Proposed school closures divide DeKalb

DeKalb County parents quickly drew battle lines Tuesday night, upset that schools being considered for closure under the county's budget crunch are in primarily poor, African-American neighborhoods.

A standing-room only crowd that filled a school cafeteria listened to the 20-member Citizens Planning Task Force, which is charged with recommending four elementary schools to be closed at the end of the school year.

The closures are to be based on low enrollments and are needed to help with an $88-million deficit, school officials said.

Late Monday, school administrators gave the task force two scenarios that included a total of seven target schools, all of which are in the south end of the county. Those schools include: Sky Haven, Gresham Park, Kelley Lake, Toney, Meadowview, Midway and Peachcrest.

In Tuesday's meeting at the William Bradley Bryant Technology Center in Decatur, task force members said they were disappointed that they were not charged with choosing the schools on the list.

“No one on this panel had anything to do with the schools on there. It started with staff," task force member Bruce McMillian said. "I’m not going to let this panel be a scapegoat or whatever you want to call it for these tough decisions.

"The pocket that has been targeted by the school system is an area that, I feel, is an area of least resistance. The affluent areas in the county, the ones with the higher tax base, none of those are being targeted.”

The meeting at times grew loud and officials threatened to have one shouting father removed. Other residents became angry that not everyone could speak. Some alleged racism, referencing the district’s troubled history.

“I can understand you wanting to close some of the schools and help balance the budget. But you’re closing three schools around me,” said Cora Cooper, whose children went to Gresham Park and whose grandchildren currently go there. “That means the kids will have to go out of the neighborhood to get a quality education, just like they did in the 70s.”

Task force member Darrell Jennings Sr. said he plans to look at the enrollment of all 83 elementary schools before making any decision. The choice should be made based on how the closures will impact the community in terms of social justice, economic development and property values, he said.

“I just object to all these schools being closed in my backyard,” he said. “They gave us a list of 23 schools and 19 of those schools are in south DeKalb.”

But with less than a month left before a recommendation is due, the task force doesn’t have time to start with a blank slate, said Robert Moseley, the district’s deputy chief superintendent of operations.

“Is it tight? It is very tight. Is it the best and ideal way to do it? No, but we have an urgent budget deficit,” he told the task force. “We’re looking at not just closing schools, but we’re looking under every rock to close that deficit.”

Moseley said state funding favors schools with at least 450 students.

School officials have said closing the four schools will save DeKalb about $2.35 million, but they have not provided financial figures for each individual school.

Task Force member Tracie Scott said she wouldn’t make a recommendation until she sees those numbers.

“I don’t want to be part of helping the school system make another bad decision for our children,” she said. “If we’re going to disrupt people’s communities, I think we need to be able to say this is going to be better for your child.”