Fulton County

Parents urge Board of Education to save 2 Fulton County schools on the chopping block

UNION CITY, Ga. — It’s been around 6 months since it was first announced that Parklane and Spalding Drive Elementary Schools may be closed as the district faces declining enrollment.

“Six months feels like six years. I have just been praying that the school board makes the right choice and stops this process tonight,” Emily Bell, a parent of three Spalding Drive students, said.

Parents from both schools cast doubt on the data used to recommend the two schools' closure.

Last week, Fulton County Superintendent Mike Looney officially recommended the closures— pointing to low enrollments and aging facilities causing prices to increase.

“Costs are going up and student enrollment is declining,” Looney said. “Can we continue to spend $7,000 more per pupil to provide a small school environment?”

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Spalding Drive parents pointed to the average per pupil allocation data available on the county website to show the school costs ~$3,500 more than the county average.

The families say the higher costs are a product of a higher number of tag and special needs students. Costs that would likely travel with the student no matter which school he/she attended.

Also, the data shows on a per-pupil basis, Spalding Drive is cheaper and performs better academically than some nearby schools that are bigger.

“If we are educating young children there is no argument to close a school that is outperforming most schools in Fulton County,” Stephen Bell, another Spalding Drive parent, said.

As for Parklane, they receive more special needs funding per pupil than any other school in the district.

According to information provided to Channel 2 Action News, at least 17.9% of Parklane students have special needs.

“There is a question of who are we here to serve and what we aim to do,” Parklane parent Bernadette Naro said. “At its core, I feel like tonight’s decision is around a choice if we are going to operate as a community or as a corporation.”

During a meeting Thursday night, the board moved to continue the debate on whether to close Spalding Drive Elementary School.

The Save Spalding Drive Elementary Committee issued a statement, saying:

“We are heartened to see that three FCS board members agree with what we’ve been saying all along: This process has been rushed, our concerns have been met with silence, and the board school closure policy is broken and needs fixing. We’re grateful for the community’s continued support, and we will fight to the end to keep our school open.”

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