CSD Weekly: October 8, 2026

Find out what's happening in CSD schools by clicking on your school's newsletter.

College Heights Connection

Clairemont Bulldog

Glennwood Eagle Edition

Oakhurst Weekly

Westchester Weekly

Winnona Park Wildcat Weekly

F.Ave Falcon Flyer

Talley Street Update

BHMS Weekly Update

DHS Weekly Update

Georgia's PEACH Education Tax Credit (previously known as the Qualified Education Donation tax credit) allows individuals and businesses to support Georgia's K-12 public education students by redirecting a portion of their state income tax dollars to fund K-12 school innovation projects, with 100% of the funds going directly to schools. The tax credit is capped at $25 million and is approved on a first-come, first-served basis.

CSD is applauding the teachers and staff at DHS, Talley Street and F.AVE for receiving approval for the 2026 PEACH Tax Credit projects on agricultural and culinary innovation. The school projects will begin receiving funds when the fundraising goal is met.

About the Projects:

• F.AVE and Talley Street will launch the Agriculture Integration Initiative, aiming to raise $26,470 to build five to six raised-bed gardening systems per school, install pollinator gardens and custom irrigation systems, construct an elementary greenhouse at F.Ave, and establish indoor hydroponic grow systems.
• DHS plans to launch the Decatur AeroCulinary Innovation Lab, a $250,000 "Farm-to-Fork" initiative that introduces high-tech urban agriculture without requiring land. Culinary students will study sustainable sourcing, nutrient management, and food science directly. In contrast, Career Technical Institute (CTI) students will lead the business side by managing inventory and selling surplus crops at local community farmers' markets.

Click here to learn more about the Georgia PEACH tax credit.

DHS Elevator Back in Service

Elevator #2 at Decatur High School returned to service on October 7. We understand the inconvenience of the outage to the school day, and we appreciate the patience of our students, families and staff.

HVAC and Building Improvements

Westchester's HVAC work is targeted for completion on October 12, and a compressor installation at Glennwood is scheduled for October 11. A controller is still needed to resolve an HVAC controls communication issue in BHMS's newer wing. Flooring work at BHMS is planned to begin during the Thanksgiving break.

Talley Street Composting Impact

Talley Street Upper Elementary's October 1 composting report shows that 5,381 pounds of waste have been diverted since May 7, including 2,136.7 pounds in September. It also reports 1,776 pounds of compost created and 178 pounds shared with 43 growers. The report estimates 500 pounds of methane and 13,992 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions avoided, which is the equivalent of 15,709 miles not driven.

Planning for Our Schools

At the October 13 Board of Education meeting, the finance and operations departments will share an E-SPLOST VI closeout update and preview proposed E-SPLOST VII priorities. The presentation connects current projects to the next five-year CSD Long-Term Facilities Plan and our commitment to creating the conditions for students to thrive. This is an informational update, with no requested board action.

Our goal is to be transparent about issues, respond quickly when they arise, and continue improving the systems that support safe, reliable learning environments for all students and staff.

• Teacher Work Day (No School), October 12
• Board of Education Regular Meeting, October 13
• Superintendent Listening Session, October 19, 11:30 a.m., Virtual link
• Homecoming, October 23

• Early Release Day, October 28

• Digital Learning Day, November 3

Best of luck to our CSD teams competing and supporting this weekend!

• DHS and BHMS Cheer
• V/JV and BHMS Cross Country
• DHS Fencing
• V/JV and BHMS Football
• V Softball

Find more sports schedules and spirit over at the CSD Athletics website.

The CSD School Health Team is partnering with DeKalb Public Health to offer flu vaccines to our school community. CSD students, staff, and families are invited to participate. Parents/guardians interested in their student(s) receiving the flu vaccine must be present at the time of service. Please bring your ID and insurance card for billing. Private and Medicaid insurance plans are accepted, except Kaiser, TRICARE, and Oscar.

Remaining Scheduled CSD Flu Vaccination Events

October 9: Clairemont, 10 a.m.-noon

October 14: Glennwood, 10 a.m.-noon

October 15: College Heights, 3-5 p.m.

October 20: Talley Street, 10 a.m.-noon

October 29: Oakhurst, 3-5 p.m.

Welcome to Hoke L. Wilcox, who has been named CSD's new Chief of Safety and Technology Services. He will start in his new role at City Schools of Decatur on October 12, 2026.

Wilcox is currently the executive director of IT Services at Fulton County Public Schools, where he manages a $5.7 million annual budget, oversees digital safety tools, and directs enterprise resource systems, student information systems, and state accountability functions in alignment with district goals. He also serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Georgia Educational Technology Consortium (GaETC), where he supports and advances educational technology leadership and best practices across Georgia's K-12 community.

Big congrats to F.AVE, Talley Street, and BHMS for earning GaDOE's John Hancock Award Banner and Proficiency Ribbon for excellence in cursive writing instruction for the 2025-2026 school year. Both F.AVE and Talley St. also earned this award during the 2024-2025 school year, the inaugural year of the award.

The John Hancock award aims to promote cursive writing to strengthen student confidence, connect learners to history, and support essential cognitive development. Schools with over 90% of students able to write their name in cursive are eligible for the John Hancock Banner and Proficiency Ribbon.

Students, staff and families across CSD celebrated CSD Reads & Dyslexia Awareness Week and Georgia Pre-K Week. Guest readers and authors visited schools, students dressed up for spirit days, and everyone raised awareness about dyslexia and the importance of high-quality early childhood education.

The CSD community is invited to complete a brief survey about the district's communications practices, channels, and effectiveness to help enhance engagement with families, students, staff, and the community. The communications department reviews all survey feedback and continually refines communications practices based on recommendations from past surveys. Please complete the CSD communications survey here through Friday, October 30. Thank you for your participation and partnership.

Parks and Recreation

City of Decatur Parks and Recreation commits to providing exceptional experiences that foster healthy living and meaningful community connections. Please visit the DPRD programs website for information about afterschool programs, school holiday programs, and summer camps or sign up for their monthly newsletter.

Register now for Winter Basketball League. Players learn fundamentals, practice teamwork, and compete in weekly games in a supportive environment. Open to players ages 6-17 of all skill levels. Practice begins November 9 and games begin December 5.

CSD residents are eligible to apply for A Season of Giving, which provides gifts and essentials to children from birth through 12th grade around the holidays. Apply here by October 31.

Residents may also participate by:

• Sponsoring: Choose a wish list and shop for a child or senior.
• Donating: Let us do the shopping with your contribution.
• Volunteering: Lend a hand and help spread the joy!

Please visit the website or email Jane Lomas at jane.lomas@decaturga.com with questions.

CSD Weekly is the district's weekly newsletter, delivering the latest news and updates from the district and all schools in one place. Newsletters are sent each Thursday to all CSD parents, as well as students in grades 6-12. The community can subscribe to the CSD Weekly here.