School Board Delays Vote on Changes to Austin, Vanderlyn, Chesnut, Dunwoody Elementary Schools

The Dekalb school board delayed a vote Monday that could affect attendance lines for Dunwoody's elementary's schools in the 2018-2019 school year.

The vote was delayed until Jan. 7 - a change that was spurred by parent outcry across the district and concern about the changes. The board could finalize the changes at a Jan. 23 meeting.

The changes in the Dunwoody cluster revolve around the demolition and reconstruction of Austin Elementary as part of the new SPLOST.

A larger Austin Elementary School for 900 students would siphon more than 350 students from the Vanderlyn school district.

The school attendance line shift would also affect the Dunwoody Elementary School footprint to include a net change of around 200 students with Chesnut Elementary School, according to the proposal.

The school board vote on Jan. 7 is to open up the proposal for public comment. The proposal will also be brought to Dunwoody High School Jan. 16 to discuss the cluster's proposed changes.

After the public information sessions, the working draft will be put into final form for the Board's approval on Jan. 23. That document will be sent to the Georgia Department of Education for its initial review.

The "proposed school organization" records the schools a school district expects to operate in the coming years. The document is the basis for a so-called "Local Five-Year Facility Plan." The plan is attached to this article.

The plan provides the district's reasoning to receive money for the state for capital improvements. Currently, the school district is eligible to receive up to $40 million in additional funds if the state affects the plan.

People are being encouraged to email ideas, comments and suggestions to proposed-org@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us.