Letter from Superintendent: “We Are at the Beginning Stages” of Master Plan
Decatur Metro | April 1, 2013The 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.
Even after these meetings, additional steps and time must be taken before a CSD Master Plan moves to the level of actuality. For example, these projects would need to be financed through General Obligation Bonds (GO Bonds) which must be voted on by the citizens of the City of Decatur. If the vote for GO Bonds is positive, the design phase will commence and input sessions will be held by the commissioned architect and builder.
Thinking back to the original Decatur High School Campus Master Plan for the Performing Arts Center, Gymnasium and Stadium, the conceptual drawings were changed and altered as the project became a reality. A similar pattern will be followed during this next necessary phase of Master Planning to accommodate our growing student enrollment.
All Board of Education Meetings and Work Sessions are open to the public and publicized. The Board’s intent is to use the consultant’s plan to begin a dialogue, and there will be opportunities for public comment online as well as in person.
Master Planning is a long process, and we are at the beginning stages. We appreciate the community’s support and patience as we prepare to accommodate our growing student enrollment within the confines of our existing campuses. If you have a question or a comment, please contact us at contact_us@csdecatur.net .
Sincerely,
Dr. Phyllis A. Edwards,
Superintendent
excuse me, i speak “administration”:
1. hold your water, the road ahead is long.
2. the Illuminati have not infiltrated the Board of Education–meetings are open to the public.
3. we’ve done this before. chillax, k?
Amen.
This probably means a raise in property taxes to the already EXORBITANT property taxes we pay.
meanwhile, Atlanta and Dekalb County schools are in turmoil, and Paidea costs $20,000/yr.
pick your poison
I strongly suspect that the vote scheduled for tomorrow night will seal the footprint. Details can and will change but building placements will lock in. Postpone the vote. In the case of Renfroe, the MAK district must be a true participant in the process. MAK is on the National Historical registry. Options 2 and 3 will devastate this treasure. When there are so many options available we need to stop and talk before we ruin the character of this important neighborhood.
“At the April 2, 2013 Board of Education meeting, the Board will choose whether to accept the work completed by the consultant to date.”
I’m not sure what this means – about to send out an email to our board members, but figured I’d ask out loud here too. Does this mean they must vote to accept the work of the consultant in order to pay him for the work? If so then fine.
If the vote means anything more than that, such as acceptance of his recommendations as a guideline, then i’d suggest they question the assumptions, reopen consideration of the plan they were discussing only a month ago (replace the old Renfroe gym with classrooms), and get _some_ community input (some better than none) before going down this road. Because this road, particularly plan 3, is a dead end.
That was my main question as well, though I’ve yet to ask it. The wording in the agenda item is slightly different.
Let us know what you hear back.
I’m interested too. But why does business have to happen so much behind the scenes whether it be by emails or in person conversations with CSD or the Board? Why can’t we use the open mechanisms we have like School Leadership Teams for early, early, early conversations? SLTs originally were supposed to have community members, not sure what they have now in their watered down versions. Why does it always have to be action, angry reaction? Why can’t the conversations with the school and outside communities not be early and pro-active?
In tracing through the meeting minutes and other materials on the eboard site, this process has largely been open and transparent since last Fall. It wasn’t well publicized, but it is all out there, not done in secret. The master plan draft was available at least as early as December 5th.
However, “plan 3″ has only been available to the public since March 19th when it was presented at a work session. So that part is a rush job, and I’m hoping that the board is not planning on endorsing that specific plan tonight.
The e-Blast I just got says, “The Superintendent requests that the Board tables the Master Plan action item until the May 14 Board meeting.”
The DHS and RMS school leadership teams are doing a joint work session on the master plan on April 18 at 4 pm at the DHS media center. From the Eblast:
Decatur High School and Renfroe Middle School will host a joint School Leadership Team Work Session on the development of City Schools of Decatur Master Plan to accommodate rising enrollment and future capacity needs for both Decatur and Renfroe. All parents are welcome to listen as Project Manager, Jeff Prine, and CSD Director of Facilities, Jason Ware, discuss plans for the future development of the Master Plan.
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Decatur High School Media Center
***Please note this is an informational worksession for the Renfroe Middle School and Decatur High School SLTs. The presentation is a public meeting, but there will not be time for public comment. The City Schools of Decatur will be hosting a Community Forum regarding the Master Plan at a later date.***
Seriously, can we stop paying consultants?
Nellie, we’ll need to study that…
Besides offering narrow specialized services, consultants also make a great scapegoats for decision makers. That’s probably their most valuable specialized service.
This is SO true. Darn consultants, they didn’t count the children right!
By the way, the new leadership in DeKalb County is getting rid of the balanced calendar because of strong opposition to it among families. While I’ve definitely found the calendar useful at certain points, I have never felt that the vacation benefits outweighed the staccato nature of the schedule and the odd timing for working parents.
I gotta disagree, the Arriba household LOVES the schedule as-is.
Having the mountains to yourself in Feb, and the beach/Disney to yourself in Sept is awesome.
Two months of summer and two weeks at Christmas is plenty and gets those minds back to work.
The important thing to keep in mind is that any calendar presents opportunities and challenges for different folks. That diversity of opinion and circumstance exists around the Decatur calendar as well.
I’m with you. I love it. And, at least right now, folks of similar mind are setting the tone for decision making. But you never know when those of contrary opinion will get squeakier and their wheel will get greased in the form of a new calendar. I’m just hoping the present one lasts for four more years, because that’s when our household becomes a net contributor again!
It’s great you can afford the money and time to do that but many, many can spare neither
This is the problem with the calendar. Folks with the financial means and flexible careers love the breaks so that they can have mountains, beaches and Disney World and Colorado ski resorts to themselves and not be stuck sharing them with the unfortunate masses. For those who are not so fortunate as far as finances and flexibility and/or who have high schoolers who really need to work in the summers to save for college/a car, etc. have trouble with the calendar. However, right now, the multiple vacation group seems to outnumber, or at least out communicate the rest.
Multiple objective studies show that calendar doesn’t matter unless you add more days in the classroom. So, calendar doesn’t really matter. It’s just a matter of the personal preference of the folks who make the decisions.
what about less teacher burnout as an additional benefit to the current calendar? I would think teachers getting more time throughout the school year to recharge their batteries leads to happier and better teachers. I could always tell when my former teachers needed a break… Has there been any specific feedback from the teachers?
If it’s true that the calendar doesn’t matter in terms of student learning, then I think the teachers ought to get to make the call. Although it wouldn’t be surprising if opinions are divided there, too. Many of them also have families with competing needs, probably including kids enrolled in other systems with different calendars.
From I remember the teachers had much more of a voice in the current calendar than the parents.
What the research does show is that when you give students, particularly lower income students, too long of a break, they fall behind academically.