Devon Horton, the new superintendent of the DeKalb school system, is proposing a new way of structuring the district’s central office.
The proposed changes — which include creating more than 50 new positions and moving or changing existing ones — are projected to cost $10.4 million, according to a new document posted Wednesday on the district’s website.
The DeKalb school board will meet on Monday for a board retreat, and is scheduled to discuss the changes at that time. Two documents showcasing the new positions and the district’s organizational structure were uploaded as part of the agenda.
At Horton’s first school board meeting earlier this week, the board approved the hiring of four people that Horton previously worked with in other states. Board member Joyce Morley was the only one to object to the hires, arguing that Horton hasn’t been working long enough to know what the district needs.
“You haven’t had a chance to see what the need is,” she said. “I cannot stand by and watch you all keep ramping up central office.”
The district declined to comment on the restructuring ahead of Monday’s meeting.
The Division of School Leadership, which already exists, would get the biggest influx of cash at $7.7 million. The division is currently led by the associate superintendent of leadership and schools. Michelle Dillard, from Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools, where Horton previously worked, was hired this week to fill that role. The new title would be chief of schools, and the plan also adds a deputy chief. Additionally, the district would add multiple new executive administrators, and coordinators of culture and climate, early literacy, math, exceptional education, English language learners and mental health.
Horton’s plan includes the creation of a Division of Equity and Inclusion. A number of the proposed positions listed under the division already exist in the district, but would be moved from other departments. New positions in the division include a chief equity officer, an office specialist, a director/coordinator of culture and climate, a facilities improvement manager and an executive director of student assignment. Those new positions total $866,000.
The plan does not propose any changes to the divisions of finance or facilities and operations.
When board members chose Horton to be the new superintendent, they said they were impressed with Horton’s track record related to improving student achievement and championing equity. Horton has called himself a disruptor who has focused on closing the achievement gap for Black and brown students.
At a town hall meeting before Horton was hired, a community member said DeKalb’s central office is already “bursting at the seams.” Horton said hires where he previously worked in a small Illinois school district outside of DeKalb were necessary to better serve students. Any changes in DeKalb schools would come after comprehensively reviewing the district’s current operations, he said.
“That’s not something I would make a decision on on my own,” he said in April. “It would be a review and (we’d) do a research-based process to make sure that we have staffing that’s the best quality and set up the right way.”
At the meeting earlier this week, board members thanked Horton for his work so far. He officially began working as superintendent on July 1, but participated in meetings with administrators beforehand.
The board will gather for its retreat at 10 a.m. Monday. According to the agenda, it will also discuss the recent state audit that found DeKalb has persistent problems with how it manages its finances and uses and tracks federal pandemic aid.
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