Greetings, District 2! Congratulations to our 2025 graduates and happy summer to all! It’s been a busy month, and I am excited to share what the Dallas ISD Board has been up to below. Also, note that we will have board meetings in June, but none in July. Enjoy your families and lots of summer fun!
Dallas ISD District 2 Monthly Updates:
- Texas Legislature passes $8.5 billion in education funding: At long last, the state legislature passed a major school finance package that will provide much-needed relief to Dallas ISD and districts across Texas. While it doesn’t fully close the gap created by inflation since 2020, it makes meaningful progress and eases significant budget pressure on our district. Thank you to the legislators who fought for this critical support for our students and communities.
- Superintendent advocacy: Thank you to Superintendent Elizalde for her tireless advocacy with the state legislature on behalf of Dallas ISD students and families to work toward increased state funding and for changes to the A-F accountability system.
May Board Meeting Debrief: Last month, Dallas ISD had its regular board briefing and meeting. I’ve chosen to highlight a few items below:
- Dallas ISD adopted 2025-2026 Budget: The Board of Trustees voted 7-0 to adopt the 2025-26 budget for the upcoming school year. This budget does NOT include any additional funding approved by the legislature at this time. This will be factored in with a budget amendment in the Fall. In the meantime, here are some key elements of the 2025-26 budget:
– Dallas ISD adopted the lowest, legally allowable tax rate, which is even lower than last year’s tax rate. Any increase in the amount of school taxes you pay is not due to a higher tax rate, only a higher home valuation by the appraisal district.
– The approved local budgeted operating expenses total is $1.9 billion, with a projected budget shortfall of $129 million. We have enough fund balance to cover the deficit and remain in line with the standard best practice. It’s doubtful that this shortfall will remain with the potential changes to state finance law, but we’ll have more clarity on that this fall.
– Expenditures on campuses increased by more than $20 million, while central office expenditures decreased by more than $60 million.
– Teacher salaries increased by more than $19.2 million – an average of 3.6%. Staff pay increased by more than $32 million, and we increased minimum wage to $17 per hour, over that of the surrounding regions to retain employees.
– The budget anticipates an increased number of pre-K classrooms across the district.
- Trustee swearing in ceremony: In addition to swearing in District 7’s incumbent Trustee Ben Mackey, we also welcomed two new members to the school board – Prisma Garcia, representing District 4, and Byron Sanders, representing District 5. These leaders will be great additions to the Board of Trustees, and I’m honored to be able to serve with them.
Dallas ISD Bond Construction Update: Here is a brief update on the 2020 bond construction work for District 2:
- Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy Middle School celebrated the nearing completion of its new campus, with an exciting groundbreaking in the works for the fall. Construction at Arthur Kramer Elementary School is nearly complete, adding a secure vestibule and 12 classrooms, as well as removing portables and making infrastructure upgrades. Geneva Heights Elementary School opened its brand-new campus in fall of 2024. Renovations and infrastructure are in process at William Lipscomb Elementary School and K.B. Polk Center for Academically Talented and Gifted, both of which are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. J.L. Long Middle School, Mockingbird Elementary School, George Bannerman Dealey Montessori Academy, and Sudie L. Williams Talented and Gifted Academy are in various stages of procurement for infrastructure upgrades. Bond 2020 planned work at Benjamin Franklin International Exploratory Academy, Woodrow and Hillcrest high schools, Lakewood Preston Hollow, Dan D. Rogers, John J. Pershing, and Ben Milam elementary schools, and Dallas Hybrid Preparatory School at Stephen J. Hay is substantially complete at this time.
As always, please reach out to me if you have thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, or simply want to say hello!
Best,
Sarah Weinberg
Stay up to date on the news from the district by following us on social media @Dallasisd and @dallasisdEspanol.
