Steve Green surprised those at tonight’s DeKalb County Board of Education meeting, letting slip that the group that the district has earned full accreditation from AdvancED, the group that accredits schools.

District officials said in December they had completed a list of 14 items given by an AdvancED monitoring board to address.

Efforts to reach AdvancED officials were unsuccessful Monday night.

The district was “Accredited on Probation” after an October 2012 site review amid slumping test scores and budget mismanagement, evidenced by a $14 million deficit. The district already had been listed as “Accredited on Advisement,” one step beneath unconditional accreditation.

After a December 2013 visit, the district’s accreditation was boosted to “Accredited Warned.” A visit in December 2014 moved it up to “Accredited on Advisement.”

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Sheree Smith (left) casts her ballot at Wolf Creek Library in Atlanta on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. In addition to municipal races for mayors, city councils and school board members, this year’s election also will decide the members of the Georgia Public Service Commission. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

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Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

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