The Dallas school board has voted to put a $6.2 billion bond proposal before voters on May 2.
The district says that if voters approve, the proposal would provide funds to:
• build 26 replacement schools
• renovate and modernize all campuses
• remove the district’s 700 remaining portable classrooms (used by nearly 10,000 students)
• upgrade safety and security at all campuses
• update school furniture
• upgrade student technology and buy new school buses
• upgrade physical education facilities
• repair the district’s swimming pools
The bond request has been divided into four ballot questions:
- Proposition A: $5,928,820,000. Construct 26 schools to replace existing campuses; other facility renovations; technology, security and transportation upgrades.
- Proposition B: $144,700,000. Upgrade student and staff technology devices.
- Proposition C: $143,340,000. Refinance district debt.
- Proposition D: $26,250,000. Repair and renovate swimming pools throughout the school system.
The process to develop a new bond proposal started in October 2024 with long-range master planning. Trustees appointed individuals in February 2025 to be part of the steering committee, which then met throughout the year. All totaled, more than 65 meetings were held to receive input and feedback.
The district says that its tax rate is the lowest of the 10 largest school districts in North Texas and would remain so even if the 1 cent bond proposal were to be approved by voters.
Board member Byron Sanders said the plan was an opportunity to make sure that every student in the Dallas district has a top-notch school, no matter what part of the city they live in, The Dallas Morning News reports. Many of the buildings targeted for renovation or replacement have been in bad shape for decades, Sanders said, and it’s unfair to expect students in poor neighborhoods to go to decrepit schools.
The latest bond request comes less than six years after voters approved a $3.47 billion bond request. The November 2020 package paid for 15 replacement schools, six new facilities, four career institutes and other upgrades.
