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School district suspends decision to transfer Dunwoody teachers Teachers threatened to resign positions over reassignment
By CATHY COBBS newsroom@appenmediagroup.com
By CATHY COBBS newsroom@appenmediagroup.com DUNWOODY, Ga. – A plan to reassign 11 teachers from Dunwoody-area elementary schools to schools in the southern part of the county for the last six weeks of the academic year has been tabled for now. In early March, DeKalb County School System officials announced in a letter to affected parents, days before the planned staggered return of students to classrooms, that several teachers from Region 1 elementary schools would be reassigned to schools in the southern part of the county. The move was proposed to comply with Title 1 Comparability, which requires that school districts provide the same level of service to Title 1 schools as non-Title 1 schools. The mandate includes maintaining certain student-to-teacher ratios. Region 1 has seen a significant reduction in the number of students in its schools during the pandemic as parents have opted for home-schooling, moved out of the district or transferred their children to private schools that were offering in-person instruction. Austin Elementary School’s 2020-21
Dunwoody weighs feasibility of reopening public venues
least one case, there were no takers. The next step involved a “first-in, first-out approach,” according to the source. “Teachers who had the least seniority were told that they would be transferred,” the source said. “Some of them were told that they might not even be teaching the same grade.” DeKalb County School officials confirmed March 10 the transfers were in process.
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody is weighing plans to determine when it may be feasible to open public venues around the city. City Manager Eric Linton told the City Council at its March 22 meeting that officials will be re-assessing conditions to see if it is wise to sanction gatherings around the city. Several Dunwoody traditions, including Lemonade Days, the Dunwoody Arts Festival, the Fourth of July parade and others were cancelled last year because of COVID-19. Councilman John Heneghan asked Linton about the matter during the council comment portion of the meeting, specifically inquiring about Brook Run Park’s amphitheater, which was completed shortly before the city shut down all public gatherings. “As much as we would love to open everything tomorrow, we need to do some evaluation first,” Linton said. “That will happen March 31, correct?” Mayor Lynn Deutsch asked. Linton replied in the affirmative. In other action, the council approved spending $82,000 to repair a sewer line
See TRANSFER, Page 7
See VENUES, Page 7
CATHY COBBS/CRIER
had an enrollment of 909 students at the start of the academic year, but the number of students dropped 25 percent to 682 in October. Montgomery, Dunwoody, Oak Grove, Vanderlyn and other schools all saw double-digit reductions in their student enrollment, according to school system reports. A source familiar with the process, who spoke to the Crier on the condition of anonymity, said Region 1 school principals asked for volunteers to transfer to the southern-area schools, but in at