EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OPENS IN WILMER

WILMER - The Eddie Bernice Johnson Elementary School is set to open September 8 in Wilmer according to school principal Umoja S. Turner.

“September 8 is the first day of school,” Turner said. “At this time, Dallas ISD currently plans to offer both virtual and face-to-face learning when school starts. Dallas ISD has developed a comprehensive reentry guide and procedures to keep families informed and ensure the safety of students and campus staff amid the continuing challenge of COVID-19.”

While located in Wilmer, the school is part of the Dallas Independent School District. It is the s ISD’s first new school since 2015 and is part of the 2015 Bond Program.

The school price tag was $23,000 million.

The school is 84,000-square-feet of classrooms and learning spaces to accommodate 600 students in grades pre-K through five. There will also be a soccer field, basketball court and playground.

State Representative Carl Sherman (District 10) said in a statement this week about the school opening in his district “I look forward to the opening of the new Eddie Bernice Johnson Elementary School in Wilmer for the fall 2020/2021 school year. Dallas ISD took on the schooling of Wilmer students some time ago and this added school shows their commitment to education.  I can appreciate this as education is one of my top priorities.”

As for the school’s namesake, Congresswoman Johnson is currently serving her 14th term representing the 30th District of Texas. She was the first African-American and woman to chair the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and is the Dean of the Texas Congressional delegation, in addition to serving as Dean of the Texas, New Mexico and Arizona Democratic Congressional Delegation, according to her bio. She is also the highest-ranking Texan on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the first nurse to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

She began her career as the first female African American Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the V.A. Hospital in Dallas. In 1972, she became the first nurse ever elected to the Texas State House and she also achieved that same designation when she was elected to the Texas Senate in 1986.