Thousands of parents have voiced concerns over Atlanta Public Schools redistricting plans, but some Buckhead parents are upset about what won't change.
About a dozen parents wore orange shirts and carried orange signs Tuesday to urge the district to create two middle schools in the crowded north Atlanta area. Students should be able to attend school close to home and could benefit from a smaller school experience, they said. They felt plans to create a separate sixth-grade academy might be disruptive.
"Most of our schools are neighborhood schools and it really is a community," said Mikki Hawkins, a Jackson Elementary parent. "I think one big school and a segmented academy creates a lot of transition."
However, most of the crowd seemed to favor the current plans, which have six elementary schools feeding into crowded Sutton Middle, which will relocate to the larger North Atlanta High site when a new high school building opens in 2013. Sixth-graders will stay in the existing middle school building.
Superintendent Erroll Davis said either option was viable, but he would likely stick with his recommendation for one middle school. That statement inspired applause from most of the parents at the meeting.
"We all want the same thing -- the best possible education for your child," he told the parents. "My challenge is that I want that for 47,000 students and not just one. So I have to consider things at times you do not."
Tuesday's meeting drew about 100 parents and was subdued compared with other redistricting meetings that have drawn hundreds in recent months.
APS isn't making many changes to schools in north Atlanta under the new redistricting plan
Earlier versions of the plan included opening a new middle school in the area and building a new elementary school.
Districtwide, APS plans to close 13 schools for a savings of about $6.5 million. The plan would eliminate 7,200 empty seats and displace about 2,500 students through school closures this fall. School board members will decide the final boundaries, with a vote expected next month.
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