FAQs

The District is committed to a comprehensive review of all special programs. Should any changes be recommended, structured transition plans will be implemented to ensure continuity and minimize disruption for students.

Families may request transfers or submit hardship applications in accordance with District policy. Additional details are outlined in Policy JBCC.

Transportation routes will be adjusted to accommodate new boundaries. The District will ensure students have safe and reliable access to their assigned schools.

We are working directly with DCSD’s Family Engagement and Communications teams. We are also making a concerted effort to reach out to community religious organizations.

Yes. Interpreters will be available for major language groups in our schools. Families can also request language assistance in advance for specific meetings.

We are working closely with our Division of Community Engagement and Innovative Partnerships, ESOL staff, and community partners to ensure supports are in place for refugee and immigrant students and families impacted by boundary changes.

As preliminary recommendations emerge, SAP leaders will process these with the HR leadership and determine feasibility. We are also reviewing best practices from former boundary adjustments and staff impact.

This is a non-purpose of SAP, but we will share with the schools and allotment teams.

SAP is focused on access, opportunity, and efficiency to ensure all students have high-quality learning environments. School performance is a non-purpose SAP. We will share the preliminary recommendations with the schools and the Curriculum & Instruction team for feedback related to school culture and climate before presenting them to the board.

This is a non-purpose of SAP but several of the most recent initiatives have been geared towards increased support and direct staff services at all horizon schools. Families and community members have expressed better access to high quality programs.

SAP has reviewed both program models in DCSD. Student outcomes is a non-purpose of SAP, but evaluating programs is a strong recommendation that a sub-committee is developing.

The committee has often shared that they want all students to have great school experiences in DCSD. The voted-on recommendations will also drive how ESPLOST funding is allocated.

All SAP materials, recorded meeting videos, and minutes are posted on our site.

We will follow our policy AD for redistricting. We may consider changes to this policy as this process progresses.

We are considering several potential uses for any school facilities that would no longer be used for K-12 instruction, including potentially increasing the number of Pre-K or Early Learning Centers in the District.  The District's Pre-K delivery strategy is part of the greater conversation about how many school facilities the District has and how we use them. 

We are committed to keeping all high school facilities in use for instructional purposes. While some buildings may be repurposed as part of this process, each will continue to serve students and the broader community in a meaningful way.  

The Board will vote on a comprehensive Student Assignment Plan, which will encompass program placement changes, boundary adjustments, and building closures, additions, or repurposing. Final recommendations for Board consideration and action are anticipated in late fall 2026.

SAP is a community advisory committee. They will share recommendations on ‘what’ is possible to balance enrollment, program accessibility, and building usage. 

We developed guiding principles as guiderails for recommendation creation. Our committee is comprised of diverse volunteers, and we intentionally created teams within the committee with diverse experiences to generate generative conversations and guidance to develop the recommendations. 

SAP is looking at several data points during the committee meetings to develop scenarios. We review data from our planning department related to enrollment, projections, and buildings. We reviewed research from Hanover related to specialized program models and school consolidations. We reviewed current school choice offerings, five years of actual enrollment and waitlist program data, non-resident attendee data, the comprehensive mater plan, transportation costs, and heat maps. There are other committee specific data we used for processing. 

SAP is focused on developing a comprehensive plan that addresses buildings, boundaries, and academic programs across the district. Considerations related to home or property values fall outside the scope and purview of this committee. 

The District is committed to clear, consistent, and accessible communication. Updates will be shared through public meetings, the SAP website, multilingual resources, direct family outreach, videos, newsletters, social media, town halls (virtual and in-person), and bi-monthly “Chat with SAP” drop-in sessions. Meeting summaries and recordings will also be posted online for those unable to attend.

Yes. To ensure accessibility, recordings and/or summaries of key meetings will be available on the SAP website.

The timeline was expanded to allow for more community input. We are dedicating several months to gather as much community feedback before SAP presents any possibilities to the Board.   

Please know that changes will not occur for the 2026-27 School Year. In other words, changes will occur no sooner than Fall 2027.  

No. We do record the meetings and post them on the website.

After the plan is approved, the internal DCSD team will develop transition plans informed by lessons learned from past redistricting efforts and our most recent implementation experiences.

It is important to note that no decisions have been made yet. Recommendations will be based on the SAP committee’s established guiding principles, community feedback, and relevant data.

The Access and Opportunity Audit, along with the guiding principles, will help ensure greater support for families most affected by disproportionality. The District is conducting impact analyses and engaging with diverse communities to develop recommendations that minimize inclusion.

The SAP Committee leverages data from the Operations team, Georgia Department of Education, community and employee surveys, and Hanover Research to inform best practices for redistricting and magnet programs.

Maintaining underutilized schools creates inefficiencies in staffing, transportation, and facility costs. Reducing excess capacity will allow the District to redirect resources into classrooms and student services.

Savings will be reinvested to strengthen academic programs, update facilities, and provide additional student support.

School overhead costs remain largely unchanged even when enrollment declines, and operating too many under-capacity schools leads to resource inefficiencies that affect programs and services such as the arts, IEP, and 504 supports.

We are reviewing multiple scenarios. In some areas, building enhancements will be needed, while in others, building consolidations may be required.

As the district becomes more efficient, resource allocations will adjust accordingly—since funding and staff positions follow where students are enrolled.

When enrollment is not aligned with capacity, resources are not being used to their best effect. Resources used to maintain unused or unnecessary capacity are not used on improving student outcomes. Resources used to install and maintain portable classrooms are not used to maintain or improve permanent facilities. Perfect alignment between enrollment and capacity is not possible, and some misalignment can exist with minimal overall impact. However, systemic imbalances result in systemic inequities and require systemic action to correct. 

The timeline was extended to gain more community input. The proposed implementation starts date is Fall 2027. Many of the changes in the Lakeside, Dunwoody area will result in the Sequoyah school opening. 

It directly supports key elements of the strategic plan: equity and access, safe/supportive learning environments, quality teaching and learning, facility effectiveness, and community engagement.  

SAP will implement the purpose of these projects into the larger focus of SAP.   

SAP will present its final recommendations to the Board for action in late winter 2026. 

Embedded programs are ones that are in schools that have an attendance boundary line. Stand-alone are programs that are in their own building that don’t have an attendance boundary.    

We are looking at several scenarios as it relates to programs. The scenarios will show what is proposed for each program type. 

Yes, we remain committed to our diverse learning populations and would like to support their program articulation. 

To the greatest extent staffing, funding, and programs will move as the students move.   

The Program Sub-Committee will incorporate best practices from charter schools, the International Baccalaureate, Magnet Schools of America, and internal models such as JROTC. The Accountability and Research Department, in partnership with Hanover Research, is supporting the development of evaluation metrics.

We don't have specific data but we do analyze the number of students not attending their assigned school, family surveys, and the number of students that don't apply for the same program in other parts of the district. We also have relatively new data from hardships and transfer requests. 

Final decisions are at the will of the board. The recommendations from the SAP committee will be based on the guiding principles, community feedback, and relevant data. Community input will be considered before finalizing any recommendations.

The District will seek feedback on potential uses such as early learning centers, adult education, or community hubs.

None of these questions has been determined yet, and we will begin looking at neighborhood schools in November. The goal of opening the new school was determined by the last comprehensive master plan to alleviate overcrowding in northern high schools.

We are in the process of determining plans for each building. These will be available for public feedback as soon as it’s available.

The committee is looking at many scenarios.

The Student Assignment Project is designed to reestablish balance and ensure that all students have fair access to strong schools and resources. What really drives student success is what happens inside the school: great teachers, strong leadership, family engagement, and a positive, supportive learning environment.

Yes.

Yes, please see Policy AD.