March 9, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County students and teachers will have a two week fall break in October, 2018 but the following year the school calendar will return to a one week fall break in October, 2019 with a full week off for Thanksgiving in November, 2019.
The Board of Education Thursday night adopted the school calendar for the 2019-20 school year. The 2018-19 school calendar with the two week fall break was approved last year.
Up until this school year, students and teachers enjoyed a two week fall break with three days off for the Thanksgiving holiday. This past fall, the calendar was changed to provide for only one week for fall break and a full week off for Thanksgiving.
During Thursday night’s meeting, the school board voted 5-2 for the shorter fall break and longer Thanksgiving holiday for the 2019-20 year.
Members Jerry Wayne Johnson and Jim Beshearse voted no. Beshearse said his decision was based on a survey which showed a majority of teachers and school staff wanted a two week fall break . The total vote in that survey was 130 to 112. A recent WJLE on-line poll survey showed 615 respondents (62%) favored a one week fall break and a full week for Thanksgiving while 382 respondents (38%) wanted a two week fall break.
Meanwhile in his monthly report on personnel, Director Patrick Cripps informed the board that Margaret Curtis has been hired as cook at DeKalb West School and Josh Isaac Melton has resigned as educational assistant at DeKalb Middle School.
The Smithville Women’s Club will have to look elsewhere to have their Spring Blossom Pageant in April.
The board of education rejected a request for the club to have the pageant in the Northside Elementary School gym beginning this year and every year hereafter
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The board did not want to give approval for this year and all future pageants and is asking the club to revise and re-submit its request.
Board Chairman W.J. (Dub) Evins, III also read a letter from Cheryl Whitfield, a cousin of the late Rosa Stokes, thanking DCHS on behalf of Rosa’s family for honoring her in a basketball number retirement ceremony in January. “We are so happy to know that Rosa’s name and number will forever hang in the gym where she got the start to have a great basketball career. She loved DeKalb County and so do we. God bless you and continue to honor past players. This truly makes families feel special”.