$58 Million Approved To Renovate Decatur High, Renfroe Middle

The Decatur School Board dropped the idea of building a whole new middle school.

The Decatur School Board voted Tuesday night to approve a master plan for renovating Decatur High and Renfroe Middle schools. The building project will be financed with $58 million in general obligation bonds. A referendum will be held Nov 5. This board voted for a plan that doesn't call for construction of a new Renfroe Middle, which was one of the options considered. Patch emailed Board Chairman Marc Wisniewski and asked how the board came to a decision. He said by email that the board discussed enrollment projections (the student bodies are expected to double in five years at those schools), decided they were accurate and went from there. Having affirmed the enrollment, we then focused on our formally receiving the master plan report.  …

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Ralph Ellis

9:00 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013

Good decision?   more ›

Should Decatur Schools Move Ahead With $58 Million Project?

The Decatur School Board meets Tuesday and the superintendent is asking for guidance on the next move.

Decatur Schools Superintendent Phyllis Edwards is asking for advice about how to proceed with a $58 million plan to renovate Decatur High and rebuild Renfroe Middle School. In the agenda for the Tuesday school board meeting that's posted online, Edwards doesn't make a recommendation about what the board should do. Instead she writes, "At this time we are seeking direction from the school board. If we are to move forward with seeking a GO [general obligation] bond, there are many additional steps that must be taken before a November 2013 vote." The board had already delayed a decision once. A vote was scheduled for April 2 but Edwards got a delay to allow more public input. Commenters on Decatur Patch and Decatur Metro had complained they …

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Glenn Carroll

9:50 am on Monday, May 13, 2013

Never mind on my previous optimistic note! Despite the tone attributed to Dr. Edwards in this article, she, unfortunately, wrote an e-mail to a Decaturite yesterday hammering on the same ole same ole, "gotta have it now can't please all the people all the time too bad for you" points. What I want to know is, what does the Board of Education, Dr. Edwards' BOSS, have to say about it? They are the …   more ›

Decatur Schools To Hold Meetings On Growth Plans

The public can offer comments at four of the master planning meetings.

The City Schools of Decatur will hold five meetings over the next two weeks to discuss growth plans for the school system. A few weeks ago the school board was set to vote on the first steps in a major renovation plan for Decatur High and Renfroe Middle, but postponed the vote the day before the meetings. Some residents complained on Patch and other online media about lack of chances for public input. Comments will be allowed at all meetings except the School Leadership Team meeting on Thursday, April 18. If the renovation plan is approved, a bond referendum would have to be held. This is the meeting schedule. Joint RMS/DHS School Leadership Team Work Session Renfroe Middle School Plan Decatur High School Plan School Superintendent Phyllis…

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Big Plans: Rebuild Renfroe Middle, Renovate Decatur High

The Decatur School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and will vote on a plan to rebuild Renfroe Middle and renovate and enlarge Decatur High. If approved, a Nov. 5 bond referendum would be held.

The Decatur School Board is scheduled to vote Tuesday night on a plan to build a brand-new Renfroe Middle School and massively renovate Decatur High. The board will consider three options, with the one favored by the administration costing about $58 million in general obligation bonds. If the board approves any of the options, a bond referendum would be held Nov. 5, 2013, according to a Power Point presentation posted on the school website. The construction and renovation would allow the school system to better handle the student enrollment boom that started in the lower grades. In 2018, Decatur High's enrollment is expected to hit 1,891 (it's now about 925) and Renfroe 1,666 (783), according to plans on the school system website. If the …

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Glenn Carroll

10:56 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013

I spoke with a friend who has a child at Renfroe. She receives the monthly e-blasts and researched them for me. The first mention of the so-called master plan was April 10, more than a week after the off-schedule meeting where it had originally been planned to be put to a vote. Thank goodness for Decatur Patch which alerted us!! So, hey, the school board is doing a good job of catch-up on its …   more ›

Decatur School Board To Vote on Reopening Westchester

The school system needs to turn the Westchester Building back into an elementary school to handle growing enrollment.

The Decatur School Board will meet in the Westchester administrative complex on Tuesday and vote on a resolution to convert the building back into an elementary school. The board decided months ago to turn the Scott Boulevard building into a K-3 school for the 2014-15 school year. The resolution is required in the state-required approval process. Westchester is being put back into action as a school because enrollment has grown so rapidly in recent years, especially in the lower grades. The resolution says the system expects to add about 398 students per year over the next five years. Enrollment at the start of the 2012-13 school year was 3,584. The system projects enrollment for the 2016-17 school year will be 5,236. The administrative …

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Renfroe MS PTA auction and dinner on March 15

While all proceeds are dedicated to funding programs, events and classroom items to benefit students, a specific portion will go to school beautification projects to enhance curb appeal.

Renfroe Middle Wants to Talk More About Coping With Loss

Parents are invited to a coffee chat 8-9 a.m. Tuesday at the school.

Renfroe Middle School will hold a second coffee chat about helping children deal with loss. The chat will be held 8-9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, in the school media center. All parents are welcome to attend. Dr. Sunaina Jain with Pathways Transition Programs will assist in the program. Administrators hae been helping Renfroe Middle and Decatur High students cope with the Oct. 29 death of Stacey Daniel, an English teacher at Renfroe. The program will also address other kinds of loss, such as divorce, moving and death of a pet. The school system says Jain will talk about celebrating life while honoring grief during the holiday season. The first coffee chat on loss was held Nov. 16.

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Ralph Ellis

8:56 am on Friday, December 14, 2012

Thanks for organizing this, Renfroe administrators.   more ›

Decatur Student Performs On YouTube To Help Music Program

Listen to Decatur High student Matt Thornton play some songs and then make an online donation to benefit the Renfroe Middle School music program.

Matt Thornton, a Decatur High student, came up with a novel way to raise money for the Renfroe Middle School chorus program. His mother, Terri Thornton, explains. He started a YouTube channel to raise the raise funds for the chorus at Renfroe Middle School. He posts songs on YouTube with a message encouraging viewers to donate to the RMS music program, directed by Monica Nelson.  There's a link on the YouTube page so people can donate through PayPal or credit/debit cards. The funds go to the Renfroe PTA PayPal account, so donations are tax deductible. The channel has only been live a few days and more than 100 people have viewed it. He'll continue to upload more material - probably a new song about once a week.   This is part of his IB …

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Renfroe Middle Wants to Talk About Coping With Loss

Parents are invited to a coffee chat 8-9 a.m. Friday at the Renfroe Middle School media center.

Students and parents in the City Schools of Decatur are still recovering from the sudden death of Stacey Daniel, a Renfroe Middle School teacher. The school system sent out this message a few days ago. This Friday, Renfroe Middle School is hosting a coffee chat which we hope will help parents help their children cope with loss. We welcome all CSD parents to attend this coffee chat. Dr. Sunaina Jain with Pathways Transition Programs will join us to talk about helping your child through all kinds of loss: the trauma of losing someone they care about due to death, the loss inherent in moving, divorce, death of a pet, etc. Friday, November 16, 2012 8:00-9:00 AM in the RMS Media Center.

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Global Water Crisis Inspires Renfroe Middle Concert

The concert will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at Renfroe Middle School in Decatur. Proceeds will purchase individual water filters for children in developing nations.