CITY & SCHOOLS
News from Dallas & Richardson ISD
CITY HIGHLIGHT DALLAS The nonpro t
Dallas to propose $1B bond for May 2024 ballot
Flooding strikes Dallas area
District testing cellphone restrictions for students in junior high pilot program
Dallas City Council is considering a bond package of around $1 billion for the May 2024 ballot. POSSIBLE BOND FIGURES street improvements $325M transportation improvements $100M+ housing infrastructure $150M parks and recreation facilities renovations $234M storm drainage mitigation $44M renovation of city facilities $85M economic development $50M homelessness programs $10M
Dallas City Council meets Sept. 14 and 28 at 9 a.m. at Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St., Dallas. www.dallascityhall.com Dallas ISD board of trustees meets Sept. 15 and 29 at 6 p.m. at 5151 Samuell Blvd., Dallas. www.dallasisd.org Richardson ISD board of trustees meets Sept. 15 and 29 at 6 p.m. at the RISD Administration Building, 400 S. Greenville Ave., Richardson. www.risd.org Dallas County Commissioners Court meets Sept. 20 and Oct. 4 at 9 a.m. in the Allen Clemson Courtroom of the Dallas County Administration Building, 411 Elm St., Dallas. www.dallascounty.org MEETINGS WE COVER organization Friends of Dallas Animal Services aims to raise $50,000 this year at the 14th annual North Texas Giving Day online event on Sept. 23 to support the Dallas Animal Services Department. Proceeds from the event will go toward funding programs related to foster, enrichment, medical and general support.
BY JACKSON KING
director of bond and construction management for Dallas, the 2024 bond would include 11 proposals totaling $1 billion. The total price of the bond program is subject to public feedback and city recommendations. The majority of bond funding is expected to be used for street and transportation improve- ments, according to Castaneda. A $325 million proposal for street improvements that include alley recon- struction and bridge repairs is a large part of the measure. It also includes over $100 million for transportation
improvements, which would include upgrades to tra c signals. City o cials said a $150 million proposal in the bond will be used to invest in housing infrastructure. The city is accepting public feedback on bond proposals and what areas need repairs the most. A 15-member citizens bond task force is expected to be appointed by next summer to help develop proposals along with a number of sub-commit- tees. A second round of public input is expected to be collected in early 2024 ahead of the May election.
DALLAS The city is proposing a $1 billion bond program for the May 2024 ballot. Dallas residents previ- ously approved 10 proposals totaling $1.05 billion in November 2017. As of this June, 79% of the 2017 bond program funds have been committed toward city programs. That bond program is scheduled to be completed by September 2023. A presentation on the 2024 proposed bond was given during the Aug. 17 Dallas City Council meeting. According to Adriana Castaneda,
BY REBECCA HELIOT
BY JACKSON KING
the district would shift toward a pilot plan after receiving parent feedback. “Parents almost universally agree that cellphones are a distrac- tion for students and a problem in the classroom,” Branum said. “However, not every parent is sure that the Yondr pouch system is the right solution to assist with enforcement of cellphone-free campuses.” Branum said feedback included concerns with the cost of the system and safety during potential campus incidents.
DALLAS As heavy rainfall during the night of Aug. 21 and into the next morning caused ooding across the city. The Dallas Fire and Rescue Department reported 154 high-water incidents, two ooded buildings and 39 water rescues. “We got hit pretty hard, and we got hit in a historic way,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said. The weather caused extensive ooding, with some areas in East Dal- las receiving up to 15 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking federal assis- tance for ood damages. Abbott declared the damages a state disaster Aug. 23, and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared it a county emergency Aug. 22. The Texas Division of Emergency Management’s self-reporting damage assessment tool can be found at www.damage.tdem.texas.gov.
RICHARDSON ISD Superin- tendent Tabitha Branum said the district would implement a pilot program that requires students at Forest Meadow Junior High to put phones in magnetic-locked bags called Yondr pouches throughout the school day to prevent use. Running the pilot program is expected to cost $25,000, accord- ing to district o cials. The program initially would have prohibited cellphone use in all secondary schools. However, in an Aug. 10 statement, Branum said
SOURCE: CITY OF DALLAS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
City calls special election for Hutchison Center expansion
INTO THE YONDR If Richardson ISD decides to expand its pilot program on cellphone restrictions, it would a ect secondary students throughout the district.
BY JACKSON KING
The special election was called during the Aug. 10 meeting and will be held Nov. 8. The proposal, known as the Brimer Bill, seeks to use an increase in the city’s hotel occupancy tax to fund the
convention center expansion and Fair Park improvements, according to the city. If approved, the bill allows a 2% increase in the total hotel occupancy tax rate from 13% to 15%.
DALLAS City Council approved an ordinance for a special election regard- ing a proposed expansion of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, located at 650 S. Gri n St.
4 high schools
$25,000 estimated cost per school
8 junior high schools
16,000 secondary students
The city of Dallas is calling a special election Nov. 8. (Courtesy city of Dallas)
SOURCE: RICHARDSON ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
DALLAS 9500 N Central Expressway 214-369-2800 PRESTON CENTER 8123 Preston Road 214-361-6697 MARSH LANE 9972 Marsh Lane 214-353-2701
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