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20 | Education
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DeKalb Schools’ redistricting plan gains residents’ support
BY EVELYN ANDREWS
evelyn@reporternewspajjers.net
Residents largely approved of the revised
Brookhaven school redistricting plan presented
at a recent public meeting, saying it better keeps
together key neighborhoods and would success
fully address overcrowding at some schools.
“They listened from the last meeting,” one res
ident said. “I’m really pleasantly surprised.”
The Nov. 27 meeting was the final public input
session for the DeKalb County School District’s
redistricting process to fill the new John Robert
Lewis Elementary and relieve overcrowding at
Brookhaven schools. The plan presented would
move 607 students to different schools.
Lewis Elementary has over 500 open seats, va
cancies that the school district hopes to use to
curb overcrowding at nearby schools in the Cross
Keys cluster. Named for the congressman and
civil rights leader, the school is currently operat
ing in a temporary location on North Druid Hills
Road and will open in a new building on Skyland
Drive in August 2019.
Most redistricting changes in the staff-recom-
mended plan would move students to Lewis Ele
mentary, except for 62 students that would move
from Briar Vista to Woodward and three from
Fernbank to Montclair. Moving to Lewis Elemen
tary would be 22 students from Ashford Park, 93
from Montclair, 210 from Fernbank and 195 from
Woodward.
The school district has held two prior meet
ings, gathering input and presenting two options
residents generally liked. But some questioned
the methodology behind some choices and expressed concern about longer travel dis
tances and splitting up neighborhoods.
The single staff-recommended plan came out of that feedback and was presented at
the final public meeting. The superintendent will now adjust the plan based on further in
put and submit it to the school board for approval, scheduled for February 2019.
The public can still provide input through an online survey and at future school board
meetings.
The redistricting changes would go into effect when the school year begins and Lewis
Elementary opens in the fall of 2019.
The main points of the plan were presented by Hans Williams, the district’s director of
planning, before the residents split off into breakout sessions to provide feedback, which
was generally positive.
The plan would completely relieve Montclair and Woodward overcrowding, and part
ly alleviate Ashford Park Elementary. Dresden Elementary is not addressed in this plan.
“I think they achieved the number one goal, which is addressing the overcrowding,”
one resident said in a breakout session.
Residents were supportive of the revised plan keeping more neighborhoods together.
Chunks of neighborhoods that would move seem to be more unified instead of pieced to
gether, residents said.
“One of the previous options carved out a portion of the neighborhood. I appreciate
that this plan is keeping Ashford Park together,”
another said.
The changes would allow the district to remove
17 “portable classrooms,” or trailers, which one
resident said is a “huge pro.”
Others said the district seems to have worked
out a better way to address traffic patterns.
“It seems to be more efficient with how far peo
ple have to travel up and down Clairmont Road
and Buford Highway,” a resident said. “It seems to
minimize that as much as possible.”
Under this plan, Lewis Elementary would be at
94 percent capacity, which one resident said may
mean the redistricting “doesn’t go far enough.”
Dan Drake, the district’s interim chief operating
officer, said that the district needs that buffer to
ensure it doesn’t go over capacity and need porta
ble classrooms.
Nearby middle and high schools are also mildly
affected. Eight students would move from Cham-
blee Middle to Sequoyah Middle. Fourteen would
move from Chamblee High to Cross Keys High.
These moves would keep each student moving
from elementary to high school in the set feeder
patterns, Drake said.
These changes would slightly increase the
utilization of Sequoyah Middle and Cross Keys
High, which are both over capacity. However, new
schools are in the pipeline to address their over
crowding.
Students who would move and are rising into
the final grade at each school would be able to stay
with no transportation provided, the district said.
Since the middle school and high school changes would increase the overcrowding,
one resident said that keeping every student on the exact feeder pattern may not be nec
essary and the district should take a second look at that practice.
He said the district should be better at communicating how new schools would allevi
ate that problem. New schools in the pipeline include a new Cross Keys High and convert
ing the current high school to a middle school.
Nothing is in the pipeline for Ashford Park Elementary, which would still be over ca
pacity by more than 100 students, but Drake said it is likely to become part of the Cross
Keys cluster once the new middle and high schools open. The school is currently part of
the Chamblee cluster.
Addressing overcrowding at Dresden Elementary, which is also part of the Cross Keys
cluster, will come in 2019, ahead of the opening of Cross Keys North Elementary, a work
ing name.
For more information, visit dekalbschools.org/redistricting.
► Education Briefs
Ashford Park ES to John Lewis ES: 22 Students
Dresden ES to John Lewis ES: 0 Students
Montclair ES to John Lewis ES: 93 Students
Fernbank ES to John Lewis ES: 210 Students
E - Woodward ES to John Lewis ES: 195 Students
F - Briar Vista ES to Woodward ES: 62 Students
G - Fernbank ES to Montclair ES: 3 Students
DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
A map shows the DeKalb County School District’s redistricting plan.
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‘BLACK PANTHER’ ARTIST VISITS SANDY SPRINGS SCHOOL
An artist who did illustrations for major works such as a spin-off comic for Mar
vel’s “Black Panther” series visited Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Sandy Springs
to mentor students.
During a three-day visit in December, Afua Richardson, who has done illustrations
for other Marvel comics and for U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ upcoming graphic novel, provid
ed advice to middle school art students on their graphic novel projects, a school press
T’plp'DQp oniH
ST. MARTIN’S HEAD RECOGNIZED
FOR INCREASING DIVERSITY
St. Martin’s Episcopal School’s Head of School Dr. Luis Ottley was recognized by the
diocese for increasing diversity at the school.
Ottley was awarded the Bishop’s Cross at the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta’s annual
council meeting in November for his work advancing the diocesan mission to “draw the
circle wider,” according to a press release from the Brookhaven school.
In his two years at the school, Ottley has hired a director of diversity and inclusion
and more people of color as faculty and staff, enhanced the multicultural education
committee, diversified the board and increased the diversity of the student body, the re
lease said.
