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The CHAMPION
The official legal organ of Malb County, EA. Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunmody Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker, Stonecrest and Stone Mountain, | 50$
JULY 30 - AUGUST 5, 2020 www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com VOL 30 • NO. 5
Dozens of DCSD employees protested the anticipated furlough days July 23 at the district’s Stone Mountain headquarters. Photos by Jay Phillips
DeKalb County CEO Michael
Thurmond joined county staff July
25 to distribute signs and masks
to local small businesses. Photo
provided by DCTV
Some furlough days offset by training
days in approved DeKalb Schools’ budget
BY ASIA ASHLEY
Asia@dekalbchamp.com
DeKalb County Board
of Education on July 24
approved a $ 1.15 billion
2020-21 budget, which
includes a plan to offset
some furlough days with
professional training days
for essential staff.
The impact of
COVID-19 to the district’s
and state’s anticipated
revenue has left uncertainty
as district staff were tasked
with revising the budget
to have minimal impact on
school district employees.
DeKalb County School
District (DCSD) is estimated
to lose $54.2 million in
revenues this school year
from the state due to 10
percent statewide budget
cuts approved June 26. In
addition, DCSD predicts a
decline in tax revenues and
an economic downturn for
the 2021-22 school year.
According to DCSD
Superintendent Cheryl
Watson-Harris, while the
district’s 2020-21 budget
includes six “calendar
reduction days”— referred
to as furlough days— lour
days will be used for a
“Professional Development
Institute” that involves
training, planning and
instructional hybrid learning
for essential employees.
One of the planned
calendar reduction days is
to be bought back through
CARES Act funding. With
this new concept, district
employees are subject to
only one furlough day.
It was undetermined at
the meeting the amount staff
would be paid for attending
the institute, which was
approved for Aug. 5-7,
2020, and Jan. 15,2021.
Central office staff will not
participate in the institute
and will remain at five
calendar reduction days.
The budget also
maintains a full step pay
increase in January and
more than $100 million in
savings.
Board of education
member Joyce Morley
voted against the budget,
stating her preference that
the district use some of its
savings to cover the one
remaining furlough day.
Dozens of DCSD
employees protested the
anticipated furlough days
the day prior to the vote at
the district’s Stone Mountain
headquarters.
“Furlough days aren’t
fair. Our job is not easy,”
read one sign at the protest.
At the protest, one
teacher, who did not want
to be named, passed around
a petition for attendees to
sign against furlough days.
She indicated that teachers
were planning to protest at
the BOE meeting. However,
since the meeting was held
virtually, they “wanted to
make sure their voices are
heard” in another avenue.
Dining the July 24
SEE FURLOUGH ON PAGE 8
Business owners
urged to implement
‘No Mask, No
Service’ policy
As part of DeKalb
County’s ongoing “Stop the
Spread” campaign, 20,000
masks were distributed
July 25 to local small
businesses to encourage
them to implement a “No
Mask, No Service” policy
to help mitigate the spread
of COVID-19. Participating
businesses also received a
“No Mask, No Service” sign
to post informing patrons of
businessowners’ participation
in the campaign.
This effort began on July
25, the day the county’s mask
mandate went into effect,
requiring DeKalb residents
age 8 and older “to utilize a
face covering or mask which
covers the nose and mouth
when in any public place.”
Atlanta, Avondale Estates,
Brookhaven, Clarkston,
Decatur and Dunwoody
have also approved mask
mandates in their cities.
“Guidelines by the
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention state that
wearing face coverings or
SEE MASKS ON PAGE 8
Breaking up may be hard to do but
doable even during pandemic
Two men wanted for shootings in
attempted robbery
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