Author: On Common Ground News

Kennedy Boothe, an eighth grader at General Ray Davis Elementary School, is the 2019 Spelling Bee champ for Rockdale County Public Schools. After many nail-biting rounds eliminating contestants, Boothe correctly spelled “hallucinations” and “conspicuous” to win the district trophy.  The 2019 RCPS Spelling Bee was held at Memorial Middle School on Feb. 8, and sponsored by the Rockdale Association of Educators. The runner-up in the competition was Zaccheus Fairman, a fourth grader at C.J. Hicks Elementary. Each RCPS elementary and middle school entered the top speller in their school to the district competition. Here are the names of the other…

The Stonecrest City Council is scheduled to vote on the city’s controversial SPLOST management contact on Monday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. The upcoming vote follows the council’s 4-2 approval on Feb. 11 to award a $3.3 million contract to Grice Consulting Group, LLC. That decision follows infighting among council members that has persisted for more than a year and a half after city officials questioned invoices ($162,000 worth) that Grice submitted for pre-SPLOST work. The city settled and paid Grice $40,000. With the council’s recent vote to move ahead, council members instructed city attorneys to have drafts of the contract…

Executive order creates 17-member commission to review county charter   DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has announced the creation of a DeKalb Charter Review Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the Organizational Act that established the county’s current Chief Executive Officer and Board of Commissioners form of governance. “The purpose of this commission is to study DeKalb’s current form of government to ensure the county is responsive to the ever-changing needs and demands of county government,” said CEO Thurmond. “It has been 40 years since the Organizational Act was initially passed in a public referendum. Jimmy Carter was president;…

First COLA adjustment in 14 years  DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has proposed a two percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the county’s retirees and beneficiaries in the FY2019 budget amendment. If approved by the Board of Commissioners, the increase will become effective on July 1. The annualized cost of the adjustment will be $2.1 million. “I am heartbroken that our 11,000 retirees and beneficiaries have been denied a cost-of-living adjustment since 2005,” said CEO Thurmond. “Eliminating a structural budget deficit and increasing the rainy-day fund have provided the county with the revenue needed to reduce DeKalb’s unfunded pension liabilities and…

LifeLine Animal Project staff had no idea that they’d be receiving a lot more than lunch when Petco Foundation representatives showed up to honor them. However, when longtime LifeLine supporter and celebrity trainer Victoria Stilwell (star of CBS “Greatest American Dog” and Animal Planet’s “It’s me or the Dog”) dropped in to make an announcement, staff began wondering what was really going on. Stilwell presented LifeLine Animal Project CEO Rebecca Guinn and LifeLine Board Chair David Midler with a giant Valentine Card with messages of support to all of the staff members and volunteers. “This is just to say thank…

Instead of sleeping in late, watching television or cruising the internet, a group of students from Rockdale and Newton counties spent President’s Day learning about the judicial system. The students, who are in grades 8-12, were participants in the Fourth Annual Youth Law Camp founded by Rockdale Chief Magistrate Judge Phinia  Aten. The free, daylong camp offered students a chance to hear from guest speakers who are involved in the judicial system and participate in interactive activities including a mock trial.  Judge Aten said the goal of the program is to expose students who might have an interest in pursuing…

For the second consecutive year, the Museum School of Avondale Estates has been named the Georgia Charter Schools Association’s 2019 Academic Charter School of the Year. The award recognizes charter schools who demonstrate academic excellence; score high on College & Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) tests; and remain autonomous in its governance. As the recipient of the 2019 award, The Museum School of Avondale Estates will receive $25,000 from the GCSA to aid its mission of educating DeKalb County students. According to a statement from the school, the funds will be used to purchase sets of Google Expedition Kits to…

Flat Rock, one of the oldest African-American communities in the state of Georgia and a part of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, is the subject of a new exhibit created by the DeKalb History Center and the Flat Rock Archives. The exhibit, Deep Roots in DeKalb: The Flat Rock Story of Resilience, opens in Decatur on Feb. 28. As visitors learn about the people of Flat Rock and DeKalb County, they will discover a story of strength, ingenuity and resilience that continues to this day. From the days of enslavement to its rise as a…

The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release that it has launched a new initiative this year to suppress, deter, and thwart street level crime in affected areas. The Deployment of the MCV (Mobile Command Vehicle) has been planned for different locations throughout Rockdale during the year. The MCV is currently located at GA Hwy 138 and East Fairview Road. Officials say the objective of the initiative is community outreach, educating the public with local crime trends and preventative practices, and building a solid infrastructure between residents of Rockdale County and local Law Enforcement. Every Division…

 Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) is hosting a teacher Job fair on March 9, 1  – 5 p.m. at Rockdale County High School gymnasium, 1174 Bulldog Circle, Conyers, and on May 11, 2019, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Rockdale Career Academy, 1064 Culpepper Drive, Conyers. Please pre-register at www.rockdaleschools.org/jobfair The school system is seeking candidates for teaching positions for the 2019-2020 school year. All 22 RCPS schools will be represented and may provide on-site interviews. Candidates should bring several copies of their resumés. To pre-register, please visit www.rockdaleschools.org/jobfair To see the full schedule of opportunities to meet our RCPS…