Families in the Dunwoody and Chamblee school clusters could see redistricting plans drawn up this fall without a permanent leader running the process.
The DeKalb County School District's Student Assignment Project still has no executive director and no community engagement vendor, even as Interim Superintendent Norman Sauce told the board at its July 13 meeting that Phase 1 community action teams will begin forming in August and deliver recommendations for a board vote in December.
The Dunwoody cluster is one of six — alongside Lakeside, Cross Keys, Chamblee, Tucker and Druid Hills — slated for Phase 1, which focuses on schools affected by new construction and renovations, including the new Sequoyah Middle and High Schools, Cross Keys High School, Idlewood Elementary and Dresden Elementary.
$850,000 contract pulled at the last minute
At the start of the nine-hour July 13 meeting, Board Chair Allyson Gevertz announced the removal of an $850,000 contract with OGR Public Health Group LLC, the firm that would have served as the SAP's community engagement facilitator.
"What I've been told is that it would be proper to remove these items, and then we will bring them back to the agenda when and if it's time to bring them back," Gevertz said.
District 2 Board Member Whitney McGinniss said the decision to pull the contract came within 24 hours of the meeting. The contract had been added to the agenda Friday, July 10, following vendor interviews Wednesday, July 8. The district's request for proposal was sent to more than 2,700 vendors across three platforms; only two were deemed responsive.
No director since May
Former Executive Director of Student Assignment Sarita Smith, who led the SAP since 2024, left the district in May 2026, citing personal reasons. Triscella Weaver, the district's chief of access and opportunity, presented the SAP update at the July 13 meeting and confirmed Smith has not been replaced. Weaver said additional personnel have been assigned to the effort and that the new process will be driven by district officials rather than an independent firm.
McGinniss pushed back on the timeline.
"I do have concerns, as we have tabled this item for the community engagement vendor, because we have not hired a director to run our student assignment process," she said. "I want us to think very carefully about continuing with the goal to have December be the deadline."
What this means for Dunwoody and Chamblee families
Each Phase 1 cluster will form a community action team of 50 to 75 members drawn from principals, staff, community members, alumni and students. The district launched the SAP in 2024 to address chronic under-enrollment, with roughly 110,000 seats serving about 90,000 students.
The project drew fierce backlash in February 2026 when it proposed closing 27 schools. A revised round in March drew thousands of negative responses, and by late April the district told SAP committee members the process would be delayed and restructured.
Phase 2, focused on under-enrolled schools, is scheduled for spring 2027. The school year begins August 3, giving the district less than a month before action teams are supposed to be in place.
The board is scheduled to vote on Phase 1 recommendations in December 2026, per Sauce's presentation, though McGinniss has questioned whether that deadline is realistic without a director or vendor in place.
