STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. – Today, the DeKalb County Board of Education approved the budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
The approved budget includes five calendar reduction days for district employees. However, the district will also offer a four-day paid Professional Development Institute for teachers, leaders and support personnel. As a result, these employees will experience one reduced work day in the next year.
The budget also maintains a mid-year step increase for all district employees. It keeps the general fund balance at over $100 million to prepare for future economic hardships anticipated during the pandemic and recession.
The Professional Development Institute involves four full days scheduled with training, modeling, planning, shadowing, and creating instructional and procedural tools, while incorporating parent engagement strategies. The technology-rich symposium will also afford staff the opportunity to analyze data and target appropriate “supports/interventions” for students. The instructional modules will focus on how to effectively teach in a virtual remote learning environment, how to keep students engaged in the learning, how to monitor student progress, and how to support students and staff dealing with trauma and the impact of COVID-19.
The school district, like most other districts across the country, is facing significant budget cuts from the state and the expected decline of tax revenues.