NBC 5 Investigates has obtained details of a new plan to shut down Dallas County Schools, the troubled government school bus agency that is in serious financial trouble.
State Senator Don Huffines (R-Dallas) plans to introduce legislation Tuesday that would do away with DCS.
The bill would replace the DCS board with what's called a "dissolution committee." The committee would pay off the busing agency's debts and then close the doors at DCS by September 2018.
"There's no door that's going to remain open. This organization is done," Huffines said.
Huffines said that timing is necessary to give the 12 school districts that use DCS for bus service time to find new bus contractors or launch their own bus fleets.
"We're not going to do anything suddenly. We need to wind them down over the next 18 months in a very orderly fashion," he said.
Huffines also said he wants the state or a law enforcement agency to thoroughly investigate the finances at DCS.
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The agency is in danger of running out of money and is millions in debt. Much of that is due to a side business DCS started by using taxpayer money marketing school bus stop-arm cameras to other school districts across the state.
"Somebody, somehow, some organization – we're going to get to the bottom of it. We're going to find out where that money was spent and how it was spent, and we're going to hold everyone accountable," Huffines said.
DCS Superintendent Rick Sorrels declined to comment on Huffines' proposal to shutter DCS.
Through a public relations company, Sorrells said he wants to wait to hear what Huffines says in a news conference set for Tuesday in Austin before responding.
