It’s not quite a fight on the playground, but a DeKalb County school and its parent-run fundraising organization are at a stalemate over building a new play area at Smoke Rise Charter Elementary.
At stake is up to $55,000 that the Smoke Rise Elementary Foundation (SREF) has raised specifically for a new playground, including a major donation from a nonprofit that specializes in building them.
But school officials don’t want to use the money for a playground. They say it’s needed for technical and computer labs, among other things. They argue that because Smoke Rise is on a list of schools that will be rebuilt with SPLOST money, a new playground is a waste of money.
Foundation members said school officials demanded they turn over their funds for other uses. School officials deny that.
“We have no authority over the funding that the foundation collects,” DeKalb spokesman Walter Woods said. “But the playground is not a priority.”
SREF President Karen Weitzel, however, said that at a special meeting Monday night, Smoke Rise principal Aaron Moore and Allen Armstrong, the head of the school’s governance council, basically demanded that her group turn over the money.
“They told us it was not our business how they spent the money,” Weitzel said. “We were told that we raise the money, give it to them and not to question it. I was shocked and disagreed. We don’t blindly write checks to the governance council.”
Moore and Armstrong did not return several phone calls this week. But Woods said it would be their decision on whether a playground is installed. Woods said he does not know when that decision will be made.
“If they don’t want the gift, that is their decision, but they can’t come to us with demands,” said Weitzel, indicating that the foundation would still be willing to work with the school. “They have to invite us to the meetings and discuss things with us.”
For the last three years, SREF has devoted most of its efforts to raising money for a new playground to replace the school’s 1960s-era equipment. School officials recently put yellow caution tape over parts of the structure. All of their events have been advertised as playground fundraisers and school officials -- including the principal -- were well aware of their intentions, Weitzel said.
“We have been working for years to raise money for a playground because the equipment is old and not safe,” said foundation member Monti Staton. “The county doesn’t have the money, so we decided to raise the money for the playground.”
Foundation members worry that using donations for other things would defraud donors.
“People who are giving us money are thinking this money is going to the new playground,” Staton said. Donations include a $15,000 grant from KaBOOM, a non-profit that builds and restores playgrounds.
In November, DeKalb taxpayers voted on a penny sales tax to inject $475 million into the system -- mostly for new schools and construction. Smoke Rise is on the list of new schools. Woods said a new $6 million facility would include $150,000 in park and play space.
But there is no timetable on when construction would start, and it could be years.
In addition to funds for computer and technical labs, Weitzel said the school has asked the foundation for $15,000 money to pay a part-time parent-liaison. A grant that has funded the position has expired. Weitzel said the foundation balked at the demand because, in part because officials feared it might jeopardize their their non-profit status.
Instead the foundation gave the school a $5,000 donation for general purposes. “They were obviously dissatisfied,” she said.
About the Author
