DeKalb County, GA — DeKalb County Schools’ new superintendent is proposing a $10 million overhaul of the district’s central office, according to the agenda for the school board’s retreat on July 17.
The news was first reported by the AJC.
The board will meet at 10 a.m. on July 17 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Perimeter at Villa Christina located at 4000 Summit Boulevard, Atlanta, Ga., 30319.
Central office reorganizations have been a conflict point for the school board. Before she was abruptly fired by the board in 2022, former Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris had proposed her own reorganization plan for central office, which she said received pushback from the board.
The $10.4 million budget is intended to cover “new positions and additions” according to the agenda.
To see the proposed organizational chart, click here.
To see the cost breakdown for the restriction plan, click here.
The superintendent’s office will see few changes, according to the plan attached to the agenda. One executive assistant to the superintendent will become an “administrative assistant to the superintendent” and the administrative assistant to the superintendent will be the new “director of organizational effectiveness,” and will be filled by Elijah Palmer, one of five new hires approved by the school board at its last regular meeting. The total cost of the changes to the superintendent’s office will be $169,000.
The most sweeping changes will be to the district’s division of school leadership, which will cost $7.7 million.
Here’s a spreadsheet showing the proposed changes to that division:
During the meeting, the board will also discuss a recent state audit that had multiple findings, including findings related to the district’s spending of COVID-19 relief money.
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