Report: DeKalb Schools Closed Doors To Meeting

Parents were stunned to be locked out of a DeKalb Schools meeting called Wednesday to respond to allegations of mismanagement by an oversight body levied by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, reports the AJC.

One parent was baffled that the board opened the doors to the board room to declare that the discussion would not be public, according to the report.

SACS had recently sent a letter to DeKalb Schools regarding money allegedly overspent on lawyers and other mismanagement, sources said.

The school dstrict struggled mightily to pass a budget this summer that included an $85-milllion deficit. The budget was finally passed in late July and included teacher cuts.

The cuts to teachers was planned to be achieved through attrition and retirements. That didn't happen at the rate the board had planned and the it backed off some staff layoffs.

SACS has said that there are concerns about accreditation standards for the school district, which has been under review by SACS for more than a year.