The City Schools of Decatur is considering closing an elementary school that serves children in kindergarten through second grade.
The board of education discussed the decision during a work session Tuesday. Decatur has five K-2 schools and officials aren’t sure which ones would be considered for closure. District officials did not discuss projected enrollment figures or the potential cost savings for closing a school.
Officials said parents will receive a letter on Thursday outlining two possible school consolidation plans. The district will hold public meetings in October and November seeking public input on the proposals. The board will vote on Dec. 9.
“What I think is important for the community to understand is that the decision has not yet been made, … (the plan) may be adjusted by the community feedback and … it is our intent to hear both what the data suggests and the community’s feedback to weigh into our decision,” said board member James Herndon.
School districts across the country and in metro Atlanta have been faced with making similar decisions as costs climb and enrollment shrinks. The Fulton County school district closed two schools last school year, to the disappointment of many families. Atlanta Public Schools are scheduled to vote on a consolidation plan in December. DeKalb County officials are having similar conversations.
But Decatur still has some scars from a 2004 school closure. The school board voted to close Westchester Elementary, only to reopen it 10 years later. Now, Westchester is a K-2 school. And Caroline Morgan Berchuck, a graduate of Westchester whose kids now attend the school, doesn’t want history to repeat itself.
“Families left for private schools (in 2004) because trust in the district was deeply damaged,” Berchuck said. “Neighborhood ties weakened. It took ten years — and enormous public investment — to rebuild what had been broken.”
Berchuck urged the district to fine-tune boundaries or add magnet programs to address declining enrollment.
Rudy Colberg is also a Westchester parent lobbying for the school to stay open. With a background in management consulting, Colberg thinks the district’s focus on expenses is short-sighted.
“I see it as, honestly, an incomplete assessment,” he said. “They’re solving for an immediate pain point … and taking a myopic view to just solve for cost without understanding the multitude of other implications.”
Colberg said a school closure would have a detrimental impact on the community, including staff members who may have to find new jobs.
Parents have banded together to form a website called “Save Decatur Schools.”
They will have a chance to do just that, starting with the first community meeting on Oct. 29.
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