There are several problems with this group's proposal. First of all, we already have a big school. There are currently over 1300 kids at Sutton. Nobody minded this before - in fact there has been heavy recruiting going on to try to get families to commit to Sutton. Second, the North Atlanta building is much larger than the Sutton building. If anyone in that group thinks APS is going to do an even split and leave a third of that building empty, they are naive. They will do what they said they were going to do in an earlier proposal and bring in other kids from out of our cluster to fill the seats, which will make an already uneven split even more so. Third, the Brandon parents are just not going to support it. People may say "who cares", but I think APS cares. The families of those 1200 Brandon kids are huge assets to our school system.

I am not opposed to 2 middle schools, but I am opposed to the way this group wants it done. If they think we are going to sit back and allow the Smith and Jackson parents to take over Sutton and leave Brandon, Rivers, Garden Hills, and Bolton in charge of setting up a new school - starting from scratch with no PTA, no funds and no built-in fundraisers (Chastain parking), and no IB status - they are crazy. Our system needs to make a decision now. Please don't ask them to put this off another few years. That would be awful.

Yes, Sutton is already a large school...however it is projected to grow even more. 1300 students roughly breaks down into 430 per grade. With the projected growth, by the school year 2021-2022 there will be 2072 students at Sutton. That is an average of 690 students per grade. To me, that is a significant different. Two middle schools equals twice the opportunities for our children.

In the last meeting, Errol Davis stated that no matter what the configuration of the middle schools are (6th grade academy or two middle schools) that both building would still be underutilized. He stated that no other students would be brought in from other clusters to fill those seats.

This group is not seeking to define the boundaries of the two middle schools, merely to suggest that there needs to be more discussion on the topic before a final decision is reached. It was only in the March 4 proposal that a 6th grade academy was officially brought into the picture. More time is needed for all parents to become informed on both sides of the issue. This group wants two middle schools that are equally strong. IB status can be attained within a few years and PTA support and community partnerships can be built as well with involved parents. I have yet to see a reason for the 6th grade academy that centers around what is best for the children. No one I have spoken to wants their child to be in a 6th grade academy with 690 students.

Okay, then how about letting "this group" start the new school up if they think it will be so easy. Then we will see how many Jackson and Smith parents still think it is a good idea.

FJ summarized the real reason people are supporting the 6th grade academy: they do not want the district bringing in kids from "out of our cluster" even though Davis said that is not going to happen. Is that fear sufficient justification for requiring a child to move from elementary school to a massive school for one year, then to a more massive school for two years? You'll have all the insecurities of middle school, with half the chance of making the team, or the choir, or the year book committee. Should we rush such an important decision based on the irrational fears of parents or make a reasoned decision based on the best interests of the children? Both Jackson and Sarah Smith are more diverse than Brandon, and both are at least arguably better schools. The Brandon families just need to relax -- diversity is one of the primary benefits of public school. If you don't like it, then go private which FJ is probably going to do anyway.

You are correct - we will be going private next year and will not be using Sutton - but that decision was made long before the redistricting process started. I am watching this unfold as a curious bystander and not as a stressed out parent wondering if my baby is going to be okay. And I still think what this group is asking for is unreasonable.

For the record, "this group" would not be opposed to be the group starting the new middle school.

We will be best served if FJ & GM & their friends, & others work together to inform APS of what we all want. Two middle schools can work, but there needs to be input from ALL to protect the interests of the kids in our cluster. Let's get commitment, if the decision has to be made this month, the cluster's borders should be protected and let us work out the details of what 2 schools would look like. Preserving diversity & academic excellence are a MUST!

Well said, but Jackson and Smith would absolutely have to be split apart or cut somewhere north & south... and keep G Hills! It's the only way a 2 school option protects both "equivalent" diversity and academic integrity. Otherwise, a single middle school with a 6th grade academy is the only way to truly protect these absolute priorities. A single school is cleaner is and doesn't play favorites. I find it revealing that Sutton Middle School works pretty well today and that this wasn't a debate 3 or 4 months ago. Everyone was working together pretty well. No one was cut out. This new debate is opportunistic to the benefit of the more entitled and the splits currently on the table are NOT acceptable. If you want to be exclusive go private. We need closure and this would get very very ugly. Work together people!

Right on GEE!

Agreed! All 6 schools should work together. Sutton is good now, but it could be MUCH better. It's been busting at the seems for over a year or two and is said to only get worse (even in NAHS). Go with your child and see how crowded it is today. Even the "chalets/trailers" offer little help. It's not safe to have the number of kids we're talking about in one school. The cafeteria was a scene a couple of days ago with two girls (same race, same grade) fighting it out. Race groups are segregating on their own. A smaller setting could alleviate this. Slice the map any way you want, split the money from fields & parking, and make it an even better place for all of us.

APS Parent: you state, "Sutton is good now, but it could be MUCH better" but two middle schools is not the silver bullet. You also say, "We will be best served if FJ & GM & their friends, & others work together to inform APS of what we all want." There have been many in the community actively working together since 2010 when APS initially came out with their first recommendation to relieve Sutton's overcrowding - initially APS recommended two middle schools in their January 2010 communication, but after a 9 month feedback period Beverly Hall announced in September 2010 that APS had changed their recommendation to a 6th grade academy due to feedback. In these 2 years many parents from a cross section of ES schools have been discussing the pros / cons, reading research, talking with top researchers, and asking the community for feedback and it always comes back to the majority supporting a 6th grade academy. It is now time for APS to make a final decision vs. delaying this decision further. There is no straightforward answer to the question of whether a 6th grade center or two middle schools is a better solution. Strong leadership, highly qualified teachers, and involved parents certainly can mitigate problems of either configuration. Thus, let’s let APS make a decision and as a community let’s work together on mitigating any problems and escalate student achievement for all students.

I am a Morris Brandon parent for 2 middle schools. (Or, even 3 in a dream world!) Even if all of the feeder schools were the same size and socio-economic background, it couldn't be divided evenly in regards to size. The North Atlanta location is larger than Sutton, but half of MB kids go private for middle school; Bolton is only about 75% full; and E. Rivers would be the 3rd school.
That (North Atlanta location) Middle School could actually have less kids in it than the Sutton location, filled with Jackson, Sara S. and Garden Hills (which is 121% full).
Would it mean Jackson, MB, Bolton, and E. Rivers? at North Atlanta location and S. Smith and G. Hills at Sutton? Or, just a split N/S split or E/W with no regards to the elementary school? (And, please don't complain about the commute to the North Atlanta location. Bolton, E. Rivers and MB kids have been making the LONG commute in reverse to Sutton for decades.)
Any solutions? Thoughts?

I don't think Jackson would be put into the North Atlanta group since many of those families live in Chastain. But that sure would go a long way towards getting buy-in from the Brandon families. Now, if they took all those Jackson families that aren't in Chastain (and there are plenty of them that are physically closer to the NA campus - the district is huge) and sent them to North Atlanta, that could work. But I just don't see them doing a split feeder thing since Davis is getting rid of that pattern all over the city.

FJ- you are right! Many Jackson students live closer to NAHS & that would be more convenient for them. For Smith students, NA is a haul...not complaining LK, but taking East boundary kids to SMS's central location makes more sense. Must the feeder elementaries move together or can there be flexibility where it makes sense? How about input from the 6 feeders to gauge acceptance of 6thGA, two middles, or K-8? A delay on this wouldn't be bad if we get the solution right. Right?