DeKalb school closures and new construction up for discussion. Dunwoody meeting scheduled for Wed Jan 16th

Former Shallowford Elementary School on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road

The DeKalb County School District will hold the first of a series of community meetings to discuss proposed school closures and openings.  (AJC)

The facilities plan for the next five years prompted preliminary lines for new attendance boundaries last month, but officials say any needed boundary changes will be discussed “sometime in the future and under a separate, detailed public process.”

From Dr. Atkinson’s “Victory in Every Classroom” newsletter: (DSWB)

Every five years, school districts across the state submit a list of schools to participate in the state capital outlay program. The DeKalb district is completing an application for funding that requires a list of its schools, and the DeKalb County “Proposed School Organization” meets the state requirements. It is not a redistricting plan.

In January, DCSD planning staff will revise its briefing to focus the community’s understanding on DeKalb’s list of schools and minimize any discussion of boundary changes. This list of schools will incorporate the new schools added under the SPLOST IV capital program.

The staff briefing in January will clarify that a list of schools is all that is needed to begin the state application process. The list of schools does not require any information about boundary lines. Consequently, the proposed school organization is not a redistricting plan but a list of school facilities the district expects to operate in the out years. This list is used to determine the state’s award for capital project funding.

DCSD staff will update the current list of 2007-12 schools to show SPLOST IV new school buildings and any decommissioned buildings out to the years 2016-17. The briefing will underscore that the Board of Education need only approve a list of schools so that the district meets state processing deadlines in order to qualify for funding. Any discussion about boundaries, if needed, would take place sometime in the future and under a separate, detailed public process per district policy.

The meetings are 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in various parts of the county with a meeting scheduled for Wednesday Jan. 16 at Dunwoody High School, 5035 Vermack Rd., Dunwoody and a district-wide meeting on Jan. 17 at the district administrative complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain. The final school board vote on the facilities plan is Jan. 23.