Key points:
• Parents and teachers reacted negatively to the prospect of high-achieving schools being closed at an informational meeting hosted by the district.
• The schools on the closure include highly rated Vanderlyn, Kingsley, and Ashford Park elementaries.
• School officials said the plan is not finalized and all comments will be taken into consideration.
Emotions ran high on Feb. 26 at Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven as hundreds of people attended a feedback session regarding the DeKalb County School’s proposal to close or repurpose 27 schools throughout the county.
In mid-February, the school revealed a list of schools that could be closed or repurposed based on a recommendation in the Student Assignment Project (SAP) as part of an effort to address the district’s ongoing declining enrollment. The list targeted low-population schools and those with smaller capacities.
The Cross Keys meeting was one of several throughout the county that gave interested parties a chance to ask questions about the first phase of the project, which identified buildings targeted for closure or repurposing.
Despite the efforts of moderators to steer the narrative to that topic, the tone of many of the attendees’ questions was more accusatory than inquisitive.
Administrators continued to reiterate that the first version of the plan would be different than the final one, based on feedback from the public.
Related story:
• DeKalb proposes closing, repurposing 27 under-capacity schools
• Andrew Ziffer op-ed: closure list is surprising
“When you go through this process, it’s going to be messy,” said Tracy Richter, vice president of planning services for HPM, the consulting firm hired to spearhead the SAP. “This process should not be an ‘event,’ but something that should be discussed all the time.”
Among the schools under consideration for closure are Brookhaven’s Ashford Park Elementary, Vanderlyn and Kingsley elementary schools in Dunwoody, and Brockett Elementary in Tucker.
People wearing Ashford Park Elementary shirts were well-represented at the meeting, which, despite heavy rains that night, had hundreds in attendance.
After watching a 23-minute message regarding the different scenarios that could result as the district consolidates, repurposes, or closes schools, questions submitted via a QR code displayed at the meeting were answered by various representatives, including Richter, DCSD COO Erick Hofstetter, and other administrators.
Accusations fly
The forum then opened to in-person questions, and that’s when the vitriol started flying, in particular regarding the proposed closing of Ashford Park Elementary, an over-capacity school that has more than 750 students, and is highly ranked in the county and the state for its testing scores and achievements.
“What happens when you take these high-achieving kids and put them in lower-performing schools?” One attendee wearing an Ashford Park shirt asked.
Other questions revolved around potential layoffs and the possibility of eliminating programs when schools are closed, and students are scattered throughout other facilities.
Parents from Kingsley, Oak Grove, and Vanderlyn also expressed displeasure at the concept of their schools being dismantled.
“At Oak Grove, why are you trying to shut down a model that isn’t broken?” one person asked.
Representatives reiterated in response to the barrage of questions that the plan has not been finalized, and feedback from meetings and through its online portal will be addressed before the next steps – boundaries and programs – will be discussed in May.
District 1 Representative Andrew Ziffer, who represents the zone that encompasses Kingsley and Vanderlyn, both schools with passionate stakeholders, said in a recent email to Rough Draft Atlanta that he was surprised by the inclusion of Vanderlyn and Kingsley in the potential closure list.
“What did come as a surprise to many was that two elementary schools — Vanderlyn Elementary and Kingsley Elementary — appeared on the potential closure list, and that Chesnut Elementary was proposed for expansion,” he said.
The school system currently has about 90,000 students, which is a decline of about 20,000 students since its peak enrollment. Birth rates, affordable housing, and school choice, such as private and homeschooling, have had an impact on the declining school enrollment. Maintaining buildings and stretching staff and resources across those buildings has become burdensome for the district, administrators have said.
“Declining enrollment is not just a number on a graph; it impacts how we support student success, staff schools, and maintain buildings,” Dr. Norman C. Sauce, DeKalb County’s interim superintendent, said in an earlier statement. “We owe it to our community to be transparent about the challenges we face and to listen carefully before charting a path forward. This phase is about hearing directly from our stakeholders.”