January 31, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
Trying to find common ground.
Members of the DeKalb County Board of Education and the Budget Committee of the County Commission will have a joint meeting next Thursday, February 6 to discuss what can be done to jump start action on a new school construction plan. But since the meeting is only a work session, no action can be taken.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in the downstairs courtroom of the courthouse.
The latest plan offered by the Board of Education is construction of two new Pre-K to 8th grade schools and an expansion of Northside Elementary School to a Pre-K to 8th grade complex. To date, the Board has not secured locations for construction of two new schools and the proposed cost estimates of at least $48 million may fall significantly short of what is actually needed to fund such a project.
The board recently sent a request for funding to the county commission but until more specifics are provided, the commission will take no action.
By a 14-0 vote, the county commission Monday night adopted an amended motion by first district commissioner and budget committee chairman Dennis Slager to notify the school board that its request is lacking.
“This request is inadequate and only a detailed project description, total project cost, and other costs that will directly affect the overall school board budget will be considered. The DeKalb County Commission stands ready to consider and fund a school building project that meets the current needs of the county’s school system that is financially feasible and reasonable for the taxpayers of DeKalb County,” said Slager.