It is now clear there is an immediate need for a succession plan for Dallas ISD. The Board should develop such a plan immediately -- rather than being held hostage to the decision of another school district.Dallas Area Rapid Transit's about to sell $825 million in revenue bonds, not so long after revealing that a steep drop in sales tax revenue is putting the kibosh on some significant projects and delaying others with the hopes that a rapid recovery will cure all ills. The board will approve its 2011 budget next week, the same week the bonds go to market, and Standard & Poor's has downgraded its rating on DART's revenue debt; Moody's Investors Service, however, stuck by its glowing Aa2 rating. S&P said DART's stable, just not super-strong as it takes on more debt -- $3.7 billion worth, all told. David Leininger, DART's CFO, tells The Bond Buyer he's "disappointed" by the downgrade, but that, look, "there are periodically instances in which the economic interests of the agency diverge from the interests of the rating agencies in regard to preservation of a rating."
After a sentence like that I need a day in the park ... or A Day in the Park, planned by AIADallas this Saturday in Main Street Garden. On the to-do list: "live music, kid activities, yoga, sporting activities, etc for the public to engage in." Walking tours with architects too. And: sketching! See you there. If I haven't taken a job in Vegas.