DeKalb School Board Members Hosting Town Hall Meeting Friday Night

DeKalb school Board members Sarah Copelin-Wood and Donna Edler are hosting a Town Hall meeting Friday evening to discuss the proposed closures of Avondale Middle and High schools, affecting 1,139 students.

The meeting will be held at the Avondale High School cafeteria from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Board members will discuss the proposed options to the community and the DeKalb Schools budget shortfall estimates. The staff of both schools and Avondale Elementary are invited to discuss the proposed changes. 

If Avondale Middle and High schools close, the changes would become effective for the beginning of the 2011-2012 academic year.

Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson with DeKalb County School System recently proposed the closures to the board as part of a broader plan to save money and fill empty seats. Six other DeKalb County schools are proposed to shutter. The list of recommended closures was pared from 14 schools.

Under the plan, Avondale Middle School students would be sent to Shamrock, Bethune and Freedom middle schools. Avondale High School students would be sent to Druid Hills, Columbia, Towers and Clarkston high schools.

Also under the proposal, the DeKalb School of the Arts would remain open with 313 students and future use of the high and middle schools would be evaluated as part of the “2020 Vision.”

Under the proposal, Avondale Elementary School would increase its enrollment, including with 71 students from Medlock Elementary school. Currently, Avondale Elementary has 461 students but a capacity of 686.

The feeder pattern also changes, moving about 100 elementary students from Midway to Avondale Elementary. A total of 50 students from Avondale Elementary students would go to Midway, and 3 students would be moved to Dunaire Elementary.

The board of the DeKalb County School System will vote on the proposed closures on March 7.

To see the superintendent’s recommendations and the presentation, please visit:http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/redistricting#superintendentRecommendation.