CITY SCHOOLS OF DECATUR Decatur, Georgia The City Schools of Decatur is an independent school system that serves the neighborhoods and communities of Decatur Georgia.  The system is comprised of seven schools; 5 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school.  The elementary schools are known as “neighborhood” schools and are conveniently located throughout the four square mile town of Decatur.  Many children walk to their neighborhood school and Decatur students enjoy small class sizes with low teacher/student ratios.  In 1999, the citizens of Decatur approved a Special Purpose Local Option Sale Tax (SPLOST) to provide $19 m. for expansions and renovations to the existing school facilities.  The SPLOST program provided additional classrooms, new heating and air conditioning systems, enhanced media centers, cabling for computer networking, and improvements to the playgrounds and landscaping. Careful planning and scheduling was required to coordinate the construction activities with the academic School calendar.  One creative strategy used was the development of a temporary elementary school created in a vacated wing of the High School.  This approach reduced the program delivery time by over 18 months, saved thousands of dollars, and minimized the number of physical moves required of each school.

Project Description: Expansion and Renovation of seven elementary schools, Renfro Middle School, and Decatur High School Construction Cost: $26 million Total Project Cost: $30 million Status: Construction Completed 2000 Principal-in-Charge: Marcus Vess Project Manager: Mike Breunig Architect: Collins Cooper Carusi R. L. Brown and Associates Scott Hale and Associates Contractor: Various