Politics & Government

Southwest Atlanta Council Members Closely Monitoring APS Redistricting Proposal

Three Atlanta city council members said they do not have any official position statement but all said the proposal to merge or close up to seven APS schools in southwest Atlanta is "a concern" for parents.

Three Atlanta city council members said this week that they are studying the Atlanta Public Schools' proposal to close or merge up to seven southwest Atlanta schools and concerned about how it will affect school children and the communities they serve.

In late November, more than 150 parents and community stakeholders attended a meeting about the redistrciting hosted by Atlanta Public Schools at Douglass High School.

Independent demographers presented multiple scenarios for consideration including the possible closing or mergers of Adamsville, Beecher Hills, Capitol View, Fain, Kimberly, F.L. Stanton and Miles Elementary Schools.  

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Atlanta City Council member C. T. Martin said both Fain and Adamsville elementary schools fall within his district and parents from both schools have said they do not like the proposed changes.

However, Martin and other council members were briefed for the first time earlier this month and they are still discussing the affect the plans would have on public education options in southwest Atlanta.

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"We will be working to save the schools with creative thinking," Martin said in an e-mail note to Cascade Patch Wednesday.

Councilmember Joyce Sheperd has one southwest Atlanta school in the area, Capitol View, and at least one other in the eastern end of the city.

Sheperd said she has asked APS officials to reconsider their plans. She also said she wants to make sure residents understand the impact of redistricting changes and what affect school closures may have on children and a community.

 "As a council person on the south side of Atlanta I need schools that succeed so that our communities succeed," Sheperd said in an email conversation about the redistricting. "Any future schools closings will not only have educational impact, but will have economic development impact as well."

Councilmember Cleta Winslow also has at least one school on the merger or closure list. Winslow said councilmembers have not yet seen the complete APS redistricting map but they are studying the proposal and aware of the schools that might close or merg.

"We've been getting information out to the people in the city where there are proposal closings," Winslow said Tuesday.

Demographers at the Douglass meeting stated that the locations of several schools in southwest Atlanta are out of balance with where students live. Capacity number crunching showed that Bunche middle school, for example, is currently at 118% capacity while Miles elementary is only at 35%.

One of the goals of the demographers is to get schools to 80-90% capacity whenever possible while still maintaining the continuity of neighborhoods and preserving a strong elementary to high school feeder pattern in the community.

Propsed changes affecting southwest Atlanta schools include:

OPTION 1 

  • Adamsville ES (Closure)
  • F.L. Stanton ES (Closure)

OPTION 2 

  • Adamsville merger with Miles ES (Primary Center/Secondary Center)
  • Fain ES (Closure)
  • Kimberly ES (Closure)
  • F.L Stanton ES (Closure)

OPTION 3

  • Adamsville ES (Closure)
  • Beecher Hills ES (Closure)
  • FL Stanton ES (Closure)

OPTION 4

  • Adamsville ES (Closure)
  • Beecher Hills ES (Closure)
  • F.L. Stanton ES (Closure) 

The full presentation, including maps and options for closures and mergers can be found HERE.

The next round of community meetings is scheduled for January, with a decision by Superintendent Davis expected by March or April of 2012.  

Final scenarios could be implemented as early as the 2012-13 school year.

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