Monthly Archives: April 2018

City of Brookhaven Not a Fan of Briarcliff HS Site

The Brookhaven City Council is not a fan of the school district’s current plans for the new Cross Keys Brookhaven High School.
The DeKalb County Board of Education voted to build the new Cross Keys Brookhaven HS at the former Briarcliff HS site which is East of 85 and not in Brookhaven.


The City of Brookhaven council passed this resolution at their most recent meeting.

A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF EFFORTS TO RETAIN A DEKALB COUNTY PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN THE CITY OF BROOKHAVEN.

WHEREAS, the Board of Education (BOE) recently announced the location for a new high school in the Cross Keys cluster outside the City of Brookhaven limits, and
WHEREAS, the BOE decision will result in the closing of the historic Cross Keys High School and leave the City of Brookhaven without a public high school, and
WHEREAS, the City of Brookhaven comprises more than 52,000 residents and requires the public high school option, and
WHEREAS, the current Cross Keys High School serves a large population of minority and at-risk students living along Buford Highway, and
WHEREAS, Buford Highway is the home of families and businesses that support Cross Keys Cluster students, and
WHEREAS, the BOE preferred location of the new high school is separated from the community it serves by I-85, and
WHEREAS, the City of Brookhaven has made improving the quality of life of Buford Highway residents a top priority, and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council believe there are strategies and tools to collaborate with the BOE to construct a new Brookhaven High School along the Buford Highway corridor.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council and Mayor of the City of Brookhaven respectfully request the DeKalb County Board of Education reconsider its decision to close the only public high school in the City of Brookhaven, and
IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council direct the City Manager to engage the DeKalb County School Superintendent to begin a dialogue to collaborate on the construction of a new Brookhaven High School along Buford Highway, and
IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council requests the Brookhaven Development Authority to assess any and all available tools to assist in efforts to retain a public high school within the City of Brookhaven.
This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its adoption.
SO RESOLVED AND EFFECTIVE, this the 24th day of April 2018.

Support for DCSD Bus Drivers

DeKalb Schools would like to set the record straight. They sent out a Bus Driver Fact Sheet to the community discussing how they have supported bus drivers over the years. This is the abridged version of the 4 page document:

Greetings from the DeKalb County School District,

Given the recent activities regarding our bus drivers, this is an opportunity to share with you essential information regarding DCSD’s efforts to provide proper compensation, benefits and growth opportunities for our Transportation teammates.
The following pages are a summary of the district’s efforts to provide a safe, beneficial and attractive workplace for both current and prospective bus drivers alike.

Regards,
R. Stephen Green, Ed.D.
Superintendent/CEO
DeKalb County School District
HISTORY
The Driver and Monitor Advisory Committee (DMAC) was established by the Transportation Department leadership nearly 15 years prior to April 2018. Its purpose is to receive, review and act on concerns from bus drivers related to their employment as a group. Its outcomes include regular meetings with employees and relationship-building activities.
ONGOING/RECENT MEETINGS
• Monthly – Chief Operations Officer meets with the DMAC Leadership (six individuals) and the DMAC Committee (34 individuals) in separate meetings monthly to provide updates and discuss employee concerns.
• April 17, 2018 – Dr. Green met with an at-large bus driver group to hear its concerns and committed to form a partnership with a subgroup of drivers to develop a plan of action for resolutions.
• April 17, 2018 – Dr. Green, through the Chief Operations Officer, extended an invitation to meet with the president of the Bus Driver Committee on Thursday, April 19. The president turned down the invitation.
• April 19, 2018 – Dr. Green met with the bus driver sub-group. The group selected issues it deemed as the highest priorities. An action plan is being developed that will outline the timeline and monitor the continuous progress.
• Thursday, April 26 – Next meeting of the driver sub-group.
COMPENSATION
DCSD bus drivers are the second-highest paid school bus drivers among their peers Metro Atlanta school districts, including those in Cobb County, Gwinnett County, Atlanta and Fulton County. The highest paid county bus drivers work eight hours daily, compared to six hours in DCSD.
DCSD drivers and transportation staff have received the following cost-of-living adjustments raises since 2014:
2014 – 1.12%
2015 – 2.0%
2016 – 2.0 %
2017 – 5.07%
2018 – 2.0 %
HERE COMES THE BUS
Here Comes the Bus: Parent Notification Pilot Program DCSD will pilot a transportation app/online program designed to provide families, administrators, and district personnel with real-time information regarding bus location status.
In partnership with software-developer, Synovia Solutions, DCSD will pilot their GPS-based Here Comes the Bus application with a small group of students and families at five (5) elementary schools in May 2018. Parent and administrator feedback from this pilot will then be used to fine-tune technology, develop process and procedures, and determine the feasibility of a phased, district-wide rollout. Should the pilot program render positive results and adequate feedback, we anticipate initiating a phased launch of the program to accompany the start of School Year 2018-2019
A program overview, informational video, FAQ, and additional resources are located on the Here Comes the Bus website at https://herecomesthebus.com.