Bulletin Board

The BOE meeting recap newsletter is shared after each regularly scheduled monthly meeting. The August Board of Education meeting was held on August 13, 2024.

Meeting Agendas:

Pre-Work Session

Work Session

Board Meeting

The recording, which includes the pre-work session, work session, regular meeting, and public comment, is available here.

Mr. James Herndon, Chair

Dr. Carmen Sulton, Vice Chair

Mrs. Jana Johnson-Davis, Board Member

Mr. Hans Utz, Board Member

Ms. Tracey Anderson, Board Member

City Schools of Decatur and the state of Georgia's first Board of Education student representative, Sophia (Sophie) D’Elena, was elected by her peers at Decatur High School in May 2024. During her campaign for office, D'Elena vowed to advocate for student needs and to make the Board of Education a valuable resource for students. As a first-generation American, Sophie understands the importance of respecting the diversity of the students in the CSD school community, which will enhance her ability to listen and respond thoughtfully and consciously. D’Elena took the oath of office on August 13, 2024, and will serve in her role for one year.

She is a Decatur High School senior, serving as co-president of Women in Technology/STEM. D’Elena is also a member of the two-time state champion cross country team and the state champion 4x8 track and field relay team. She was also the state runner-up individually in cross country. Athletics are integral to who Sophie is and have taught her discipline, hard work, and collaboration, all of which are critical qualifications for the student board of education representative.

Alicia Reno teaches 3rd-5th grade STEM/STEAM at Talley Street Upper Elementary School and was selected as our City Schools of 2024 Decatur Teacher of the Year. She then went to the state and was chosen as one of the top ten finalists for the Georgia Teacher of the Year award out of 120,000 Georgia teachers. After multiple days and interviews, Alicia was selected as the first runner-up for Georgia Teacher of the Year. She now serves on several committees, including the State Superintendent’s Advisory Council, The Georgia Teacher of the Year Association, The Educational Policy Fellowship Program through the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, and an ex-officio board member of the Georgia Foundation for Public Education. She will also present Talley’s Electric House Project at the National Science Teachers Association National Conference in November.

On behalf of the board, we are pleased to welcome back our school community for the 2024-25 academic year. We share in the excitement of this new beginning and eagerly anticipate the enriching experiences that lie ahead for our students and staff. Indeed, the year is off to a fantastic start!

In addition to the success of the first two weeks of school, today marks a significant and historic occasion for the City Schools of Decatur and the state of Georgia. We are pleased to officially welcome Decatur High School senior Sophia D’Elena as the first student representative on the Board of Education, following her oath-taking at the beginning of today's board meeting.

Additionally, we acknowledge this year’s student board representative apprentice, Nia Batra, who will shadow and prepare to serve as the student board representative next year. Congratulations and a warm welcome to both of you.

During the pre-work session, we began the book study of The Governance Core by Davis Campbell and Michael Fullan. The Board invites the public to read along with us as we pursue the vision of a governance system, school board, and superintendent working together as a cohesive, unified team with a common vision driven by a shared moral imperative.

Our pre-work session ended with a discussion of our updated board communication and working norms to reflect how new policies are introduced to codify CSD’s vision and mission.

Following the pre-work session, we began the work session with highlights of our successful school opening from Deputy Superintendent Karen Newton-Scott and Jennifer Burton, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. We then heard updates from Chief Information Officer Eston Melton. It was exciting to learn about the new interoperable data system that is in the works and will provide us with a deeper understanding of student outcomes.

We then learned about the state of human resources from Chief of Human Resources Adena Walker. We were ecstatic to hear that we hired fewer new teachers this year than last year, the applicant pool was larger, and that we are 100% staffed in the critical role of teachers. The board also looks forward to receiving another competitive package to review for the FY26 budget in our ongoing commitment to providing competitive salaries to attract and retain high-quality professionals for student success.

Next week, the board, Dr. Whitaker, and her executive team will convene for our Board Retreat on Tuesday, August 20, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Oakhurst Recreation Center. In addition to assisting us in enhancing our board’s governance, we will review last year’s test scores and learn more about the administration's plans for this academic year.

Welcome Back, City Schools of Decatur! This year, we welcomed over 5,500 students to CSD. I am excited about the growth and possibilities this new school year will bring!

I must begin by expressing my appreciation to our staff, who prepared diligently to ensure we were ready for day one. From our leaders, who focused on student outcomes and systems that identify barriers to their success, to our teachers, who prepped lessons that ensure student inclusivity and mastery of standards, to our support staff, who focused on safety and excellence, and to our community, who wrapped their arms around our scholars: thank you, thank you, thank you.

One of my favorite events in preparation for this school year was the Back2School Bash at Decatur High School on Thursday, July 18, from 4-7 p.m., where we served over 500 students. The Back2School Bash planning co-chairs were staff members Chanel Huff-Cox and Brittany Stewart, who did a fantastic job organizing all the event details.

The bash was a great example of what it means to be "All In" for the students and families of Decatur. Thank you to all the sponsors and vendors who partnered with us on this event. The smiles and excitement on the students' faces were genuinely heartwarming, reminding us of the importance of our work and the impact we strive to create for our students' success.

Many services were provided, from backpacks to immunizations, sports physicals, haircuts, and more, along with the support of community organizations and CSD departments. The Back2School Bash set a positive tone for this school year and strengthened the sense of community within our school district. Thank you to board member Dr. Jana Johnson-Davis for attending and to everyone who contributed to the event's success.

As staff prepared for our students, this governance team also prepared. During the May board retreat, the board provided feedback on The Board Management Oversight Process or BMOP. The purpose of the BMOP is to provide transparency to the public regarding upcoming board presentations in alignment with the strategic accelerators of the All In Decatur strategic plan, budget and policy calendars, community meetings, and board retreats. The BMOP is available on the Board of Education page on the CSD website and Simbli for public review.

Like our families, we have eagerly anticipated the release of the 2023-24 Georgia Milestone Assessment System or GMAS scores. On Friday, July 26, 2024, the Georgia Department of Education released spring 2024's GMAS results, which included assessments in Social Studies, Science, and English Language Arts (ELA).

We are pleased to announce that the students of City Schools of Decatur demonstrated significant progress overall, surpassing the state average in most grades for these subjects. Notably, there were substantial gains among Black students, particularly in ELA for grades 3, 5, 6, and 7, and in Social Studies and Science for grades 5 and 8. Our upcoming board retreat on Tuesday, August 20, will delve into these outcomes along with the MAP, AP, and IB scores from the spring of 2024.

It is important to remember that the district will use a new reporting scale for all mathematics assessments due to the introduction of new math standards and assessments last school year. Consequently, mathematics end-of-grade and end-of-course algebra assessment results are not yet available. The state expects to release them in September.

This summer, we also received news that the State Board of Education approved a one-time $1,000 custodian supplement. This supplement recognized the increased services and support required to maintain clean and safe environments for students and staff. The one-time $1,000 supplement will be issued to all full-time CSD custodians employed when the payment is made on August 30, 2024.

As I close, I want to remind students and families that the deadline to apply for the 2024-25 Superintendent's Student Advisory Councils for all grades, Kindergarten through 12, is Thursday, August 15, at 5 p.m. Students may find more information about these councils and apply for them on the Student Launchpad. All of the Superintendent’s Advisory Councils will kick off in September. This year, the PTO Council will expand to include Decatur Performs and Decatur Booster.

Finally, I must congratulate Claire, the Clairemont Mascot winner of this year's first Mascot Race during the opening DHS football game. What a fun way to start the season!

Another first this year will be the launch of my Soup with the Supe, which will begin at College Heights. This monthly event, where yes, I will serve soup, allows me to engage informally with teachers in schools throughout the academic year.

Additionally, I will host three listening sessions this fall. The first will be held virtually on October 14, and the second session will be held in person on October 23 at Talley Street Elementary. I will also host a listening session on October 29 at the Decatur Housing Authority Community Resource Center.

Dr. Lonita Broome, Chief Financial Officer, presented information regarding audit finding 2023-001 the district received during the fiscal year 2023 audit. Dr. Broome also presented the required corrective action plan that must be submitted to the State Board of Education.

Per the official code of Georgia annotated section 20-2-67, the Department of Audits and Accounts must designate a risk level for each school system. School systems with irregularities or budget deficits reported for one or two consecutive years are classified as moderate risk. With this designation, the superintendent must submit a detailed corrective action plan regarding the risk status to the State Board of Education. The corrective action plan shall include detailed and specific changes to the internal control structure of the school system that are designed to reduce the risk status of the district from moderate risk. The corrective action plan is required to be presented to the board of education at a regular board meeting, approved, and signed by the majority of the board.

Audit Finding

Internal controls were not sufficient to detect misstatements in the reporting of the school district’s intergovernmental receivables and revenue associated with certain funding arrangements in FY23.

Corrective Action Plan

Incorporate stronger internal controls into grant management to ensure the amounts reported as receivables and unavailable revenues are appropriate and properly valued with generally accepted accounting principles.

The Board unanimously approved the following consent items:

• June Financial Report School Nutrition Fund

• June Financial Reports

• July Personnel Report

• Landscaping Maintenance Services: EarthCare Landscaping (RFP 21-001)

• General Contracting Services: CGS, LLC (RFP 21-006)

• Custodian Services: Environmental Service Partners (RFP 22-007)

• Plumbing Services: J2 Connect, Inc. (RFP 23-003)

• Plumbing Services: K.E.G. Plumbing and Mechanical, Inc. (RFP 23-003)

• Services: Maxair Mechanical, LLC (RFP 23-004)

• HVAC Services: Mechanical Services, Inc. (RFP 23-004)

• Low Voltage Services: RB Communications, Inc. (RFP 23-006)

• Fire Alarm and Fire Suppression Services: Cliff’s Fire Extinguisher Company (RFP 23-005)

• Low Voltage Services: Electrical Contractor Incorporated (23-006)

• Infinite Campus License (Sole Source)

• Renaissance Learning License (Sole Source)

• EL Education (Sole Source)

• Communities in Schools (Sole Source)

The Board unanimously approved all land, legal, and personnel items discussed in Executive Session on August 13, 2024.

The Board extended Dr. Whitaker’s contract with the City Schools of Decatur through June 30, 2027, including a raise in line with and equal to the rest of CSD personnel.

The Board unanimously approved for the superintendent to execute an intergovernmental facilities use agreement with the City of Decatur for afterschool programs at the elementary schools in the City Schools of Decatur.

Representatives from the City Schools of Decatur have worked together to develop a formal agreement for afterschool programming that benefits both parties and eliminates uncertainty in roles and responsibilities.

The City Commission considered this intergovernmental agreement for afterschool programming at its August 5 meeting and authorized the City Manager to enter into the agreement.

The Board unanimously approved one policy:

• Policy JCEC - Student Demonstrations and Strikes

Policies discussed at the Work Session are available for public comment:

• Policy GAHRB - Paid Parental Leave

• Policy EDC - Transportation Safety

• Policy GCRA(1) - Drug Screening of Bus Drivers

• Policy JGCD - Medication

Next Regular Board Meeting: The next regular board meeting will be Tuesday, September 10, 2024.

Other Upcoming Meetings:

• Board Fall Retreat - Tuesday, August 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Oakhurst Recreation Center

• Board Community Meeting - Wednesday, September 18, 6:30 p.m. at Oakhurst Elementary

Link to Join Board Meeting Virtually: https://csdecatur.zoom.us/j/95614159391

Board Agenda(s): Go to Simbli to access the CSD Board of Education meeting agenda(s), supporting documents, and meeting minutes.

Public Comments: Click here for information on signing up to speak at a CSD Board meeting.

Contacting Board Members: Email the entire Board at board@csdecatur.net. Click here to view board member bios and contact information.

The Board values hearing from members of our community. Each Board member reviews and reads all emails sent by our stakeholders.

Georgia law governs school boards, and they cannot intervene in the day-to-day administrative operations of the school district, including direct staff and personnel matters. If you write to us with a concern about district operations, your message will be forwarded to the school or district administrator, who can best address your concern.

The Board has also adopted a set of norms that govern our local communication protocols. These include:

1. Emails to individual Board members are shared with the entire Board.

2. Issues and concerns received by the Board and or individual members will be referred to the Superintendent.

3. Board members will follow the chain of command and will educate, instruct, and encourage others to do the same.

4. The Board Chair will reply to emails from constituents sent to all board members. That reply will include the Superintendent and other Board members on the thread and inform the constituent that the Superintendent or their designee will respond to the inquiry/request.

5. Direct all stakeholders’ questions, input, or discussion to the Superintendent, who will communicate them as needed to the Board.

Email: board@csdecatur.net
Website: csdecatur.net
Location: 125 Electric Avenue, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: (404) 371-3601