Key Points
• Atlanta Public Schools is holding additional virtual and in-person public meetings concerning its long-range facilities plan.
• If adopted, APS Forward 2040 would see some schools closed, consolidated or repurposed and lead to significant redistricting.
• Parents are pushing back against the plan, calling for more transparency.
Atlanta Public Schools will host another round of virtual and in-person public meetings as parents push back against proposed school closures, consolidations, repurposing, and redistricting.
APS will hold virtual meetings on Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.; Sept. 25 at noon; and Oct. 20 at noon. An in-person meeting is also set for Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at APS headquarters in Downtown.
The school district is considering the changes as part of its Comprehensive Long-Range Facilities Plan (CLRFP), also known as APS Forward 2040.
APS said there are 70,000 available seats, but only 50,000 students are currently enrolled. The CLRFP is designed to address overcrowded schools, underutilized campuses, aging facilities, and the need for equitable access to specialized academic programs.
APS plans to finalize its recommendation by November and adopt the final plan by December.
Some parents have organized against the plan over what they call APS’s lack of transparency, including those with students at Buckhead’s Morris Brandon Elementary School.
The APS plan would see Morris Brandon split into two separate K-5 schools, which is just one of the major changes proposed for the North Atlanta cluster. One scenario, eliminating all dual-campus models, would mean significant redistricting.
The Save Brandon group said on its website that “our community is asking for greater transparency, more detailed information, and a meaningful opportunity to engage in the process before any final decisions are made.”
