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DeKalb school board says roughly $200M funding gap; approves multiple construction contracts over objections
Summary
At its Dec. 9 work session the DeKalb County Board of Education heard members calculate a roughly $200 million gap across SPLOST/ESSER projects, pressed for audits and approved a slate of guaranteed‑maximum‑price contracts and budget reallocations after heated debate and several 4–3 votes.
The DeKalb County Board of Education on Dec. 9 debated a districtwide capital shortfall and approved a series of construction contracts and budget reallocations tied to long‑running facility projects.
Board member Anna Hill said the board’s calculations, drawing on recent finance reports, show a combined shortfall of about $201,848,532 when shortfalls in SPLOST 5, SPLOST 6 and ESSER‑funded work are totaled. Hill said she derived that figure from the district’s November financial reporting and supplemental materials provided by operations staff. Dr. Joyce Morley and other members echoed concern, pressing for more frequent updates and outside review of repeated reallocations and contract amendments.
Superintendent Dr. Devon Q. Horton and Operations Director Robert Hofstadter defended moving ahead with projects the district is already contractually obligated to finish. Hofstadter described the construction manager‑at‑risk (CMAR) approach and the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) model the district is increasingly using; he said GMPs can reduce change orders by involving a construction manager early in design and by fixing a maximum contract price for the scope presented to the board.
Despite objections centered on timing and fiscal transparency, the board voted to approve multiple items pulled from the consent agenda, including guaranteed maximum prices and budget reallocations for Livesey Elementary, Toney Elementary and HVAC/renovation work at several schools. Several of those motions passed by narrow margins; individual vote tallies were read into the record when each item was taken separately.
Why it matters: board members and staff agreed the shortfall is real but disagreed on remedies. Some trustees urged pausing non‑urgent spending until external audits conclude and clearer multi‑year pacing is in place; others said delaying work would leave students in buildings that need repair.
Votes at a glance (representative items approved Dec. 9): - Contract extension for charter bus services (90 days): passed (6–1). (topicintro: SEG 554; topfinish: SEG 566) - GMP & budget reallocation for Livesey Elementary HVAC replacement (GMP $7,402,255; reallocation $3,302,255): approved (motion recorded during business session; outcome recorded as passing 4–3 where noted). (topicintro: SEG 571; topfinish: SEG 577) - GMP & budget reallocation for Toney Elementary HVAC replacement (GMP $7,335,874; reallocation $1,784,124): approved (4–3). (topicintro: SEG 591; topfinish: SEG 596) - Multiple mobile‑modular lease modifications and reallocations (Salem, Farrington, others): approved (vote tallies recorded; several were 4–3). (topicintro: SEG 608; topfinish: SEG 637) - Hawthorne Elementary amendment #2 (design/engineering increase $346,293): approved. (topicintro: SEG 641; topfinish: SEG 644) - Award for Lithonia Middle School gym ceiling renovation (RFP): approved. (topicintro: SEG 647; topfinish: SEG 651) - Award of CMAR for Allgood Elementary HVAC and related pre‑construction fee requests: approved. (topicintro: SEG 655; topfinish: SEG 661) - Third‑party commissioning services award and reallocation (various projects): approved. (topicintro: SEG 671; topfinish: SEG 677)
(These items and their vote tallies were discussed individually during the business session; the full set of consent items and separate roll‑call results are in the official minutes.)
Key claims and staff responses: Dr. Morley repeatedly urged an external audit of operations and questioned recurring amendments and reallocations; Hofstadter and the superintendent said many projects predate the present administration, that cost escalation and unforeseen site issues drive change orders, and that CMAR/GMP structures can cap total exposure.
Next steps: the board asked staff to continue providing updated budgets and cash‑flow scenarios and flagged the audit exit conference for FY23 as an upcoming transparency milestone.
Sources: Board presentations and votes at the Dec. 9 meeting; finance and operations presentations to the board; quotes and figures attributed to Anna Hill, Dr. Joyce Morley, Robert Hofstadter and Dr. Devon Q. Horton as spoken on the record at the meeting.
