WHO: Parents, students, faculty, staff, and taxpayers of DeKalb County Schools
WHAT: Public charrettes on the 2020 Facilities Master Plan and the Redistricting and Consolidation Plan for DeKalb County Schools
WHERE and WHEN:1. Chamblee High School, Tuesday November 9, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
2. Towers High School, Wednesday November 10, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
3. McNair High School, Monday November 15, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
4. MLK High School, Tuesday November 16, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
5. Stephenson High School, Wed. November 17, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
WHY: Our school district continues to strive to provide an excellent education for the students in our care. Much progress has been made and more needs to be accomplished. Most important among those challenges are our school facilities. We want to develop a
facilities master plan that addresses those building needs, while being accountable to the taxpayers of DeKalb County.
Your input on these matters is very important to us. Developing a consensus on creating a vision for the DeKalb County School System in 2020 requires a comprehensive and involved process with a broad base of public input to be successful. This charrette process adds a new dimension to educational planning by getting the community engaged from the very beginning.
HOW (it works):The charrette process allows every person an equal opportunity to express his/her views in a comfortable environment by allowing people to express their opinions by multiple methods and work through ideas in a responsive group. Here’s how the three step process works:
1. Presentation. A trained presenter gives a brief PowerPoint presentation that establishes the goals for the project and explains the charrette process.
2. ResponseCard® and Feedback. The audience becomes actively engaged inthe charrette through the use of an interactive wireless keypad called a ResponseCard®. The ResponseCard® enables the participant to vote on issues concerning redistricting and consolidation of schools and the development of the facility master plan. After each question, the audience receives immediate feedback in the form of a bar
graph that displays the response trends of the entire group. This allows the audience to immediately identify insights, trends, and consensus. As a result, we can gather "unbiased" responses and then share what the group is thinking for immediate feedback and small-group discussion.
3. Small-Group Discussion. Trained facilitators engage small groups in a “drill down” of the predominanttopics discovered during the large-group session. These smaller sessions are more conducive to free-flowing discussion as a result of the information gained from the initial presentation.
The feedback from these charrettes will be summarized and presented to the Board at its December 6, 2010 6:00 PM work session.
For complete information on this posting. please visit the DeKalb County Public School website at http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/vision-2020
