The community has spoken. After public hearings where more than 1,000 parents and teachers in the Cross Keys cluster of schools touted redistricting as the lead fix for overcrowding in the area, DeKalb school Superintendent Steve Green said it will be included in the process.
“The near unanimous recommendation (during the public hearings) is to consider redistricting as part of the long-term solution to the deplorable situation whereby one in four of all students are currently learning in trailers,” Green said in a statement. “In addition, it has been pointed out that the Cross Keys Cluster is 10 miles long and half a mile wide with students passing up nearby schools that have capacity to reach an over-crowded school in the cluster. As a result, I plan to include redistricting as part of the eventual plan for relieving overcrowding and improving the quality of the learning and teaching experience in the Cross Keys Cluster.”
Addressing overcrowding, which has forced more than 1,000 students in the cluster into trailers used as portable classrooms, district officials had announced a plan including improvements to some schools and construction of several others, along with the introduction of single-grade academies to reduce the load.
Among the changes:
• Renovations at Warren Tech, the International Student Center and the DeKalb School of the Arts
• Use of fewer portable classrooms while improving parking
• Design of two elementary school buildings
• A feasibility study on middle- and high-school capacity
The plan to establish academies in various locations for specific grades drew some concern. Parents and teachers at public hearings last month said that would separate siblings, wreaking havoc on family schedules.
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