DeKalb Voters Say No to Cell Towers on School Property

The non-binding resolution – part of Tuesday's primary – will have no legal bearing on whether the school system places towers on school properties.

DeKalb County voters said Tuesday they don't want cell phone towers on public school properties. In a nonbinding resolution – part of Tuesday's primary election – more than 60 percent of residents voted no to the question: "Should the local or independent school system of DeKalb County or a charter school in DeKalb County place or operate a telecommunications tower on any elementary, middle or high school property?" Of 114,804 votes counted early Wednesday morning, "No" took 71,690 votes – all preliminary returns. More than 5,000 absentee ballots had yet to be counted. The resolution will have no legal bearing on whether the DeKalb County School System continues to pursue construction of cell phone towers on school property. The school …

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Knott Telling

11:15 pm on Monday, September 3, 2012

Thank you for your perspective, Mr. Trinkle. It appears you did take the time to go beyond the newspaper article and see for yourself what the FCC actually said. Very logical approach on your part. It seems likely that you are also aware of the principle of inverse squares as it relates to radiation, which is the reason that the strength of a tower signal, by the time it even reaches the base of …   more ›

DeKalb's School Budget Deficit: What Would You Do?

The DeKalb County School System is facing an $85-million deficit that's forced the school board to make some tough decisions.

The DeKalb School board is set to vote on a budget Wednesday, and that budget is going to cut deeply into district programs. The district is considering an array of cuts, like eliminating transportation to magnet programs, cutting a district supplement to pre-kindergarten programs, gutting funding for the popular Fernbank Science Center and eliminating extra teachers in magnet programs. Here are the big issues: Below is an explanation of some of the high-profile cuts the district is proposing. They aren't the biggest cuts, but they've received quite a bit of attention from county residents. Be sure and vote in our poll about how you would go about balancing the budget. And leave us some comments. Pre-kindergarten The district could save $2…

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The Museum School of Avondale Celebrates New Digs

DeKalb charter school begins new chapter.

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Parents Revolt Against DeKalb School Calendar Changes to Summer Break

The DeKalb County School System is backing off proposed plans to curtail summer vacation next year after heavily negative polling response.

Parents of children in the DeKalb County school system have spoken, and one thing is abundantly clear. Don't mess with our summer vacation. The DeKalb system has backed off its plans to spread the summer vacation out across the year more because it irritated plenty of parents who claimed they already planned their vacations. From an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story: The idea, officials say, was to limit students' loss of knowledge over the long summer and to give teachers more development time each week. "I heard clearly from teachers ... that they wanted some time," Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson said Wednesday. She also heard clearly from parents who didn't want to give that time, at least not next year. Nearly 37,000 people responded …

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Ms.

4:03 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012

"like your belief that all parents who responded to the survey are living in luxury and are solely worried about vacation times, voting in some selfish way against their childrens' interests and against needy parents who want free state supervision of their children." You have serious problems with reading comprehension. I never said all parents, I mentioned the parents that were concerned about …   more ›

Korean Indie Flick Wraps Up Filming at Forrest Hills Elementary

Shuttered school building plays host to film, "Papa."

Forrest Hills Elementary is the backdrop for another movie, this time a Korean indie film. Crews set up and began filming "Papa" earlier this week. On Wednesday, film workers took down the Forrest Hills Elementary name and replaced it with "One Child Welfare Facility." Forrest Hills Elementary is a shuttered DeKalb County school on Forrest Boulevard in the unincorporated DeKalb section of Decatur. The school closed several years ago but it has already played host to scenes from the film, "Odd Life of Timothy Green," starring Jennifer Garner. Though few details exist about the film, the website Stomp and Stammer said film crews have been filming around Atlanta recently but will wrap up soon. CL Casting in Atlanta also was seeking extras for…

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Daily 10

Daily PatchCast: Atkinson Promises Change, Sandy Springs Bank Robbery, Xerona Clayton Dedication

The day's top headlines for Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Atkinson To Focus On Students, Makes Changes Across System. Riverwood Audit Shows Several Areas Of Concern. Police Investigating Wednesday Morning Bank Robbery. Patch Profile: State Rep. Ed Lindsey Tucker Native Making An Impact At Stanford. Hundreds Celebrate Xerona Clayton Way.

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Superintendent Finalist to Take Questions Through Website

Cheryl Atkinson will give her answers at the Saturday Meet and Greet.

By Leslie Johnson Do you have a question you want Cheryl Atkinson, the finalist to become the DeKalb Schools Superintendent, to answer at a Saturday morning Meet and Greet? Through noon on Friday, Aug. 26, you should go to a live link the DeKalb County School System set up for stakeholders to present questions to Atkinson. The school system website said "stakeholders will also have an opportunity to submit questions at the event. Cards will be distributed from 8:45 AM–9:45 a.m. on Saturday, August 27, 2011. Due to the number of questions anticipated, not all questions will be answered. There will be an attempt during the session to address as many questions as possible." Atkinson will attend the Meet and Greet at 10 a.m. Saturday at the …

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DeKalb School Board Passes $475M SPLOST Resolution

DeKalb County voters will be able to vote on the proposal in November.

8:45: Discussion about the SPLOST IV proposal begins. Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson is asking the board to approve the $475 million list. 8:47: Discussion of Henderson Mill and Hawthorne elementary being combined. That's not possible, Tyson said. She reviewed a series of changes to the initial proposal from several weeks ago. All documents can be found on the school system's website here. 8:49: Referndum would be in November 2011. A 1 cent sales tax, a school district official said. Resolution with City of Decatur Schools and Atlanta Public Schools. Will continue SPLOST for additional five years. 8:51: Board member Nancy Jester asks for ammendment. Wants language changed referencing a future Dunwoody elementary school. Board …

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International Community School Seeks New Home; Wants Avondale Middle

The local charter school wants to consolidate both its locations into one

Avondale Middle School hasn't even closed yet and already, it has a charter school suitor. The International Community School on the fringes of Avondale Estates is looking at consolidating two campuses into one building. The charter school has its eyes on Avondale Middle, that is, if the vacant Forrest Hills Elementary building doesn't become available to them either. With two campuses - including one in Stone Mountain on James B. Rivers Drive, the school serves 400 Kindergarten to sixth grade students from more than 40 countries. The main campus operates in Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church. "We are talking to the DeKalb County School System about some options they have on HB 555 that says school districts should rent or lease …

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Bill Introduced Would Let Voters Decide DeKalb School Board Size

DeKalb voters may get the option to choose school board size under proposed bill

A bill introduced Friday in the General Assembly would give DeKalb voters the option of choosing a five-, seven- or nine-member school board in a November referendum. No countywide elections are currently scheduled this year, according to the DeKalb County Elections Division. There is a possibility of a sales tax referendum – referred to as a SPLOST -- for education, but that hasn’t been set, the department said. Currently, DeKalb has nine school board members but its size has come under fire by parents and other voters. “DeKalb does have municipal elections this year, in its cities, and there could be other elections throughout the county as well,” said state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur), the school board bill’s sponsor. “I’m …

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