Accompanied by Dallas Independent School District Trustee Maxie Johnson, Mayor Eric Johnson visited his elementary school on Thursday to celebrate a renovation plan.
Located in a West Dallas Neighborhood, C.F. Carr Elementary on Bayside Street was granted $16 million from the 2020 voters approved Dallas ISD school improvement bond referendum.
During the visit, Mayor Johnson revealed that the West Dallas community treated him very well while growing up but believes the rest of Dallas did not treat his neighborhood fairly.
“We did have a mentality of, ‘Hey, we have to take care of ourselves because the rest of Dallas kind of looks down on us, in some way or is not as supportive as we thought they should be,’” Mayor Johnson said.
District Trustee Maxie Johnson said that the funds will help the neighborhood reverse past inequity.
Mayor Johnson revealed that he told Dallas ISD that the school can achieve a lot if given the resources, according to NBC 5 News.
“There’s an opportunity gap,” he said.
According to Principal Calotta Hooks, C.F. Carr has risen to a B rating in state accountability scoring in just over a year.
According to NBC 5 News, Hooks said the renovation money will aid in the continuous growth of the school.
“You will see more heirs, more leaders coming out of C.F. Carr in the future,” Hooks said according to NBC 5 News.
Former Carr student and West Dallas Pastor James Armstrong said he struggled with reading during his first grade because he had poor eyesight and did not have “resources for glasses.”
However, a caring teacher helped Pastor Armstrong by providing special attention and extra time at school. With the teacher’s help, Armstrong was able to catch up on reading and math.
Armstrong, who is also the leader of housing non-profit “Builders of Hope,” now hopes the renovation will help the school connect with future students.
