It was no surprise Decatur’s school board unanimously approved reconfiguration of the district’s elementary grades into separate K-2 and 3-5 schools Tuesday night. It was startling, however, that when the vote was taken, two hours into the meeting, only 14 mostly-awake non-staffers remained in the audience.
Earlier in the evening, when the central office auditorium was at capacity, only one out of 12 who spoke during the public comment portion even mentioned reconfiguration.
Indeed, even two board members were missing, though it was pointed out later that Chair Annie Caiola and Bernadette Seals were absent because of professional obligations (Caiola later called in to register her affirmative vote).
Beginning in 2019-20 the city’s five elementary schools at Clairemont, Glennwood, Oakhurst, Winnona Park and Westchester will lop off a grade and go K-2. The 3-5 schools will be at Fifth Avenue and the new building at Talley Street and South Columbia Drive. The Early Childhood Learning Center remains at College Heights.
This is City Schools Decatur’s first grade reconfiguration since 2004-05 when the current K-3/4-5 model was adopted.
Reconfiguration was first discussed in December through a report delivered by a facilities committee appointed by Superintendent David Dude. The past five months featured two community surveys and one large community meeting with all data gathered and digested by a 30-person steering committee.
The final survey, posted online the last two weeks of April received 750 responses. Seventy-five percent were “very supportive” or “moderately supportive” of the K-2/3-5 scenario, while 45 percent were very supportive or moderately supportive of the current model.
When asked if you could only pick one model, 478 favored K-2/3-5 and 256 favored K-3/4-5.
“I lean in that direction [K-2/3-5] because the community was leaning in that direction,” said Board Member Tasha White.
Reconfiguration will receive more attention in the fall when CSD begins working on re-zoning. Although the K-2 schools shouldn’t be affected, both 3-5 schools will be located south of the railroad tracks.
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