DeKalb County Fair Returns Monday through Saturday, July 22-27
Ricardo Duenas Macias, former Warren County Student and Athlete Drowned last Wednesday in Lake
Massman Construction setting up staging area at the Highland Trail (Dubland) Boat Ramp near Riverwatch in preparation for building new Sligo Bridge
Smithville Volunteer Fire Department Responds to fire Friday morning, June 14 at 944 South Mountain Street near DeKalb EMS. No one home. No one injured. Call came in at 4:42 a.m.
29 Year Old Violet Tucker Airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital Thursday after her pickup truck crashed into a utility pole near Cantrell's Furniture on West Broad Street.
29 year old Violet Tucker airlifted from DeKalb Community Hospital to Vanderbilt Hospital after her pickup truck crashed into a utility pole on West Broad Street Thursday
TWRA Officers enroute to scene of drowning late Wednesday afternoon on Center Hill Lake near Sligo bridge and old rock quarry. (WJLE photo)
Family members of Sergeant Major Eddie N. Evans attend the ceremony in his honor during reunion of DCHS Class of 1973 (WJLE Photo)
Sergeant Major Eddie N. Evans, US Marine Corps, retired (left) honored during his 40 Year High School Class Reunion. Picured here with Captain Nathaniel McClung, US Marine Corps (WJLE Photo)
DeKalb 4-H Wildlife Judging Team. left to right: Derek Young, Wyatt Martin, Preston Cripps, Will Stephens, Caitlyn Lawrence, Justin Bass, Cody Goff, and Eli Oliver (photo by April Martin)
Mallory Sullivan Competes in the School Days Tournament (SEE LOCAL SPORTS)
Omega Apparel Wins Air Force and Marine Corps Skirt Contract
Scene of Fatal Motorcycle Crash Tuesday, June 4 on Dale Ridge Road
Smithville Woman Injured in Rollover Accident on Allen Ferry Road
The Town of Liberty and DeKalb County Mourn the Loss of Mayor Edward Hale who died Wednesday, May 29 at the age of 95.
Jacob Billings, Hunter Robinson, Caitlyn Lawrence, and Rosa Payne were given awards for Perfect Attendance at the DWS 8th grade graduation
Funeral for Jacob Billings Set for Thursday
Several DCHS graduates enjoying Project Graduation (Photo by Judith Hale)
It's only January but the DeKalb County School System is about to run out of "snow days".
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby said as of Friday, January 14th only two "snow days" remain to be used and any further days missed would have to be made up somewhere either during or at the end of the school year. Students have already missed a total of eight days of school due to inclement weather counting Friday, January 14th.
Ten days are built into the school calendar each year for "snow days" or inclement weather and three days were included this year for so called "stockpile" or professional development days. On the stock pile days, teachers have in-service but students do not attend. Two of the stockpile days have already been used and the other is scheduled for Friday, March 18th. Willoughby said the school board could elect to have school on the remaining stockpile day, if necessary.
If more than two days are missed between now and May 26th, the school board would have to decide how to make them up. Director Willoughby said the board has some options."This would be a board decision, but we could start looking at spring break or tacking on a day at the end of school. Right now the last day of school is scheduled for May 26th. That's on a Thursday. We could easily move that to a Friday or Saturday to come up another day or two. Hopefully this type weather is not going to continue but it looks like we're in sort of a pattern right now."
State law requires students to be in school a certain number of days each year.
Schools will be closed for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 17th and for President's Day, Monday, February 21st.
Schools are scheduled to be closed for spring break March 21st-25th and for Good Friday, April 22nd.
Students will not attend on Wednesday, May 25th. That will be an administrative day and all teachers must attend. The last day of school will be Thursday, May 26. That will be an abbreviated school day.
The DeKalb County Board of Education Thursday night is expected to discuss the possibility of entering into a contract to purchase fifty seven acres of property on Allen's Ferry Road which may become the future site for a new DCHS complex.
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Director of Schools Mark Willoughby, in an interview with WJLE Wednesday, said he believes this is the right location and the right time to buy. "We're in need of building an additional school. But to build an additional school, we have to purchase some land. (The property) is in really close proximity to DeKalb County High School right now. It's on Allen's Ferry Road right across from the property that we already own. It's fifty seven acres. We need to be pro-active, looking toward the future."
Should the school board vote to buy this property, Willoughby said no time line has been established for building a new school. "To say when a building (new school) would be built, I can't say right now. That's for the (school) board to work on and for the county commission to work on. There is no time line on it whatsoever, we just think this is being pro-active going ahead and buying the land. I want to work hand in hand with the county commission. I think we have a real good county commission. They want what's best for children. We have to look at what we can afford and what we need. I think I know what we need so we'd like to purchase this land while prices are low."
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According to Director Willoughby, the school system already has the funds to make the purchase through state BEP (Basic Education Program) reserve monies, so no tax increase or local tax dollars would be required. However, a budget amendment would have to be approved by the county commission. "To enter into a contract to buy land, we would have to have an amendment to our budget in order to do this. It would have to be agreed upon by the board of education and by the county commission. The purchase of this land would not require any additional tax revenue dollars. We wouldn't be asking for a tax increase or anything. This purchase of land would be paid for out of BEP reserves. We can use BEP reserves for one time purchases, one time expenses. BEP reserves are for purchases like this."
Willoughby said four of the five schools in the county are already overcrowded and the problem is likely to only worsen in the years ahead, if it is not addressed. "We have five schools in our system and basically four of the five are overcrowded, no space. We have one school (DCHS) where the teachers are actually going from room to room. When a teacher is out of his or her room for planning time, another teacher goes in that classroom to teach a class. That's not an ideal teaching situation. That's not an ideal learning situation. We would love to offer more courses and more things for our students. Our county is growing. Last year at this time we had 2,905 students. Today, we have approximately 3,030 students. Right now we have 830 students in high school. Looking at projections, next year at this time there will be 879 students at the high school. In the year 2012-13, there will be 886 students and by the year 2018-19, we should have 945 high school students."
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According to Willoughby, what makes this site attractive is that the school system should be able to buy it at a good price, it is close to the existing high school, and it is centrally located in the county. "It's good for a lot of different reasons. If we go through with this and at some time in the future build this school, if we don't have the money to build everything at once (such as all the athletic fields), we would have everything in close proximity (to the existing school). That would be really good. Another thing about that particular area from what I understand is that DCHS was built right in the center of the county. Having this area right in the center of the county I think is going to be a good thing also because people going to the (new) high school won't have to be bused any farther than they are right now."
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