Faith and community leaders press Dallas County to place 'Dallas Child Care Works' on November ballot

Two registered speakers representing Dallas Area Interfaith told the court they want the Dallas Child Care Works initiative to appear on the November ballot and asked the court to let voters decide the measure.

"Dallas County has a childcare crisis and we will not stop until it is addressed," Pastor Kirsten Wee, associate pastor at King of Glory Lutheran Church, said, urging the court to "vote to put Dallas Child Care Works on the ballot." Wee told the court the coalition had collected over 4,000 signatures and secured business support.

Claudia LaRaza, a DAI leader with St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Oak Cliff, reiterated the request and framed it as a moral obligation for elected officials. "It is your moral obligation to promote, not to interfere or to dictate, but to promote the common good," LaRaza told the court, and she said parishioners from multiple churches collected 1,600 signatures in one weekend for Dallas Child Care Works.

Court members thanked the delegation and noted the topic arose during public comment; no formal action to place the measure on the ballot was recorded during the special-call meeting. Staff and commissioners noted the court's limited role in ballot placement and the upcoming budget schedule but did not adopt a resolution or take a vote on the initiative during the session.