Letter to Editor: We Can Save Our Landmark Southwest Atlanta Schools!

Dear Cascade Patch:

Members of the community are pulling together to save our landmark community schools and we need your help.

We have learned from various public meetings the last few weeks, that we must organize our people—even though we represent some of the poorest in the city, many of whom have no transportation or adequate Internet access to stay abreast of the Atlanta Public Schools' plans and or proposals.

To that end, we are spreading the word about our interpretations of the maps, charts and other demographic study information that translates to CLOSING or downgrading our precious southeast, southwest and northwest Atlanta schools!

We are asking everyone to pass this on and print and share, if necessary, with our parents and stakeholders who do not have Internet Access and who cannot attend the community meetings because they do not have transportation or because they work hours that do not allow their attendance.

Thank you for your assistance in keeping the community informed of news that matters to us! This is what we must know:

1.      Implementation of charter schools in APS has caused enrollment in the SW schools to decline. Please know that you are still paying for the charter schools although your child is attending a traditional school in APS whether they are accepted or denied access to the charter school or not.

2.      Even if your child attends a private school, Christian Academy, etc, you are still paying taxes on the local school in your community.

3.      The Northern APS schools have the support of their businesses, churches, WSB-TV Channel 2, the AJC and the conservative thinking entities.

4.      The North APS schools are extremely organized and financially able to properly organize in making the APS leadership do right by the children and communities.

5.      The North APS schools have federal legislation that have given their communities historic designation.

6.      The North APS schools have already had the PreK-2 and 3-5 concept. It's just now being proposed in a few of the schools the demographic survey is proposing to close to appease us. They can do this For ALL the elementary schools and middle schools if need be.

7.       As the Demographers stated last evening, the K-2 and 3-5 concept was not proposed by them, but the ABE which was previously put into effect. (See Atlanta Public Schools ePolicies page here).

8.      The North APS schools are fully staffed, they have an excess of resources, and their class sizes are smaller compared to the structure and design on our classrooms.

9.      Many of our SW Atlanta buildings, being renovated at face value, still have small structured classrooms because of the original building size unless they were complete torn down or had additions added on.

  What we should do at this juncture:

1.       Create a proposal that makes Best Academy and Coretta Scott King District Wide Schools so that they don't pull solely from the numbers at Douglass High School.

2.      Create a proposal that returns magnet programs to Douglass, Therrell and Washington and getting rid of the small school concept. The magnet programs worked and brought more students into the schools and
produced greater results.

3.      Build up our schools & communities as opposed to leaving and going to other schools. North APS schools ensure the best thing is done for their schools. We have to do the same for our schools.

4.      Ensure that our feeder patterns stay intact (NO school closings) and that each high school—Mays, Therrell, Douglass and Washington—have solid feeder patterns.

5.      Ensure each of our schools have active Parent Centers w/Parent Liaisons, PTSA's & LSC so that the parents voices are ensured in school decisions.
*         We need this because our PTSA's & LSC should be our voices between the school & SNAPPS so when problem occur, SNAPPS can go before the board on our behalf and say this is what needs to be done, come meet with us at our schools and let's fix the problem.
*         PTSA & LSC bring in the community partnerships, grants for the school & teachers, business partners, etc. If active, they can ensure parents have rides to meetings, events, etc. Pastors and business owners
are willing to help, we just need to reach them.

6.      Forcing the ABE to look at the schools and their connection to the communities and what the buildings offer and how a vacant building in our communities will effect crime, real estate, and property taxes.

7.      Use the black media outlets in Atlanta to our advantage (V103, Atlanta World, Atlanta Voice, Atlanta Inquirer, the Cascade Patch, etc).

8.     Create a petition for each of the schools in the clusters for Mays, Therrell, Douglass and Washington, CSK & Best asking the board to ensure:
*         We have facilities that are sanitary and safe.
*         That have enough desks, enough books, enough copy machines,
etc.
*         That are fully staff with core teachers, connection teachers,
PEC teachers, paraprofessionals and administrative staff (Secretaries,
Registrar, Attendance Clerk, ISS teacher, Parent Liaison, Nurse, Social
Worker, Graduation Coach, a counselor for every grade level for middle
school, & resource officers that match the amount of kids. 1 resource
officer for a school of 863 is not enough.
*         That bus drivers and routes are extended so it doesn't take
some school children 10 minutes to get home and other children 45
minutes to an hour.

9.      Have the alumni from the schools of Mays, Therrell, Douglass and Washington raise $5,000 each so that we have funds available and ready
in the case that the board does move forward in trying to close them.

10.  Have the elementary & middle school PTSA's raise $500 each for the
same purpose.

11.   Ensure that the SPLOST IV funds are used to renovate schools that
truly need it such as Sylvan Hills, Bunche, and other schools that have
not received any renovations since the buildings have existed. Patching
a hole in the wall, taping a leaking ceiling and caulking a damage pipe
for plumbing is not renovations.
SPLOST IV
Thank you to the citizens of Atlanta for voting for SPLOST IV!

On November 8, 2011, more than 80 percent of voters who went to the
polls in the city of Atlanta voted YES to extend SPLOST for five more
years. As a result, Atlanta Public Schools is moving ahead on
implementing its capital investment strategy.

The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) is a one-cent sales
tax for local school improvements that voters initially enacted in 1997.
The tax has been approved by local voters over the past 14 years,
generating a total of $1.4 billion in revenues for 18 new school
buildings and facilities, 71 renovations and expansions of existing
facilities, and two new projects nearing completion at the end of 2011.

Now that SPLOST IV has been approved by voters, these types of
facilities improvements for the children of Atlanta Public Schools will
continue as funded by those who make purchases in the local area,
regardless of where they live. SPLOST IV proceeds will be used in every
quadrant of the city. Investments will support everything from
computers, security improvements and school buses to athletic
facilities, school renovations and new school construction. For more
information, please read the following information or click on the links
below:

Revenues generated by SPLOST are used to:

. Construct new school buildings and facilities

. Refurbish existing school buildings and facilities

. Expand existing school buildings and facilities

. Upgrade heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
infrastructure

. Refresh existing technology infrastructure and equipment

. Upgrade security and surveillance infrastructure and equipment

. Upgrade the school bus and service vehicle fleets

. Refurbish and upgrade seating, turf and lighting for student athletic
facilities

(The one-cent sales tax is shared by everyone who shops, dines and
purchases goods in the local area. APS is coupled by law with Fulton,
DeKalb and Decatur City school districts. This sales tax is not related
to personal and commercial property taxes).

Thank you for sharing this information with the community!

—Rev. Douglas Demetrius Prather, Concerned Citizen, Historic Collier Heights