Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County Schools (DCS) Student Transportation Continuation, Proposition A (November 2017)

Proposition A: Dallas County DCS Student Transportation Continuation
The basics
Election date:
November 7, 2017
Status:
d Defeated
Topic:
Special district governance
Related articles
Special district governance on the ballot November 7, 2017 ballot measures in Texas Dallas County, Texas ballot measures Local school tax on the ballot
See also
Dallas County, Texas

Proposition A, a measure authorizing the continued operation of Dallas County Schools (DCS) transportation services and the county-wide property tax funding DCS, was on the ballot for voters in Dallas County, Texas, on November 7, 2017. It was defeated.

A yes vote was a vote in favor of authorizing the continued operation of Dallas County Schools (DCS), the transportation services provided by DCS, and the continuation of the ad valorem property tax levied by DCS throughout Dallas County.

A no vote was a vote against the continued operation of Dallas County Schools (DCS), thereby (1) shutting down the DCS district through a transition period managed by a dissolution committee, (2) ending the countywide property tax levy once all outstanding district bonds are repaid, and (3) leaving student transportation up to each school district to which DCS was providing services.

Election results

Proposition A
Result		Votes	Percentage
d No		47,316	58.26%
Yes		33,897	41.74%

Election results from Dallas County Elections Office

Overview

What is DCS?

The Dallas County Schools (DCS) district provides services—primarily student transportation services—to independent school districts (ISD), private school districts, or charter schools that contract with it. The district does not, itself, run any schools or directly perform education services. Rather, it provides supporting services and infrastructure to other school districts. As of 2017, it provided school bus services in 10 school districts. It receives revenue from a county-wide parcel tax, a state-provided education allotment, and payment for services from participating districts.

For more about DCS click here

What did supporters and opponents say?

Supporters:

Supporters of DCS continuation and proponents of a yes vote on Proposition A—including the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA), the Advocates of DCS committee, and representatives from multiple ISDs contracting with DCS—made the following arguments:

• DCS provides bus service and other supporting services—such as monitors and crossing guards—to independent school districts (ISD) at a significantly lower cost than would be possible if each ISD were responsible for the services separately;
• DCS has improved and would continue to make improvements to accountability, staffing, and leadership to address the concerns raised about DCS operations;
• Any school district can end its contract with DCS at any time if they are unhappy with DCS services and prices; and
• DCS employs thousands of bus drivers, monitors, and crossing guards, and the loss of these jobs would hurt the workers and their families.

Opponents:

Opponents of DCS continuation and proponents of a no vote on Proposition A—including the Protect Dallas Kids committee formed by Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas), Dallas ISD Trustee Edwin Flores, and Dallas ISD Trustee Dustin Marshall—made the following arguments:

• DCS has been financially mismanaged to the point of near bankruptcy and costs taxpayers and ISD's far more than it should for the services it provides;
• DCS buses have been involved in unacceptable numbers of traffic accidents, reckless driving complaints, and traffic tickets for things like running red lights and violating extended stop sign arms on other school buses, thereby threatening student safety;
• DCS provides redundant and low-quality services, with a track record of late buses, staffing issues, and scandals.

Measure design

Note: The two bills passed by the legislature calling for this measure contained similar provisions but differed on several points. Since Senate Bill 2065 was given final approval after Senate Bill 1566, it was set by law to take precedence in all matters of conflict. A resolution calling for SB 1566 to take precedence was considered, however. The provisions detailed below are taken from Senate Bill 2065.

Approval of Proposition A would have authorized the continued operation of the Dallas County Schools district according to the status quo. The rejection of Proposition A calls for the dissolution of the Dallas County Schools district as ordered by Senate Bills 1566 and 2065. In those bills, the Texas State Legislature ordered the abolishment of DCS unless the continuation of DCS was approved by county voters. The bills, while not mentioning Dallas County, were constructed to only apply to DCS. The legislation also laid out the following details:

• the timeline and process by which the district would be wound down;
• details about ending the district's county-wide property tax;
• the creation of a dissolution committee to manage the process; and
• rules for the distribution of district assets.

Timeline and process for dissolution

Because Proposition A was rejected by voters, the Dallas County Schools board of trustees was dissolved on November 15, 2017, and a dissolution committee was appointed to manage the district during the 2017-2018 academic year, a time designated as a transition period to dissolve the district. During the 2017-2018 school, DCS must continue to provide transportation services to participating school districts under the management of the dissolution committee. After the 2017-2018 academic year, DCS no longer needs to provide services but must remain under the management of the dissolution committee until all outstanding debt is paid off and all assets are distributed, at which point DCS is supposed to be completely abolished along with the dissolution committee. Approval of Proposition A would have continued the operation of DCS under the board of trustees.

The legislation was written to instruct the dissolution committee to encourage districts contracting with DCS to continue to share student transportation services and to look to private sector contractors to provide school bus services following the 2017-2018 academic year.

The dissolution committee

The dissolution committee tasked with managing DCS through the 2017-2018 academic year and overseeing the repayment of debt and distribution of assets must be appointed by the comptroller no later than November 15, 2017. The committee must consist of the following members:

• a financial advisor
• the superintendent of the largest participating school—Superintendent Michael Hinojosa of the Dallas ISD—or his designee
• a certified public accountant
• an auditor who holds a license or other professional credential
• a bond counsel who holds a license or other professional credential.

Within the requirements laid out in the legislation, the dissolution committee is tasked with managing DCS transportation services for the 2017-2018 academic year in place of the board of trustees, distributing DCS assets, paying off all DCS debt, and, finally, shutting down the district once all debt is repaid.

Members of the dissolution committee are not allowed to receive compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses. The committee is subject to the state's open meeting and public information requirements. The committee is authorized to hire one employee for the 2017-2018 academic year to help manage the transition period and the abolishment of the district.

The Texas Education Agency, the DCS chief financial officer, and the DCS financial advisor is tasked by the legislation with helping the dissolution committee abolish the district, pay off debt, and distribute assets.

Distribution of district assets

Administrative building: On November 15, 2017, the school district contracting with DCS that has the largest student enrollment—Dallas ISD—is given the first opportunity to purchase the administrative building of DCS—which is located in Dallas at 8035 E. RL Thornton Freeway, Ste. 200.

Buses, vehicles, and service locations: After the 2017-2018 academic year, all school buses, vehicles, and bus service centers are to be distributed to the schools participating in DCS services proportionally according to student enrollment as of September 1, 2018. These assets are to be provided at no cost to the districts.

Other assets: The legislation directed the dissolution committee to distribute other DCS assets not used to pay off DCS debt or provide student transportation services in the 2017-2018 year to participating school districts proportionally to the student membership in the districts as of September 1, 2017. The dissolution committee have the authority to sell assets in order to facilitate payment of debt or proportional distribution to school districts.

Why only Dallas County?

The legislation calling for the dissolution of DCS did not explicitly mention Dallas County. Rather the bills called for abolishing any "county board of education, board of county school trustees, and office of county school superintendent in a county with a population of 2.2 million or more and that is adjacent to a county with a population of more than 800,000" and that provides transportation services. The legislation was designed specifically regarding DCS, however; the population criteria in the bills applied only to Dallas County. As of 2017, the only other county in the state with a population of more than 2.2 million was Harris County, which is not surrounded by any counties with populations of more than 800,000. As of 2017, Dallas and Harris counties were the only counties with county boards of education in Texas.

Property tax rate

The ad valorem property tax levied on all property within Dallas County to fund the DCS district is $0.01 per $100—or $10 per $100,000 in assessed property value. The rejection of Proposition A results in the winding down of the property tax as part of the dissolution of DCS. The tax is to continue to be collected until the debt from all bonds issued prior to September 1, 2017, is paid off. The defeat of Proposition A results in, after the transition period and after the repayment of bond debt, a decrease of $13.3 per year in property taxes for the owner of a home assessed at the county's median home value of $132,700.

The cost of providing alternative student transportation for the school districts that contract with DCS is to be covered by each school district independently.

Text of measure

Ballot question

The ballot question was as follows:

“

Proposition for the continuation of Dallas County Schools Student Transportation Services. Authorizing the continued operation of the county board of education, board of county school trustees, and office of the county school superintendent in Dallas County and the collection of the Dallas County school equalization ad valorem tax.

”

Full text

The full text of Senate Bill 1566 is available here, and the full text of Senate Bill 2065 is available here.

Support

An Advocates for DCS committee was formed to campaign in support of the continuation of DCS and for a yes vote on Proposition A.

Supporters

The Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) stated that it would campaign in support of Proposition A and the continuation of DCS.

Arguments

Supporters of Proposition A and Dallas County Schools argued that Dallas County Schools provides student transportation and other services at significantly lower costs to independent school districts and that, if DCS is shut down, the independent school districts would have to absorb the full cost of those services and would be forced to divert funds from education programs and classrooms.

DCS Trustee Kyle Renard said that the following two sentences summarized the issues as stake:

“

1) Trying to punish DCS by shutting it down WILL, without a doubt, cost the school districts more and negatively affect the funds used to educate children. The children are the actual ones punished by this action. 2) The focus should be on the present and the aggressive steps being taken to improve Dallas County Schools and not on past mistakes.

”

A DCS assessment using data from the Texas Education Agency Official 2016 ISD Audits found that bus service would cost ISD's and taxpayers about 52 percent more each year if DCS did not provide the service.

Renard also said, "Any district is free to discontinue using the services of DCS at any time with a 30-day written notice. DCS does not have to be abolished for a district to choose a different transportation option. Abolishing DCS takes the choice away from all of the districts in Dallas County. All seven of the suburban districts served by DCS have expressed support for and satisfaction with the service."

Rendard also stated that Dallas ISD officials had not shared results of a cost estimate for bus service and argued that either they had irresponsibly failed to conduct a cost estimate or were unwilling to share the cost estimate details because they showed higher prices than those offered by DCS.

DCS Interim Superintendent Gary Lindsey said, "Without DCS, taxpayers and ISDs will have to pay much more for transportation services. Currently, DCS provides a tax contribution to the districts within Dallas County that use our student transportation services. However, if DCS is dissolved the districts will not receive the DCS tax, and face paying more."

David Scott, Desoto ISD director of purchasing, said, "DCS offers very competitive pricing in the marketplace. DeSoto ISD has worked closely with DCS for more than 14 years and, as a district, we are pleased with their services. If we were to create our own transportation operations, it would be a devastating burden to carve out the time and resources needed to create such a complex system."

Cedar Hill ISD Director of Administrative Services Kim Lewis, speaking of DCS bus services, said, "I have worked with Dallas County Schools for over 40 years and still support the service they provide. In my opinion, this was one of the easiest and best starts of the school year – I'd rate it an A."

Carrollton-Farmers Branch (CFB) ISD officials found that, if they switched away from contracting with DCS, the district would pay $2.5 million dollars more to another contractor, according to a DCS press release.

DCS estimate of price increases to ISD's if DCS service was ended click to expand

DCS District 2 Trustee Kyle Renard MD said that transportation prices would increase for ISDs because of the loss of tax revenue used to subsidize the services for the participating districts, but also because basing the cost of transportation services on their market value changes the costs. Kyle said, "However, costs are expected to jump even more than can be explained by the loss of the ad valorum tax alone. Why? This has to do with the market value of transportation, the economies of scale of DCS, and the fact that private companies make a PROFIT from their services. DCS is a NON-PROFIT governmental entity and only charges the districts the actual expenses incurred. Some districts in Dallas County have gone out for RFP (bid) for their transportation services and DCS has consistently come in with the lowest bid by far. [...] It cannot be emphasized enough what an ENORMOUS financial burden this will place on school districts, which are already strapped for money due to lack of state funding."

The chart shared by Kyle showing the estimates of increased costs represented by the bids from other contractors received by ISDs is shown to the right.

Below are some additional statements made in favor of DCS continuation during the legislative hearings on the dissolution of DCS:

The following statement was posted on the TSTA website concerning an initial bill introduced to abolish DCS: “ Senate Bill 1122 would eliminate Dallas County Schools, which provides student transportation to ISDs within Dallas County as well as providing crossing guards to ISDs in and outside of Dallas County. TSTA opposed this bill Angela Davis, NEA Dallas President & NEA Director, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Davis argued that eliminating Dallas County Schools would adversely affect the approximately 2,500 bus drivers, monitors, crossing guards, and their families. She encouraged the committee members to think of the lives being affected by this bill and to vote 'no.' Dale Kaiser, TSTA Board Member & NEA Administrator At-Large, testified in opposition to the bill, pointing out that if the bill passes, ISDs who rely on Dallas County Schools’ services will incur great costs. Those ISDs will have to buy school buses and hire their own drivers, monitors, and crossing guards. In addition, Mr. Kaiser noted that the increased costs to ISDs will result in cuts to other programs, including academics. ” TSTA President Noel Candelaria said the TSTA would help with a "boots on the ground" campaign "talking to our neighbors, talking to churches talking in community events to make sure that we are getting the facts out about what it means to have Dallas County Schools be the best option to safely transport our kids to and from school every day.” In testimony for legislative hearings over the dissolution of DCS, former interim Superintendent Leatha Mullins said that DCS was improving and addressing problems with the district's operation, staffing, and finances. Mullins said, “We have been addressing the issues that have been brought to our attention. Now I believe with the team that we have, they are the best in their field and we can get this done.” Responding to testimony by Dallas ISD officials against DCS and in favor of its dissolution, Mullins said, "They [Dallas ISD] want the buses, the technologies and today we found out they also want our building. I will be interested in how the smaller Dallas County districts we serve will respond to that idea."

Rebuttals to opposition

When asked to respond to statements by opponents of Proposition A that surrounding districts, including Fort Worth ISD, were providing bus service at a much lower cost than DCS, Renard said, "Dustin refers to cost per student and then cost per mile separately. He never states the cost per mile per student, which is the way it must be measured in order to have the same variables across all districts. When you work everything out, including the total miles for all buses and the special services provided, DCS comes out as the second most cost-efficient in the state. The market value of the services DCS offers is indicated by the bids received by the Dallas County ISDs, which all show DCS as the cheapest option available to them according to the market in Dallas County. Moreover, the cost in Fort Worth ISD isn't relevant because it is not the same market. It is very misleading to try to apply what's going on in other areas to Dallas County."

Interviews

Below is a sound clip of an interview with DCS Interim Superintendent Gary Lindsey on The Mark Davis Show. Lindsey's interview starts about two and half minutes into the sound clip, so please skip to 2:36:

Opposition

Protect Dallas Kids was the campaign opposing Proposition A and opposing the continuation of DCS.

Opponents

Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas), Dallas ISD Trustee Edwin Flores, and Dallas ISD Trustee Dustin Marshall were leaders of the Protect Dallas Kids PAC.

• Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings also stated he was supportive of efforts to close down DCS.
• Sen. Van Taylor (R-Plano) and Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), along with Huffines, supported an initial bill designed to shut down DCS directly.
• Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa provided testimony against DCS in legislative hearings concerning its dissolution.

Arguments

Opponents of DCS and Proposition A, referencing an NBC 5 investigation series, argued that DCS is a mismanaged bus bureaucracy that wastes taxpayers' money and that DCS has not held bus drivers accountable, resulting in an unacceptable number of traffic violations and late buses. Opponents also argued that DCS had been financially mismanaged and that it had far too much debt and too poor of a credit rating considering its revenue from taxes and from contracts.

Sen. Huffines said, "With the signing of Senate Bill 1566, voters will have the opportunity to ensure a smooth and workable transition for students and schools to find safer, more reliable, and more cost-effective bus service. Now, as criminal investigations proceed, I am confident that voters will abolish this corrupt and dangerous government bus bureaucracy. It’s outdated and redundant government run amok, and it’s past time to close the door on this embarrassing chapter in our County’s history."

Mayor Mike Rowlings said, "Every part of the education process is critical, from in-school instruction to after-school activities to our students' transportation system. We need to have the best transportation system possible for our schoolchildren. That's why it's time for us to unite against Dallas County Schools."

In testimony to the state legislature, Dallas ISD Trustee Flores said that Dallas ISD spends $1,654 per student for bus service from DCS and that Fort Worth, which does not contract with DCS, spends around $285 per student. Flores said, "This is about unaccountable bureaucracy gone wild. It's that simple."

Dallas ISD Trustee Dustin Marshall also made the following arguments:

“

As a Dallas ISD Trustee, it's my job to make sure your children receive a world-class education. If we can guarantee a quality education for our children today, our future will be brighter, our economy will be stronger, and our city will be greater. Dallas ISD has a big problem, though, and I need your help to solve it. The central bus bureaucracy that transports students to and from our schools is dangerous, unreliable, and so financially mismanaged that it is on the verge of bankruptcy. Our students, schools, parents, and taxpayers deserve so much better, which is why I'm excited to help lead a diverse coalition that is working to abolish Dallas County Schools. The Protect Dallas Kids campaign is urging you to VOTE NO on DCS Proposition A this November to abolish this out-of-control, dangerous bus bureaucracy. [...] DCS buses ran 480 red lights in just two years. Their buses were subject to 4,000 reckless driving complaints. DCS' crashes increased by 103 percent in the 2015-2016 school year (405 crashes) as compared to the 2014-2015 school year (200 crashes). These are just some of the deeply troubling numbers uncovered by NBC 5 in their award-winning series 'Big Buses, Bigger Problems.'[...]This November, voters in Dallas County will have a unique opportunity to send a message to those who have threatened our students' safety and stood in the way of their education: enough is enough! By voting 'no' on the DCS ballot proposition this November, we can initiate an orderly wind-down of DCS. Please join us this November by voting 'no.' Let's shut down this dangerous, unreliable, financially mismanaged bus bureaucracy.

”

Dallas ISD Trustee Dustin Marshall wrote the following in an opinion piece for The Dallas Morning New:

“

What if I told you that DCS had an on-time arrival rate of only 66 percent at DISD schools during the 2015-16 school year? That many DISD students routinely miss all or part of their first-period class and breakfast due to DCS? That the DISD routinely has to delay or cancel sporting events because DCS buses don't get the students to the venue on time? What if I told you that the cost per student per year that DCS charges DISD for service has increased over a four-year period from $810 per student per year to $1,654, all while fuel costs are at historic lows? That publicly available cost data on the TEA website shows that school districts in Houston, Fort Worth and Lewisville have average costs per mile of $3.05, $2.79 and $3.05, respectively, while DCS has an average cost per mile of $5.21? What if I told you that the bus bureaucracy has been financially mismanaged to the point it is on the brink of bankruptcy and that Moody's Investors Service has repeatedly downgraded the DCS bond rating to the point of junk bond status? That the FBI and the Texas Rangers are investigating potential fraud? I would imagine that any single one of those statements would prompt you to shut down this rogue bus bureaucracy. Unfortunately, all of those statements are true.

”

Background

DCS history, mission, and services

The DCS website describes Dallas County Schools in the following way:

“

Dallas County Schools (DCS) is an intermediate educational agency that provides services to school districts and government entities in Dallas County and throughout the state of Texas.

”

The DCS website describes the Dallas County Schools mission in the following way:

“

Dallas County Schools (DCS) focuses on services and solutions in order to help school districts and government entities prosper. We strive to be a trusted, solutions-oriented partner that not only serves the learning community, but also municipalities throughout the state with innovative solutions.

”

DCS was founded in 1846 and was the first school district in Dallas County. At that time, DCS directly provided educational services. By 1900, there were 526 independent school districts in Texas and, as of 2016, there were over 1,200 independent school districts. There were also over 700 charter schools in the state as of 2016. As these districts took over school and classroom management, DCS transitioned to providing supporting services such as transportation services, technology services, and infrastructure. DCS did not operate any schools or classrooms and did not directly provide educational services.

According to DCS, the district operated 1,900 buses and transports more than 75,000 students daily for 10 different school districts:

• Aledo ISD
• Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
• Irving ISD

• Dallas ISD
• Highland Park ISD
• Lancaster ISD

• Cedar Hill ISD
• Desoto ISD

• Lancaster ISD
• Richardson ISD

At the beginning of 2017, Weatherford ISD and Coppell ISD also contracted with DCS but terminated their contracts with DCS.

DCS also provides the following services:

• Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program Transportation (JJAEP) services to Duncanville ISD, Garland ISD, and Grand Prairie ISD;
• 504 Program (Worker's Comp) services to Dallas ISD and DART;
• Student Resource Officers for Duncanville ISD;
• Reduced cost fuel to Sunnyvale ISD; and
• McKinney-Vento Homeless Student transportation and Federal “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) Foster Student transportation services for all of the independent school districts in Dallas County.

DCS also operates a DBA called Texserve, which offers technology and transportation services to districts outside of Dallas County.

DCS revenue and finances

The district receives $20 million a year from its county-wide ad valorem property tax of $10 per $100,000 in assessed property value. DCS also receives a state annual transportation allotment of $20 million. These public funds provide about 22 percent of the district's annual budget of about $180 million. DCS also receives payment for services from the districts with which it contracts.

In May 2017, Moody's Investors Service reported that DCS had $130.7 million in debt. Moody's downgraded DCS general obligation limited tax debt from Ba3 to B3—or "substantial credit risk" to "high credit risk"—and downgraded the district's promissory notes from Caa1 to Ca—or "very high credit risk" to "in or very near default." Moody's also stated that the DCS outlook remained negative.

NBC investigation

NBC 5 ran an investigative series on DCS and produced reports starting in October 2016 about various aspects of DCS service, finances, operations, and leadership. The series, titled "Big Buses, Bigger Problems: Investigating DCS," reported on red light tickets for bus drivers, staffing issues, and financial difficulties experienced by DCS. The series of reports was referenced during discussion in legislative sessions and is also referenced by the opposition campaign for Proposition A. DCS also terminated 13 and suspended 229 bus drivers after initial reports were released.

Red-light and traffic tickets

NBC 5 reported that from January 1, 2014, through October 2016, 480 traffic tickets—including for running red lights or passing other school buses that had their stop sign arms extended—had been given to DCS bus drivers. This amounts to an average of about three ticketed violations per week. Fines from the tickets amounted to $80,000 and were paid by DCS rather than the bus drivers. Following the release of the report, DCS terminated 13 bus drivers and suspended 229 drivers for between five and nine days.

A report released by NBC 5 in August 2017, stated that DCS drivers had received 39 traffic tickets from October 2016 through May 2017, an average of about one per week. Records also showed that 13 drivers had been terminated for traffic violations in that time.

Reported crashes

NBC 5 also reported that data on documented traffic accidents involving DCS school buses showed 200 crashes in the 2014-2015 academic year and 405 crashes in the 2015-2016 academic year. Reports showed that 86 students had been hurt in DCS bus accidents since 2009.

Ray Lanoux, DCS director of Risk and Emergency Management with Dallas County Schools, said that the increase in bus-involved traffic accidents in 2015-16 was because of increased traffic, the growing number of buses operated by DCS, and more strict state-mandated reporting requirements that resulted in minor accidents being reported. Lanoux said that “if everything was static, if we didn't have an increase in our fleet, if we weren't driving more mileage, if the conditions of the community stayed the same” then data would show decreased bus-related accidents.

Jeff Cassell, president of School Bus Safety Company, said DCS leadership was responsible for reducing crashes: “You see accidents go up. Right away, it’s a trigger. I mean, why? What's going on? What are we doing wrong? What's the behaviors that are leading to it? And you take appropriate action, you don't just document it.”

DCS board of trustees and superintendent

The DCS board of trustees are as follows:

• Gloria Tercero Levario, president
  • elected at large
  • term expiration: 2019
• C.W. Whitaker, vice president
  • elected from Commissioner's Precinct 3
  • term expiration: 2019
• Larry Duncan
  • elected at large
  • term expiration: 2021

• Diego Ayala
  • elected from Commissioner's Precinct 1
  • term expiration: 2023
• Renato De Los Santos
  • elected from Commissioner's Precinct 4
  • term expiration: 2023
• Kyle Renard, M.D.
  • elected from Commissioner's Precinct 2
  • term expiration: 2019
• One vacant at large position

As of 2017, Gary Lindsey was serving as the interim superintendent of DCS. Former Superintendent Rick Sorrells stepped down and agreed to a retirement plan designed for him by the DCS board in early March 2017 after pressure to resign from Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas). Assistant Superintendent Leatha Mullins served as the interim superintendent until she resigned in late August 2017, and DCS Chief of Police Gary Lindsey took over on September 1, 2017.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in Texas

This county measure was referred to voters by the Texas State Legislature through Senate Bill 1566 and Senate Bill 2065. The bills called for the dissolution of the Dallas County Schools district unless the continued operation of the district was approved by voters at the election on November 7, 2017. Each bill had other provisions as well. SB 2065 contained six statutory changes to deregulate or eliminate certain programs, one of which was DCS. SB 1566, besides calling for the abolishment of DCS, also gave additional powers and duties to the boards of trustees of independent school districts.

Differences between SB 1566 and SB 2065

Concerning the dissolution of DCS, Senate Bill 1566 and Senate Bill 2065 differed on several points. Since Senate Bill 2065 was approved after Senate Bill 1566, it will likely supersede Senate Bill 1566 in points of conflict. The points of difference between the two bills included the following:

	Senate Bill 1566	Senate Bill 2065
Dissolution committee members	The dissolution committee would include superintendents from all participating districts that wanted to be involved.	The dissolution committee would include the superintendent from Dallas ISD but not other districts.
Distribution of buses	Buses and bus centers would be distributed based on the number of buses operating in each district.	Buses and bus centers would distributed according to student enrollment.
Distribution of other assets	Other assets would be distributed based on the amount of money paid by each district to DCS.	Other assets would be distributed according to student enrollment.
Commissioner of Education appointment	The Commissioner of Education appoints an additional dissolution committee member.	The Commissioner of Education does not appoint an additional dissolution committee member.

Senate Bill 1566

Senate Bill 1566 was amended many times on its path through the state legislature. It was approved as amended by the Texas House of Representatives in a 138-4 vote—with eight representatives absent or not voting—on May 24, 2017, and the Texas State Senate concurred with the house amendments in a 26-5 vote on May 27, 2017. Gov. Rick Perry (R) signed the bill into law on June 15, 2017. The dissolution of DCS depending on a county-wide referendum was only one of the sections in SB 1566. Other sections gave additional powers and duties to independent school districts and were not subject to a referendum condition. Read the full text and analyses of SB 1566 here.

Below are the final votes passing SB 1566 in both chambers:

Vote in the Texas House of Representatives May 24, 2017
Requirement: Simple majority vote in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 75  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	138	4	8
Total percent	92.0%	2.6%	5.3%
Democrat	49	2	4
Republican	89	2	4

Vote in the Texas State Senate May 27, 2017
Requirement: Simple majority vote in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 16  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	26	5	0
Total percent	83.9%	16.1%	0.0%
Democrat	8	3	0
Republican	18	2	0

The legislators that voted against SB 1566 were:

Note: Voting against this bill did not necessarily mean the legislators listed below were opposed to the dissolution of DCS since SB 1566 had other provisions and because an initial bill to dissolve DCS without a county referendum was also considered.

• Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-6) - Houston
• Sen. Kirk Watson (D-14) - Bastrop and Travis Counties
• Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-21) - Laredo
• Sen. Bob Hall (R-2) - Dallas County
• Sen. Jose Rodriquez (R-29)

• Rep. Ina Minjarez (D-124) - San Antonio
• Rep. Toni Rose (D-24) - League City
• Rep. Tony Dale (R-136) - Williamson County
• Rep. Jason Isaac (R-45) - Bianco and Hays counties

Senate Bill 2065

Following amendments to Senate Bill 2065 in the state House, the Senate voted against concurring with the amendments and requested a conference committee to come up with a version that both chambers could agree to. Senate Bill 2065 was approved as reported by the conference committee on May 28, 2017, by both the state House and the state Senate. The House approved the bill in a 145-0 vote, with five representatives absent or not voting. The Senate approved the bill in a 30-1 vote. Gov. Rick Perry (R) signed the bill into law on June 15, 2017.

The final votes of passage for SB 2065 in both chambers are below:

Vote in the Texas House of Representatives May 28, 2017
Requirement: Simple majority vote in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 75  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	145	0	5
Total percent	96.7%	0.0%	3.3%
Democrat	53	0	2
Republican	92	0	3

Vote in the Texas State Senate May 28, 2017
Requirement: Simple majority vote in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 16  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	30	1	0
Total percent	96.8%	3.2%	0.0%
Democrat	10	1	0
Republican	20	0	0

Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-6), a senator representing Houston, was the only lawmaker to vote against SB 2065.

Note: Voting against this bill did not necessarily mean that Garcia was opposed to the dissolution of DCS since SB 2065 had other provisions and because an initial bill to dissolve DCS without a county referendum was also considered.

Senate Bill 1122

Sen. Donald Huffines (R-16), of Dallas, introduced Senate Bill 1122 in February 2017. The introduced version of the bill was designed to shut down Dallas County Schools by September 1, 2017. The bill did not have a provision calling for a county-wide referendum. Sen. Royce West (D-23), also from Dallas, argued for the final version of the legislation in SB 1566 and SB 2065 that leaves the final decision up to county voters while leaving in place the process and rules for the dissolution of DCS. Huffines original bill, SB 1122, was approved in the Senate but did not progress through the House following the approval of SB 1566 and SB 2065.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Dallas County Schools Student Transportation Services Proposition A. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County Schools (DCS) Student Transportation Continuation, Proposition A (November 2017) - Google News

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2017
• Special district governance ballot measures
• Local school tax ballot measures
• Dallas County measures

Texas

• November 7, 2017 measures in Texas
• Local ballot measures, Texas
• Dallas County, Texas

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas

External links

Suggest a link

• Dallas County Elections Office website

Support

• Dallas County Schools website
• Dallas County Schools Facebook
• Dallas County Schools, "Easy Guide to Proposition A"

Opposition

• Protect Dallas Kids Facebook
• Protect Dallas Kids Twitter