2020 Bond Program for Dallas ISD needs transparency.

The first report on work done to date on the 2020 Dallas ISD Bond Program was made public with the Board Briefing on Tuesday 2/11/20. The report was given in a 39 page slide presentation, packed with data, that can be downloaded as the attachment to item 6A in the Briefing Agenda. It raised many red flags.  (The real shock is the accounting scandal unfolding, just before the Briefing began as documented, here: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/audits-raise-questions-about-dallas-isd-construction-oversight/2308635/)

To begin the process toward a more usable set of transparency tools, 2 questions were sent today to the Dallas ISD 2020 Bond Committee.  The comment link used is at the bottom of the page at https://www.dallasisd.org/bond2020. They were sent separately as they would not both fit in the 255 characters allowed:

1) Will a School Information File (SIF) be created, including all data in the SIF in DISD Data Portal, with additional variables of building age & FCI type data, & Bond funds, & school plans for those funds in the spreadsheet as made, so the public can easily follow?

Such a 2020 Bond Spreadsheet, updated monthly with the monthly versions archived, will provide a priceless record of changes and allocations planned as DISD goes through the 2020 Bond process. Additional columns of data could be added with variables in each school that help explain the 2020 Bond process with factors considered and allocations planned of funds raised.

2) Can a DISD map be created with the district divided into 4 quadrants with as equal a student enrollment in each quadrant as is possible with quadrant enrollment number given? Can each school's quadrant number be added to the School Information File for the 2020 Bond?

Yes, there is concern, based on plans heard so far, that all students in all quadrants and in each school benefit equitably. The presentation at the Dallas ISD Board Briefing yesterday suggested many red flags. More transparency in formats like maps and spreadsheets that allow a much closer inspection of the 2020 Bond process are needed.

Currently the 39 page slide presentation is still available in agenda item 6A for the 2/11/20 Briefing at https://go.boarddocs.com/tx/disd/Board.nsf/vpublic?open.  It will soon be archived but should remain available in the archived area of Board meetings on the DISD web site at
https://www.dallasisd.org/Page/35466

Dallas has much work to do to take advantage of this opportunity to continue to grow the best urban school system in the nation!  It will never happen without a very transparent and publicly understood equity for each student.