Monthly Archives: July 2016

Chamblee Magnet Program

Posted on July 13, 2016 by | 43 comments

Any truth to the rumor of moving the magnet program from Chamblee Middle and Chamblee High?

Steering Committee Meetings
In June, the Secondary School Facility Planning and Feasibility Study did its final round of public input sessions with a series of five Regional Steering Committee meetings. These committees consisted of two representatives from each of the forty middle and high schools included in the study.
Contact your school or governance council to find out who from your school attended and how the meetings went.
These meetings gave the regional steering committee members an opportunity to discuss possible options to address the middle and high school capacity concerns. Feedback from these meetings will be used to generate a single option that will be presented at the final public input meeting on August 23 & August 25, 2016.
Steering Committee Meeting Presentation
The steering committees discussed the purpose of the Secondary School Facility Planning & Feasibility Study along with the problems they are trying to solve. An update was given on where they are in the process and the E-SPLOST V funds available.
They studied and discussed the pros and cons of the following four potential options to address current and pending capacity needs. From these four options, over the next few weeks, the steering committee members will put together and recommend one (unchanged or modified) option to take to the public at the 3rd and final round of public input on Aug 23 and Aug 25 .
Options Developed To Address Capacity Needs

Option 1 New Cluster Approach
• Builds new high school & new middle school
• Adds classroom additions at Lakeside HS & Clarkston HS
• Adjusts attendance zones as needed
Option 2-A Expanding Existing Capacity
• No new schools
• Adds classroom additions to numerous overcrowded schools
• Adjusts attendance zones as needed
Option 2-B Expanding Existing Capacity & Relocate Chamblee Magnet Program
• No new schools
• Adds classroom additions to numerous ocercrowded schools
• Relocates Chamblee MS/HS Magnet Programs to Southwest DeKalb cluster
• Adjusts attendance zones as needed
Option 3 Utilize Existing Capacity
• Builds new middle school
• Converts Henderson MS to high school
• Converts Towers HS to middle school
• Adds classroom addition to Clarkston HS
• Re-opens Avondale MS
• Extensive attendance zone changes

Round 3 Public Input Meetings:

  • Tues, Aug 23 @ 6:30pm in the auditorium at Clarkston HS
  • Thurs, Aug 25 @ 6:30pm in the gymnasium at Cross Keys HS

Secondary School Facility Planning and Feasibility Study
The study will identify the challenges and opportunities facing each middle school and high school, determine options to address the needs identified, and prepare regional master plans to implement the options. The regional master plans will be presented to the Board of Education for approval as input for the development of the 2017-2022 E-SPLOST program.
The study will review feeder patterns, re-clustering attendance areas, additions to schools and new/replacement schools.
Input From Stakeholder Meetings & Online Survey
• Build middle and high school in Region 1 – “Doraville cluster”
• Add capacity to Dunwoody HS and Peachtree MS
• Rezone Clarkston HS to relieve overcrowding, or create 9th Grade Center, and improve transportation for those closer to Redan HS
• Utilize former Briarcliff site. High School? 9th Grade Center? Middle School?
Magnet program?
• Relocate magnet/curricular programs from Regions 1 & 2 to 4 & 5
• Use Druid Hills MS and Avondale MS/HS as cluster to relieve Lakeside/Clarkston
• Merge DSA & DESA into one facility, and/or relocate to Region 4 or 5
• Create STEM middle & high for Stone Mountain area?
• Standardize grade levels for choice programs to provide clear K-12 path.
Emerging Facility Considerations From Stakeholder Feedback

Pros & Cons
Planning and Feasibility Study Options
July 25, 2016 – Committees consisting of steering committee members and two representatives from each of the forty middle and high schools studied and discussed these pros and cons of the four potential options to address current and pending capacity needs.

Cost Estimates
Planning and Feasibility Study Options
July 20, 2016 – Based on 2022 enrollment projections, the Steering Committee discussed these Cost Estimates for the four potential options to address current and pending capacity needs.

DeKalb Secondary School Facility Planning and Feasibility Study
July 18, 2016 – The study will identify the challenges and opportunities facing each middle school and high school, determine options to address the needs identified, and prepare regional master plans to implement the options. Here are the problems, the funds and the options.

Chamblee Magnet Program – Is it moving?
July 13, 2016 – Any truth to the rumor of moving the magnet program from Chamblee Middle and Chamblee High? Steering committees discussed the pros and cons of the following four potential options to address current and pending capacity needs.

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Posted in SPLOST

John Lewis ES – Brookhaven's New Elementary School

Posted on July 10, 2016 by | 14 comments

The new school going up in Brookhaven to be named John Lewis Elementary.
Video & Transcript
  Work Session discussion on John Lewis Elementary
  Business Meeting discussion on John Lewis Elementary

In March, the DeKalb Board of Education approved the Cross Keys Redistricting Plan which includes opening the former International Student Center (ISC) building on North Druid Hills (East of Briarcliff – 2383 N Druid Hills Rd, Atlanta, Georgia 30329-3126) to help alleviate overcrowding in the Cross Keys Cluster.
In accordance with half the district Regulations FDC-R and in violation of half the others, in May a renaming committee, consisting of 3 Hispanic parents and 7 administrators, met twice to decide what name to recommend to the board for the ISC building for the next few years it is open to temporarily house roughly 400 Montclair elementary students.

Naming Committee
1. Marshall Orson (Committee Chair) (Board Representative) 6. Melanie Pearch (Principal, Woodward ES)
2. Rebecca Jackson (Interim Region I Superintendent) 7. Cammie Neill (Principal, Briar Vista ES)
3. Sherry Johnson (Region I Coordinator) 8. Adelfa Lopez Salome (Parent)
4. Sandra Nunez (Director of EL Studies) 9. Didia Altamirano (Parent)
5. David Schaefer (Latin American Association) 10. Maria del Carmen Sanchez (Parent)

As reported by Trey Benton at the Brookhaven Post, “[In May] the DeKalb BOE announced agreements with the City of Brookhaven and the Georgia State Properties Commission to acquire 11.2 acres at Skyland Park for a new elementary school.”


John Lewis (D)
U.S. House of Representatives

In direct conflict with just about every policy and regulation DeKalb Schools has on the books for naming schools, Marshall Orson asked the Board of Education to name the ISC building after his long time friend, John Lewis, South DeKalb’s 5th Congressional District’s Congressman.
The naming committee also requested that the name “John Lewis” Elementary School transfer to the new Skyland building in Brookhaven once construction has been completed.
Renaming the ISC building and the new Skyland Center in Brookhaven was placed on the agenda Friday before the Monday board meeting. I would also like to note for the record that Skyland Center is in Tom Price’s 6th Congressional District and not in John Lewis’ 5th Congressional District.
John Lewis is a civil rights leader leader and sitting U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district. He most recently led Democrats in a surprise sit-in of the U.S. House in June in an attempt to force votes on gun control legislation.

Brookhaven Needs to Acknowledge John Lewis
July 14, 2016 – “Do you believe Brookhaven would chose to name their new elementary school after John Lewis?” – No. Brookhaven needs to come into this century and acknowledge John Lewis, says Vickie Turner, School Board Member from District 5.

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Posted in DeKalb County School District