It is with great sadness that we report City of Grand Prairie Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Jim Swafford passed away earlier today.

Mr. Swafford was very involved in the community as a member of several civic organizations and an honorary lifetime member of the Chamber of Commerce. He served on the GPISD Board of Trustees from 1984-1993 and remained a great supporter of the District after leaving the Board actively participating as a member of numerous Citizen Bond Committees.

“Jim Swafford epitomized servant leadership in the Grand Prairie community,” said Grand Prairie ISD Superintendent of Schools Linda Ellis. “Under his leadership as a GPISD trustee, he made a significant impact on our school district. He led during a time of growth in GPISD and for over 40 years was the ‘voice’ of South Grand Prairie High School football.”

Mr. Swafford is survived by his children, Robert and Renea, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Judy.

If you would like to express your condolences to the family, cards may be sent to:

In Memory of Jim Swafford
c/o Grand Prairie City Hall
PO Box 534045
Grand Prairie, TX 75053

A memorial service for the Swaffords is tentatively planned for later in 2021.

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Visit this page for more information about attending our athletic events: https://www.gpisd.org/Athletics

Visit this page for information about free meals for all students.

Visit this page to see what GPISD is doing to support our students' social-emotional needs.

Visit this page for more information.

As we return to school virtually on August 17 and eventually in-person, GPISD will continue to provide healthful meals to our students. Even though our district is beginning the year fully virtual, we still have opportunities for your child(ren) to receive healthful meals. To see if your child is eligible for free meals or reduced meal prices, please visit this page: https://www.gpisd.org/MealApplication 

On August 27, the GPISD Board of Trustees voted to set the tax rate for 2020-2021 at $1.5097 per $100 of valuation. This is a decrease of nearly $0.03 from last year ($0.02865). 

The overall tax rate is made up of two parts:

• $1.0547 for the purpose of maintenance and operations
• $0.4550 for the purpose of payment of principal and interest on debt

Including this year’s tax rate decrease, the GPISD Board of Trustees has lowered the tax rate by just over eight and a half cents over a two-year period.

THE GRAND PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT ADOPTED A TAX RATE THAT WILL RAISE MORE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS THAN LAST YEAR’S TAX RATE.

At the June 22, 2020 called meeting of the GPISD Board of Trustees, the Board made a bold statement to address issues of racial equity in our community. Visit the page to read the resolution.