Decatur parents fight to stop possible school closure
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
City Schools of Decatur board members are weighing whether to close a K–2 school as part of a consolidation plan, and parents and stakeholders are calling on the district to halt the process.
Why it matters: The school district, like others across the state and country, is facing a decline in enrollment.
- A decrease in enrollment means a drop in state funding, which means the district will have to make cuts or changes to cover the budget shortfall.
Driving the news: The first of two public hearings is scheduled for 6:30pm on Oct. 29 at Beacon Hill Middle School, where the board will hear community feedback on the district's utilization plan.
- CSD said a review is underway to assess how the district's K–2 schools are being utilized.
- A group of Decatur parents created a website that advocates against a potential school closure.
By the numbers: CSD has five K–2 elementary schools: Clairemont, Glennwood, Oakhurst, Westchester and Winnona Park.
- All but one — Winnona Park — had fewer than 200 students during the 2024–25 school year, according to CSD's enrollment data.
- The district's data show all five schools have seen a decline in students since the 2015–16 school year, but the numbers are projected to hold steady over the next 10 years.
- CSD points out that Georgia law requires elementary schools to have at least 200 students to receive state funding.
What they're saying: News of the potential closure was a surprise to Eva Bozeman, who has a kindergartener at Westchester Elementary School.
- "Everybody got mobilized around trying to first figure out if it was indeed happening, and then secondly, what's the information or what's the rationale behind it," Bozeman told Axios.
- Bozeman said she's confused about the district's plan to build a new early childhood learning center (which serves children up to 3 years old) while potentially closing a K–2 school.
- "The numbers don't seem to add up," Bozeman said. "So that's, I think, where everyone's confused and worried. "It just doesn't seem particularly clear to us."
Superintendent Gyimah Whitaker said in an Oct. 16 letter to parents that the district values "our close-knit schools for the sense of community they foster among our students and the sense of familiarity they bring to our neighborhoods."
What's next: The district is taking feedback through its website.
- The second public input meeting will be held at 6:30pm on Thursday, Nov. 13, at Beacon Hill Middle School.
- School board members are expected to adopt a final plan in December.