At the start of the July 13 DeKalb County School Board of Education meeting, its attorney/parliamentarian issued a warning about board members’ personal remarks, side banter, and a “proliferation of abstention votes” that are not related to a conflict of interest.
“The board chair has noted an occasional departure from the fullness of speech that we in the public would expect,” Winston Denmark said. “Board members develop points of view and can be passionate when advocating for their constituents, but to ensure that our meetings continue to be conducted efficiently in alignment with an exemplary standard as a public service, I’ve been asked to provide a brief reminder of the rules that govern the meetings.”
Denmark said abstentions should not be used “to avoid voting on controversial matters; rather, there should be rare situations and used for stated such as a conflict of interest, interest, or other articulate basis.”
After Denmark’s statement, District 7 Board Member Awet Eyasu said he will continue to abstain as he sees fit.
“I absolutely appreciate what you said, but I absolutely disagree with the idea of our ability to abstain being limited to matters of conflict of interest,” Eyasu said. “I will continue abstaining if I feel like … that needs to be left up to me, between me and the people who voted for me.”
ESPLOST overpayment
In other action, the board discussed overpayment totaling $12 million in Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST VI) that must be funneled back to Decatur and Atlanta Public Schools.
The error was made after the district didn’t file a certificate of distribution in 2022, which caused the Georgia Department of Revenue to miscalculate the payment.
Erick Hofstetter, the system’s chief operating officer, said the payments will be distributed from earned interest on its reserves.
A memorandum of understanding and a certificate of distribution will need to be drawn up between DCSD and Decatur and Atlanta Public Schools, officials said. Decatur will receive $9.1 million, and APS is expected to receive $2.1 million.
Several ESPLOST-VI projects will be paused as a result of the action, including bus purchases, fire alarm enhancements, construction at Kittredge and Allgood elementary schools, and other projects totaling more than $119 million.
“I have heard from my colleagues in both Decatur and Atlanta Public Schools that we have been lovely to work with,” said DeKalb Board Chair Allyson Gevertz. “So thank you for that.”
Student Assignment Plan Update
Interim Superintendent Norman C. Sauce III introduced Dr. Triscella Weaver, chief of access and opportunity, to discuss the Student Assignment Plan, noting first that the board removed an agenda item for an $850,000 contract with OGR Public Health Group LLC, a community planning group that would have continued the SAP initiative.
Weaver’s presentation did not mention HPM, the firm that spearheaded the SAP effort that proved to be unpopular across the district.
After months of feedback, protests, and angst about the project, which proposed closing dozens of schools and repurposing others, the school district announced in early May that it was shifting to a new direction.
DCDS officials said in May they heard that the information gathering process “felt too top-down, scenarios appeared predetermined, conversations separated buildings, boundaries, and programs in ways that did not reflect how communities experience schools.”
At the July 13 meeting, Weaver said the next iteration for Phase 1 would include community action teams with 50-75 people, consisting of principals, community members, alumni, students, faculty and staff, and current SAP committee members.
The clusters involved in the first phase will be the ones most affected by current construction projects, including Dresden and Idlewild elementary schools and Cross Keys High School, which will increase their student capacity.
The goal, she said, is to have all voices heard, “not just the loudest ones.”
The suggested timeline, Weaver said, would involve planning in July and August, selecting the action team members in August, followed by community engagement through October, finalization of data and feedback, and finally, a presentation to the school board in December with recommendations.
Weaver said the initiative would be driven by district officials, rather than an independent firm, and while community input is vital, the final decisions will be made by the district.
District 2 Board Member Whitney McGinniss brought up her concerns that the process seemed too rushed and that the district has yet to replace Sarita Smith, who resigned in May after heading up the SAP process for the district.
Weaver said while Smith has not been replaced, the SAP process has moved on with additional personnel assigned to the effort.
