Decatur, GA — The City Schools of Decatur School Board will meet on Tuesday, June 13, at 6:30 p.m. for a regular meeting. The meeting will be in-person at the Wilson School Support Center, 125 Electric Ave., and via Zoom.

At 5:30 p.m., there will also be a swearing-in ceremony for incoming Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker.

During the regular meeting, the school board will consider awarding a contract to CGS, LLC in the amount of $234,000 to renovate the backfield at Talley Street Upper Elementary School. This item is part of the consent agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.

To access the meeting, follow these instructions:

To view the meeting agenda, click here.

To join the Zoom meetings, click here. To join by phone, dial +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592. The webinar ID is 956 1415 9391.

To make a public comment, in-person attendees can register online before the meeting or upon arrival by scanning a QR Code on the Board Room entrance. Registration will ensure that the district collects information necessary to conduct COVID-19 contact tracing. Please ensure the name you enter on the form matches the name you use(d) to sign-up. If the names do not match, it will not be possible for you to be recognized to participate in public comment. To sign up for public comment, click here.

The project would be funded using funds from the special purpose local option sales tax.

“We have a need to do some backfield renovation at Talley,” Superintendent Dr. Maggie Fehrman said at the March 8 work session. “If you have kids there, you’ve seen how muddy it gets. There were some things that probably should’ve been done the first time around that didn’t, so we’ve to go in there and remediate that.”

The goal of the renovations is to provide the field with more drainage.

“Some of the issues we have is excessive water runoff coming from adjacent properties. At some point, the field was completely pooling water,” Chief Operating Officer Sergio Perez said.

As part of the project, the current sod will be removed, and a new topsoil mixture will be added to provide the saturation and necessary soil for drainage. New sod would then be added. The district needs to do the renovations this spring to give the new sod time to grow to be ready for the next school year, Perez said.

In other businesses, the school board will discuss the district’s mission and vision statements and the portrait of a CSD scholar. The board will also discuss social studies and science updates.

As CSD developed its strategic plan, Superintendent Dr. Maggie Fehrman included reviewing the school system’s mission and vision statements and creating a portrait of a scholar, according to the executive summary attached to the agenda. Fehrman contracted with Leader Bubble, LLC., to lead the process.

The proposed updated vision statement is, “We strive to cultivate an educational foundation that empowers students to realize their full potential, thrive as productive global citizens, ignite positive change, and create a more just and equitable world.”

The recommended updated mission statement is, “In partnership with our community, our mission is to inspire and enable student growth through meaningful and engaging learning experiences supported by highly qualified and caring educators in a safe and inviting environment.”

A portrait of a graduate lays out the skills a school district believes its students should exemplify by graduation, according to the executive summary. The portrait of a CSD scholar includes characteristics and skills including being a creative critical thinker, a collaborator, a global citizen, resilient, an equity advocate, and a leader.

The school board will also discuss state of department reports for equity and student services, and state and federal programs.