As predicted yesterday, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees voted 7-0 to place a $1.6 billion bond program on the November ballot today. Trustees Joyce Foreman and Bernadette Nutall, citing scheduling problems, were not in attendance for the vote.
Over the next few months, we will begin looking at each component of the bond program, including which schools will be affected, how the money will be spent, and the conditions of the schools that have been selected to benefit from upgrades or replacement.
“This is the public’s vote, and the public’s schools,” board president Eric Cowan said during today’s meeting. “It’s not just nine Trustees deciding we want to spend $1.6 billion. We’re asking the public.”
In the meantime, let me leave you with this: If you thought the turnout was low for a school board and city council election for Dallas public schools, just wait for this bond election. If you feel strongly either way, it’s time to make sure you’re registered to vote and make the long, arduous trek uphill both ways in the snow to your polling place on November 3.
