Financial Impact

District's Position

What DeKalb says it will save

Despite repeated requests from community members and board members, DCSD has not released a comprehensive financial analysis of the SAP. What follows is based on publicly available information. SAP committee member Kirk Lunde asked publicly: "Why are we not talking about the financial aspects of the student assignment project?"

Claimed Savings Categories

CategoryAnnual Estimate

Building Operations & Utilities $UPDATE

Staffing Reductions $UPDATE

Administrative Consolidation $UPDATE

Deferred Maintenance Avoidance $UPDATE

Total Claimed Annual Savings $UPDATE

Source: UPDATE — cite the DCSD SAP financial document and date.

What the Savings Are Based On

According to the district, SAP is about cost avoidance — avoiding future spending on underutilized buildings — not one-time savings. The district says cost reductions will come primarily from administrative and non-instructional overhead as positions are eliminated through natural attrition over 6–8 years. No specific annual savings figure has been published.

The district has explicitly stated it does not intend to use SAP solely to cut costs, but to redirect resources toward classrooms. However, the community has not been shown a detailed model of what savings are projected, when they would be realized, or how they compare to the cost of implementation.

DCSD Financial Presentation — Embed or Link
Add an iframe embed of the financial slide deck or a link to the PDF from DCSD.

<a href="DCSD_PRESENTATION_URL" class="btn btn-outline" target="_blank">View DCSD Financial Data →</a>

The Full Picture

What the district isn't counting

The claimed savings look very different when you include the costs DCSD has left out of the ledger.

Capital Improvements at Receiving Schools

When 400 students move from a closed school to a receiving building, that building needs upgrades. DCSD's Round 2 scenarios included capital improvement details for the first time — but the full cost of preparing receiving schools for influxes of students has not been disclosed.

Est. cost: $UPDATE per school — UPDATE: source / basis

Increased Transportation Costs

One of the most persistent community concerns is transportation. Students who currently walk or take short bus routes will face significantly longer commutes. DCSD has acknowledged that transportation costs will increase but has not released a detailed projection. These are recurring costs — not one-time expenses.

Est. annual increase: $UPDATE — UPDATE: source / basis

One-Time Transition Costs

Moving students, staff, furniture, and equipment isn't free. Neither is communicating changes to thousands of families, printing new materials, or onboarding staff at receiving schools. These costs are real but rarely itemized.

Est. cost: $UPDATE — UPDATE: source / basis

Enrollment Attrition at Receiving Schools

Research consistently shows that school closures cause enrollment loss in surrounding schools as families choose private or charter options rather than accept reassignment. This revenue loss isn't modeled in DCSD's projections.

UPDATE: cite a relevant study or local data point

Property Value & Tax Base Impact

School quality is a primary driver of home values in DeKalb County. Closing a neighborhood school can depress property values in the surrounding area, reducing the tax base that funds the district — a self-defeating cycle.

UPDATE: add any supporting research or local data

Vacant Building Liability

What happens to the closed buildings? Vacant school buildings are expensive to maintain, attract vandalism, and are difficult to repurpose or sell. DCSD has not published a credible plan for the disposition of closed facilities.

UPDATE: add any known data on prior DCSD building dispositions

Coalition Analysis

Our financial analysis

Below is our working model comparing DCSD's projected savings against estimated hidden costs. Update the linked Google Sheet as new data becomes available.

Financial Analysis — Google Sheet Embed

Replace this with an iframe of your coalition's financial analysis spreadsheet.

<iframe src="YOUR_GOOGLE_SHEET_EMBED_URL" width="100%" height="500" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Methodology Note

Our analysis draws on DCSD's official SAP presentations, public statements from board members and SAP committee members, reporting by Rough Draft Atlanta, Decaturish, Fox 5, WABE, and Appen Media, and publicly available Georgia DOE enrollment data. We will update this page as new financial information is released.

School-by-School

Cost breakdown per school

How do the numbers look for each of the 30 schools individually?

Per-School Financial Table — Google Sheet Embed

Replace with a filterable Google Sheet showing per-school financial data.