Dallas ISD Seeks $6.2B Bond for School Modernization

The comprehensive plan calls for building 26 replacement schools, renovating all existing campuses, and eliminating the district’s 700 portable classrooms currently housing nearly 10,000 students. The proposal emerged from more than 65 community meetings conducted by the district’s Bond Steering Committee.

For Preston Hollow and North Dallas homeowners, the bond would require a one cent tax increase on properties valued over $500,000, adding just over $30 annually to tax bills. Homeowners 65 and older with Homestead Act exemptions would avoid increases unless they make major property improvements.

Despite the increase, Dallas ISD officials say the district would maintain the lowest tax rate among the top 10 largest North Texas school districts. State tax rate compression is expected to keep the overall district rate lower over the next three years.

The bond package encompasses safety upgrades across all campuses, new school furniture and student technology, additional school buses, and improvements to physical education facilities. The district also plans to repair swimming pools and remove all portable buildings that have served as temporary classroom space.

Voters will see four separate propositions on the May ballot. Proposition C would refinance $143 million in existing debt, redirecting those funds toward classroom operations.

The ambitious scope reflects lessons learned from the district’s 2020 bond program, which created more than 64,000 jobs while funding 15 replacement schools, six new facilities, and four career institutes. That earlier effort also supported safety, accessibility, and energy efficiency upgrades across more than 200 campuses.

The modernization effort comes as Dallas ISD grapples with aging infrastructure across a district that serves families from Preston Hollow’s estate homes to working-class neighborhoods throughout Dallas. Many school buildings date back decades and require extensive updates to meet current educational and safety standards.

District officials emphasize that the comprehensive approach aims to address longstanding facility needs while preparing campuses for future educational demands. The elimination of portable classrooms alone would significantly improve learning environments for thousands of students currently taught in temporary structures.