Teacher’s Retirement

As a public school system we are required to participate in the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS). You can find out more about this entity by going to their website. The TRS sets the rates that employees and the district must pay into the system. DeKalb does not have any control over these rates. You can view the contribution rates from 1980 here.

PTAs

I agree! The new administration is looking at how provisions are procured for schools.

Montessori

My understanding is that the proposal is to cut the extra teacher allotment for Montessori programs but not the offering of Montessori itself. The Board has received a list of cuts that include the elimination of extra teacher allotments not just for Montessori but all extra magnet teacher allotments as well. This is not eliminating the programs just the extra teachers that had been given to these programs that reduced class size relative to the class size at other schools in DeKalb. So, Montessori and Magnet programs can operate but will have the same class size situations as every other school. If your school is a Title I school, your principal can chose to use some of your Title I funding to reduce class size by adding staff. This year more Title I funding will be pushed to the schools. The estimate that I am hearing is $36 million will be made available to the Title I schools in the district. By comparison, last year only $18 million out of the $42 million the county received in Title I funding was pushed to the schools. So, if your school is Title I then these funds can be used to reduce class size.

Pre-K

Unfortunately, Pre-K is not fully funded by the state lottery. The funding we receive from the state covers about one half of our costs. There are also implications that cause the district to lose some of our state QBE funding when we house Pre-K within an elementary school. Most other metro districts do not offer pre-k within their schools. There are private Pre-K options that coordinate with “Bright from the start”. Parents can find a private Pre-K provider that participates in the public Pre-K program and learn more about Georgia’s Pre-K programs by visiting the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning website.

Previous Budget Shortfall

I think you are referring to the SPLOST III projected shortfall issue. SPLOST money is not allowed to be used for the operational budget. SPLOST is solely used for capital improvements pursuant to the list of projects brought before the voters to approve. Recently the voters approved a SPLOST IV referendum. SPLOST III had a number of budgeting problems culminating in projecting a shortfall that would hit toward the end of this year without adjusting the projects. The decisions creating these problems for SPLOST III were made before I was on the board. Based on several factors some of the projects were able to be moved from the SPLOST III list to the SPLOST IV list; alleviating the projected shortfall for the overall building program. Again, this did not involve any money that could be used for school operations.

The Superintendent has stated that she does not intend to ask the Board for a pay cut. Click here to view an AJC article about the error in the contract letter to teachers.

Please also know that the Board has yet to receive a proposed budget from the Superintendent. I expect to get this near mid-May. The Superintendent has employed a modified zero-based budget (ZBB) approach to the 2012-13 SY budget (7/1/12-6/30/13). This approach is something I spoke about when I ran for the Board so I am pleased that we are now using this methodology. Many components of a public entities’ budgets are simply carried forward without determining their continued relevance or effectiveness. For DCSD some programs have been carried forward even though the state, which might have first mandated them, has long since cut off funding. So, with ZBB and the hiring of a new CFO (4/30/12), the budget planning process has taken additional time.

Once the budget receives approval from the full Board, it is my understanding that teachers will receive updated communications regarding their salary. Please know that this lag frustrates me too. I share your concerns. I will continue to monitor this issue, ask questions and keep you informed of what I learn. As a mom with three young children, who will all be in DeKalb schools next year (finally my youngest will be in Kindergarten!), I continue to be grateful to the teachers in this district. My two oldest (3rd and 1st grade) have been the beneficiaries of the tremendous dedication and effort that teachers provide everyday. My gratitude to the teachers is beyond measure.

On a side note: The two largest components of our funding are property taxes and state education allotments. We have not received confirmation of the value of either of those revenues. The budget cycle for school districts and revenue determinations are not in sync. Given the economic realities, this dissonance makes the budgeting process very precarious. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could make the component variables align?!

“The DeKalb County School District is pleased to have a German Education
program. The positive effect on intellectual growth which enriches and
enhances a child’s mental development alone will open doors to other
cultures and help children understand and appreciate cultural diversity.
It is the DeKalb County School District’s intention to keep the German
Education program. Through the zero based budgeting process, several
categories of positions were considered as overstaffed. As we are
balancing the budget with the staff necessary to serve students’ needs,
several educators received a delay notification. Please note that this
delay notification is not synonymous with a non-renewal notification.
This is simply a request for additional time to balance allotments based
upon student needs. It is our intent to forward a contract to all
teachers who are within the District allotment of positions on or before
May 15, 2012.

Thank you.”

Cheryl L. H. Atkinson, Ed.D.
Superintendent