Dallas voters approved a $1.6 billion bond package for schools Tuesday that will build nine new campuses and fund 19 additions.
With more than 80-percent of precincts reporting late Tuesday, nearly two out of every three votes were in favor of the bond package.
The co-chair of the Future Facilities Task force said it has been a long process.[[339817162, R]]
"There are 224 schools so we have to figure out the best impact we can make with the money we have,” said Isaac Faz.
There was vocal opposition to the bond package. Monday morning, the Dallas NAACP branch, the Dallas Baptist Ministers Conference and the Next Generation Action Network held a news conference encouraging people to vote no.
The release said, "we believe this bond package in its current design is separate and unequal, as it relates to student and community resources."
NBC DFW asked NAACP Dallas branch president Arthur Fleming to elaborate on that.
"It means the southern sector economically, we are not getting anything while the northern sectors and other parts of towns are getting all of the money," said Fleming.
They pointed to South Oak Cliff High school. It recently had leaks after flooding.
But it's not getting rebuilt under the bond plan. NBC DFW asked Faz if he believes this bond is fair to each child.
"It is fair to each child. I feel it is fair to each child, because we are taking a look at the district as a whole," said Faz.
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Breaking that down, Faz said the task force that came up with the plan looked at overcrowding, campus enrollment size, school acreage, capacity calculations and conditions of facilities.
There is $500 million in the bond that will be spread through the district for other improvements.
"If we were going to use I-30 as an imaginary sort of equator line, 14 improvements north of I-30, 14 improvements are going on south of I-30," Faz said.
The group calling for the no vote expressed concerns about the process for choosing the schools.
"I think trustees care more about their districts more than they do about their children, about our children," said Anthony Nolan, pastor of Paradise Baptist Church. "If we don't advocate for our children then we will come up on the short end of the stick again."
"With 4 billion in faculty needs, it is difficult to address every item with one bond program. Over 60 percent of the 2015 bond program dollars are allocated for schools in the southern sector," said Dallas ISD Board President Eric Cowan. "It's unfortunate to have leaders actively fighting against a program which will bring much needed resources to our neighborhood schools."
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