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Proposition A: Dallas County DCS Student Transportation Continuation The basics Election date: Status: d Defeated Topic: Related articles See also 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, on. 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) the DCS district through a transition period managed by a, (2) ending the once all outstanding district bonds are repaid, and (3) leaving student transportation up to each school district to which DCS was providing services. This article has. Will be added as soon as they are made available by the state or county election office. Proposition A Result Votes Percentage d No 47,316 58.26% Yes 33,897 41.74% Election results from 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 provides school bus services in. It receives revenue from a, a, and payment for services from participating districts. What did supporters and opponents say? 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.

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 introduced to abolish DCS: “ 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. 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.

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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 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 (R-Dallas), Dallas ISD Trustee Edwin Flores, and Dallas ISD Trustee Dustin Marshall are leaders of the Protect Dallas Kids. also stated he was supportive of efforts to close down DCS.

(R-Plano) and (R-Edgewood), along with Huffines, supported 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, 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. 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 does not operate any schools or classrooms and does not directly provide educational services. According to DCS, the district operates 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. 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.

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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 is 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 (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: This county measure was referred to voters by the 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 in a 138-4 vote—with eight representatives absent or not voting—on May 24, 2017, and the concurred with the house amendments in a 26-5 vote on May 27, 2017. (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. ↑. ↑. ↑. ↑. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributed to the original source.

Ballotpedia staff writer, 'Email correspondence with DCS board of trustee member,' October 11, 2017. ↑. ↑ Ballotpedia staff member, 'Email correspondance with Kyle Renard,' October 15, 2017. Ballotpedia staff writer, 'Telephone correspondence with Kyle Renard,' October 6, 2017. ↑.

↑. ↑. ↑. ↑. ↑.

Highland Park ISD does not contract with regular student bus services; DCS provides special education transportation services to Highland Park ISD. ↑. A resolution declaring SB 1566 take precedence was considered but did not receive final approval in the legislature.

Cite error: Invalid tag; no text was provided for refs named SB2066.

When you are charged with drug possession, you feel as though your life has been crushed, especially if you have been caught with a very small amount of marijuana or a small amount of a controlled substance. You have made a mistake and are unsure of just how serious the consequences may be.

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You could be facing significant fines and possible jail time. However, Texas law requires that counties with populations of 200,000 or more people establish drug court programs as a way to rehabilitate drug users as opposed to punishing them with jail time. In Dallas, the drug court program is known as DIVERT, which means Diversion and Expedited Rehabilitation and Treatment. The program allows certain individuals to go through a program that educates them about drug abuse, assists individuals in other education and employment services, and helps transition individuals into a drug-free environment. For first time drug offenders, this option may be considered the best way out of a potentially devastating situation where you may be left with a criminal record.

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What Crimes Are Eligible for Dallas County’s DIVERT Program?