Key Points:
• DeKalb County School District’s enrollment has declined over the last 10 years.
• The Student Assignment Project seeks to address some of the challenges with school boundaries, choice programs and building usage.
• The board voted on the budget for the forensic audit of former superintendent Devon Q. Horton.
DeKalb County Board of Education met Nov. 10 to review the timelines and mission of the Student Assignment Project (SAP), an $18 million investment in security for 25 schools, and provisions for the pending forensic audit of former superintendent Devon Q. Horton.
Much of Monday’s board agenda was devoted to recognizing the district’s top educators and honoring some former educators, such as the proclamation honoring the late James R. Hallford, a former DeKalb County superintendent who died in October.
One topic that yielded extensive exploration was the committee insights and timeline for SAP, which is a committee made up of parents, staff and community members who advise the board about DeKalb County School District’s attendance boundary school criteria, building usage, and placement of special programs.
The comprehensive plan is intended to aid in the school district’s enrollment declines that have occurred over the last 10 years, said Sarita Smith, executive director of student assignment, division of access & opportunity. The school system currently has about 90,000 students enrolled, which is comparable to enrollment in the 1970’s. Birth rate, affordable housing, and school choice, such as private and homeschooling, have had an impact in the declining school enrollment.
“There’s a rumor mill that we have some deciding power – we do not have deciding power. That is still left up to the board,” Smith said Monday. “We’ve been meeting a lot and trying to think through building boundaries and program; trying to ground ourselves in the data that’s provided at the district level and try to make as many informed decisions around recommendations as we can to re-imagine DeKalb.”
Related story:
• DeKalb parents seek to repair ‘systemic failure’ after superintendent’s resignation
Smith presented the board with an expanded timeline for SAP, which will allow the community-based cohort to create guidance for potential scenarios related to buildings, boundaries, and programs up until December, a staff and parent review of those suggestions between January and February 2026, board feedback by May 2026, and board considerations and potential decisions by fall 2026. Parents can review the SAP details here.
In their Oct. 22 meeting, the committee’s feedback emphasized academic equity as the top priority, specifying fair access to quality programs, transportation, and resources across all regions. Members stressed the need to maintain program continuity, ensure transparent criteria for capacity and boundaries, and strengthen feeder pattern alignment to support seamless academic pathways.
Some SAP members expressed concerns about uneven regional support, facility conditions, transportation logistics, and the importance of community stability during changes. Overall, the committee underscored the need for data-informed, equitable, and transparent decision-making that balances efficiency with student experience.
District 2’s Whitney McGinnis reiterated the need for the advisory committee to gather insights on transportation. It may be hard to tackle transportation for magnet schools when the zoned schools are struggling for bus drivers, but it’s possible, she said.
“There are some districts that do manage to provide full transportation to magnet programs,” McGinnis said. “If we are serious about access and opportunity, that does not exist if we are not providing full transportation to our choice programs.”
Other DeKalb BOE items:
• The board heard the latest capital improvement and facilities update that included scoreboard and lighting improvements for all but two DeKalb County high schools (which have newer equipment). The upgrades also include an $18.5-million investment in security vestibules for 25 schools, including Brockett Elementary, Tucker Middle School, Woodward Elementary School, Dunwoody Middle School, and Dunwoody High School. See the list here.
• The board also voted 7-0 to approve a forensic audit not to exceed $125,000 of Horton, who was federally indicted on 17 wire fraud and embezzlement charges by an Illinois school district last month. The board has not decided which firm will handle the audit, nor when it will be conducted.
