Buckhead’s representative on the Atlanta Board of Education, Nancy Meister, and Superintendent Erroll Davis went to North Atlanta High School on Oct. 25 to talk about an upcoming vote on a penny sales tax for education and the new North Atlanta High School.
But the third topic on the agenda, overcrowding in Atlanta schools, soon dominated the conversation.
Several parents asked Davis about classroom sizes and the system’s “leveling” process that resulted in moving teachers to different schools based on enrollment.
David said the leveling process could have been smoother this year, but said only a handful of teachers – 15 out of more than 3,000 – were moved. Nine of those teachers came from elementary schools, Davis said.
Atlanta Public Schools in August increased kindergarten classes by three students to 23 per class, in grades 1-3 by four students to 25 per class, and by two students to 30 per class in grades 4-8. Parents at E. Rivers and Morris Brandon elementary schools have complained about the situation to both Meister and Davis.
Davis said part of the problem with school enrollment this year is schools made offers to hire teachers that were not fully credentialed. Davis promised to revise that process.
“I hear such things as, ‘Can [leveling] be done more gradually? Can it be done at a more convenient time,’” Davis said. “I understand and appreciate that perspective. That is not the perspective held by a parent in a classroom that’s overcrowded.”
Davis, who cannot advocate for or against voting for a penny sales tax on Nov. 8, said that if the voters do not approve it they may see an increase in property taxes. The tax, known as the education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) would generate money needed to fund $520 million in school construction, including a new North Atlanta High School.
“If the SPLOST passes, it means you as citizens will pay 60 percent of the $520 million [the tax is projected to raise],” Davis said. “You will pay 60 percent because it is paid in the sales tax and 40 percent is paid by those who live outside of the city … If the SPLOST is not passed and we have to restore the millage rate, [Atlanta residents] will have to pay 100 percent of the money.”
Davis said paying for school construction from the current school budget is impossible financially. “The fourth option I find totally unacceptable as well,” he said. “[It] is do nothing.”
Davis, a former chancellor of the state university system, is filling in as superintendent while the board searches for a permanent replacement for Dr. Beverly Hall, who did not seek a renewal of her contact after the end of the last school year.
Parents who attended the meeting said they were impressed by Davis, even if his answers weren’t necessarily what they wanted to hear.
Malcolm Newton, who has a daughter attending North Atlanta High, said he wasn’t sure how many of Davis’ proposed reforms would take effect before his daughter graduates.
“He’s not skirting around any issues,” Newton said. “It’s a huge task he’s undertaking.”
Margaret Warren, co-president of the Morris Brandon parent teacher association, said Davis is “bringing a lot of transparency” to the superintendent’s job.
“He’s doing a wonderful job of incorporating the concerns of the community in a fiscally difficult environment,” Warren said.
Scott Hardesty, a parent at E. Rivers, said he thinks Davis was being prudent with his comments.
“I know he has to be cautious and I think that’s practical,” Hardesty said. “It will disappoint parents concerned about overcrowding if he promises anything at this point.”
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Sales tax would raise hundreds of millions for schools
Atlanta voters will be asked Nov. 8 to approve a 1-cent sales tax expected to raise $520 million for school repairs and construction. The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax would last five years and be the fourth in a series of sales taxes for schools. It would replace the current tax, which is expiring.
Money raised through the SPLOST pays for the construction of a new north Atlanta elementary school, renovations at E. Rivers Elementary and a new North Atlanta High School.
Atlanta school officials say the money will be spent in a variety of areas:
Construction and renovation of schools – $270 million
Upgrading building infrastructure and systems – $80 million
Upgrading security and safety systems – $9 million
Upgrading athletic fields and playgrounds – $21.5 million
Property acquisition – $18 million
Upgrading technology – $46 million
Vehicle replacement – $21 million
Program management – $15 million
PE department equipment replacement – $7 million
COPS debt liquidation – $32.5 million
Source: Atlanta Public Schools
