Members of the DeKalb County Board of Education invited residents to talk over coffee in Brookhaven April 26.
Nancy Jester, Don McChesney and Pam Speaks were available for an informal conversation with parents and DeKalb residents about the school system.
Jester, who represents much of north DeKalb, called this type of face to face meetings with constituents “invaluable.”
“You can never listen too much. People want information, communication,” Jester said. “This fills that need.”
Several elected officials also dropped by to chat, including Dunwoody City Council members Lynn Deutsch and Terry Nall, and Chamblee City Councilman Tom Hogan.
Jester said the meeting was productive because she was able to hear concerns and ideas. For example, she said Hogan proposed looking at partnerships between the DeKalb school system and municipalities like Chamblee when it comes to facilities and parks.
Jan Levie, a member of the Chamblee High School Governance Council, said she appreciates the school board members taking time to meet with parents and answer questions.
“My particular concern is about the DeKalb County school district and transparency,” Levie said. “Transparency to me means there’s a way to capture stakeholder remarks … and use those to serve the stakeholders.”