Marine school objectors don’t deter DeKalb officials

DeKalb County school officials are forging ahead with plans to open a first-of-its-kind military-style public high school, despite a growing campaign by activists upset at the involvement of the U.S. Marines.

“It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened in Georgia education,” said Michael Burke, a DeKalb resident and spokesman for the Georgia Veterans Alliance, a group aligned with the work of the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, among others.

“The whole thing is just a ploy” to help the Marines recruit, Burke said. “We expect to fight it tooth and nail.”

That response irritated DeKalb school officials. They said it stereotypes the proposed Marine school and students who may be interested in it. The protests —- mounted largely through e-mails and letters —- have not deterred them, they said.

“This is not a training ground to send kids into the military,” said DeKalb school Superintendent Crawford Lewis. “My job is not to look after a portion of children but all the children. One size does not fit all. For the mom who believes her child is capable of going to college but lacks discipline, this is a choice.”

School board members authorized the school’s concept in September, and officials are trying to work out a memorandum of understanding with the Marines.

A DeKalb school spokesman said Monday the system has hired a commandant for the school, which aims to open in August. The commandant was selected from a list of three candidates from the Marines.

The DeKalb Marine Corps Institute will be the first of its kind in Georgia and joins an expanding network of such schools nationwide.

DeKalb officials say their school will combine academics with a military-style regimen for as many as 650 ninth- through 12th-graders. The school’s commandant will handle anything not related to academic instruction.

A principal will be hired to handle academics, which include a focus on math and science. The Marines would share costs of operating the school.

High school students could apply from across the system to the “choice” magnet school, although admission would depend on their mastery of algebra. Enrollment would not require post-graduation military service or commitment.

Lewis declined to be more specific Monday about how the school would operate, including costs, who would supervise teachers and other management issues, because the system has not reached a final agreement with the Marines. Lewis said he hoped the agreement would be completed in two weeks.

Officials are considering placing the school at Heritage Center, off Briarcliff Road. Some neighbors have suggested in e-mails and on blogs that the former elementary school is too small.