‘Facilities committee’ to determine what gets built on Talley Street
Earlier this month City Schools Decatur closed on a six-acre tract at the corner of Talley Street and South Columbia Drive, but it remains uncertain what’s getting built there.
Superintendent David Dude plans on creating a “facilities committee,” comprised of teachers, parents and “facilities experts,” and hopes to begin meeting in August or early September.
Money for purchasing the land became available when voters passed a $75 million General Obligation Bond in November. Dude also said recently he and the board need to “prioritize” those projects getting paid for by the bond, and the amount allotted to each including any construction on Talley Street.
When CSD initially put a contract on Talley/South Columbia in June 2015, Dude’s predecessor, Phyllis Edwards, envisioned a combination K-3 school and 4/5 Academy for the site, which she believed needed to open by the 2018-19 year.
This was largely based on CSD reaching an all-time enrollment high of 4667 students (as of last October), after growing by 8 percent to 12 percent each year since 2009. Nearly every school in the system is at or over capacity, and it’s anticipated CSD will open school next month with over 30 trailers.
