Toyota Moved to Plano Because of Schools: Dallas Mayor

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is catching some heat for remarks he made about the Dallas Independent School District.

In a recent interview, Rawlings said Toyota chose to move its headquarters to Plano instead of Dallas, in part, because of its schools.

NBC 5 caught up with Rawlings Tuesday night and asked him about those comments.

"They want to work near where people live and a lot of people want to send their kids to Plano schools or Frisco schools and not DISD schools," Rawlings said. "And so that's why the schools are so important because not only does it change lives, it also attracts businesses here and we're able to land it."

DISD fired back on Tuesday with this statement:

"Dallas ISD is proud to have, for the third year in a row, the best high school in the country according to U.S. News and World Report, along with the 8th best high school. Today, Dallas ISD was named as having 7 of the top ten schools in the region according to Children At Risk. While we are thrilled with these success stories, we continue to acknowledge our challenges and work diligently with staff, students, parents and the community to improve academic performance throughout the district. The district's Destination 2020 plan aims to prepare all students to enter college, the military or start a career immediately after graduation."

Earlier this month, Rawlings said a home rule charter would be a positive improvement for DISD. One option for a home rule charter could dispose of the elected school board and put trustees appointed by the Dallas mayor in charge of the DISD.

School officials said they are making progress under the current arrangement.