Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves multiple construction and service contracts despite objections; votes recorded
Summary
The DeKalb County School Board approved a series of contract awards and GMP budget reallocations across elementary and middle school projects and a 90‑day charter-bus extension; several motions passed with recorded opposition (typically a 4–3 or 6–1 split).
The DeKalb County Board of Education on Dec. 9 approved a suite of operations and capital items after lengthy discussion and separate roll-call votes on items pulled from the consent agenda.
Operations staff presented a package that included a 90-day extension for charter-bus RFPs, guaranteed maximum prices and budget reallocations for HVAC replacement and renovations at Livesey and Toney elementary schools (GMPs presented in staff remarks at about $7.40M and $7.34M respectively), reimbursement/lease modifications for portable classrooms at multiple schools, an amendment for additional design services for Hawthorne Elementary, a design-build award for the Lithonia Middle School gym ceiling, a CMAR/GMP award for Allgood Elementary HVAC and third-party commissioning services across several projects.
After discussion and objections from Dr. Joyce Morley (who said she would oppose many of the items pending audit clarifications), the board moved individual motions and approved most items. Several recorded votes were 4–3 in favor; a few procedural items passed 6–1.
Votes at a glance (examples taken from the business session): - Charter-bus services: extension approved (motion carried; recorded 6–1 on roll call). - Livesey Elementary HVAC GMP and budget reallocation: approved (motion carried; recorded 4–3). - Toney Elementary HVAC GMP and budget reallocation: approved (motion carried; recorded 4–3). - Mobile modular lease modifications for Salem, Farrington and Redan/other schools: approved (individual votes recorded; several 4–3 tallies). - Lithonia Middle School gym ceiling design-build award: approved (vote recorded, opposition noted).
Board discussion focused on project timing, escalating costs tied to multi-year design-to-construction timelines, and procurement strategy (low-bid vs. CMAR/GMP). Operations staff said CMAR/GMP is increasingly used on larger projects to cap district exposure and reduce later change orders; they also presented the reallocated contingency amounts paid from program contingencies.
What happens next: Staff will proceed to execute approved contracts and present future GMPs and early-release packages for board approval; the board requested clearer documentation on budgets and contingencies as part of the follow-up reporting.
Provenance: Operations presentation and requests began at the operations division presentation (SEG 548 onward) and individual roll-call votes occurred in the business session (SEG 4310 onward).
