Dear Dr. Tinsley and Members of the DCSD Board of Education,

In the past couple of weeks, parents at Briarlake Elementary School have learned that as part of Dekalb County School District's efforts to "right-size" our schools after the global pandemic, we are losing 5 allocation points.

At Briarlake, this year's reduction in points means the probable loss of our STEM special teacher, our Gifted Liaison Teacher, one or two homeroom teachers, and 3 paraprofessionals. Additionally, our Art, Music, and PE specials will now likely only be offered 2.5 days per week. This news comes right on the heels of the sad realization that 24 of our approximately 75 staff from last year will not be returning next year. It is not an exaggeration to say that our wonderful little school is in crisis. And we know we are not the only ones.

Not only are schools across the nation experiencing a mass exodus of teachers who were feeling undervalued before the pandemic and entirely burnt out since, but DCSD is also seeing a 5.3% drop in student enrollment just since the pandemic, likely a result of many students moving to private schools where COVID-19 mitigation strategies were better funded and more easily focused on the specific needs of that school alone. Any hope that those students would return to public schools in a post-Covid environment does not seem to be panning out. Sadly, DCSD's most recent efforts to "right-size" our schools by decreasing staff are only driving more concerned parents and their students away. We desperately need a different approach.

Over the past three years, the federal government infused $488 Million in CARES ACT funding into our school district in response to what was deemed a national emergency. As parents, we're still trying to fully understand how all of that money was spent, although we immediately recognized how critical it was for ensuring that every student had access to electronic devices and the internet and we hope it will eventually ensure that all of our schools have proper ventilation systems to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We have heard that some combination of CARES ACT funding and state funding was used to give teachers and staff retention incentives of some kind. Sadly, that alone does not seem to have been enough.

One positive effect for teachers and students was a decrease in class sizes. DCSD's decision to continue to allocate points based on pre-covid enrollment despite actual enrollment declining helped many schools by lowering class sizes, which provided some bit of relief to teachers. While we recognize that smaller class sizes are typically one of the more expensive interventions for student success, we also know that they are an effective one, especially in terms of teacher retention. The proposed FY23 Budget suggests that there is money available for such a strategy, but we are disappointed that DCSD is choosing instead to "right-size" by dramatically cutting the teachers and staff that work directly with students all while directing millions of additional dollars into central office staff increases, in areas such as finance, HR, and IT, to name a few.

If this proposed budget is approved by the Board of Education this week, it would be a huge missed opportunity for DCSD. Now really IS the time to "right-size" public education! We have seen that when the political will exists, our federal and state governments CAN provide needed funding in an emergency, and we're definitely in one! Public education has been in crisis for decades, and if we don't act now, some experts are predicting it could very well be the death of public education as we know it. At a bare minimum, we absolutely must ensure that every school, regardless of annual enrollment, has full-time Art, Music, PE, and STEM teachers. Anything less amounts to a denial of students' rights to a well-rounded education.

Right now, DCSD is experiencing the financial good fortune of a soaring real estate market and a higher than usual millage rate. As evidenced by the requested $132 million additional funds in our current proposed budget, we have an opportunity that might never present itself again to show what can be done for public school students when our programs are properly funded. It's time for our budget to properly reflect our values. Our students cannot afford for DCSD to continue to prioritize the "business" of educating over the actual work of educating. It's time for us to direct the vast majority of our resources to the places that matter most—the classrooms. And it's time for us to come together as parents and educators and insist on bipartisan legislation that makes permanent the investments made in our students and teachers during the pandemic. That is the only kind of "right-sizing" that makes sense.

Sincerely,

Concerned DCSD Parents