DeKalb reveals details about controversial military school

Residents on Tuesday gave DeKalb County school officials an earful about a new military public high school but, for the first time, they also got to hear directly from Superintendent Crawford Lewis about his plans.

The DeKalb Marine Corps Institute is scheduled to start classes in August at the Heritage Center off Briarcliff Road in North DeKalb. Lewis said the new school will move to another location for its second year of operation, although that site has not yet been identified.

Lewis shared some details about the school, including:

• Lewis said state education officials put the system in touch with the U.S. Marines, which is a partner in the school, and that both sides first met to talk about it on Feb. 4. Talks moved quickly; the two sides appear to be just steps from a final agreement.

• The school’s principal will be Thadeous Dixon, who Lewis introduced for the first time Tuesday. The school is also supposed to have a commandant, who Lewis did not identify by name but said was a 32-year veteran of the Marines.

• The school will hold classes on a year-round schedule, with longer breaks during the year to balance time off from classes.

• It will also feature what educators call “looping:” teachers stay with the same students or class for more than one year. In this case, Lewis indicated it would be for all four years of school. The concept is believed to increase retention, as teachers learn students’ habits and abilities and can more quickly address their needs.

• Lewis initially hoped to put the school on the old Briarcliff High School campus, a nearby property on North Druid Hills Road that a year ago was subject to a controversial bid by developer Sembler Co. for a $1 billion mixed-use project. The problem? The site has a host of issues, including asbestos and HVAC problems and no working cafeteria. Minimum cost to renovate it on a temporary basis is estimated at $9 million — and as much as $34 million to make it usable permanently. The system doesn’t have that kind of money available for such a project right now.

• Lewis is considering five to seven other locations as the school’s permanent home, but the process will take several months as officials essentially audit each one to figure out how compatible it would be — and how much renovations may cost if needed.