SWE met, Tomes ‘McFerrin DeKalb County Dr. R. Stephen Green School District Sueameiongent Dunwoody High School 5035 Vermack Road Dunwoody, GA 30338-4626 678-874-8502 September 16, 2016 Joshua Williams, COO Chief Operating Officer Dekalb County Schoo! District 1780 Montreal Rd Tucker, GA 30084 RE: Secondar nwoody High Schoo! Council Recommendation Dear Mr. Williams, This letter is in response to Dr. Green's request for Schoo! Council comment on the three options presented for consideration, We have gained significant appreciation for the complexity of your charge to manage capacity across the county, and allowing us to have a farmal voice in this process is appreciated by many in our community. ‘The Dunwoody High Schoo! (DHS) Council carefully reviewed each proposed option, considered pros and cons, met with school council representatives from throughout the Dunwoody cluster, and engaged the many ‘community members who attended our Council meeting on September 13" to develop this recommendation. We are recommending that you adopt Option B with a modification that adds an addition at Peachtree Charter Middle School so that our cluster can stay intact without split feeders. In addition to avoiding split feeders, this modification also should yield substantial transportation benefits both for Dunwoody parents and for DCSS by limiting the required daily commute to/from school. This option does the following: ¢ Supports Guiding Principles: Implements core guiding principles developed in Dekalb County Schools stakeholder engagement meetings: (© “Eliminate portable classrooms and overcrowding in all middle and high schools...” ©“. minimize impact on students and families” © “Split feeders should be avoider © “Cost constraints are considered © Supports Success: Dunwoody High School (DHS) has a diverse and thriving student body, We believe that ‘expansion of capacity at DHS is a good investment for the county as it builds on the current success of our school. * Addresses Split Feeder Issue: Eliminates split feeders to DHS which is aligned with the goals of this initiative. “The Schoo! Cannot Live Apart From The Community” worw.dokalb K12.ga.usMr. Joshua Williams September 16, 2016 Page Two ‘+ Feasibility: Assessment of DHS property by the county showed that this is feasible to build an addition on the existing property. = Conti ity for Students: Keeps the Dunwoody Cluster intact, © Cost Effective: Even with adding an addition at PCMS, this is the least expensive option. Given the overwhelming needs in the county for resources, we believe this is an important consideration. © Redistricting: Eliminates need for redistricting for the Dunwoody area. Finally, with option B, itis critical for appropriate capacity improvements to include not only classrooms, but also capacity upgrades to our parking, cafeteria, gymnasium, media center, and chorus room. As our student body has grown, the parking situation has become particularly problematic to the school and surrounding neighborhood. We see significant opportunity to improve this situation by burying containment requirements for the retention pond, paving over this area, and redesigning the new, larger parking lot to maximize parking. This will provide substantial relief to the neighborhood and nearby Vanderlyn Elementary School that are all impacted by the limited parking capacity at DHS and the growing student population, ‘We look forward to continued collaboration with the county as this process moves forward. Best regards, Chad Griffith, Chair DHS Council Bruce Kaminsky, Co-Chair Renate Herod, Secretary ‘Ann O'Connor, Parent kim Weatherly, Parent Grant Wells, Business Rep Tom McFerrin, Principal Mike Berry, Teacher Heather Carter, TeacherCMS FOUNDATION Crees, Career September 16, 2016 To: Joshua Williams, COO Chief Operating Officer DeKalb County School District 1780 Montreal Rd Tucker, GA 30084 RE: Secondary Schools Facility Planning and Feasibility Study ~ Dunwoody High School and Peachtree Charter Middle Schoo! Councils Collective Recommendation Dear Mr. Williams: ‘The Peachtree Charter Middle School Foundation Board of Directors fully supports the recommendations given by Ounwoody High School Council as outlined in their submitted letter. The PCMS Foundation feels our students’ best interests are served by recommending Option 8 with a modification that adds an addition at Peachtree Charter Middle Schoo! so that our cluster can stay intact, without split feeders. We appreciate your consideration, Auge Johan Allegra Johnson, Cheir 2016-2017 (On Behalf of the PCMS Foundation Board of Directors