Leaders from the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) provided updates about the district’s achievements, goals, and the newly revitalized Student Assignment Project (SAP) during a Tucker City Council work session on Aug. 24.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Normal Sauce III spoke during Monday’s meeting to provide updates and highlights from the new 2026/27 school year.
This year, DCSD introduced the Aviation Skilled Trades Summer Camp and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems pathway to prepare students for careers in aviation.
The district filled 100% of safety and security positions and processed 15,774 registration applications. About 88,230 students enrolled this year, and 79,729 attended during the first two weeks.
At schools in the Tucker cluster, 5,125 students attended during the first two weeks, an increase of 10.1% over last year.
2030 goals
Dr. Sauce also highlighted the district’s “6,7,8,9,10” goals for the district to achieve by 2030:
- 60% of middle school students will complete at least one Carnegie Unit course (22% in 2025)
- 70% of high school students will complete at least one AP, IB, dual enrollment, or work-based learning course (44% in 2025)
- 80% of students grades 3-10 will read at grade level proficiency (52% in 2025)
- 90% graduation rate (81.4% in 2025)
- 100% of graduates will have completed a 4E plan (entrepreneurship, enlistment, enrollment, employment) (100% in 2025)
SAP updates
Dr. Triscilla Weaver and Dr. Cherisse Campbell also presented updates to the SAP engagement process, which restarts on Sept. 1. This fall, DCSD will focus on overcrowded schools in the Lakeside, Cross Keys, Chamblee, Tucker, Dunwoody, and Druid Hills clusters. Parents in these clusters are invited to attend three public comment sessions throughout September and October.
Related story: DeKalb County shifts student assignment project focus to overcrowding in six clusters
“The focus on session one will be to define the goals as we look at our process and guiding documents and identify community considerations,” Dr. Weaver said. “The focus of session two will be to examine possibilities and discuss impact and provide feedback. The focus of session three will be to review and revise possibilities and share final feedback for consideration.”
The public comment dates are:
Druid Hills, Lakeside, and Tucker
Sept. 1, Sept. 22, Oct. 20
Chamblee, Dunwoody, and Cross Keys
Sept. 3, Sept. 24, Oct. 22
Sessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Community members who are interested in speaking must register by Aug. 28. Thirty-nine speakers, 13 from each cluster, will be randomly chosen from the registration list. Speakers will be notified at least two days before the meeting and will be provided information about the meeting location, speaking time limit, and other logistics.
Community members are also encouraged to apply for the Community Advisory Teams (CAT). Each cluster will receive 10 committee seats, and committee members will be randomly selected to ensure transparency and fairness. Teams will meet three times over the next few months to discuss community feedback, review possible alternatives, and interact directly with district staff.
Applications for the CATs close tonight, Aug. 25, at 11:59 p.m. Selections will begin on Aug. 26, and CAT members will be notified on Aug. 28. CAT sessions are scheduled to begin in early September.
More information about the Student Assignment Project can be found on the DCSD website.
