Voter Guides
May 2, 2026 DFW Bond Elections
See what you're voting on, what it costs, who benefits, and what accountability commitments you can ask for before you vote.
Dallas ISD
$6.2BLargest school bond in Texas history; requires binding accountability conditions before May 2.
What's on the ballot?
- Construction and renovation of 26 replacement schools, elimination of ~700 portable classrooms, and safety infrastructure upgrades districtwide. The largest single proposition in Texas school bond history.
- Technology infrastructure, devices, and digital learning systems for all 140,000+ students. Covers device refresh cycles, interactive displays, Wi-Fi upgrades, and digital learning platforms.
- Refinancing of the 2013 maintenance tax note to achieve ~$10M in interest savings and free ~$100M for general operations. Does not authorize new spending.
- Repairs, upgrades, and renovation of swimming pools and natatoriums across the district. Addresses deferred maintenance on aquatic facilities serving student athletics and community use.
What does it cost me?
- Median homeowner: $2.79/month or $33.48/year — Based on $525K market value, $335K taxable after $140K exemption.
Who benefits?
- Students currently learning in aging portables, especially in South Dallas, West Dallas, and Oak Cliff.
- Neighborhoods receiving replacement campuses and modernized safety, science, and transportation infrastructure.
Accountability and risk
Delivered many projects from 2020 bond but with notable transparency and execution gaps.
- 9–11 of 16 promised replacement campuses opened or under way by early 2026; average campus age reduced from 52 to ~43 years.
- Scope expanded to include additional facilities and career institutes, creating complexity for voters tracking promises.
- At least one fewer replacement campus than originally promised, with no clear public explanation.
- Documented budget discrepancies (e.g., 3.8x variance on MLK Arts Academy project page vs dashboard).
- Only ~1.48B of 3.47B (43%) committed after 3+ years and zero published CBSC meeting minutes.
Before you vote, ask for…
- Quarterly spending dashboards: Require quarterly, campus-level spending dashboards with verified, internally consistent data and a clear data verification protocol.
- Independent annual bond audits: Adopt an annual third-party financial and performance audit modelled on California Prop 39 citizen oversight standards.
- Transparent CBSC operations: Publish Citizens Bond Steering Committee minutes within 14 days, with recorded votes and recommendations; require board action on scope changes.
City of Fort Worth
$845MNo projected I&S rate increase; first-ever housing bond is historic but small relative to need.
$845MTotal
$0Tax Change
$0/yrAnnual Cost
AA (S&P) ↗ / Aa3 (Moody's) ↗ / AA (Fitch) ↗ / AA (Kroll) ↗Credit Rating
What's on the ballot?
- Reconstruction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of Fort Worth streets, bridges, and transportation infrastructure. Continues the city's established streets bond program.
- Improvements to parks, trails, and recreation facilities citywide. Includes new amenities and deferred maintenance across the parks system.
- Fire stations, police facilities, and public safety infrastructure improvements. Addresses aging facilities and capacity needs across the city.
- Fort Worth's first-ever voter-approved affordable housing bond. Funds housing production, preservation, and land acquisition — a historic step for Texas's largest city without a prior housing bond.
- Library facility improvements, technology upgrades, and branch enhancements. Supports the library system serving Fort Worth's growing population.
- Animal Care and Adoption Center improvements and expanded capacity. Addresses facility conditions at the city's animal services campus.
What does it cost me?
- Median homeowner: $0.00/month or $0.00/year — City projects $0 rate increase; rising assessments may create small nominal increases (<$5/month). Based on ~300K median taxable value.
Who benefits?
- Neighborhoods with deteriorating streets and transportation infrastructure across Fort Worth.
- Residents benefiting from the city's first dedicated affordable housing bond, despite its modest scale.
Accountability and risk
Consistent bond cycles but no permanent citizen bond oversight body.
- Relies on city council and staff-led oversight; no permanent citizens' bond oversight committee yet.
- 2022 bond cycle passed and is being implemented, but oversight is primarily internal.
- Housing bond is a precedent-setting pilot whose long-term governance model is not yet defined.
Before you vote, ask for…
- Permanent oversight committee: Ask council to establish a permanent citizens' bond oversight committee with public reporting, especially for the new housing bond.
- Housing bond metrics: Define clear production, leverage, and location metrics for the 10M housing bond so residents can evaluate its impact.
City of Grand Prairie
$327MFirst major bond in 25 years; multi-county tax impact and Laredo-style list-without-oversight risk.
What's on the ballot?
- Reconstruction and rehabilitation of Grand Prairie streets, intersections, and transportation infrastructure. The city's first streets bond program since 2001.
- New and upgraded fire stations, police facilities, and public safety equipment. Addresses capacity and facility condition gaps across public safety infrastructure.
- Parks, recreation facilities, and open space improvements across Grand Prairie. Conditional support — dependent on published site selection criteria.
What does it cost me?
- Median homeowner (Dallas County): $7.45/month or $89.40/year — Based on 228,638 median home value in Dallas County.
- Median homeowner (Tarrant County): $11.87/month or $142.40/year — Based on 364,279 median home value in Tarrant County.
Who benefits?
- Residents in a city that has not passed a major bond in roughly 25 years, addressing long-deferred infrastructure needs.
- Neighborhoods needing improved streets, public safety coverage, and parks.
Accountability and risk
Strong credit rating but limited existing bond-oversight infrastructure; risk of "project list without accountability."
- City council-driven oversight without a permanent, resident-led bond committee.
- The long gap since the last bond increases pressure to execute well but also means less recent accountability precedent.
- Site selection and phasing details for new facilities (especially in the southern sector) are not fully public yet.
Before you vote, ask for…
- Southern sector site criteria: Require council to publish objective site selection criteria and engagement milestones for new southern sector facilities before bond funds are drawn.
- Public project list tracking: Establish a public project dashboard with timelines, budgets, and status updates to avoid a Laredo-style failure pattern.
Arlington ISD
$501MStrongest accountability record in this cohort, but voters need a full reconciliation of the 2019 bond before approving $501M more.
What's on the ballot?
- Construction, renovation, and replacement of school facilities across the district. Continues AISD's disciplined capital program with project-level accountability.
- Instructional technology, devices, and digital infrastructure for all campuses. Covers device refresh and classroom technology upgrades.
- Athletic facility improvements, field renovations, and supporting infrastructure. Addresses deferred maintenance across AISD athletic venues.
What does it cost me?
- Average homeowner: $1.50/month or $18.00/year — Based on 296,704 average home value.
Who benefits?
- Students in an already relatively modern fleet of facilities, with targeted upgrades and replacements.
- Neighborhoods served by campuses scheduled for renovation or replacement in this phase.
Accountability and risk
Disciplined issuer with strong delivery record but incomplete public reconciliation of deferred 2019 projects.
- Maintains Aa1/AA ratings and a perfect 100/100 Texas FIRST financial accountability rating.
- Executed most 2019 bond commitments with no major budget overruns and system-wide playground completion.
- Some Phase 5 projects deferred due to inflation/COVID pressures; full scope/cost reconciliation has not been clearly presented to the public.
Before you vote, ask for…
- 2019 bond reconciliation: Ask AISD to publish a project-by-project reconciliation of the 2019 bond: what was delivered, what was deferred, and why.
- Granular project reporting: Request more granular, public-facing project-level reporting so residents can trace each proposition's delivery.