Leaders of a proposal to place a cluster of DeKalb County public schools under independent charter management have withdrawn their petition and accused the school district of fraud.
In a letter delivered Wednesday to the DeKalb school board — and copied to high-ranking officials including state and local prosecutors — the Druid Hills Charter Cluster leadership alleged that county school district administrators misled the school board about details of their plan.
The group wanted to place Druid Hills High and six feeder schools under a private nonprofit organization with its own board of directors. Approval would have put about 5,000 students in the hands of a governing board whose members were not elected by voters in the way a regular school board is.
A similar petition was denied in November by the DeKalb school board at the recommendation of Superintendent Michael Thurmond. Petitioners resubmitted their application, but Thurmond again recommended denial, telling the school board in August that problems with the original plan had gone unaddressed.
The letter, provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Matthew Lewis, the chairman of the petitioning group, says district administrators “actively mischaracterized material facts, the law, and statutorily mandated budget calculations.” The group is calling for an independent investigation and, if appropriate, prosecution “to the fullest extent of the law.”
DeKalb school board chairman Melvin Johnson, who voted against the charter cluster proposal the first time around, said in a text message, “I believe the administration has followed the normal procedure evaluating the DHC charter petition” and “I stand behind our Administrations evaluation of the petition.”
The cluster idea is being abandoned to “give life” to other options, such as annexation and cityhood, the letter says. Neighborhood leaders in Druid Hills have been discussing annexation with the city of Atlanta.
The school board hadn’t yet voted on the new petition, and the district said Wednesday that, with the withdrawal, no further action was required. The statement did not address the fraud allegations.
School board member Marshall Orson, who represents the Druid Hills area and supported the petition, said the board should determine whether there was a “fair and comprehensive” review of the petition.
About the Author
