SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Thursday night, parents of students at Spalding Drive Elementary School in Sandy Springs gathered to urge Fulton County officials not to close the school.
Last week, Channel 2 Action News reported that the Fulton County Board of Education was considering closing or consolidating Spalding Drive Elementary and Parklane Elementary School in East Point because of declining enrollment.
In the days since the board began that discussion, support for the school has grown as parents urge them to reconsider.
On Thursday, more than 100 parents showed up to a community meeting to push back on the plan. Many at the meeting were wearing “Save Spalding Drive Elementary” shirts.
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While parents are urging the school board to keep the school open, and the idea at this point is just a consideration several months from a decision, parents told Channel 2′s Michael Doudna that keeping the school open was vital to the community.
“Spalding Drive Elementary means so much to me and my family,” Ginny Conrad, a Spalding Drive parent, said.
Her son Zach is a student at Spalding Drive, and Conrad said the school’s small classes and great teachers were a perfect resource for a son with special needs.
“It’s been a lifeline for us,” Conrad said.
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Noel Maloof, the Fulton County Schools Chief Operations Officer, was at the meeting as well, saying when it comes to consolidation, the district looks at several factors, but no matter what enrollment in the area is an issue.
“Something has to happen to address our capacity issues in this area,” Maloof said.
Going over how the school district considers consolidation, Maloof told Channel 2 Action News that the three things they look at are the school’s physical condition, if enrollment is below 450 students and if nearby schools have the space to take on more students.
In Spalding Drive Elementary’s case, enrollment is just under 350, according to a county presentation. School officials told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims that there were nine schools in the district with low enrollment.
“We have a responsibility to work through is as a school district and make sure we are using our facilities the best we can,” Maloof said.
Parents, though, say that one factor that should be considered is academic scores, where Spalding Drive consistently excels compared to other nearby schools.
“It makes no sense whatsoever that academics are not considered,” Conrad said.
Spalding Drive Elementary is not alone. East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham came to the meeting to discuss Parklane Elementary School and urge school officials to keep it open too, just like Spalding Drive.
“I don’t think we should be driven by numbers, I think we should be driven by what makes sense for those communities,” the mayor told Channel 2 Action News.
While parents can understand schools need to make every dollar count, they wonder what closing a school could cost their kids.
“The cost is everything. If my son and other students like him are not able to get the services he gets at Spalding Drive, I’m not sure what his future looks like. It’s so much more, it’s so much more than a school,” Conrad said.
Still, county officials said if it’s not Spalding Drive Elementary that closes, another school will and it may just be the beginning. The enrollment projections for north Fulton County show a bigger enrollment drop coming in the next few years, which could impact more schools.
In the meantime, the Fulton County Board of Education plans to hold three public hearings on the proposal in October, November and December. Then the board will get a formal recommendation in February and vote on the proposal. Any changes would go into effect during the 2025 to 2026 school year.
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