Decatur Schools Recommend Trailer Placement For Next Year

There have been whispers over on the AJC of late about the number of trailers/learning cottages/modular classrooms coming to the City of Decatur school system in the coming year.

Welp, there’s an item on the Decatur School Board agenda for its March meeting, “Move to approve System Wide Modular Mfg. Construction Management/Design Build Services 2015-2015 School Year Contract”, which officially recommends placement of trailers next year…

  • Decatur High School – 6 new, 4 existing for a total of 10
  • Renfroe Middle School – 12 new
  • Elementary – 8 new (split between Winnona Park and Glennwood)

CSD staff recommends a $240,590 contract for set up and installation and a 36 month lease agreement not to exceed roughly $25,000/month.

Photo of Oakhurst Elementary trailers courtesy of Amanda

11 thoughts on “Decatur Schools Recommend Trailer Placement For Next Year”


  2. I remember a report in Decaturish about which elementary schools were overcrowded, and Oakhurst and Winona were already crowded, but Glenwood was actually under the “optimal” number and a ways from being crowded. Anyone know why Glenwood is getting the portables and not the other other schools?

    1. Decaturish has the story. Dr. Edwards is resigning and moving to Florida to spend more time with family. She will stay on as long as it takes to find a replacement.

  6. Maybe if Dr. Edwards had planned better we wouldn’t need portables?
    You build schools to fit expected growth not current need.

    1. Well, Decatur is one of the fastest-growing school districts in the whole country. We just reopened Westchester, expanded Oakhurst, and expanded FAVE. We are now in the middle of the process of planning for major expansions to the middle school and high school, in order to fit expected growth. I don’t think that needing to use a bunch of portables for a few years is a disaster or anything we should blame Dr. Edwards for.

    2. I guess that would be a valid criticism if Dr. Edwards was an independently wealthy patron who had taken on the role building all of CSD’s school buildings as a charitable service to the community and she paid no mind to overestimating enrollment levels once the bubble popped. But that isn’t really the situation.

      1. +1

        And Dr. Edwards and the school board are certainly not the people approving expansions of existing homes, teardowns for new construction, or other residential development in the city – all of which contribute to increases in the school-aged population.

      2. Exactly. Trailers accommodate bubbles. Given that we don’t have a limitless vat of money and land, our current boom will, without question, ultimately prove to be a bubble of some kind. The only variables are how big and for how long. That calls for prudence and pragmatism. Not a spending spree.

    3. I understand the sentiments but feel we have not done a good job planning for the growth.

      I moved in just before they closed Westchester and Fifth Ave. while looking around the neighborhood to see lot of kids in baby strollers. The two don’t match

      1. Definitely understand your point about having seen (or even continuing to see) a large number of children younger than school age and thinking that someone should be aware of and planning for that group to be entering the school system. But I doubt the city has a mechanism for conducting a census of household age groups and determining family plans for using the city schools (although collecting that data and passing it on to the school system would seem to be a part of “city planning”).

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