Monthly Archives: August 2018

News & Updates – 8/30/2018

DeKalb Schools news and updates for Aug 30, 2018.


DeKalb Schools sues Atlanta over Emory area Annexation
The school district is opposed to Atlanta Public Schools (APS) taking control of tax revenue generated from that area as well as any property owned by DeKalb Schools. The annexation approved by the Atlanta City council late last year didn’t include the school district until the last minute. DeKalb Schools obtained an injunction on the grounds that the 11th hour change to the annexation violated Atlanta’s charter. Dekalb Schools is now seeking to get involved in a case where APS is seeking to expand its boundaries into Fulton. Related Annexation Stories >>


Chamblee High School Football
A number of controversies at Chamblee Charter High School (CCHS) are emanating from the football field this season. The head football coach procured t-shirts emblazoned with “DBNP”. The coach and school district insist it stands for “Don’t Be No Procrastinator”. I’ve been told by parents that “everybody knows what it really means”. Either way, I’m not a fan of the double negative. The coach also had the team travel 4 hours down to Valdosta to play a team a couple divisions higher than CCHS where they lost to Lowndes HS 62-0. There was also a payment made from Lowndes to Chamblee Charter. The coach is currently suspended and an investigation is underway.

Dunwoody HS plays Chamblee Charter HS in football tomorrow, Fri 8/31 @ 7:30pm


Updated Georgia Law – Passing a School Bus
Please be careful driving in neighborhoods and especially in school zones. As usual, follow the law when you come to a school bus where the red lights are flashing and children are loading or unloading. Driving the opposite direction of a bus is permitted if the lanes are separated by a grass, dirt or concrete median. Georgia law has been updated to say that opposite traveling traffic does not have to stop if there is a turn lane separating the lanes.


Bus Drivers
District employees have been able to select from four 403(b) Vendors (providers) to make individual pre-tax contributions within the requirement of the 2% Matching Program. The board of education expanded eligibility to all DCSD PSERS participants including bus drivers.


DCSD offers free GED Program
DeKalb County School District (DCSD) parents will have another opportunity to earn their General Education Diploma (GED) through this free program. Participants must be at least 23 years old and a parent or guardian of a current DCSD student. I’m not sure providing free GEDs to adults is in the purview of the school district and I’m not sure why tax paying citizens of DeKalb who don’t have children aren’t allowed in the program. Is this a proper function of the school district?

Delay in New Austin ES Opening

New Austin ES estimated opening: January 2020

The DeKalb Schools Operations Division was informed last week that they are experiencing a delay in the opening of the new Austin ES.

As a result of the unforeseen discovery of buried trees, trash and other organics below the surface of the school site, excessive rain over the past six months, and a slight delay in proving a notice to proceed, the opening of the new Austin ES is now 147 days behind in the projected completion date, which has now shifted from a June 9, 2019, substantial completion date to November 21, 2019. This has shifted the opening of the school from August 2019 (start of the first semester of 2019-2020 SY) to January 2020 (start of the second semester of 2019-2020 SY).

Based on this delay, here are the implications:

• Redistricting process will be delayed one year: the process will occur in Fall 2019 (instead of Fall 2018) and the redistricting will be effective for Fall 2020 (instead of Fall 2019).

• The Austin ES existing school will move to the new building over Christmas break (2019-2020) for a partial (only existing Austin ES students) opening in January 2020. The redistricted students would then attend the new Austin ES in August 2020.

• DeKalb Schools will communicate with the City of Dunwoody regarding:

  1. Requesting a variance from their noise ordinance to allow construction to start at 6:30 AM Monday-Friday and 7:30 AM on Saturdays. DCSD will also request a 3:00 AM start for concrete pours for 8-10 specific days (similar to how we were allowed these hours from DeKalb County for Peachrest ES and Fernbank ES).
  2. Discuss the implications of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on the use of the existing Austin ES (which we are leasing back from the City)

The Operations Division is bringing a September 10th Board agenda item that will include a change order for the additional costs of the unforeseen discovery of buried trees, trash and other organics below the surface of the school site and the formalization of the schedule change.


8/27/2018 – UPDATE

Dan Drake, interim chief officer with DeKalb Schools, is slated to give an update and report on the construction on the new 900-seat elementary school at the Dunwoody City Council’s Aug. 27 meeting. His report is posted online: https://onbase.dunwoodyga.gov:8081/OnBaseAgendaOnline/Documents/ViewDocument/CITY_COUNCIL_MEETING_1867_Agenda_Packet_8_27_2018_6_00_00_PM.pdf?meetingId=1867&documentType=AgendaPacket&itemId=0&publishId=0&isSection=false

UNSUITABLE SOILS – During site work activities, it was discovered that the baseball fields were essentially a landfill that contained buried trees, trash and other organics below the surface. In all, a total of 13,016 cubic yards of unsuitable material and trash was excavated and removed from the site.

REDISTRICTING – The redistricting process will be delayed one year: the process will occur in the Fall 2019 (instead of Fall 2018) and the redistricting will be effective for Fall 2020 (instead of Fall 2019). Existing Austin ES students will move to the new building over Christmas break (2019-2020) for a partial opening in January 2020. Redistricted students will not attend the new Austin ES until August 2020.


Related Posts

Austin Elementary School
Replacement Project Update

May 8, 2017 – The project is currently in the final design phase where all of the building and site elements are being detailed for construction.

Peachtree Middle School Ball Fields

Austin Rebuild – Approved by BOE
October 5, 2016 – On Monday, the DeKalb Schools Board unanimously approved an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for the purchase, sale and exchange of land with the City of Dunwoody. After everything is said and done, DeKalb Schools will pay the City of Dunwoody $3.6 million.

Austin ES Rebuild
Dunwoody Senior Baseball Fields

October 1, 2016 – As reported by Dunwoody Senior Baseball, the plan is to rebuild Austin Elementary at the site of the senior baseball fields and move Senior Baseball to some of the fields at Peachtree Charter Middle School.