Springdale, Morningside Parents Voice Concerns Over APS Redistricting

A study of Atlanta Public Schools future enrollment and projected capacity shows the district needs to add more desks at neighborhood schools and close the doors of others.

But parents with students in Atlanta Public Schools offered solutions Thursday to avoid merging or rezoning neighborhood schools.

Parents from Springdale Park are concerned about the proposal that would merge Springdale with Hope Elementary to create a primary care center — kindergarten through second grade at one campus and third grade through fifth grade at the other.

“Has it truly been successful?” a parent asked about the primary care model.

Hope and many other elementary schools in the south-end of region three are under capacity. Region three includes schools from the Jackson High School and clusters.

Other Springdale parents suggested the district add more buildings at Springdale to make room for the Hope Elementary students instead of breaking apart the Springdale campus.

“We want there to be diversity,” parent Todd Sharp said. “We fought hard five to six years ago planning (for Springdale Park) and now they are trying to rip it apart.”

Parents gathered in groups to discuss options with demographers Thursday night, but one resounding message was clear: “don’t split our elementary schools and don’t split our neighborhood.”

Morningside Elementary parents are concerned that all four options currently on the table would move students out of the cluster and instead send kids to a proposed Midtown Middle School. Two of the options would send kids to North Atlanta High School instead of Grady High.

“We want Morningside and Springdale Park to stay together,” Morningside parent Sharon Bray said Thursday night.

Bray and other Morningside parents said the demographers should consider kids walking to schools, the close ties of the community to the schools and the history of the schools within the neighborhood.

Mary Lin Elementary parents are concerned that . Option two recommends adding desks and merging with Hope Elementary to form a primary care center. Option four recommends forming a primary care center with Toomer Elementary to avoid adding desks.

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Parents and APS officials meet at Parkside Eleme...", sources: nil, user_id: 78086, permalink: "live-coverage-atlanta-public-schools-redistricting-...", allow_comments: true, published_at: "2011-12-01 23:15:00", created_at: "2011-12-01 22:08:56", updated_at: "2011-12-02 15:56:59", priority: 3, allow_asset_uploads: true, copyedited: false, breaking_news_at: nil, delivered_breaking_news: false, column_id: nil, template: "widget", standalone_video_id: nil, lock_version: 3, call_for_comments: nil, story_id: nil, follow_up_notifications_sent_at: "2011-12-01 23:16:32", national_interest: false, editorial_label_id: 1, allow_follow_up_requests: true, like_type: "recommend", featured_asset_attachment_id: 11110245, poll_placement: "bottom", payment_status: "n/a", link_out_attachment_id: nil, homepage_title: nil>] on feedback from the community and additional data and information, such as first quarter student attendance data, that was unavailable when the study began.

Meetings will be held in January for parents and stakeholders to voice concerns in a town hall style setting that will allow a question and answer format, unlike the demographic study meetings this week that only allowed parents to listen to a presentation by the demographers and ask questions in a group setting.

Superintendent Erroll Davis said during a meeting Tuesday night that he expects to have a recommendation on redistricting for the board of education around March or April.

Follow city-wide APS Redistricting coverage on Facebook. Read more about redistricting on the VaHi Patch Atlanta Public Schools Redistricting Page and VaHiPatch twitter.