The Decatur School Board will meet in a special session tomorrow night at Westchester at 6:30p to discuss and vote on the recommended K-3 zoning map, the aptly named “Map 7a Revised”.
If you don’t have a dog in this fight, but like to discuss zoning maps generally at Decatur dinner parties, the high-level blurry version above may be for you. But if you HAVE kids who hang out at a Decatur K-3 Monday through Friday, this is the map you’ll want. Oh yeah, parcel by beautiful parcel.
Just wanted to post a thank you to the committee and the board for what seems to have been an extensive, thoughtful, and relatively transparent process. I’ve particularly appreciated the use of the zoning website to post the various maps and the public comments. Reading the public comments has given me a great appreciation for the competing viewpoints that the committee and the board have had to consider. While there will undoubtedly be folks left dissatisfied with the results, I think the process was done well.
Does anyone know why we have a 7a? I have heard a particular committee member wanted her child kept at Winona. The changes to the map bear that rumor out. Any other ideas? It is very disappointing if true.
7a was not created to humor a particular parent. (Full disclosure: I am on the committee). The committee recommended map seven, but with tweaks to keep neighborhoods together. For example, not splitting GArden lane and Lamont and Vidal. Once the tweaks were made, there was some inconsistency in capacity and 7a was requested by the board at their last meeting to try and balance that. I completely understand that it is very frustrating for families that will be moved when that is not their preference. I wish we could have recommended something that would have given everyone what they wanted and addressed capacity issues, but that was not feasible. I am very proud of our community, however, for having an open process and a largely positive and constructive dialogue during the meetings and comment period. More than one commenter reminded us that, in the end, all of our kids will go to great schools, and for that I am profoundly grateful to the amazing teachers and staff who work with our kids each day.
Thank you
Thanks- it really was a rumor and was I honestly asking. I really appreciate your taking time to address it.
A good example of where transparency can prevent rumors, distrust, and resentment from going too far. You should have heard the rumors in 2004, some about fine people. I only believed at best half the rumors but who knows if they were the right half! Thanks to all for the transparency and explicit process this time and I hope the new Board continues it.
Whoa! You purposely kept Garden Lane with Lamont and Vidal? You mean there was actually a chance we could have have been separated from those a-holes and someone blocked it? What the…?
[Heh. Just kidding. Seriously, I’m kidding. Tell them Nubbs, I’m kidding!]
I heard a rumor that there was a plan to eject some select Garden Lane addresses from the the City of Decatur, but when they realized that a lawyer lived in one of the houses they realized it might involve too much litigation.
Oh, you must be referring to our next door neighbor. Or maybe the neighbor three doors down. Or maybe the one a few doors down the other direction. Or…damn, we do have too many lawyers on our street. Yep, looks like you’re stuck with us!
I agree with GM, while my neighborhood will probably be disappointed at the end of the day, I appreciate the conversation online, and the posting of the information to the web.
Wow, I LOVE that map…just fun to reload…over and over. (I’m easily amused.) I too want to say thanks to the committee and board for handling this difficult and daunting task so well.
We’re still in Westchester!
Oh and the dots seem much more accurate on this map than former maps. Gateway Homes children actually show up on it.
I have to say it has been frustrating b/c with the different versions we keep going back and forth! Now we are on the side I don’t want. I was all relaxed and settled in being able to stay where were are. This is no fun at all!!! I know there is a lot to consider but the ONLY reason I stay in Decatur is for the schools and I am not thrilled at how this has been done. It is torture.
All the schools are fine once you are inside the walls. But the logistics of getting to some of them are rough from my house.
Too bad your children weren’t in the system back in the good ol’ days. I walked to a block down the street for K-5, parents never had to worry about traffic, driving, or carpooling. I applaud the recognition, awards, and press that we get now, but the concept of neighborhood schools has unfortunately been lost to a great extent.
Really? The ONLY reason you stay in Decatur is for the schools?? There are so many other things that make this town wonderful than just the schools. Maybe if you embraced more of those, being moved to a different school wouldn’t sting quite so much…
Not hatin’, just sayin’.
+10
The white dots are informative.
All I’ve learned from these maps is that there are too many darn K-3 kids (and more coming) in Oakhurst. I suspect this is correlated with the virtual stroller parking lot around Steinbeck’s on a Friday afternoon when the weather is warmer.
In fact, almost any arbitrary street in Oakhurst has more K-3 kids than all 4 existing high-density condos on Ponce added together 🙂
There is definitely something in the water on Olympic Place.
As I’ve said before, and to respond to AHID – almost all the dots on Mead are incorrect.
I’d say 90% of those dots will not be at Oakhurst next year.
And there a lull until some other dots make it to Kindergarten.
Also, that was surprising to see all the dots on Olympic! I hope to meet some of the parents at the Imperial soon.
You Oakhursters need to get a new hobby that doesn’t so severely impact our city’s expenses. If the rumors about bike seats are true, I’d suggest biking as a good hobby to pursue.
😉
All along the Oakhurst Dequator, really. Perhaps the rumbling of the train aids in conception in some way. (This was supposed to be a response to TeeRuss)
I see on Decaturish that the Board approved map 7A, which “they tweaked a little bit before the final vote.” Can anybody clarify what those changes were?