Voter Guides
May 2, 2026 DFW Bond Elections
See what you're voting on, what it costs, who benefits, and what accountability questions to consider 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.
Accountability Questions for This Jurisdiction
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: Require quarterly, campus-level spending dashboards with verified, internally consistent data and a clear data verification protocol.
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: Adopt an annual third-party financial and performance audit modelled on California Prop 39 citizen oversight standards.
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: 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.
Accountability Questions for This Jurisdiction
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: Ask council to establish a permanent citizens' bond oversight committee with public reporting, especially for the new housing bond.
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: 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.
Accountability Questions for This Jurisdiction
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: Require council to publish objective site selection criteria and engagement milestones for new southern sector facilities before bond funds are drawn.
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: 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.
Accountability Questions for This Jurisdiction
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: Ask AISD to publish a project-by-project reconciliation of the 2019 bond: what was delivered, what was deferred, and why.
- Has the jurisdiction committed to: Request more granular, public-facing project-level reporting so residents can trace each proposition's delivery.