Amid controversy, Atlanta school board votes on school closings Monday
After weeks of public meetings and emotional discussions, the Atlanta school board will vote Monday on a school closing and consolidation plan that has some communities crying “foul.”
The closings are again concentrated in southeast Atlanta, where Atlanta Public Schools is are not experiencing the surge in enrollment underway in other intown communities. Under the proposal in front of the board, several elementary schools would close and students sent to nearby schools.
Parents in gentrifying east Atlanta have seen their share of school closings and re-configuring, which has not been the case with the midtown/Virginia-Highland/Morningside communities. Despite what seems to be a baby boom, APS does not foresee overcrowding in the east and southeast communities targeted for school closings and consolidations.
Protests against the closings are planned this weekend, including a march and rally Saturday morning in Collier Heights.
APS Superintendent Meria Carstarphen says students now in half-empty buildings will get a better education in consolidated elementary schools with more resources and strong leadership teams.
To read more, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.
About the Author
Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.
