The Clayton County school district is going through the same brutal budget crisis as other metro area systems; but it feels like there’s more at stake because there is.
Clayton is on two-year probation as it tries to restore full accreditation it lost in 2008. Its new superintendent, Edmond Heatley, is trying to shave $40 million off next year’s budget without closing schools, laying off teachers or disturbing the learning environment.
But some parents say Heatley’s proposed cuts in school bus service to charter schools to save $1.8 million next year threatens the district's crown jewel: Unidos Dual Language Charter School in Forest Park.
When Heatley presents his budget to the school board Monday night it likely will begin the most public push and pull yet over school policy between Heatley and the nine-member board that is as new to power as he is.
About half the 420 students at Unidos -- one of two schools in Georgia to teach students in English and Spanish -- rely on school buses, according to a survey of parents.
“Our feeling is that if they stop the bus service and go with their proposed plan to have a [centralized] shuttle, we’ll lose too many students, and the school will be closed,” said Unidos parent Lorraine Lynch.
Lynch and her husband both work. Their 10-year-old son, Dakota, who attends 4th grade at Unidos, catches the bus at 6 a.m. from their home in Riverdale, and gets home by bus about 2:45.
They could take their son to school and bring him back, if they juggled their schedules, Lynch said. But that would be a hardship, like the one facing Tony McCrear, whose 6-year-old daughter Selena, attends Unidos. He, too, could take his daughter to school from their home in Riverdale without the bus.
But he fears cutting bus service “will be cutting the life line to the school,” and cause enrollment to drop so much Clayton may close the school. Unidos is the only reason his family has not opted for another school system, he said.
“If this happens, I am looking to move out of Clayton County,” said McCrear, an academic counselor at Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta.
The Unidos school council sent Heatley and the school board a letter on April 12 outlining its concerns and proposing an alternative to the shuttle bus that would pick up and drop off children at Tara Stadium, which the council said is impractical for a "majority" of students and parents.
"Why not study the map of where in the county Unidos students actually live and make strategic pick-up/drop-off locations, using the same number of buses you would with the proposed shuttle, that are realistic for Unidos families?" they wrote.
Clayton school spokesman Charles White said last week Heatley is standing by his proposed cuts, but he’ll listen to other proposals to get the children to school and save money.
“We’re still in budget development, so a lot can happen,” said White.
Alieka Anderson, chairperson of the Clayton school board said “the board is looking at alternative plans and asking Dr. Heatley to look at alternatives” as they hammer out next year’s budget, which must be approved by June 30.
“We’ve got three public sessions before we settle on a budget,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll come up with a solution to make sure these kids get to school. But parents have to realize these are difficult economic times and cuts have to be made.”
Dell Perry Giles, the founder of the school, said she is hopeful Heatley and the board can reach an accord. The thought that her four-year-old school could be endangered by transportation cuts is “disheartening,” she said. “Very, very sad.”
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