FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County parents are concerned that their children's schools could be closing.
In a Sept. 10 school board work session, Fulton County Schools (FCS) discussed potentially closing and consolidating two elementary schools: Spalding Drive Elementary and Parklane Elementary.
Nora Robb's son is in first grade at Spalding Drive Elementary, and her youngest is set to attend next school year. She and other Spalding Drive parents said the news of the potential closure blindsided them.
"I would say I had a mixed reaction of devastation and fear," Robb said. "This is absolutely the most important thing in the lives of many people in this community right now because these are our children, and our children love this school."
Emily and Stephen Bell, parents of three Spalding Drive students, echoed her thoughts.
"Shock," Stephen said when asked about his reaction.
Emily agreed.
"I was in shock for sure. Two days later, I was in the school volunteering, and I had an emotional breakdown, which is not when I wanted to have an emotional breakdown," she said. "But being in the school, just thinking about 'wow, this might all be taken away from us.' It was devastating."
FCS reports that any schools with enrollment below specific thresholds are "administratively expensive to maintain, operationally inefficient, and cannot effectively support the staff and resources needed for an optimal educational program."
For elementary schools, it said that the number is 450 students. At the Sept. 10 meeting, FCS reported Spalding Drive's current enrollment is 349 students.
While parents said they know the eventual decision has a business and financial impact, they said they hope the school system also sees the community impact.
"There are so many young kids that are moving into the area," Stephen noted.
Parents said they think Spalding Drive Elementary can and will grow.
"We believe they are grossly underestimating the potential enrollment we have here," Emily said.
She also added that smaller class sizes are beneficial.
"Oh yes, I mean, we’ve been very spoiled with small class sizes. The principal knows the name of every child. The parents all know each other. We know everyone’s kids. It’s been a very unique and special opportunity for us," she said, saying it would be a loss for the area if the school closed.
Meanwhile, FCS said there will be conversations about Spalding Drive and Parklane at community meetings in October, November and December "to collect input for drawing new attendance boundaries in the affected schools’ attendance zones and to balance enrollments among neighboring schools."
FCS added a formal recommendation will be brought to the school board for a vote in February.
Spalding Drive parents also started a petition on Change.org. As of Wednesday afternoon, they collected more than 1,660 signatures.
The school district sent 11Alive the following statement regarding the potential consolidation/closure of the two schools:
FCS Statement
Deputy Chief Operations Officer Yngrid Huff presented data showing enrollment as a district is on a downward trend in Fulton County, resulting in excess classroom space throughout the school system. Specifically, the most significant decline in student population is at the elementary school level but middle and high schools also are impacted.
Ms. Huff shared that Board Policy FDB requires a review of schools that meet certain criteria – such as low enrollment or aging building conditions – to be considered for consolidation or closure. Neighboring schools also are reviewed for available space and whether they can accommodate additional students. The policy states that schools with enrollment below specific thresholds (elementary schools - 450 students, middle schools - 600 students, and high schools - 700 students) are administratively expensive to maintain, operationally inefficient, and cannot effectively support the staff and resources needed for an optimal educational program.
While Policy FDB does not require the Board to close or consolidate schools, it does instruct district staff to identify schools meeting those criteria and share a list with the Board for discussion. Nine schools each have 450 or fewer students enrolled, face a continued declining enrollment projection, and/or have aging facility conditions.
After a review of the schools’ data, Board members directed FCS staff to begin engaging the community about the possible school closure and consolidation of two schools: Parklane Elementary School in the south Fulton region and Spalding Drive Elementary School in the Sandy Springs region. Data for the north Fulton region also was examined, and Board members directed staff to postpone a similar conversation with the community until 2027 so that recommendations can be incorporated into the next five-year capital plan.
For the Parklane Elementary School and Spalding Drive Elementary School conversations, community meetings will be held in October, November and December to collect input for drawing new attendance boundaries in the affected schools’ attendance zones and to balance enrollments among neighboring schools. The formal recommendation will be presented to the School Board for a vote in February 2025, with changes occurring with the 2025-2026 school year. Board members also will receive feedback at their monthly community meetings.
The presentation, which includes facility condition/classification for all schools as well as a sub-set of elementary and middle schools with declining enrollments, can be found here. For more information you can email planning@fultonschools.org.