Key Stakeholder Engagement Dates
March - June 2016: public meetings commence on Secondary School Facility Planning and Feasibility Study
July - September 2016: Public meetings on systems and proposed project selection criteria
September 2016: Five regional meetings to discuss draft of project list
Nov. 5, 2016: DeKalb Board of Education to discuss detailed project list and schedule
Dec. 7, 2016: Board is expected to approve final project list
July 1, 2017: Sales-tax collections begin
E-SPLOST history in DeKalb County
The school sales tax has been approved each time it has been voted on since its inception in 1997
Where the money went
1997-2002: ($415 million) Constructed ten new schools; added multipurpose buildings at each elementary school; modified existing facilities
2002-2007: ($457 million) Constructed 11 new schools; made modifications across the District including major renovations of ten middle/high schools
2007-2012: ($489 million) Replaced one high school; provided 12 major renovations/additions, and 140 minor renovations
2012-2017: (est. $492 million) Replaced seven elementary schools and two middle/high schools; provided five major renovations/additions; made stadium improvements, technology upgrades, school bus purchases, and capital renewal of many facilities
Proposed allocations for $500 million from new E-SPLOST extension
Safety and Security Improvements $15 million
New Facilities and Additions $230 million
Facility Condition Improvements $100 million
Technology Improvements $65 million
Buses, Vehicles, and Other Capital Equipment $40 million
Management Support and Program Contingency $50 million
Source: DeKalb County School District
DeKalb County School District officials could face an uphill battle in May as they ask voters to approve $500 million in taxes for school improvements, but have not provided a list of projects the money would buy.
District officials say that was necessary to stay in line with the past practice of having the vote to extend the 1-cent education special-purpose local option sales tax on the ballot at the same time as neighboring jurisdictions: City Schools of Decatur, Atlanta Public Schools and Fulton County. The lack of information about specific schools to be built or other improvements to be funded could have an impact on votes, for a district a few years removed from a multimillion-dollar deficit and threats of state oversight.
While Fulton and Atlanta have provided a list of projects intended for their E-SPLOST dollars, DeKalb’s list is a work in progress because new Superintendent Steve Green wants to allow parents and other DeKalb residents to have a say in the decision-making. So far, the DeKalb Board of Education has approved a list of the categories for which it seeks certain amounts, such as security, renovation and technology improvements.
After the vote, the public will be invited to participate in the process, helping decide which projects are more necessary than others and whether anything should be added to the plate.
“We needed some time, based off the fact that we have to do more in-depth analysis with what we need,” said Daniel Drake, the school district’s director of planning. “We will develop five project focus areas and then we’ll come back and dress the skeleton with more details in the process, through summer and fall.”
The public will vote on it during the May 24 primary.
Public hearings will take place in July and September, and the board plans to approve a detailed list of projects to be funded by the tax in December.
DeKalb Board of Education Chairman Melvin Johnson said the wording of their resolution gives voters an idea of what type of projects to look out for as the process begins. That, in addition to the meetings set up through the fall, should go a long way in ensuring transparency.
“It will ultimately play OK,” Johnson said. “The reason why is we’re not just asking them to trust us. Unlike in years past where you may have had political decisions made, this board and the superintendent are dedicated to putting the resources where they’re needed.
“We still will have transparency. Nothing’s going to be done where the public is not aware.”
The need for more analysis arose as the district began investigating overcrowding in the Cross Keys cluster of schools late last summer. Drake said similarities to what had driven schools in that area above capacity were found in other clusters. As a result, a feasibility planning process for secondary schools will commence in June. The results will be presented to the school board in July, with general projects from the study to be placed on the list of projects delivered to the community.
“Because Cross Keys (cluster) was overcrowded, as well as nearby … we needed to take a step back and look at all middle and high schools and have a plan to avoid other potential overcrowding,” Drake said. “We’re going to do this right, and we’re going to have public engagement. We’re not going to rush through something and not get it right.”
Transparency is a big deal when seeking money from the public, said Scott Layne, board chairman for the Association for Learning Environments. Layne said in Texas, where he’s assistant superintendent for support services for the Irving Independent School District, a facility assessment is done across the district to clearly define projects to be completed before any money is sought.
“I’ve never really heard of anybody just taking money and trying to figure it out after the fact,” he said. “You owe it to the taxpayers to clearly identify what you’re gonna utilize the money for. They wanna know what they’re voting for. That’s going to have a bearing on their vote.”
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