DeKalb County Schools teams with area agencies for active shooter training ► PAGE 2
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DeKalb Schools superintendent received $35,000 bonus in 2024 By DAN WHISENHUNT dan@appenmedia.com
JON WILCOX/APPEN MEDIA
DeKalb County Commissioner Robert Patrick discusses details about a proposed rate increase to fund water and sewer improvements at a Feb. 23 Dunwoody Homeowners Association board meeting.
Rate hike stirs water customers Dunwoody crowd floats ideas to douse sting from higher bills By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — Residents grappled with a proposed water rate increase during a presentation by DeKalb County Commissioner Robert Patrick at a Dunwoody Homeowners Association Board meeting Feb. 23. Patrick said water and sewer rates could rise each year for 10 years to fund a
$4.3-billion capital improvement program to replace dilapidated infrastructure. Projects include 60-inch transmission mains, replacing a 36-inch transmission main on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, improving the Scott Candler Water Treatment Plant and other sewer projects around the county. Residents who now see about $70 on their monthly water bills would pay $76 in 2025. The average rate would increase to $84 in 2026, then gradually upward to $180 by 2034.
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DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County School Board gave Superintendent Devon Horton a $35,000 bonus and amended his contract at its Nov. 11 meeting. A reader noticed the bonus award when reading meeting minutes linked in a Decaturish.com story about the district’s purchase of an office building at 2175 Parklake Drive. The School Board hired Horton in 2023 and set a base salary of $325,000. Board Chair Deirdre Pierce said members renewed his contract a year later, but the salary didn’t change. “In November 2024, the board voted to award Horton a one-time retention bonus of $35,000,” Pierce said. “Our Board of Education highly values stability and leadership consistency, particularly at the superintendent level,” she said. “We appreciate Dr. Horton’s contribution as
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FILE PHOTO USED FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES
Superintendent Devon Horton attends DeKalb County School District’s annual Back-to-School Rally at James R. Hallford Stadium in Clarkston on July 22, 2023.
an innovative, studentachievement-focused leader since joining our district and look forward to continued growth for our students and staff.” The bonus was not in his initial contract or his 2024 renewal. According to the meeting minutes, the board amended his contract to pay out the one-time bonus on Dec. 1. The agreement was executed Dec. 9.