School accrediting agency set to release ruling on DeKalb County
Judgment day for the DeKalb County School District is Monday, when a regional accrediting agency plans to release the results of its investigation into alleged school board mismanagement.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools alerted reporters Sunday night to attend a news conference Monday at the agency headquarters in Alpharetta.
Mark Elgart, president and chief executive officer of SACS parent company AdvancED, will brief reporters on the agency’s findings “and the implications and next steps for the school system,” according a news release from SACS.
The agency alerted Georgia’s third largest school system in September that it was sending a team to investigate scores of complaints from the community alleging that the school board had mismanaged finances, a key responsibility, while meddling in personnel decisions, which are the purview of Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson.
The district’s accreditation was already at a sub-par “on advisement” status. SACS could drop it further to “warning” or to “probation,” the latter triggering possible removal of the school board by Gov. Nathan Deal under the provisions of a new state law. SACS could also strip DeKalb’s accreditation altogether, though few expect that immediately.
The consequences of accreditation loss would be dire. When Clayton County lost accreditation several years ago, thousands fled the district and home values plummeted.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
