If North Texas wants to remain competitive, it needs to build a strong public education system — including passing Dallas ISD’s proposed $6.2 billion bond issue, Dallas Regional Chamber President and CEO Brad Cheves said Friday.
Speaking during a panel discussion at Downtown Dallas Inc.’s annual meeting, Cheves said the most appealing quality North Texas has to offer employers looking to relocate is its talent pool. That’s why the region’s K-12 and higher education systems are so critical to its long-term success, he said.
At a Feb. 12 meeting, Dallas ISD trustees voted unanimously to ask district voters to approve the largest proposed bond issue in state history. It would come with a tax increase of $33.48 on a $500,000 home, the average home price in the district.
The bond issue comes in four parts. The largest part, just shy of $6 billion, would go to fund building and renovation projects, including the construction of 26 new school buildings to replace older campuses, renovation and modernization of existing classrooms and upgrades to outdoor spaces like playgrounds and courtyards, among other projects. The project would also add about 400 classrooms, allowing it to remove all its portable classroom units. Three other sections would cover smaller-dollar projects.
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During Friday’s meeting, Cheves said North Texas’ public education system has a vast impact. More than 10% of all public school students in the country are in Texas’ public schools, and North Texas’ schools represent a sizable piece of that picture. Cheves called on business leaders to support Dallas ISD’s bond issue as a way to help those schools stay strong.
“All of us need to be a part of that,” he said.
Dallas ISD’s bond issue goes before voters Saturday, May 2.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
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’s journalism.