APS Officials to Answer Redistricting Questions Tonight

Buckhead school board representative Nancy Meister's public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday may provide some answers on APS redistricting that demographers couldn't give last week.

"The purpose of this meeting is for our community to express their interests and ask questions about the proposed redistricting process as it relates to curriculum/instruction, facilities/operations and finance," Meister said in an email last week announcing the meeting at

Attending the meeting will be Karen Waldon, deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction; Chuck Burbridge, CFO; and Alvah Hardy, executive director of facilities. Along with Meister, school board Chairman Reuben McDaniel, at-large representative for School Reform Team 4 and a Buckhead resident, will also appear.

Residents can begin signing up to speak at 6 p.m. Each speaker will be limited to 2 minutes, and each school or neighborhood will have an opportunity to speak in a rotational fashion.
 
Some key questions were raised at last week's meeting that the demographers said they couldn't answer because they were internal APS matters. Here are some community questions to which the APS officials might provide information:

• Why can't a sixth grade academy be placed at and a separate seventh and eighh grade at the present North Atlanta building?
• If separate middle schools are placed at Sutton and North Atlanta, one would likely not have International Baccalaureate status like the other schools in Buckhead. What would be the costs and time of starting a new IB program?
• How would Centennial Place students coming to Buckhead affect the IB program, since Centennial Place doesn't have one now? Could Centennial Place receive an IB porgram?
• Why can't additions at and elementaries accommodate more students than the demographers propose, so that communities presently in the schools' districts can remain?
• Why will students be moved from SRT 3 to Buckhead, when facilities in south Atlanta are underutilized and those in Buckhead overcrowded? Why disrupt Buckhead communities because of under-enrollment in other areas of the city?
• Where are likely locations of proposed new elementary schools and a middle school?
• Where will Brandon and E. Rivers students be placed while the schools are rebuilt? When will work begin and how long will it take?
• The new North Atlanta High building was projected for 1,800 students, and now demographers say it will have a capacity of 2,400. What will be construction changes and costs to handle the additional capacity?

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Board of Education and Atlanta City Council will hold a joint meeting on the APS redistricting. The meeting will be at 4 p.m. Monday in the APS Center for Learning and Leadership Auditorium Rooms 1 and 2.

What issues do you think need to be discussed at tonight's meeting? Tell us in Comments.