Parents push back against APS proposals to close schools
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Atlanta parents are pushing back against proposals to redraw school district boundaries and close nearly a dozen schools as enrollment drops.
Why it matters: Fewer students means less state funding and higher costs, APS officials say, and the long-term planning underway could help make the system right-size and become more efficient.
Zoom in: Board members are considering scenarios that include consolidating or repurposing schools, a move that parents say could disrupt children's educational experience and break up communities.
- Parents of Morris Brandon Elementary students want to block a proposal to turn the Buckhead schools' two campuses into separate K-5 schools.
- "As the lowest cost-per-pupil school in the district and one that is already thriving, Morris Brandon stands to be disproportionately and unnecessarily harmed by this plan," the Save Brandon advocacy group said on its website.
Caveat: APS officials are still gathering community feedback and say that no decisions have been made. The board could choose to reject the scenarios
Driving the news: Since the 2015-2016 school year, APS student enrollment has declined from 51,500 to 49,944. The drop has been driven primarily by fewer people having kids, Tracy Richter with HPM, the system's consultant, told Axios this summer..
- "For example, there were 850 fewer births within APS boundaries between the 2015-2016 and 2024-2025 school years," Richter said.
In addition, fewer families are moving into the district while more families are moving out of the district or sending their kids to public school alternatives like private and charter schools.
- Empty nesters are staying put too, Richter said, which means fewer homes are available for younger families.
The bottom line: The school system has plenty of seats (70,000, according to the system) but not enough students (50,000). Fewer students means less state funding, so APS officials say the system must run lean to prevent tax hikes or scrambles for alternative funding.
What's next: APS will hold virtual meetings about the plan on Sept. 24 and 25 and Oct. 20.
- Officials will host an in-person meeting on Oct. 20 at 6pm at APS' South Downtown headquarters.