Renovations at a local middle school are expected to get underway in June — a $10.1 million construction project that’s part of Dallas Independent School District’s 2020 bond program.
According to a state filing, the work slated for E.B. Comstock Middle School will encompass nearly 138,000 square feet. The DISD campus will see interior remodeling, roof, window, and elevator replacements, and the addition of a new canopy over an existing concrete sidewalk. The delivery date is scheduled for September 30, 2025.
About 750 students in sixth through eighth grade attend E.B. Comstock. The renovations are funded through a $3.4 billion bond package for improvements and repairs at more than 200 campuses.
The $3.7 billion bond election in 2020 — the largest in Texas history, according to The Dallas Morning News — included five propositions, but voters rejected those that would have funded the construction of a performing arts center and stadium and natatorium improvements. At the time of the election, the average age of DISD campuses was almost 52 years old — more than seven years higher than the national average.
Other campuses in the design stage include Dallas Environmental Science Academy, Edwin J. Kiest Elementary School, William Lipscomb Elementary School, Victor H. Hexter Elementary School, Lincoln High School, Justin F. Kimball High School, and Harry C. Withers Elementary School. While 14 campuses are under construction, the work at four others has been completed.
DISD has seen student enrollment drop, which was flagged by the Texas Public Policy Foundation in 2020. Although many North Texas public school systems are losing students to charter schools and other education alternatives, the downward trend at DISD can partly be attributed to logging underwhelming student achievement scores for years.
Just 41% of DISD scored at grade level on the STAAR exam in 2021-2022, whereas the statewide average was 48%, according to the latest available accountability report issued by the Texas Education Agency. Additionally, nearly 20% of its graduating Class of 2022 did not earn a diploma in four years.
