Big annexation fight brewing between Atlanta vs. South Fulton (Sandy Springs: school district, law)

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by demonta4

I can understand why South Fulton residents wouldn't want Atlanta annexation. They're children would have to go to poor performing APS schools, unless Fulton hands Westlake over to Atlanta. (Which we all know won't happen)

Originally Posted by Clayton white guy

I am assuming that this would mean Mays High School or Therell High. I know that Mays is not quite as lauded as it was in years past, but it is more comparable to West Lake; D.L. Therell, not even in the same league, forget about ball park.

Originally Posted by Larry X

I would imagine Fredrick Douglas is an option also?

Originally Posted by Clayton white guy

Douglass(two s's ;0)) would be in the mix perhaps through rezoning (they say it is underutilized since Coretta Scott King and Best Academies opened) The thing is Douglass's district is more adjacent to the Fulton Industrial district where you have lots of industry and warehouses and few people. Mays and Therell are more adjacent to the populated residential (and in many cases upscale residential) areas.

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

I have heard that the Atlanta plan did not discuss schools in writing at all.

Nobody really knows what would happen. How can Atlanta proposition South Fulton and not explain what would happen with the schools? Isn't that an important part of the equation.

Apparently, the issue is that they might take the fulton schools near the boundary line and close them and stuff the kids into existing APS elementary - high school classes. That or leave the Fulton schools altogether and just send the kids to APS schools. Apparently, Therrell is the school that would replace Westlake. That would be a lose, I would say, for the South Fulton parents. I think Therrell is supposedly not very desirable.

What a mess.

On the flip side, if they don't go with Atlanta, they might get sucked into the new city and who knows what the heck that would bring. Too bad they won't be allowed to just stay unincorporated Fulton County.

http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divi...SF_HS_1415.pdf


http://atlanta.k12.ga.us/cms/lib/GA0...ions_12_13.pdf

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

It is alarming if this is a property grab. Atlanta is by far the school system with the most money around! They also have fewer students.

However, I think the Fulton Industrial needs to remain unincorporated. There are just certain types of businesses that will drift away if costs (taxes) increase. Those are the types. We want to keep the area economically viable and attract employments nearby. It is partially why Fulton Industrial became what it was. It is near the city, but it maintains lower costs for some lower-rent businesses that demand it. They happen to generate many jobs, though.

Fulton County does a horrible job of enforcing the laws in the corridor and has let it go to crap. I am sure there are businesses that wouldn't mind a little bit of tax hike to pay for better services.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

I have heard that the Atlanta plan did not discuss schools in writing at all.

Nobody really knows what would happen. How can Atlanta proposition South Fulton and not explain what would happen with the schools? Isn't that an important part of the equation.

Apparently, the issue is that they might take the fulton schools near the boundary line and close them and stuff the kids into existing APS elementary - high school classes. That or leave the Fulton schools altogether and just send the kids to APS schools. Apparently, Therrell is the school that would replace Westlake. That would be a lose, I would say, for the South Fulton parents. I think Therrell is supposedly not very desirable.

What a mess.

On the flip side, if they don't go with Atlanta, they might get sucked into the new city and who knows what the heck that would bring. Too bad they won't be allowed to just stay unincorporated Fulton County.

They had no plan or idea what would happen with the proposed Druid Hills annexation either.

Decatur does this much better. They coordinate with the school board on their annexations and do planning.

[jero23]

Originally Posted by bu2

They had no plan or idea what would happen with the proposed Druid Hills annexation either.

Decatur does this much better. They coordinate with the school board on their annexations and do planning.

The reasons why there is little coordination on the Atlanta annexations because there are too many entities, but this is due to it being a balkanized area and many of these entities are independent of their parent jurisdiction(s). APS, FCS, City of Atlanta, APD, FCPD, AFRD, FCFD, Fulton County Commission, Dekalb County Commission, DCS, DCPD, DCFRD, etc. just to name a few entities. I've seen the service delivery plans for both annexations, and as a member of the public you can request to see them. It's more or less a crazy consequence of this balkanized region.

Ironically, Decatur does not want any part of Druid Hills because they don't want to anymore large residential annexations. Additionally, Decatur school district does not want to construct or acquire additional schools because they are at capacity. The only people whom did want a part of Druid Hills is the LaVista Hills people, but none of that area was included in the final legislation. Essentially, Druid Hills have few options, and the majority of the residents there want out of Dekalb County School District.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by jero23

Ironically, Decatur does not want any part of Druid Hills because they don't want to anymore large residential annexations. Additionally, Decatur school district does not want to construct or acquire additional schools because they are at capacity. The only people whom did want a part of Druid Hills is the LaVista Hills people, but none of that area was included in the final legislation. Essentially, Druid Hills have few options, and the majority of the residents there want out of Dekalb County School District.

Then their choices are either APS (which isn't a whole lot better than DCSD at the moment) or pray that the state constitution allows for new independent school districts (which would likely destroy the county school systems).

[jero23]

Originally Posted by Gulch

Then their choices are either APS (which isn't a whole lot better than DCSD at the moment) or pray that the state constitution allows for new independent school districts (which would likely destroy the county school systems).

Well, overall no school district within the immediate metro area is great. However, there are clusters within these districts that are better than others. The Druid Hills annexation was a result of the denial of the creation of a charter school cluster which would include the existing area schools the area are currently zoned for. The overflow would be zoned for Grady and North Atlanta clusters.

[skbl17]

Oh, speaking of DeKalb, I should mention that DCSD has a new superintendent, the district's sixth superintendent in nine years. I don't know if he'll try to be more...concillatory towards the Druid Hills parents and work with them on a charter cluster, or if he'll fall in line with the BOE and the friends & family interests in Stone Mountain.

- skbl17

[Saintmarks]

It's time for both Fulton and DeKalb counties as "municipal" entities go by the wayside. Merge the remainder of south Fulton schools with the city of Atlanta schools, divide the remainder of unincorporated Fulton between the existing cities, allow Fulton north of Atlanta to be a separate school district and you will solve most of the infighting that is going on in all these areas.

Let DeKalb cities come into existence as planned and/or expand existing cities to divide that county up as well. It is what is happening piecemeal, might as well go ahead and do it in one fell swoop.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

It's time for both Fulton and DeKalb counties as "municipal" entities go by the wayside. Merge the remainder of south Fulton schools with the city of Atlanta schools, divide the remainder of unincorporated Fulton between the existing cities, allow Fulton north of Atlanta to be a separate school district and you will solve most of the infighting that is going on in all these areas.

Let DeKalb cities come into existence as planned and/or expand existing cities to divide that county up as well. It is what is happening piecemeal, might as well go ahead and do it in one fell swoop.

Why does APS get the lower tier Fulton County Schools in your plan? Why not just combine APS, Fulton County Schools, Decatur city schools, and DeKalb County Schools into one large consolidated school system?

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Why does APS get the lower tier Fulton County Schools in your plan? Why not just combine APS, Fulton County Schools, Decatur city schools, and DeKalb County Schools into one large consolidated school system?

Because I am trying to include some realism in my fantasy.