Tag Archives: dekalb schools

Adequate Space Requirements For Mega High Schools

Posted on February 2, 2018 by | 35 comments

DeKalb Schools has traditionally built relatively small neighborhood schools. The district has been using these specifications for minimum space requirements when building new schools:

DeKalb Schools is adding seats in North DeKalb and is entering the era of Mega Schools. The new Brookhaven Cross Keys high school will have a capacity of 2,500 students. Surely a school with more students will need more common spaces – larger/additional gym; significantly more cafeteria space; larger/additional locker room; expanded hallways; larger/additional band room, choir room, etc …
Last December I asked the administration about the minimum space requirements for a school with a 2,500 student capacity. Chief Operating Officer, Joshua Williams, shares his thoughts

Joshua Williams

Joshua Williams
DeKalb Schools Chief Operating Officer
Date: 12/8/2018

The District’s targeted space requirements are provided in the High School Education Specifications and are for a new replacement high school with a 1,600-seat student capacity. These targeted space requirements are based upon the recently built Chamblee Charter High School which opened in 2014 with a 1600-seat student capacity. The Georgia Department of Education’s Guideline for Square Footage Requirements for Educational Facilities was used as a starting point to develop the High School Education Specifications and was enhanced based upon the District’s programming needs for curriculum and instruction.
This High School Education Specifications document will be updated to reflect the needs identified for the new larger Cross Keys High School (2,500 – seat student capacity) slated to be constructed under the District’s E-SPLOST V program. At such time, the District’s new targeted square footage requirements for the Cafeteria and Physical Education spaces will be established for any new replacement high school with a 2,500 – seat student capacity.

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Fulton County Schools Districtwide Educational Space Standards
“[DeKalb Schools] High School Education Specifications document will be updated to reflect the needs identified for the new larger [high schools]” –Josh Williams
Thanks Josh. In the mean time, let’s check out what the Fulton County School District (FCSD) does for their mega schools. FCSD has half a dozen schools with 2000+ students.
In 2015, Fulton County Schools engaged a nationally recognized educational facility planning firm to develop a Facility Master Plan.
Fulton County Schools Districtwide Educational Space Standards
Recommended Spaces for a high school with an 1,850 FTE capacity:
Page 24 – Music: Orchestra, Music Technology, Band, Chorus, Marching Band: High school band room needs to hold up to 200 students plus many large instruments.
Page 26 – Athletics – Participation in athletic activities have shown to have numerous positive impacts on student achievement, discipline, attendance, and overall productivity of the students. In order to support these athletic endeavors, the District must provide a variety of facilities.
Page 48 – Physical Education Spaces In addition to the standard gymnasium with raised track and 2,000 seat bleachers, a high school with a capacity of 1,850 will also need an auxiliary gymnasium with 375 seat bleachers.

MY CONCERNS
DeKalb Schools plans on constructing a 750-seat, 38-classroom, two-story addition to Lakeside High School extending the current footprint and bringing the new capacity to 2,500 seats. Chamblee Charter High School will be getting 600 seats bringing capacity 2,410 and adding 600 seats to Dunwoody High School bringing capacity there to 2,100.
None of the spaces recommended by the Fulton Schools Educational Space Standards are budgeted with these expansions.

RELATED ARTICLES

Lakeside HS Council
Not A Fan of the Building Additions
January 24, 2018 – To balance out the racial diversity and socio-economics of the student populations attending Lakeside HS as well as evenly distribute the students from the lengthy Buford Hwy Corridor, the E-SPLOST V Project List includes a 750-seat, 38-classroom, two-story addition to Lakeside High School (LHS).

DeKalb Commissioners Not A Fan of the
E-SPLOST High School Building Additions
February 15, 2017 – DeKalb County Commissioners are unanimously asking the DeKalb County School District to build a new high school in Doraville and not add a bunch of classrooms to Lakeside, Dunwoody, and Chamblee Charter High Schools.

750 More Seats at Lakeside HS? Why?
January 30, 2017 – Lakeside High School is currently cramming 2,184 students into a building with a capacity of 1,756 students. Only one other school in North DeKalb scored a below average 2016 School Climate Star Rating. How will adding 750 seats to Lakeside High School improve their School Climate Star Rating and academic achievement?

Is 600 More Seats At Chamblee Charter HS A Good Idea?
January 17, 2017 – Please help me understand why adding 600 seats to Chamblee Charter High School is good for anybody in that community? I suspect that any support is driven by redistricting.

Pros and Cons of adding 600 seats to Dunwoody HS
January 7, 2017 – Moving forward, I’m trying to understand the support for the building addition at Dunwoody High School. The speculation that some Dunwoody residents would be redistricted out of DHS seems to be the only reason for any continued support of the building additions.

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Posted in Chamblee High School, Construction, Dunwoody High School, Lakeside High School

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Student Chromebooks – Update

Posted on January 31, 2018 by | 17 comments

In June 2017, the DeKalb Schools Board approved over $27 million for the purchase of a laptop, software and accessories for each and every DeKalb Schools student and teacher.

DeKalb Schools Vision of Technology
• Integrated technology solutions to enhance communication
• Equitable access to devices and robust wireless network
• Community engagement necessary to support a shift to a digital learning environment
• Multiple, deliberate and continuous opportunities to learn about technology for everyone

$20 Insurance
Insurance covers accidental damage due to defects, liquid and power. There is a $50 deductible for lost or stolen Chromebooks.
I’m getting mixed messages on who has to pay $20 and how often. I received a high school newsletter that said “The $20 payment is per student annually”. DeKalb Schools Chief Information Officer (CIO), Gary Brantley, told me that all students must pay the $20 to get a Chromebook except in extreme cases. He also mentioned that the rate of damaged Chromebooks is so low, the $20 will probably be a one time payment.
This is Mr. Brantley’s official written response,

Response from Gary Brantley: The $20 is not annual its initial only. Schools are asked to identify students who desire a device but are unable to afford the insurance. When those students are identified and communicated to the program manager provisions are made for the students to receive a device. Every student that desires a device will receive a device. We have cases where the student would prefer to use his/her own or where the parent has opted out completely.

Deployment Schedule (View Complete Schedule Here)
1/22/2018 – Dunwoody HS (Complete)
1/22/2018 – Peachtree MS (Complete)
1/23/2018 – Druid Hills HS (Complete)
1/24/2018 – Druid Hills MS (Complete)
1/29/2018 – Chamblee HS (Complete)
1/30/2018 – Chamblee MS (In Progress)
1/31/2018 – Lakeside HS (Not Started)
2/01/2018 – Henderson MS (Not Started)
8/01/2018 – Cross Keys HS (Not Started)
8/01/2018 – Sequoyah MS (Not Started)
8/01/2018 – Kittridge ES (6th Grade Only) (Not Started)
8/01/2018 – Tucker HS (Not Started)
8/01/2018 – Tucker MS (Not Started)
8/01/2018 – DeKalb School of the Arts (Not Started)

Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a blended learning platform developed by Google for schools that aims to simplify creating, distributing and grading assignments in a paperless way.
It’s free and DeKalb Schools created user accounts for every teacher to use it … and use it they did. Numerous schools across the district adopted Google Classroom school-wide including Bethune MS, Kittredge ES, Barack Obama ES, Stone Mountain MS, Peachtree MS, Druid Hills MS.
The Google logins are used for these new devices, but DeKalb Schools is blocking the use of Google Classroom now. My understanding is that DeKalb Schools’ VERGE software suite is so bad, the district is doing everything it can force teachers to use it.
Gary Brantley insists VERGE is “acceptable” by all teachers.

Privacy
Given the new one-to-one technology program, the district is finding itself in new cyber territory. I’m currently pushing the board and administration to revisit our technology policies to keep students safe while juggling privacy issues as advances in technology increase our ability to monitor students’ online at all hours.

Related Posts

Google Classroom Vs VERGE
September 8, 2017 – Can somebody help me understand why DeKalb Schools is blocking access to Google Classroom? Half a dozen schools in DeKalb adopted it school wide and it was just recently blocked by the school district with no warning.

Digital Dreamers
August 9, 2017 – Digital Dreamers is the code name for the rollout of laptops for each and every student and teacher in the district.

New Laptops For All DeKalb Teachers and Students
August 7, 2017 – DeKalb Schools has the 2nd highest millage rate in the state and a penny sales tax. This is how DeKalb Schools plans on evenly evenly distributing some of that money across the County.

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Posted in Digital Dreamers

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