Thousands of students could be sent to new schools, and schools with low enrollment could close as part of redistricting being considered in Atlanta Public Schools.
For the first time in almost a decade, the district is planning to redraw attendance boundaries to relieve schools that are overcrowded and shutter schools with sluggish enrollment. APS has enough seats to serve 62,500 students but has roughly 49,000 enrolled.
Four scenarios were released in late November to start discussions about new school boundaries. The maps were created by outside demographers and mapping specialists, and they will change as the district receives results from a demographic survey and considers parent and community feedback. Superintendent Erroll Davis is expected to make a final recommendation early next year.
Each scenario calls for multiple school closures and for additions or new schools to be built in crowded North Atlanta. School lines across the city will have to be redrawn to accommodate the changes.
That's got parents such as Cole Cowden upset about the possible outcome.
Cowden said his family relocated to a neighborhood just north of Atlantic Station and fell in love with Centennial Place Elementary School. One of his children now attends high-performing Inman Middle School with another set to start in 2014. But preliminary maps show his neighborhood redistricted to attend Kennedy Middle School, one of the schools where state investigators say cheating occurred in 2009.
Cowden doesn't like that the early scenarios only consider which schools are full and which ones are empty, and he doesn't think the district is really taking into account the public's input.
"APS stood by while a contractor created a set of tracks," he said, "and now I am on the wrong side of the tracks."
Atlanta's enrollment changes are similar to those occurring in cities across the country, said Jerome McKibben, a demographer and consultant hired to work on the APS redistricting. After the housing bubble popped, many families stopped moving from the city to the suburbs. As a result, districts such as APS are seeing an enrollment spike in early grades.
"A lot are staying put because they can’t afford a house," he said. "As they stay put, there will be a bubble of students who enter the school system and cause a rise in enrollment, first in elementary, then middle and high."
In the past few weeks, community meetings have been held across the district to present the scenarios and inform parents about how they can offer feedback. Hundreds of parents attended the meetings to voice their frustration with the proposals and the process.
Consultants hired by the district will take the input, make changes as necessary and narrow the options down to two. Financial estimates for the remaining options will be released, and a second round of community meetings will be held in January before a final recommendation is given to the superintendent. The school board will have to agree on any changes before they are final.
Atlanta school board Chairwoman Brenda Muhammad said the district wants feedback and hopes parents understand the plans will likely change once input is compiled.
"We encourage responses and recommendations," she said. "I am hopeful parents will understand at the end of the day, the final decision has been made on fairness and what is in the best interest of children."
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