Author Archives: Stan Jester

DeKalb Schools – News & Updates

Posted on January 23, 2017 | 21 comments
  1. DeKalb Schools Lobbyists
  2. Winning Artwork from Austin ES
  3. Chronically Failing Schools
  4. Construction Committees
  5. DeKalb Schools Suing Atlanta Over Annexation
  6. Supt Green – More Money – More Services


DEKALB SCHOOLS LOBBYISTS
The superintendent has engaged Dentons to provide awareness and advocacy for what he wants to get done. Dentons, among other things, will provide the board and administration with regular legislative reports during the session.
It’s challenging to fully understand the nature of Denton’s engagement. The Superintendent’s contract with Denton’s is $99,900 … $100 under the limit before it has to come before the board and discussed publicly.

ARTWORK – DeKalb’s 2017 Art Calendar Contest
Three Austin Elementary school students were among the winners of an art calendar contest sponsored by the DeKalb County Watershed Department. Their art will be featured in the department’s 2017 calendar promoting water conservation. Shown with Commissioner Nancy Jester are Audrey, Scarlett and Lindsay.

CHRONICALLY FAILING SCHOOLS
In December, the 2015-16 College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) scores were released. Last year three schools were removed and six schools added for a net gain of three schools totaling 28.
This year DeKalb Schools is the only metro Atlanta area school with fewer schools than before. DeKalb removed seven schools from the list but added five, for a net decrease of two. Unfortunately the DeKalb County School District still has more schools on the chronically failing list than any other district in the state.

CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEES
In December the board approved the 2017-2022 E-SPLOST Project List. The project list includes $200+ million for middle and high school capacity additions for schools including Chamblee Charter HS, Clarkston HS, Dunwoody HS, Peachtree MS and a new Brookhaven HS for their new cluster.
Moving forward, in order to support the building improvements, the district’s School Governance Team has been working with Operations to formalize the input of School Councils in the building design process. When a school is approved to have significant construction at the campus, the School Council (or governing board if a conversion charter school) will be informed by the principal and DCSD Operations Division, of the general scope of the project, the project budget, and the related timeline.
The announcement of timing and selection of construction committees for the new Cross Keys HS and major additions of middle and high schools is expected in February.

Interestingly, nobody can tell me how Chamblee Charter HS and Dunwody HS will be better off with these capacity additions. From what I can see, the district will be shoving more students into these schools like sardines with little or no relief to the gym, locker rooms, fields, cafeteria, and other common spaces.


DEKALB SCHOOLS SUING ATLANTA OVER ANNEXATION
As reported by Decaturish, DeKalb County Schools is suing Atlanta for annexing homes near Emory University. The annexation, approved by the city last year, took in more than 100 residents on 16.31 acres. County leaders have publicly voiced concerns that Emory’s annexation push could prompt other neighborhoods to petition the city.
If Emory is annexed into Atlanta, it is only a matter of time before the adjoining neighborhoods, which contain Druid Hills High School and two other elementary schools, are annexed as well. I go into more detail in Emory Annexation Dominos.  If these areas get annexed, the students within the new City of Atlanta will go to Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and the schools within the new City of Atlanta boundaries will become the property of APS.

SUPERINTENDENT GREEN – MORE MONEY AND SERVICES
In this essay published by the AJC, DeKalb Superintendent Steve Green offers Gov. Nathan Deal suggestions on creating an effective school reform plan. “How do we give students what they need to succeed” is the question Superintendent Green is asking. Dr. Green believes the path to higher academic achievement is “Providing each student – gifted, mentally challenged, expatriated, or burdened by distracting socioeconomic or family needs – with the foundational elements to succeed in schools should be the real issue at the center of new legislation.”
The DeKalb Schools budget has increased by 20% over the last 4 years. Among all the new employees and departments, DeKalb Schools has created a Student Support and Intervention Division to provide “Wrap Around Services” to address the diverse needs of students and families.

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Posted in News and Updates

Is 600 More Seats At Chamblee Charter HS A Good Idea?

Posted on January 17, 2017 | 109 comments

Please help me understand why this is good for anybody in the Chamblee Charter High School cluster community?

Chamblee Charter High School (CCHS) currently has 1,624 students enrolled. School district administration is currently predicting CCHS will have 2,328 students (518 students over current capacity) by year 2022. To address the capacity issues, the administration plans on constructing a 600-seat, three-story addition extending the current footprint and bringing the school to 120 classrooms with a 2,410 student capacity
The conceptual plan includes

  • 116 space parking lot in front of school fronting Chamblee Dunwoody Rd
  • Kitchen extension (984 sq/ft)
  • Cafeteria extension (1,891 sq/ft)
  • Media center expansion (2,647 sq/ft)
  • 2 story employee parking garage
School Kitchen Cafeteria Media Center
Existing Size Proposed Addition Revised Size Existing Size Proposed Addition Revised Size Existing Size Proposed Addition Revised Size
Lakeside HS 4,258 1,546 5,804 8,560 2,025 10,585 6,466 4,391 10,857
Dunwoody HS 2,469 1,731 4,200 7,536 485 8,021 5,795 2,020 7,815
Chamblee Charter HS 4,322 984 5,306 7,719 1,891 9,610 6,963 2,647 9,610

Stan Jester

How is this 600 seat building addition good for the existing Chamblee Charter HS community? Chamblee Charter HS Governing Board and Chamblee MS PTSA expressly don’t want it. I am opposed to this addition for the reasons below.
In the school district and board’s infinite wisdom, we are moving forward with this plan. Please help me understand why this is good for anybody in the CCHS cluster community? I suspect, like whatever support there is for the Dunwoody additions, any support for the CCHS building additions are driven by redistricting.

Guideline for Educational Facility Site Selection
This GA DOE Guideline for Educational Facility Site Selection applies to the existing sites on which a new educational facility will be constructed. In accordance with these guidelines, the minimum useable acreage requirements of the State Board of Education are 20 acres plus one acre for each 100 students in FTE for High School Facilities.
If the new capacity for CCHS is 2,400 students, then the total site acreage for this high school should be at least 44 acres.
However, the 2016 Chamblee Charter HS School Assessment Report says the school has a total area of 20.6 acres. The guidelines allow for a waiver or variance of the minimum useable acreage requirements. Unless DeKalb Schools plans on purchasing 20+ more acres, then DeKalb must get waivers for the GA DOE Educational Facility Site Selection guidelines.
Guideline for Square Footage Requirements for Educational Facilities
The Georgia Department of Education spells out the facilities square footage requirements in the Guideline for Square Footage Requirements for EducationalFacilities
FOOD SERVICE
Formula for Cafeteria Requirements:Middle and High School = Total FTE divided by 3.15 multiplied by 12
(FTE x 3.809). The bare minimum requirement for a school with a capacity of 2,400 students is 9,141 sq/ft. The conceptual plan has 9,610 sq/ft. While the cafeteria meets state standards, it won’t exceed the standards by as much as it does now. The added cafeteria space is not proportional to the added student capacity of the school. There is less cafeteria space per student.
Kitchen Requirements and all support areas for food service: Schools with more than 2,100 students require at least 4,200 sq/ft of kitchen and food service area. The conceptual plan has 5,306 sq/ft. Once again, while the conceptual plans for the kitchen addition meet state standards, the addition is not proportional to the added student capacity. There is less kitchen space per student.
MEDIA CENTER SQUARE FOOTAGE
The DOE guidelines require a minimum of 8,175 sq/ft for 2,400 students. The conceptual plan has 9,600 sq/ft. The conceptual plans are proportional to the new building addition.
HALLWAYS
Major high school facility corridors shall be at least 12 feet wide with an additional foot added for each width of lockers to be located in the corridor. The corridors already meet state standards and will not be adjusted. As the population grows to capacity, the students can expect to be packed in the hallways like sardines.
GYM – PHYSICAL EDUCATION
High schools must have a gym of at least 22,000 sq/ft. The size of the gym will not be adjusted. All problems with the current capacity of the gym will be exacerbated as the student population grows.
Traffic, City Code, Parking, etc…
The above list is not inclusive of all the reasons I object to this building addition.

Please help me understand why this is good for anybody in the existing CCHS cluster?
I’m still waiting to hear from anybody that has anything positive to say about the Dunwoody building additions. DHS school council, Dunwoody School Daze, the two ladies from Kingsley and Chesnut that wrote the board and senior administration regarding their concerns about my representation of the community, I challenge you all to tell me the positives that would come from the Dunwoody HS building additions that wouldn’t happen otherwise. –Stan

Furthermore, not only is it a bad idea once … the district plans to continue adding building additions to these schools every 5 years or so.
November 2016 FAQ
10. Why build to a utilization of 100% rather than adding additional capacity?
Rather than risk the cost of “overbuilding” by adding much more capacity than is needed, or “underbuilding” by building much less capacity than is needed, the District is recommending adding capacity as the forecast data indicates is needed. Our buildings will be designed so that, if warranted, we can add additional building capacity to accommodate future student capacity needs at each school where possible.

Related posts

Pros and Cons of adding 600 seats to Dunwoody HS
January 7, 2017 – Moving forward, I’m trying to understand the support for the building addition at Dunwoody High School.

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Posted in Chamblee High School