Author Archives: Stan Jester

Results – School Re Opening Survey

Posted on July 10, 2020 | 133 comments

The DeKalb County School District sought stakeholder input on their preferences and perspectives for learning models and hybrid options that the school district is considering for the reopening of schools. This feedback includes stakeholders’ level of comfort with social distancing and hygiene efforts, school bus transportation, employee travel, serving meals, taking students’ temperature, access to supplies, technology, and internet at home, and the use of masks at school and on the bus.

Survey Terminology

Traditional Learning is defined as a face-to-face instructional setting whereby students exhibit full-time attendance at the local school site, daily.

Distance/Remote Learning is defined as a non-site-based instructional process whereby instruction is delivered through the utilization of web-based and virtual instructional processes.

Distance/Remote Working is defined as a non-site-based process whereby employees allocate consistent and expected work products and deliverables through a virtual and digital process.

Hybrid Learning is defined as a blended instructional/school attendance model whereby students experience instructional seat-time through the combination of Traditional and Distance/Remote models in accordance with an identified rotational schedule/model.

Hybrid A/B DAY Model is described as identified student and staff populations equally dividing the days of on-site physical attendance and remote/distance attendance relative to school and work within a given week.

Traditional Model

The graph indicates the current level of comfortability that stakeholders have returning to school (parents/students) and work (employees) within a Traditional model.

The predominance of:
• parents are not currently comfortable with sending their children to school through a traditional model
• students are currently comfortable with returning to school through a traditional model
• employees are not currently comfortable with returning to work through a traditional model

Survey - Traditional Model

Distance/Remote Model

The graph indicates the current level of comfortability that stakeholders have returning to school (parents/students) and work (employees) within a Distance/Remote model.

The predominance of:
• parents are currently comfortable with their children participating in a Distance/Remote instructional model
• students are slightly less comfortable with returning to school through a Distance/Remote model
• employees are currently comfortable with returning to work through a Distance/Remote model

Survey - Distance Remote Model

Hybrid Model

The graph indicates the current level of comfortability that stakeholders have returning to school (parents/students) and work (employees) within a Hybrid model.

The predominance of:
• parents are currently comfortable with their children participating in a Hybrid instructional model
• students are comfortable with returning to school through a Hybrid model
• employees are currently comfortable with returning to work through a Hybrid model

Survey - Hybrid Model

Remote Learning: School Choice Option Parents

If the district offered a full time Remote/Distance Learning school choice option, how likely would you choose this option?

Remote Learning - School Choice Option

Supporting Documents

.pdf link icon School Re-Opening Survey – Stakeholder Input – June 2020
.pdf link icon School Re-Opening Survey_Executive Summary

133 Comments

Posted in survey

DeKalb Notice of Property Tax Increase

Posted on July 9, 2020 | 7 comments

DeKalb Schools administration is recommending to the Board no change in the millage rate for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The millage rate was 23.08 mills last year and that is what the Administration is requesting the Board approve again.

Holding the millage rate constant will result in higher revenues to the school district due to the growth in the tax digest. Because the district will receive more funds, even with no millage rate increase, state law requires the district to advertise this as a tax increase. The notice gives you what the “roll back rate” would need to be to hold revenues equal to last year’s. The roll back rate is 22.159 mils.

Local Taxation for Education
It is important to note that DeKalb Schools’ millage rate is already one of the highest in the state. It is above the legal limit set by Art. VIII – Sec VI of the Georgia Constitution which says, the “school system shall annually certify to its fiscal authority or authorities a school tax not greater than 20 mills per dollar for the support and maintenance of education.”

The cap in DeKalb was raised by public referendum to 25 mills years ago when the county ran DeKalb College. The school later became Georgia Perimeter College and was taken over by the state. Even though the liability for running the college was removed from DeKalb, the additional taxing increment remained.

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The DeKalb County School District has tentatively adopted a millage rate which will require an increase in property taxes by 4.16 percent.

This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 23.08 mills, an increase of 0.921 mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 22.159 mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $250,000 is approximately $80.59 and the proposed tax increase for non-homestead property with a fair market value of $400,000 is approximately $147.36.

All concerned citizens are invited to three virtual millage hearings on this tax increase to be held at:

  • 10:00 a.m. July 13, 2020
  • 6:01 p.m. July 13, 2020
  • 10:00 a.m. July 20, 2020

To speak in the virtual meeting, please call 678-676-0722 or email budget_info@dekalbschoolsga.org prior to noon on Friday, 7/10/2020 to sign up (deadline to speak for July 20th meeting is noon on Friday, July 17th). Details as to how to speak in the public hearing by virtual technology will also be made available on the District’s website prior to the time of the hearing at www.dekalbschoolsga.org.

.

RELATED POSTS

  Homestead Tax Exemptions

 How To Appeal Your DeKalb County Property Value Assessment

Property Assessment Freeze
Residents in DeKalb County that receive the benefit of homestead exemption may also apply for a property assessment freeze to help offset future increases in property value. This freeze does not affect school, city or state taxes. Residents who currently have homestead exemption must apply for this freeze, however new applicants applying for exemption will receive the benefit of the freeze with their exemption. Once the Freeze Level is set, it cannot be “re-frozen” at a lower level regardless of changes in assessment. Residents must qualify for this freeze by April 1.

7 Comments

Posted in Taxes