Atlanta Public Schools’ Superintendent Meria Carstarphen is recommending more school consolidations for the 2017-2018 school year.
The consolidations are also causing the school board to consider redrawing school attendance zones, which could send students to different schools. And school staff will be affected, with some teachers, administrators and staff shifting or possibly losing their jobs.
The schools or school affected include Adamsville Primary, Miles Intermediate, and West Manor Elementary in the Mays cluster.
They include Benteen and D.H. Stanton elementaries, Burgess-Peterson Academy, Parkside Elementary, and Toomer and Whitefoord elementaries in the Jackson cluster.
The information can be found here.
Carstarphen said in letters to parents dated January 17 that the consolidations are part of the school system’s efforts to make schools more efficient and strengthen academic programs.
The system also consolidated some schools this year, which have been turned over to charter operators in an effort to improve performance.
The Benteen and D.H. Stanton consolidation will take place on the Stanton campus and will include resetting part of the attendance zone in a small southern portion of the district.
Whitefoord Elementary students will be consolidated at Toomer Elementary and Burgess-Peterson. Whitefoord students from the Edgewood community would go to Toomer, while students from the Reynoldstown community would go to Burgess-Peterson.
Some small number of students from Adamsville and Miles elementaries could be rezoned into West Manor Elementary School.
There will be community meetings to discuss the consolidations.
For the Jackson cluster, they will take place beginning January 23 at 6 p.m. at Jackson High School, 801 Glenwood Avenue SE.
There will be a second meeting Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. at Whitefoord Elementary, 35 Whitefoord Ave. NE.
A third meeting for the Jackson cluster will take place March 1 at 6 p.m. at Benteen Elemenatry, 200 Cassanova St. SE.
There will be meetings for the Mays cluster January 26 at 6 p.m. at Mays High School, 3450 Benjamin E. Mays Drive SW.
A second will be February 1 at 6 p.m. at Adamsville Primary, 286 Wilson Mill Road.
A third meeting will take place February 23 at at Miles Intermediate, 4215 Bakers Ferry Road.
The school board is scheduled to consider the changes in a March 6 meeting.
April 1, affected each staff member will be notified of their job status.
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