Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The group wants to turn Druid Hills High School and its feeder schools into a charter cluster.
A committee studying the possibility of a charter cluster that would include Druid Hills High School and its feeder schools will meet Tuesday. In addition to the high school, the Druid Hills Charter Cluster would include Druid Hills Middle School and Avondale, Briar Vista, Fernbank, Laurel Ridge and McLendon elementary schools. Why start a "charter cluster?" From the group's Facebook page: The Druid Hills High School cluster of schools currently is exploring the potential benefits of petitioning to become a "charter cluster" of schools. Charter schools are public schools and receive all the funding that non-charter schools receive, but two words distinguish them from public schools as they exist today: autonomy and flexibility. A charter…
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Here's a replay of the Patch live blog of Thursday's hearing on the fate of the DeKalb County Board of Education. The governor says he will make an announcement Monday on whether to remove most of the board.
The State Board of Education voted late Thursday night to recommend the removal of six members of the DeKalb School Board to Gov. Nathan Deal. The board voted unanimously to recommend that Sarah Copelin-Wood, Donna Edler, Eugene Walker, Jay Cunningham, Nancy Jester and Pamela Speaks be removed from the DeKalb school board. If Gov. Deal follows the board's recommendation, Jim McMahan, Marshall Orson and Melvin Johnson would remain on the board as newly elected members. The recommendation came after a meeting that began at 8 am and ended at 10:15 pm. The meeting was the latest in the DeKalb school system's ongoing battle to avoid losing its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools, which has already placed the …
Friday, July 13, 2012
Patch's Question of the Week asks, are metro Atlanta kids heading back to school too soon?
Used to be, kids in most Atlanta schools went back into the classrooms after Labor Day. Man, those were the days. For the 2012-13 school year, Decatur schools open Aug. 1, and city of Atlanta students hit the books Aug. 6. DeKalb and Fulton county schools open on Aug. 13. To some, it seems as if summer vacation gets shorter and shorter each year. To others (harried parents running out of kid-friendly entertainment options, perhaps?), it can't come soon enough. So our Patch Question of the Week is, do you feel that summer vacation is too short? Do kids head back to school too early? Or do they need that classroom time in order to prepare themselves for a successful future? Take our Patch poll and share your opinion in the comments.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Rally to support Fernbank Science Center set for Monday
Supporters of Fernbank Science Center plan to rally outside the Druid Hills center on Monday, June 18, to show support for the center. The science center is in jeopardy of losing a bulk of its funding due to budget cuts in DeKalb County Schools. The district faces a roughly $88 million budget gap and proposed cost-saving measures include increasing class sizes and cutting jobs in the central office. Initial proposals included closing Fernbank, but the science center was taken off the chopping block after supporters voiced displeasure with the idea. But Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson put Fernbank back on the table Monday. Atkinson suggested $3.2 million in cuts to programs and resources at the center. Fernbank has a $4.7 million operating …
Monday, April 30, 2012
Senior Kip David Lacy wins $1,000
The DeKalb County Council of PTAs honored 13 graduating DeKalb County high school seniors as recipients of the 2012 Gladys Cook Scholarship. Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship to use toward their college education. Druid Hills High School student Kip David Lacy was among the recipients. Lacy will attend University of Georgia in the fall to study Medical Research Autoimmune Diseases. Other recipients include: Kyle Jackson Woumn, Arabia Mountain High School College/Major: Georgia Institute of Technology/Computer Engineering and Spanish Brittany Sherrell Gas, Cedar Grove High School College/Major: Georgia Southern University/Criminal Justice Jasmine Alicia Clayton, Chamblee Charter High School College/Major: University of Georgia/…
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
WSBTV reports discrimination suit was settled last month
A racial discrimination suit filed against DeKalb County Schools and Fernbank Science Center last year was settled last month, according to a report by WSBTV. KiKi Finch, the owner of Happy Times Childcare, filed the lawsuit after she and a group of 11 black students were kicked out of a picnic area at the science center in September 2010. Finch told WSBTV last year that "it was definitely racial discrimination" because minutes after they were asked to leave the area, she saw a group of white students eating there. The DeKalb County School System owns the science center. For more from Finch and a statement from a DeKalb County Schools spokesperson, visit the WSBTV website.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The day's top headlines for Tuesday, October 25, 2011.
Police Major: 'I Don't Want People Living In Fear' Security Increases At Chamblee High After Rash Of Break-ins. Dunwoody City Council Looks At Purchasing Nearly 42 Acres Of Land. Mount Paran-Northside Meeting On Tuesday Night. Live Blogging From Avondale Estates' Candidate Forum. District 6 Candidates To Speak Tuesday Night. 'American Idol' Winner To Perform At Macy's Christmas Tree Lighting. Safety Tips For Trick-or-Treaters.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The day's top headlines for Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Atkinson To Focus On Students, Makes Changes Across System. Riverwood Audit Shows Several Areas Of Concern. Police Investigating Wednesday Morning Bank Robbery. Patch Profile: State Rep. Ed Lindsey Tucker Native Making An Impact At Stanford. Hundreds Celebrate Xerona Clayton Way.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
An introduction letter to the community
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
The following letter was sent to members of the DeKalb County School System community: Dear DeKalb Parents, Staff, Students, and Community Members: Today begins a new chapter in the history of the DeKalb County School District (DCSD), and it is a privilege for me to be part of the legacy. I am honored the Board of Education has entrusted me to focus our District’s efforts on student success, and I am confident that by working together we can reach our goal. In the next few days, I will provide the Board with a 90-day transition plan to fully assess the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of the District. I will use those first 90 days to listen and learn from the community, parents, teachers and principals. My plan is to visit …
Monday, August 29, 2011
Druid Hills BOE member voted no
Finally, the DeKalb County School System has a new superintendent. In a 6-3 vote, Cheryl Atkinson, the lone finalist remaining in the superintendent search, was named to the top spot of the roughly 100,000 student district. Atkinson, the current superintendent of the Lorain, Ohio school district, will officially take the reins Sept. 15. Donald McChesney, the district two representative, voted against hiring Atkinson. McChesney represents Briar Vista Elementary School, Fernbank Elementary School, Druid Hills Middle School and Druid Hills High School, among other neighboring schools. Other board members that voted with McChesney included district one representative Nancy Jester and district 8 representative Pamela Speaks. Jester said she is …
juanita driggs
11:45 am on Saturday, February 23, 2013
If the Governor was astute and given the political realities of this case, I'm not sure he is astute, he'd wait to hear the outcome of DeKalb School Board's court challenge to the law that appears to give him authority to remove an entire school board. What's the harm in waiting for the court to decide? It's much like the hotly contested Clifton Ridge development in Druid HIlls. Let the courts … more ›