Parents, city officials push back on Dekalb school closures, citing community impact

Parents are continuing to speak out against Dekalb County Schools' plan to shut down, repurpose and reassign some schools. The district says the plan addresses declining enrollment and consolidates resources. 

However, Monday, Tucker city officials shared their own concerns. 

Dekalb schools' latest scenario proposes closing down Tucker's Brockett and Midvale Elementary Schools. It also proposes expanding Livsey Elementary. The district is still proposing closing 22 schools overall.   

Some parents at Monday's city council meeting say they're worried about the impact of creating larger elementary schools by closing smaller ones, noting Tucker's small neighborhood elementary schools are a major draw for the community. They also say the plan is eroding public trust in the district and the school board. 

"We don't trust the board of education to spend funds wisely. I can speak for Midvale," says Stacey DeJesus, a parent. "They did a million dollar renovation in the last year. The elevator that was installed works maybe 50 percent of the time and there's no plan for continued operation."

City council members also had questions. Some say their constituents aren't feeling heard, that the district needs a more comprehensive proposal for parents and ask if cuts could have been made elsewhere in the district rather than just at aging school buildings. They also say they're concerned this plan would make Tucker less walkable.

The county says SAP is an evolving plan but that its goal is to improve how it uses school funds by addressing overcrowded and undercrowded schools and making school transportation more efficient. The county also says its aging buildings are a strain on the system--with buildings on average being 48 years old, some nearing 100. The district says it wants cities like Tucker to feel like it is working alongside the communities it is affecting with this plan.

"Even with all of the other projects that we go on, we work with the different agencies that you have, we do see you as a partner, because again, it goes back to what we truly believe. And that's that we all still serve the same students," said Erick Hofstetter, the chief operations manager for Dekalb County School District.

The district says it's already received approximately 4,000 submissions of feedback from community members on the plan, and that it will continue to do that before submitting it to the school board for a final decision. It's unclear exactly how long it will take for that to happen.