5 May 2006
Annual Report Outlines Solid Construction Progress
DALLAS---The Dallas Independent School District 2002 Bond Program stayed on track in 2005 and is 74 percent complete according to an annual report on the program delivered to General Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and the district's board of trustees.
John Scovell, co-chair of the Bond Advisory Committee appointed by trustees to oversee the program, presented the annual report detailing the pace of construction funded by the $1.37 billion program.
"We definitely picked up momentum in 2005," Hinojosa said. "Nearly every campus has had some type of construction over the last year. But the real progress will be seen when 12 new schools open in the fall. We remain grateful to the taxpayers of Dallas who showed their support for the district. Their support is making a difference in DISD."
Other progress detailed in the report includes:
• Four new schools opened and one school converted from other use.
• Football season kicked off in the new Jesse Owens Memorial Complex.
• Design work is complete for 209 schools and facilities.
• Construction work on 98 schools is substantially complete.
• One more new school will break ground this spring, marking completion of 19 of 21 site acquisitions needed for new schools.
• Wise use of funds allowed construction of a middle school not in the original proposal.
• Participation of minority or women-owned businesses in the bond program is at 41 percent.
Most of the construction projects will be completed in 2006. Three schools are projected to open in 2007 and two in 2008.
"The completion of this program over the next two years will dramatically improve the physical conditions of our schools," Hinojosa said. "On behalf of all of the students, teachers and administrators in DISD, we thank the taxpayers for supporting this bond program and securing the future of our students."
In January 2002, DISD passed the largest education construction bond program in the history of Texas. The $1.37 billion program is funding 21 new schools, almost 60 additions that include early childhood additions to present schools, and renovations to nearly every campus in the district. Contractors are working on more than 140 school facilities, including new schools, additions to schools, and renovations to schools.