Monthly Archives: September 2015

School Flexibility Option Update

Message from Trenton Arnold and Superintendent Green:
Region I Community Engagement Sessions:

Where: Dunwoody High School
When: Wednesday, September 23 @ 6:00 PM

Over the past eighteen months, the DeKalb County School District has continued to move forward with its intention to obtain charter system status from the Georgia Department of Education. Five community engagement sessions have been scheduled, and anyone seeking the opportunity to provide input is invited to attend, including parents, teachers, and other community members.
The focus of these sessions is to get stakeholder input on the Local School Governance Teams that will be required at each school and how those teams will have the opportunity to assist in the governance of the school and request flexibility from state law and Department of Education rules and regulations.
Modifications to the petition to meet new Georgia Department of Education requirements continue.
As a standing reminder, the GA DOE has an established deadline of November 1, 2015, for submission of charter petition applications that wish to begin operating as a charter district at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. The petition’s current draft can be reviewed at the link below:
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/www/documents/charter-system-petition/charter-system-application-cover-sheet.pdf
You are also encouraged to review information from the Georgia Department of Education concerning charter systems. This information can be found at the following web address:
http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/Charter-Schools/Pages/default.aspx
We thank you in advance for your participation and look forward to seeing you soon!
Contact:
Trenton Arnold
678.676.0671
Trenton_J_Arnold@dekalbschoolsga.org

 
 
The following dates have been set for the Community Engagement Sessions:

Region Where When
Region V Towers High School Tuesday, September 22 @ 6:00 PM
Region I Dunwoody High School Wednesday, September 23 @ 6:00 PM
Region IV Lithonia High School Tuesday, September 29 @ 6:00 PM
Region III Stephenson High School Wednesday, September 30 @ 6:00 PM
Region II Lakeside High School Tuesday, October 1 @ 6:00 PM

Cross Keys Cluster Over-Capacity Issues

Administrators were met with a full house on Tuesday when presenting proposals to address over-capacity issues in the Cross Keys Cluster. Another community meeting will be held tonight – Thu, Sep 17th at 6 PM, Sequoyah MS.
The Cross Keys cluster consists of 4 elementary schools, a middle school and high school. To serve the growing student population, 18 portable classrooms were added this year to the elementary schools and 16 portable classrooms were added to the middle and high school.

School New Trailers
This Year
Total Classrooms
In Trailers
Cary Reynolds ES 4 25
Dresden ES 12 26
Montclair ES 2 18
Sequoyah MS 8 17
Cross Keys HS 8 15

The proposed solution is a multi phased approach.
Phase I (Summer 2016) – Phase I will be to relocate DESA, Avondale MS and Warren Tech to less utilized facilities down south. 3rd, 4th and/or 5th grade academies will be created for Cary Reynolds and Dresden in the recently vacated buildings.
Phase II (Fall 2017 and beyond) – Phase II will consist of the construction of two new elementary schools and the development of up to 3 district wide Pre-K centers. Relief for the middle and high schools will be obtained through new school or renovation additions to the existing schools.
Funding – Funding will be through E-SLPOST and COPs (Certificates of Participation), publicly offered or privately placed, both competitively, repaid by E-SPLOST V revenues.
Public meetings: (Stakeholder Engagement)

  • Tue, Sep 15th at 6 PM, Cross Keys HS
  • Thu, Sep 17th at 6 PM, Sequoyah MS

October 5th Board Meeting:
Allocate $9.25 million of E-SPLOST IV funds for
(1) Improvements at Warren Tech, Terry Mill, & Former ISC,
(2) Modular buildings and parking,
(3) Design of two elementary schools, and
(4) Feasibility study for middle and high school capacity
Approve moving forward with COPS financing package
.pdf link icon  Proposal to Address Over-Capacity Issues in the Cross Keys Cluster