board member Lance Currie acknowledged the $6.2 billion figure might seem eye-popping at first glance. But that number is large because the district itself is large, he said. He noted that the tax increase for an average home in the district would come to a little over $3 a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re asking people to sacrifice a cup of coffee once a month,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Board member Byron Sanders said the plan was an opportunity to make sure that every student in Dallas ISD has a top-notch school, no matter what part of the city they live in. Many of the buildings targeted for renovation or replacement have been in bad shape for decades, he said, and it\u2019s unfair to expect students in poor neighborhoods to go to decrepit schools. <\/p>\n

Sanders noted that when the district has invested in its buildings in recent years, academic improvement has often followed. He pointed to Pinkston, Roosevelt and South Oak Cliff high<\/a> schools, all of which have either been rebuilt or undergone major renovations within the past decade. All three moved from D or F to B ratings in the years after they reopened.<\/p>\n

\u201cDallas ISD already showed you what we could do when you make the investment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The proposal comes in four parts: Building and renovation, technology, debt service and swimming pool upgrades.<\/p>\n

Building projects make up the biggest piece of the package, at nearly $6 billion. With that money, the district would build 26 new campuses to replace existing schools, renovate existing buildings to bring classrooms in line with program needs and upgrade outdoor spaces like playgrounds and courtyards, among other projects. It would allow the district to add about 400 classrooms, enough that schools across the district could remove their portable classrooms.<\/p>\n

The other three propositions would fund smaller-dollar projects. Proposition B would give the district $144.7 million for handheld student devices. Proposition C, the debt service portion of the package, would allow the district to refinance certain debt, which district leaders say would save $10 million. That proposal totals $143.3 million. Proposition D would include $26.25 million for renovations to the district\u2019s aging swimming pools.<\/p>\n

The bond proposal goes before voters on May 2. Early voting will be held April 20-28.<\/p>\n

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.<\/p>\n

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab\u2019s journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Voters in Dallas ISD will see a proposed $6.2 billion bond issue on the ballot in May. The…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":586153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,16213,65390,407,65389,90,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-586152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-america","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-isd","tag-ed-lab-local-school-news","tag-education","tag-education-lab","tag-elections","tag-texas","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116061233785678053","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}