DEKALB COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Dozens of parents showed up at the Dunwoody-Chamblee Parents Council meeting on Friday, hoping to get some answers about the state of the district from Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson.
Some of those concerns stemmed from a pending SACS investigation over charges of how the DeKalb County School Board allegedly mismanaged millions of dollars and abused its power.
One after another, parents fired off questions and concerns to Atkinson.
"I have friends in other states that are in education, and it's like a known thing that if you come to Georgia, you don't want to teach in DeKalb," said parent Matt Blankenship.
Another parent, Ruth Kenny, said she thought schools within the district weren't staffed properly.
"I think the class sizes are so big and we're continuing to have more and more put on our teachers with less pay and less time to do it," she said.
While Atkinson listened to the concerns, she also spelled out all the good things that were happening in the district and her confidence in the school board.
"When I put things in front of the school board, I bring recommendations to them that I feel, number one, align with the policies that require their approval," she said.
Many parents hoped that the SACS investigation would uncover any problems and move the district forward, once and for all.
"I think that Dr. Atkinson is on the right track here, but it's not going to happen overnight," said parent Jeff Jackson.
SACS is set to visit the district from Oct. 17 through Oct. 19 and expects to report its findings by Thanksgiving.
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Superintendent Atkinson
