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Mayor Rusty Paul to seek fourth term in 2025
other Sandy Springs elementary schools.
But that wouldn’t eliminate the problem
of too many classrooms for too few
students in the Sandy Springs area.
Dwindling enrollment
in Sandy Springs
This school year, the Sandy Springs
region has 1,668 fewer students than
the Georgia Department of Education
established as its enrollment capacity. The
region had 46 more classrooms than were
needed, according to FCS calculations.
Closing Spalding and declining
enrollment will lower its over-enrollment
to 1,215 students. However, with six
elementary schools, the region will have
only 12 more classrooms than needed.
Spalding Drive Elementary’s
enrollment has been below 450 students
since at least the 2015-2016 school year,
according to figures provided by FCS.
Parents didn’t know that was a problem
until their school was recommended for
closure.
Ison Springs Elementary, which had
745 students in 2015, dropped below
450 students for the first time this school
year.
An FCS spokesperson said that school
closure recommendations are made if an
elementary school in the Sandy Springs
region has an enrollment below 450,
neighboring schools have space, and the
building needs major repairs.
By Bob Pepalis
Sandy Springs Mayor
Rusty Paul announced during
his State of the City address
on Sept. 17 that he will seek
reelection for a fourth term.
Paul is the city’s second
mayor following inaugural
mayor Eva Galambos’ term
from December 2005 until
January 2014.
The next municipal
election will be in November
2025 when the mayor and all
six city council seats will be
up for election.
Paul told Rough Draft
that he spoke with his wife
and family to explore all his
options before coming to a
decision.
“In the end, after talking to family and
everything else, I’ve decided that I want to
go one more term, and this would be the
last term,” he said.
Paul said the city has projects to
finish that he wants to see through. One
example is City Springs Phase II. The
city chose a developer in June 2023.
Construction hasn’t begun because of
the cost and the absence of capital. He
said banks are not making many retail or
residential project loans, particularly for
multifamily.
Another project he wants to see
completed is the widening of Hammond
Drive. City leaders thought they’d have to
wait to start the project and might have
to ask voters in May to approve more
funding. But the mayor said sales taxes
have come in better than expected.
Other projects he intends to see
completed are the Johnson Ferry-Mount
Vernon Highway-Roswell Road project,
and the side path along Mount Vernon to
the Sandy Springs MARTA station.
Paul also wants to meet the goals he
shared in the State of the City address at
the Perimeter Sandy Springs Chamber of
Commerce Signature Luncheon. Those
include getting Sandy Springs
at the forefront of artificial
intelligence to make the city
more customer-friendly, efficient,
and effective; simplifying the
city’s permitting process, and
turning the city’s growing
trails system into a series of
destinations along the paths.
Paul said the city will
conduct a Perimeter district
study as it did for the city’s
North End.
“We’re going to take two or
three parcels over there that are
either vacant or underperforming
and show developers what could
be done there,” he said.
The city won a huge victory
by keeping Newell Rubbermaid.
He expects that a Fortune 200
will announce its move to Sandy Springs
and the Perimeter market in the next three
or four weeks.
He said the Perimeter market is still
healthy and popular, but it’s 50 years
old and needs a refresh to meet today’s
expectations.
“It’s still an area where, if you come
down out of one of the high-rise buildings,
you’ve still got to get your car to go to
lunch or if you want to hang out with your
friends after work,” Paul said.
Paul said all his plans depend on the
voters deciding to keep him in office for
another four years.
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