School Board Retreats to Stone Mountain

The Decatur School Board is not going far for its annual retreat -- and it's not paying much.

The board will meet in the Maple Room at the Marriott Evergreen Conference Resort at 4021 Lakeview Drive in Stone Mountain, starting at at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26.

The retreat starts again at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, and is scheduled to end late in the afternoon. The meeting is open to the public.

The school board members and administrators will not stay overnight. Thomas Van Soelen, assistant superintendent, said the Stone Mountain location was chosen to reduce costs.

The total cost of food, room rental and equipment for the two days is $3,629, according to the school system's response to Patch's open records request. However, the response did not mention any payments to experts who will speak to the board.

The agenda for the retreat shows the board will hear from several consultants.

On Friday, Billy Johnson of the Georgia School Board Association will talk about "Roles and Responsibilities of the School Board." Mike Bryan or Jan Wansley will talk about the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/AdvancedED. Deb Page of Willing Learner Inc. will speak on "Thinking Ahead -- Leading 21st Century Schools."

ON Saturday morning, George Thompson of the Schlecty Center will speak on "Creating Board Norms for Governance of 21st Century Schools."

Later in the day the board will talk about strategic goals and "Planning Meaningful Work for the Board in Support of the Strategic Plan." Finally, Superintendent Phyllis Edwards will debrief the board and talk about the next steps.