The City Schools of Decatur just forwarded this letter from Superintendent Phyllis Edwards…

Dear City of Decatur Community,

In the fall of 2012 the City Schools of Decatur Board of Education charged me with developing a Master Plan to address continued growth in student enrollment. The beginnings of planning started this past winter with principals and instructional personnel to develop program and space needs, taking into consideration requirements from the Department of Education.

The Master Plan will take many steps and there will be many modifications before the CSD Board of Education makes decisions on any specific structures. At the April 2, 2013 Board of Education meeting, the Board will choose whether to accept the work completed by the consultant to date.

We intend to present the plan in multiple sessions after spring break. It is necessary to have some form of conceptual plans and costs before seeking input from a broader group.

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Oakhurst, Decatur GA (pic submitted by Anne)

 

CSD is currently projecting 1,891 students enrolled at Decatur High School and 1,666 at Renfroe Middle School by 2018.  If these numbers came to fruition, it means that a major renovation must take place at Decatur High School and Renfroe Middle School before then to accommodate all these upper-level students.

The Decatur School Board is scheduled to vote this Tuesday on a renovation plan for both schools.  (In terms of K-3, CSD now believes it can accommodate K-3 students through 2018 with Westchester reopening and the following new assumptions: that there WON’T be a large-scale annexation in that period and that they “maximize capacity” instead of attempting to meet GA DOE requirements.)

Three options are currently on the table for DHS and Renfroe – as you can see in this giant Master Plan presentation - with the administration currently favoring option #3.

For DHS (renovation timeline 2014-2017) Option #3 includes the following features, among others:

• accommodates 95% of the projected students enrolled
• repurposes the career academy and the main building
• main building renovations are delayed until Phase II
• three floor addition added to commons building

For Renfroe (renovation timeline 2014-2015) Option #3 includes the following features, among others:

• accommodates 90% of all the of projected students enrolled
• only renovates the kitchen and cafeteria in Phase 1
• Expands the gym
• Phase 2 would demolish the existing Middle School and provide an entirely new facility.

To pay for these huge renovations, costing upwards of $58 million, the CSD administration states that there is no other option but to hold a bond referendum on November 5th.

h/t: Patch

It’s no April Fools joke.  Or if it is, it’s likely to incense a whole lot of folks!  FM Fats points out that today, King of Pops is giving out free pops at all locations courtesy of MailChimp for it’s 3-year anniversary.

Don’t believe me?  Check out their Facebook page!

Fats points out that the Decatur Square location’s hours are 12p-8p.  That’s confirmed on KOP’s website.

Photo courtesy of KOP’s Facebook Page.