October 28, 2026 – The Decatur Public Schools Board of Education held its regular meeting on October 27th, 2026.
Key Highlights
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Superintendent First 100 Days
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Dr. Nicole Nash Moody marked 100 days in her new role as DPS61 Superintendent. She is focused on leading by listening, learning, connecting and collaborating. Her top 10 accomplishments include: strengthening board-superintendent collaboration, advancing Roadmap 2030, establishing a collaborative leadership culture, creating united district leaders are a shared vision, increasing visibility and engagement in schools, strengthening labor partnerships, coordinating a strong start to the school year, expanding consistent communication with families, depending community partnerships and strengthening operational and fiscal readiness. Please see the attached one-pager for more details.
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New Junior Board Members sworn in
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Board President Bill Clevenger held a second swearing in ceremony for the 2026-27 Junior Board members. This year Senior Remah Qattom and Junior Laiell Robinson will represent MacArthur High School. Earlier this month, Ezrah Vogel and Ke’Airra Cotton were sworn in as representatives of Eisenhower High School. These students were selected by their high school’s administrative team as outstanding representatives of their school. The students will appear regularly at Board of Education meetings to offer their perspective as student ambassadors. (Photos of MacArthur students attached- Laiell left, Remah right)
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TIF Update
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Tom Osbourne, Chief Operating Officer for DPS61 shared an update about how the two proposed city TIF districts could impact the Decatur Public School District’s budget. Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) freezes the taxable value of properties to encourage redevelopment in a specific geographical area. This means the district does not receive additional property tax revenue, even if the value- of properties in the TIF district- goes up. The city of Decatur is studying whether it should renew its Near North TIF District and a new TIF district towards East Garfield Avenue and East Olive Street.
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Reminders for Parents
There will be a District-Wide Half Day on Wednesday November 11th. Please check with your student’s school regarding dismissal time. There will be no school for all students November 23rd- 27th for Thanksgiving break.
Looking Ahead
The Annual Turkey Tournament at Stephen Decatur Middle School will take place November 24th, 25th with games beginning at 6:00pm. The Tournament will resume the 27th and 28th with games beginning at 1:00pm.
The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th at 6:30pm. BOE meetings can be streamed here.
Notes provided by Alyssa Patrick, DPS61 Director of Communications & Public Relations
