K I N G S L E Y Charter Elementary School

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON DEKALB’S PROPOSED

4^TH & 5^TH GRADE ACADEMY AND POTENTIAL IMPACT ON KINGSLEY STUDENTS AND SCHOOL

Kingsley Parents,

 We expect that by now all of our parents have heard about the DeKalb County Board of Education’s proposed solution to overcrowding in the Dunwoody Cluster – construction of a new school with an anticipated opening date of August 2009.  The current recommendation to the board is for this new school to be a 4^th & 5^th grade Academy populated by students coming from Vanderlyn, Austin and Chesnut.  These three schools would be converted to K-3 schools, while Kingsley and Hightower would remain K-5 (and not be included in the academy).  This proposal was first introduced to the public April 15th, and has sparked tremendous debate throughout the Dunwoody community.

 The Charter Council, by definition and in accordance with its contract with the Board of Education, is restricted from taking any formal action on this matter and as such must remain neutral.  The council believes, however, that it is our responsibility to provide our parents with the information and resources they need to make informed decisions regarding the educational opportunities available to their children.  As such, we want to make you aware of the following important events and resources available to you.

DeKalb Board of Education Meeting

The Board of Education has a business meeting scheduled for this Monday, May 12^th at 6:00 pm.  Meetings are held at the DeKalb County School System Freeman Administrative Center , Building A, Williamson Board Room, 3770 North Decatur Road , Decatur .  School Board meetings are open to the public for any parent that may wish to attend.

On the agenda (Section H, item #11) is a recommendation for the board to “approve the new Dunwoody Area Elementary School as a grade-specific academy, serving students in grades 4 & 5 from the Austin, Chesnut and Vanderlyn Attendance Areas.”

Dr. Crawford Lewis, Superintendent of DeKalb County’s School System, committed to the parents of the Dunwoody Cluster at a public meeting May 7^th that he would recommend the board table this item until such time that the public has had the opportunity to respond to this proposal.  Although Dr. Lewis stated the school board will typically honor these requests, it is not bound to follow the superintendent’s recommendation.  If you wish to voice a concern on this matter, you should contact our local school board representative Jim Redovian (District 1).

Public Meeting Regarding Proposed 4^th & 5^th Grade Academy

The DeKalb Board of Education, including Dr. Lewis and several key members of the Board of Education involved with redistricting and the plan for the academy, will host a public meeting on Wednesday, May 14^th, 6:00 PM, at Dunwoody High School to allow parents and members of the community the opportunity to discuss concerns related to the proposed academy.

Kingsley Meeting

Following our normally scheduled parent meeting this Tuesday, May 13^th, we will host a special meeting at Kingsley regarding the proposed academy.  Up to date information regarding redistricting and the academy will be presented, and parents will have the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.  This special meeting will conclude no later than 8:00 PM, so please come prepared.  All parents are encouraged to attend.

Kingsley Meeting with DeKalb Officials

Ms. Graham has been working diligently to schedule a meeting at Kingsley for our parents to ask questions directly to Patricia Pope (DeKalb Schools Chief Operations Officer) and Marilyn Steele (Region 1 Superintendent).  There have been some scheduling challenges, but we will notify the parents as soon as a date and time has been established.

Special Task Force

In its first meeting following the announcement of the proposed academy (May 6^th), the Charter Council approved the formation of a special task force charged with collecting all available information regarding the issue of redistricting and the proposed academy – and the impact these changes would have on Kingsley and its students.  This task force will be discussed in greater detail at our Parent Meeting May13th.  If you are interested in participating in this task force, or have questions, please contact the charter council at council@kingsleycharter.org.

Kingsley Web Page

For the convenience of our parents, we will provide information related to redistricting and the academy on our website under our “Community Links” Hot Link.  If you come across information that you believe should be included here, please follow instructions on the webpage or notify the charter council.

We hope that you find this information useful, and that it helps to guide you toward making the most appropriate decisions for your children.

Sincerely,

Tom Lambert

Chair, Kingsley Charter Council