The city’s Cheryl Burnette noted during this evening’s city commission meeting that the list of beers for this year’s craft beer festival is already available on the festival’s website.

And so it is.

Renfroe’s Science Department Chair, Kris Webb, points out that Renfroe’s 8th grade and Oakhurst’s 2nd grade each won Superintendent’s Distinguished Achievement Awards for CRCT scores this past year.

Oakhurst’s second grade class won for ranking 8th out of all Georgia schools in % of students that exceeded the standard in Reading (85.9%).

Renfroe’s eight grade class won for ranking 9th out of all Georgia schools in % of students that exceeded the standard in Science  (41.2%)

Webb gives a bit more detail on Renfroe’s achievement…

I teach 8th grade science and we received an achievement award for being in the top 10 schools in the state for 8th grade science CRCT scores in the “exceed” category. 48% of our students met the standards and 41% of our 8th grade science students exceeded the standards. Only 10% of our students did not meet the standards. These results includes our students with disabilities. I am so proud of all the students!

I want the community to know that Renfroe teachers are committed to high achievement and we try extremely hard to make our classes interactive, engaging, memorable and standards-based. 8th grade science is a lab-based class and you won’t see our students bored, sitting at their desks, or constantly reading a textbook. They are up out of their seats doing experiments and activities constantly…CSD is great!

Nice work!

How did this happen?

One of the agenda items on the docket for tonight’s city commission meeting is providing up to $10,000 to the DeKalb History Center so it can put a new roof on the Swanton House.  While $5,000 is already included in this year’s budget, the city manager recommends that the commission give the DeKalb History Center a $5,000 advance on next year to cover the $10,000.

After reading this I was genuinely shocked that the DHC has to approach the city to come up with enough money to put such a critical item like NEW ROOF on the oldest building in the city . Here’s how the executive director of the DeKalb History Center, Melissa Forgey, describes it in a note to the city manager (page 13)…

“We are asking for a greater amount this year so that we can replace the wood shingle roof on the Swanton House; this type of shingle now has a very short life-span.  It is in great disrepair, continues to leak and is an eyesore to the neighbors.”

There are few things more threatening to a historic home than a failing roof.  And though it no longer sits at its original location, it’s upsetting to me that the city’s oldest building (circa 1825) has such extensive structural problems and the DHC has to go to the city for assistance.  Why is no one else acting on this?  Where are the hardcore preservationists? The Historic Preservation Commission? The Preservation Alliance?  Is there really no public desire for conserving such an important city landmark?

From DeKalb History Center Executive Director Melissa Forgey…

“All Roads Lead to DeKalb” – October 13, 2009 to January 15, 2010

Tuesdays – Fridays from 10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

Temporary Exhibit Room – Old Courthouse on the Square, 1st Floor

101 East Court Square Decatur, Georgia 30030

Decatur – Back by popular demand! If you missed this two-day exhibition in May, you have another opportunity to see a small portion of the DeKalb History Center’s map collection.

DHC has over 300 maps, which document the development of DeKalb County over the past two centuries. This show features high quality scans of many large maps ranging from 1900 – 1999. These full size reproductions represent the entire county and many cities and neighborhoods including Tucker, Brookhaven Estates, Druid Hills, Atlanta, Stone Mountain and Decatur. Original maps, including a Sanborn Map and a 1915 DeKalb Atlas, will be included.

Stop in for a brief glimpse into this fascinating and extensive collection. Some maps are available for immediate purchase; additional selections can be made available upon request.

The City Schools of Decatur often prides itself on the many things that make it stand out from other Atlanta and Georgia school systems; charter status, teacher retention, a nationally renowned walk/bike-to-school program, just to name a few.

But there’s at least one unique characteristic that the school system wished it could shake – it’s quite possibly the only school system in the state of Georgia that doesn’t hold the title of it’s own buildings.

As Assistant Superintendent Thomas Van Soelen notes, “Although there may be others, we don’t know of any other Georgia school districts that do not own title to land. CSD built the buildings, maintains the property (inside and out), but cannot take advantage of opportunities that owning title offers.”

So, who owns the property?

You’ll have to look across town to City Hall for the answer.  Yep, the city holds all school titles.  Why? City Manager Peggy Merriss explains…

“The City Schools of Decatur were formed as part of the charter of the City of Decatur and do not have a charter separate from the City….the Superintendent was appointed by the Board of Education, the Board was appointed by the City Commission and the City Commission actually approved the School System budget.” This setup gave the city control of school property “so that an appointed board could not acquire or dispose of property without elected body oversight.”

All of that was fine and dandy up until about 15 years ago when Georgia added a state constitutional amendment that required that all school boards across the state be elected and all superintendents be appointed.  This statewide legislation turned the school board, which was once just an arm of Decatur’s city government into a relatively separate functioning body overnight.

However, many of the old structures of government have remained in place, among them school property title ownership.  And over the years, CSD has struggled with this awkward ownership set-up.  Van Soelen notes “CSD does not have its own Bond rating on Wall Street. Instead, we collaborate with the city in order to acquire needed capital. Even a recent example, the College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center, required an extensive process with the city in order to work with the Patillo Foundation (Early Learning Property Management). The city needed to lease us the land in order to arrange for the financial agreements with Patillo.”

So while this process has been functional in the past, with two elected boards making decisions, at times it hasn’t been all that efficient.  And that is how the upcoming renovation of 5th Avenue Elementary has brought this complicated relationship to a head.

With Decatur’s student enrollment on the rise, and the approved school reconfiguration hinged on a reopened and renovated 5th Avenue Elementary by the 2011-2012 school year, CSD’s administration and school board are more anxious than ever to acquire school property titles with hopes of speeding up the process.

Back in early September, the Superintendent sent a letter to the Mayor asking about renewing talks about CSD acquiring school titles, in the midst of the 5th Avenue renovation.  The city has responded and during tonight’s city commission meeting will discuss and vote on whether it should take a first step in rectifying this issue by transferring the 5th Avenue’s property over to the Board of Education.

However, there looks to be at least one condition the city will include if they decide to transfer the deed.

While keeping the city commission in control of school property has meant a lot more red tape for all parties over the years, it has allowed the city a final say on school development projects that have an inevitable effect on the city’s overall development pattern. So, in order to retain a voice in the development of school property, the city manager has requested that the city commission approve a zoning change from “residential” to “institutional” for the property, which would “allow the Planning Commission and City Commission in the future to hold public hearings and make recommendations and decisions about any changes to the development footprint.”

So tonight may be the night when CSD finally begins to see some resolution on this long-standing issue.  But don’t think that everything will be resolved after a vote tonight.  While the future ownership of 5th Avenue Elementary may be decided, the Superintendent and school board have been very upfront about wanting to acquire titles for ALL school property.

5th Avenue may be just a first step toward that ultimate goal.