Saturday, December 21, 2019

Scholarship Contests for Dunwoody Students

High School Seniors - time to think about college scholarship applications!
There are two scholarship competitions open now presented by Dunwoody institutions

Dunwoody Womans Club
Student Achievement Scholarships




Open to High School seniors (public or private) residing in one of these ZIP codes:
30328, 30338, 30350, or 30360.


Applications are submitted by USPS mail and must be postmarked by March 20, 2020.


Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association Foundation
Scholarships for High School Women
and Collegiate/Alumnae NPC Members



AAPA Foundation is giving a record $20,000 across several scholarships for women in high school, college, or graduate studies.

Eligibility:

High School Senior Honors Scholarship – for female students planning to attend a four-year college/university with NPC sororities on their campus. Applicants must have legal residence in Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Paulding or Rockdale counties.

Collegiate Scholarship – for Rising Junior or Rising Senior NPC sorority members attending Georgia colleges/universities and having a legal residence in the Metro Atlanta area counties of Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale.

Alumnae Scholarship – for alumnae with legal residence in the Metro Atlanta area counties of Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding, or Rockdale who is continuing her education.

More info and applications:  https://www.atlantapanhellenic.org/scholarships/
Submissions are made online.  Deadline is 11:59 PM, March 1, 2020


Monday, October 21, 2019

UPDATED: Where are the 2019 Campaign Disclosures for Dunwoody Candidates?

I hope they get posted before Election Day.  Being that we all are open, and transparent, and ethical, and all.

Let's keep watch on this page.  Someone post in the comments when they see the info.

-------------------
Wow, that was quick.
Here is the link to all filings, past and present.
Seriously, link these from the main City of Dunwoody website.  Will save you a bunch of phonecalls, emails, and other time wasters.  ;-)

https://cityofdunwoodyga.easyvotecampaignfinance.com/home?fbclid=IwAR1ilPgDiQOqKDjxRWjTl5GmMCkee83XEZRYiivD5D51BC0ifW9TfzqTeQE

Monday, September 9, 2019

An Open Letter from the DHA to the DeKalb County Board of Education

At the board meeting of September 8, 2019, a quorum of the Board of Directors unanimously agreed to release the following statement regarding the state of DeKalb County public schools within city limits in general and against the GO Bond in particular.

Dear Members of the Board,

The Dunwoody Homeowners Association (DHA) strives to ensure a high standard and quality of life for the homeowners of Dunwoody. An essential component of a strong and vibrant community is quality public schools for every child. Unfortunately, the school facility crisis of DeKalb County Schools (DCSD) is putting the quality of life for all of Dunwoody at serious risk. School buildings are suffering from leaky roofs, mold, malfunctioning air conditioning, non-working bathrooms, unsanitary locker rooms, unsafe multipurpose fields, and catastrophic plumbing breaks. These poor conditions extend to numerous portable trailers which are arriving at an alarming pace with little plan for relief in the next few years. We ask DCSD to prioritize this facilities crisis and school overcrowding through strategic initiatives and alternative solutions, not simply adding more portable classrooms each year.

Through the GO Bond you have proposed, you plan to increase property taxes for homeowners over the next 15 years. While we are quite concerned about the state of the facilities in our schools, we are skeptical of the GO Bond as a vehicle to successfully address these deferred maintenance problems.

We do not support the GO Bond for the following reasons:


  • Lack of leadership: Dr. Green is expected to leave by next summer. Many departments are being run by interim leaders who have limited vision and fail to provide a long-term plan for the school system. Strong leadership must be in place to oversee additional taxpayer funds prior to their collection.
  • Lack of financial transparency: The 2017 financial audit contained material weaknesses that have yet to be solved. The Athletics department internal audit from October of 2017 found “gross non-compliance due to controls not being in place”. The 2018 procurement audit revealed a risk of liability exposure. We have not seen a 2018 audit even though we are in the 3rd quarter of 2019. A forensic audit, by an objective third-party firm, must be conducted of the athletics, food service, public safety, and procurement departments prior to any consideration of a bond.
  • Lack of transparency on the GO Bond process: According to attendees from our community, including elected officials, GO Bond meetings were very confusing and provided no opportunity to answer the public’s questions. DCSD must develop greater trust with the community during the bond approval process.
  • Lack of professional acumen in GO Bond construction estimates: Internal DCSD staff compiled the construction estimates, rather than using professional estimators. A construction management firm needs to be hired to manage the entire scope of the Go Bond work.

The DHA has been a long-time supporter of DeKalb County Schools throughout the Dunwoody area and desires to continue this successful partnership. The DHA is proud to be a consistent contributor to all seven public schools and our support goes beyond just financial donations. DHA members are also DCSD parents who support hands-on initiatives like campus clean up days and other service projects to keep our schools strong.

Our primary goal is to promote the recreation, health, safety, welfare, benefit and enjoyment of the homeowners within the community. We know this goal cannot be obtained without focusing on maintaining high quality schools. We implore you to be more purposeful with the funds you currently have and pause the Go Bond process until you have addressed our concerns above. We are confident that taxpayer funds will be better spent when a stronger financial and strategic foundation is in place.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors
Dunwoody Homeowners Association



Printable copy on letterhead

The purpose of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association is to promote the recreation, health, safety, welfare, benefit and enjoyment of the homeowners within the community.