Written by Adam Bennett, Bond Department
Students at five Dallas ISD Elementary schools started the new school year in a brand-new facility.
John Quincy Adams Elementary School, Everette L. DeGolyer Elementary School, Geneva Heights Elementary School, George Peabody Elementary School, and Hall Personalized Learning Academy at Oak Cliff are the first of 16 replacement campuses made possible by the Bond 2020 program.
“In 2021, when we announced we were kicking off the design process for 16 new campuses across the district, people said we were being overly ambitious. And we were,” said Brent Alfred, Dallas ISD Chief Construction Officer. “But we were committed to building BIG – creating Bold, Innovative, and Generational schools built to meet the needs of current and future 21st-century learners.”
The district’s 2020 bond, approved by voters on Nov. 3, 2020, was the largest in the history of the state – at $3.5 billion. Funds are being used for 16 replacement campuses, repairs, and upgrades to more than 200 of the district’s 230 campuses, and for updating technology district-wide.
From the beginning of the design and construction process, Dallas ISD Construction Services engaged with the community through design charrettes and meetings, which helped prioritize the final design and other key elements for the new campuses.
“Community members shared the importance of the school-community connection and the many generations of families who have walked through the halls of the existing building,” said Katy Lenihan, Director of Design for Dallas ISD’s Construction Services. “Each community was very clear. They wanted their new school to be the hub of the community; a warm and inviting environment where every child feels safe, welcomed, and empowered.”
To construct the replacement campus, George Peabody Elementary temporarily relocated to the former Thomas Edison Middle School campus.
“It makes me feel blessed, very lucky,” said Sherri Rogers-Hall, principal of George Peabody Elementary. “It feels great to have all of our own new things. It’s no one else’s stuff from other years, it’s all our stuff and we’re going to take care of this building.”
With the new school year in full swing, Rogers-Hall reflected on the two-year process from design to relocation to opening a new campus.
“We did it. We’re here. We’re in this new space,” Rogers-Hall said. “Thank you for traveling with us from here to there and back again. We are home and we’re going to have the best year ever.”
Additional replacement schools are scheduled to open over the next year along with renovations and additions to campuses across the district. To find out more, visit www.dallasisd.org/bond2020.
