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City Schools of Decatur board reviews state school‑climate data; leaders flag safety communication and secondary engagement
Summary
District leaders presented 2023–24 Georgia school‑climate star ratings and local survey results showing strong staff engagement but lower parental confidence in safety (67% very/extremely confident) and secondary student engagement; the district said it will expand outreach, interpret state items with local data, and track changes over time.
The City Schools of Decatur board received a briefing on school‑climate star ratings and a sample of statewide survey results during its retreat.
Franches Holt, the district presenter, said the Georgia Department of Education ratings run from one to five stars — “5 stars representing an excellent climate and 1 star representing a climate most in need of improvement” — and explained that 2023–24 ratings are the district’s baseline because the state paused reporting during COVID. Holt said the district’s goal is for all schools to reach four stars or higher.
Holt summarized the district’s survey tallies and related measures. Families generally reported feeling informed and welcomed, but only 67% “reported feeling very or extremely confident in our safety practices,” Holt said, and parent participation was weaker in upper grades. Teacher and staff responses were stronger: Holt reported that 71% of teachers said they have adequate time almost every day to deliver planned instruction and that “92% of teachers report knowing the steps to follow in an emergency.”
Board members asked for more disaggregation and local context. Trustee Hansett and others pressed whether a single negative classroom experience can distort a schoolwide percentage; Holt said the state’s public items are broad but that the district can supplement them with local survey breaks, focused Canvas observations, and principal‑level reports to identify site‑level concerns.
Holt linked several items to ongoing actions: the district has added leadership coaching, regular observations and feedback cycles, and efforts to make surveys more accessible and their results easier to interpret for parents. She also noted changes in attendance reporting tied to recently enacted state compulsory‑attendance measures. Holt said the district will bring back more granular results — by school and grade band — and will monitor trends each year.
The board did not take formal action on the item. Staff listed follow‑up steps including providing school‑level breakdowns, improving parent outreach about safety protocols (especially weapons‑detection systems at the secondary level), and showing how ongoing leadership supports relate to measured changes in climate.
