The DeKalb County school board on Monday night approved a sweeping redistricting plan that will move 6,000 to 7,000 students, close eight schools and free up an estimated $12.4 million a year.
The vote was almost a year in the making. Board members made several attempts to pass new attendance boundaries but backed off because of criticism and political pressure.
More than 200 parents and community members showed up to protest the most recent round of changes, but the plan passed with a 7-2 margin.
"This took months and months to go from beginning to end," said Chairman Tom Bowen, who supported the plan. "We've had three passes at this. The redistricting you saw here shouldn't wait 10 to 15 years to happen. We've had some pretty dramatic changes today because the district waited so long."
Last year, the board assembled a 20-member citizen’s task force to analyze data, hold public hearings and choose schools to close. But after months of complaints, police intervention and allegations of racism, the task force took no action. Instead, the task force said the job was too hard and political -- and gave the job back to the board.
After the problems with the process last year, the board decided to delay closings another year. At the time, interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson said she wanted to fix a tenuous relationship with the state Department of Education, which recommended DeKalb redistrict and close schools at the same time because it would result in more savings.
The plan approved Monday closes eight schools: Atherton, Glen Haven, Gresham Park, Peachcrest, Medlock and Sky Haven elementary schools, Avondale Middle School and Avondale High School.
Board members decided not to make some of the suggested boundary changes in the Dunwoody area, and they also nixed the changes for Flat Rock and Bouie elementary school. As a result, the approved plan moves 6,000 to 7,000 students rather than 9,000 proposed.
Schools officials have said they plan to do some of the redistricting this year and continue the process over the next nine years as part of a 2020 vision plan.
The board could save as much as $18.5 million if the district eliminated its 11,300 empty seats. That figure includes staff savings, utility costs and extra state construction dollars.
Tyson likened the redistricting to a race, and told board members that it was their turn to carry the baton and complete the last lap.
“This is about possibilities, opportunities to move this district forward,” she said.
The district increased security in anticipation of the controversial vote. Attendants had to walk through a metal detector and have their belongings searched by police.
Technical difficulties hampered the board meeting much of the night. Because of a power outage, the first portion of the meeting was not broadcast live. The board room was only partially lit and microphones did not work. Full power was restored after two hours, only to be disrupted again during a passionate speech against the rezoning by District 7 representative Donna Edler.
Edler was among those who said they believed the plan unfairly affected schools in the southern part of the county, where mostly black students attend. She and other board members made several attempts to keep select schools open.
Connie Boone spoke on behalf of Sky Haven Elementary, which will close under the plan. She told the board that children are best educated in close-knit environments where people know each other.
“You are shuffling children like dominoes,” she said.
Districts like Cobb, Gwinnett and Cherokee typically redraw attendance lines to address growth, while districts like DeKalb and Atlanta are trying to make better use of taxpayer dollars by eliminating empty seats. Gwinnett County is also launching another redistricting to address overcrowding at schools in the Peachtree Ridge area.
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