When Dallas ISD’s $1.6 billion bond package passed late Tuesday night, district leaders thanked the community for supporting all district students.
The next morning, staff immediately got to work to start the process of bringing the bond to fruition.
To find out what happens following the passage of the bond, The Hub spoke with Ed Levine, Dallas ISD executive director of Construction Services.
What happens now
The district is in the process of creating a construction timeline for the bond projects.
Meanwhile, the district is also working to send out a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which is a pre-screening process, for program management firms. A program management firm uses their expertise to manage the construction and design of large bond programs. The board will have final approval on project management firms following the RFQ process and a recommendation from the district.
What happens next
After the board approves program management firms, the district will go through the process of selecting architecture firms for the different projects. The board will have final approval over the architecture firms. For background, the district hired 54 different architecture firms for projects in the 2008 bond program.
The district will hold meetings where parents, educators, and community members can provide input into the design process of projects, such as what a new school should include or what Career and Technical education programs a school should offer. The district will also hold informational meetings with the community to provide updates on the bond package.
When the first construction projects could start
Levine expects the program management firms to be under contract by April and architects to be under contract by July. The architects are expected to then take about nine months to design their bond projects and another four months to advertise and hire contractors to complete the projects. This means the first construction projects could start June 2017 at the earliest, which would be in compliance with state procurement laws and Board policies. This timeframe would also be consistent with the district’s implementation of the 2008 bond program
A staggered construction schedule
There are several reasons why construction on the bond projects can’t all start at the same time.
For one, the district has to manage cash flow from the bond sales for the different construction projects. Since Dallas ISD receives a set amount of funds with each bond sale, the district has to manage the size and number of construction projects at a given time to ensure the district remains financially strong.
Also, there are simply not enough qualified contractors do all the projects at the same time.
Bond information
Click here for an interactive map detailing the proposed projects in the bond package. All bond projects, project amounts, and program allocations are estimates that are subject to district discretion.
Click here to visit the Bond 2015 website, which lists proposed bond projects by feeder pattern, trustee district, and other information.
