Save Spalding Committee makes case to save school in 106-page report

The Save Spalding Committee presented a 106-page report to the Fulton County Schools Board of Education making its case to keep Spalding Drive Elementary School open.

The report, submitted prior to the board’s Dec. 19 meeting, said the committee found significant flaws in the FCS consolidation rationale in its enrollment capacity models and facility condition assessments. It said thoughtful, data-driven decision-making should prioritize community stability, academic quality, and transparent communication.

Brian Noyes, FCS chief communications officer, told Rough Draft Atlanta that the school district knows a lot of research and work went into creating the report. He said the district will take the time to review it closely, along with other input, as part of the decision process.

“We have compassion for parents that are committed to their schools and the employees that are committed to the school, and we do not take the decision to potentially close any of these schools lightly,” Noyes said. “And we’re kind of forced into this position because of the declining enrollment and the inefficiencies that happen when you have all the extra capacity that we’re finding ourselves with, particularly in the elementary schools.”

The report said the timing of the closure and redistricting process makes it impossible for families to effectively participate in a change-of-school assignment because they will need to make decisions before the closure notification is made.

The committee said the school district has been inconsistent with the process and has presented data that often is conflicting.

The Save Spalding Committee report includes 66 pages of appendix that include speeches and letters of support from people who include Julia Bernath, a former FCS School Board president, Rep. Deborah Wilcox (R-Sandy Springs), Ronda Smith, president of the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods, and parents of Spalding Drive students and prospective students.

The committee said closing the school would barely reduce the number of surplus empty classrooms. The three capacity models used by the district produce contradictory conclusions about overcrowding and available space.

Closing Spalding is likely to drive families out of the school district and to private school, the report claims.

The district’s own facilities assessment rated Spalding above the elementary school average. That number was lowered despite funds spent on the school, the report said.

Noyes said as a building ages, it becomes more expensive to maintain. He said the projection shows it as worse because the amount of money that’s being allocated as standard won’t keep its condition up the way it would for  a newer building.

“While financial savings were cited as the primary reason for closure, FCS staff acknowledged no specific cost-benefit analysis had been conducted for Spalding. Instead, generic savings from another school were referenced, despite significant differences in facility needs and conditions,” the Save Spalding Committee’s report said.

The parents want the school board to postpone the decision to close the school until “reliable, consistently applied capacity and facility metrics are established.” They want meaningful conversations with the community.

Noyes said multiple opportunities have been available through community meetings, email, and work sessions where parents have engaged Looney and the school board on the closure decision.

If the superintendent recommends closure on Jan. 14, direct engagement on that issue alone will be held before the school board’s vote in February. Two public hearings would be held before the school board’s vote in February, Noyes said.

Beyond Spalding, the report asks the school district to develop a comprehensive master plan for schools with academic performance, community engagement, and consistent criteria for facility assessment included.

Noyes said Looney and the school board have said it will look at potential closures in North Fulton if enrollment continues to decline. They haven’t indicated what process or which schools might be chosen, he said.

Instead of driving students away from the school district, the committee said FCS should work with high-performing schools like Spalding to draw students to the public schools.

“We don’t have a marketing plan that goes out and says we’re trying to steal kids away from a public or private school,” Noyes said.

The school district has ongoing efforts to make sure that whether they homeschool or go to private school would be welcome are wanted in the school district, Noyes said.

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