On the verge of asking voters for record bond, Dallas ISD to lose administrator tasked with overseeing projects

Heading into a decision on whether to ask voters for the largest-ever bond package issued by a Texas school district, Dallas ISD is losing a key administrator tasked with overseeing the potentially $3.7 billion project.

Dallas ISD Deputy Superintendent of Operations Scott Layne is retiring effective Aug. 31, according to a district spokesperson. Layne — brought on to Superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s leadership team nearly four years ago from Irving ISD — manages the district’s efforts in transportation, food service, maintenance and facilities and construction.

Next month, Dallas trustees will decide whether, and how much, the district will ask from taxpayers if the bond is going to appear on the ballot in November.

Layne, 61, had made a “big impact” during his tenure, Hinojosa said, calling for and developing the district’s long-range facilities plan. Layne also managed the launch of the district’s bus system after bus operator Dallas County Schools shut down, and he was one of the driving forces behind the district’s planning for the upcoming bond.

Hinojosa said Layne had mentioned his health as a reason for his departure. Layne did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Layne will be the second high-level DISD executive to retire this summer; Chief Academic Officer Ivonne Durant left her post at the end of June.

Hinojosa said Layne’s departure, in advance of the bond election, “does put us in a bit of a predicament,” but he added that the bond isn’t one person’s vision, but instead a collective effort from 100 community members.

“This was not Scott’s plan; this was the one developed by the community,” he said.

In recent months, Layne and the district’s Executive Director of Construction Services Tim Strucely have been under fire from Dallas activists and community leaders for their work on several school renovations, including South Oak Cliff.

In late June, the Next Generation Action Network issued a news release demanding that the duo resign, alleging that a change that Layne pushed for in how contracts were awarded in DISD allowed “the district to choose which company it would like to work with, while eliminating a competitive bidding process built on fairness and transparency.”

When asked whether Layne’s retirement was connected in any way to pressure from community activists, Hinojosa responded, “No.”