DeKalb Schools: 'There Is No Plan'

School Board member Marshall Orson spoke in front of a tough crowd Tuesday night.

DeKalb School Board Member Marshall Orson (District 2) held a nearly three-hour Town Hall Meeting in the Emory community off North Decatur Road Tuesday night, updating a packed room of parents and neighbors on the events that have taken place almost daily since the state BOE gave DeKalb a 30-day window to prove their commitment to an improvement plan.   The state BOE is scheduled to reconvene Thursday at 8 a.m. to finish the hearing started in January that was required by a law intended to help school systems protect their valuable accreditation.  But, the law has had its own share of controversy when, in 2010, then-Governor Sonny Perdue removed Warren County's school board, but the state Supreme Court overturned that decision. The law was…

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Cheryl Miller

7:01 am on Sunday, February 24, 2013

John Davis, great idea for a new structure. We would also like to see the School Choice program altered so that every parent must choose 3 schools in priority order before the start of every school year on an application, presumably with student input. If you select your neighborhood school first, and live within say 3 miles of it, you would be automatically selected to attend it. Then, the other…   more ›

Superintendent Thurmond to Speak at Local School

Interim head of DeKalb's school system will make his first appearance next week.

Michael Thurmond, Interim Superintendent of the DeKalb County School District, will appear at Oak Grove Elementary on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 9 a.m. This will be his first public appearance, aside from school board meetings, since being appointed on Feb. 8. He will make a speech and take questions from parents. "He understands people want to be assured that the board is going in the right direction," Board Vice-Chairman Jim McMahan told Tucker Patch by telephone Friday morning. "I appreciate his willingness to get out there." Related items on Tucker Patch: Jim McMahan Michael Thurmond

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Cops Help Needy Kids Shop

Special event starts at Tucker's Walmart on Saturday morning.

On Saturday, Dec. 15, starting at 8 a.m., the DeKalb Fraternal Order of Police will host the 21st annual 'Santa Cop' program, which pairs needy children with police officers to go Christmas shopping. The kids are chosen with the help of counselors from the DeKalb County School System and will be transported by school buses and police vehicles to the Tucker Walmart where, assisted by uniformed police officers, they will shop for themselves and family members. Following the shopping event at the store, the children will be transported to the Fraternal Order of Police lodge in Stone Mountain for brunch provided by the lodge and supporters. Santa is also expected to make his usual appearance.

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DeKalb Voters Say No to Cell Towers on School Property

The non-binding resolution – part of Tuesday's primary – will have no legal bearing on whether the school system places towers on school properties.

DeKalb County voters said Tuesday they don't want cell phone towers on public school properties. In a nonbinding resolution – part of Tuesday's primary election – more than 60 percent of residents voted no to the question: "Should the local or independent school system of DeKalb County or a charter school in DeKalb County place or operate a telecommunications tower on any elementary, middle or high school property?" Of 114,804 votes counted early Wednesday morning, "No" took 71,690 votes – all preliminary returns. More than 5,000 absentee ballots had yet to be counted. The resolution will have no legal bearing on whether the DeKalb County School System continues to pursue construction of cell phone towers on school property. The school …

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Knott Telling

11:15 pm on Monday, September 3, 2012

Thank you for your perspective, Mr. Trinkle. It appears you did take the time to go beyond the newspaper article and see for yourself what the FCC actually said. Very logical approach on your part. It seems likely that you are also aware of the principle of inverse squares as it relates to radiation, which is the reason that the strength of a tower signal, by the time it even reaches the base of …   more ›

DeKalb's School Budget Deficit: What Would You Do?

The DeKalb County School System is facing an $85-million deficit that's forced the school board to make some tough decisions.

The DeKalb School board is set to vote on a budget Wednesday, and that budget is going to cut deeply into district programs. The district is considering an array of cuts, like eliminating transportation to magnet programs, cutting a district supplement to pre-kindergarten programs, gutting funding for the popular Fernbank Science Center and eliminating extra teachers in magnet programs. Here are the big issues: Below is an explanation of some of the high-profile cuts the district is proposing. They aren't the biggest cuts, but they've received quite a bit of attention from county residents. Be sure and vote in our poll about how you would go about balancing the budget. And leave us some comments. Pre-kindergarten The district could save $2…

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Fernbank Science Center in Jeopardy of Closing

A DeKalb School board committee suggested pulling funding for the science center in an effort to close a $73 million budget gap.

The Fernbank Science Center in Druid Hills is in jeopardy of losing funding from the DeKalb County School System. DeKalb school board members are working to plug a $73 million gap in the system’s budget, and a committee recommended Thursday an additional $17.5 million in cuts that includes closing the science center. These recommendations came after a budget was tentatively approved on Tuesday that includes $44.5 million in cuts and layoffs but relied on a tax increase some board members oppose. The Atlanta Journal Constitution polled eight of the nine board members about the 2-mill tax increase. Tom Bowen, Nancy Jester, Don McChesney, Pam Speaks and Paul Womack oppose the tax increase. Eugene Walker, Jesse “Jay” Cunningham and Donna Edler…

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FSC

12:43 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Thank you so much Noreen!!   more ›

DeKalb School Chief: Shorter Summer, Weekly Early Release?

Highlights from Cheryl Atkinson's State of the System address.

Daily 10

Daily PatchCast: Atkinson Promises Change, Sandy Springs Bank Robbery, Xerona Clayton Dedication

The day's top headlines for Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Atkinson To Focus On Students, Makes Changes Across System. Riverwood Audit Shows Several Areas Of Concern. Police Investigating Wednesday Morning Bank Robbery. Patch Profile: State Rep. Ed Lindsey Tucker Native Making An Impact At Stanford. Hundreds Celebrate Xerona Clayton Way.

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DeKalb School Board Passes $475M SPLOST Resolution

DeKalb County voters will be able to vote on the proposal in November.

8:45: Discussion about the SPLOST IV proposal begins. Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson is asking the board to approve the $475 million list. 8:47: Discussion of Henderson Mill and Hawthorne elementary being combined. That's not possible, Tyson said. She reviewed a series of changes to the initial proposal from several weeks ago. All documents can be found on the school system's website here. 8:49: Referndum would be in November 2011. A 1 cent sales tax, a school district official said. Resolution with City of Decatur Schools and Atlanta Public Schools. Will continue SPLOST for additional five years. 8:51: Board member Nancy Jester asks for ammendment. Wants language changed referencing a future Dunwoody elementary school. Board …

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