Atlanta Public Schools community protests district’s communication over school closures 

Despite community meetings over 16 planned school closures, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is facing public criticism over its handling of a “broader consolidation plan,” CBS News recently reported.

“How are you going to deal with the fact that students may not be able to get to these new schools?” asked APS parent Natasha Malmin at a Sept. 22 meeting. “How are you going to deal with the fact that how you initially engaged parents during the idea of school closures was not very effective, and yet you’re still continuing the same path when you’re thinking about rezoning these schools?”

The meeting followed a tense, nearly three-hour hearing in December when the district’s board unanimously approved APS Forward 2040, a long-term facilities plan to consolidate buildings as enrollment continues to fall.

“Many expressed deep fears about school closures in historically black neighborhoods, the impact on student displacement and the future of long-standing community institutions,” CBS noted at the time.

“Some parents condemned what they felt was rushed planning and inadequate communication with students and parents, while others urged the district to stay the course and invest in stronger, better-resourced schools rather than maintain half-empty campuses.”

At the September meeting, several attendees raised transportation concerns for children affected by the closures.

“For some of these students, one of the schools will be over five miles away from their residence,” said Maria Mickens of the Harland Terrace community. “They can’t walk there. They won’t all get on the bus. If they miss the bus, they aren’t going to go to school most likely.”

The district also faced criticism over a lack of direct communication with households.

“You can’t tell me that APS can’t knock on those doors to say, ‘Hey, here’s what’s going on. Here’s what next year’s going to look like. But you do have a couple of options. We want to know what option works best for your community,’ and that’s just not happening,” said Taylor Iyoho, another APS parent.

The district enrolls nearly 50,000 students across 87 schools, with a minority enrollment of 90%.

Urban districts nationwide facing pressure to consolidate

As previously reported by Heartlander News, multiple districts across the country are also moving forward with consolidation plans despite community protests.

In one example, a former elementary school in the Kansas City area, Truman Elementary School, was recently sold to the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City for $1.4 million.

Meanwhile, San Antonio’s North East Independent School District (NEISD) is considering the closure of up to 16 schools by the start of the next academic year.

“We want to be thoughtful and take multiple factors into consideration,” a district spokesperson said. “Our goal is to have plans for any closed schools ahead of time, so that we do not leave the community with empty buildings.”

Portland Public Schools in Oregon has also floated plans to close as many as 20 schools to address rising expenditures amid falling enrollment.

“We have fewer students today spread across a system designed to serve significantly more in too many places,” explained Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong. “That means we are stretching our people, programs and resources too thinly to consistently provide the educational experience we want for every student.”