DeKalb School Board Votes To Extend Director Cripps
The DeKalb County Board of Education will extend the contract of Director of Schools Patrick Cripps and increase his salary following a positive annual evaluation. The school board approved a one-year extension of his current contract, with a pay raise of an estimated $11,000 per year. School Board Chairman Shaun Tubbs said the extension comes […]
Nashville Firm Will Lead New $53M Smithville School
A Nashville-based firm will serve as the construction manager for the new Smithville Elementary School project. DeKalb County Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said the board chose RG Anderson after a committee scored using a rubric, proposals from nine vendors. The decision marks a significant step for the project, which has been in development since […]
DeKalb Schools Proposed Budget Includes Focus On Employee Raises
Employee raises the focus for the DeKalb County School System’s new budget. Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said that while the raises might not be as large as last year’s, they wanted to do something to make sure their employees were taken care of. The budget includes a proposed $2,000 increase for certified personnel and […]
DeKalb Schools To Increase Salaries Of Personnel
DeKalb County teachers, non-certified personnel, and bus drivers will see an increase in their next paycheck. Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said that the board of education has been working to better compensate employees. He said that the board wants to be able to compete for teachers with the bigger surrounding districts. “To be competitive […]
Dekalb School System Pushing For Employee Raises Across The Board
The Dekalb County School System is taking a budget that includes raises throughout the school system to the county commission. Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said he believes $5,000 raises for teachers and $3,000 for support staff is possible due to how the budget has been managed. Cripps said the competition for quality educators keeps […]
Dekalb School System Partners With Tech To Find Local Teachers
The Dekalb County School System is partnering with Tennessee Tech to train teachers for the classroom. Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said Tech reached out and the system was more than interested in participating in the Grow Your Own program. Cripps said this program is a huge benefit being in a rural area. “There’s a, […]
Dekalb County HS Principal Steps Down After Two Decades In System
Dekalb County High School Principal Randy Jennings has stepped down after 26 years in education. Director of schools Patrick Cripps said he and Jennings go back together as administrators for over a decade. Cripps said Jennings was someone he could count on to bounce ideas and provide a steady force in the system. “You don’t […]
Dekalb County Schools All Remote Through 2020
All Dekalb County Schools will continue remote learning through the rest of 2020. The county school system went fully remote on December 4th due to an increase in COVID cases among staff and students. Dekalb County School Director Patrick Cripps said the school system will look to return in person on January 4th. Previously, when […]
Substitute Shortage Forces Dekalb High School Into Virtual Learning
A substitute teacher shortage has forced Dekalb County High School to stop in-person learning through December 11. Dekalb County School Director Patrick Cripps said he’s dealing with 1/4 to 1/3 of his staff being out, with quarantine numbers in the double digits at just one school. Cripps said this was his fear going into Thanksgiving […]
Dekalb Schools Reopen Wednesday
Dekalb County Schools reopen Wednesday morning with a mask mandate and remote learning as two separate challenges. Dekalb County delayed opening schools for two weeks when an employee tested positive for COVID-19. Dekalb County School Director Patrick Cripps said he wanted to avoid having regrets about re-opening without a mask mandate. “We’ve got to try […]
