Comments on: Residents Concerned about 5th Ave School Still Have Questions

By: CSD Mom

CSD Mom — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:34:29 +0000

Replying to Scott (there’s no reply button on your reply): The overcrowding at Glennwood has singularly, specifically, negatively affected my child’s education for the past year and a half. She will enter Renfroe next year having had what I deem a subpar education, and I am in a financial situation that prohibits me from pulling her out. I do not want my other two children who are in the queue for the 4/5 academy to have the same problem. Moving [increasingly] more children to a smaller site than they’re on now does not make sense IMO. Period. I don’t know how to make that more clear. I don’t know the answers. But I know that there is nothing wrong with taking more time to consider other options.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:18:43 +0000

To be clear, I’m not saying the issue is without merit. I’m saying that guidelines, by definition, are a guide. They’re one issue, and one that should remain flexible, among many. When I start to see dissertations on square foot variations — be they playground space, room size, whatever — I get the sense there’s a suggestion that the difference between a good education and a subpar one is 90 square feet (for example).

I recognize this is likely not the position of those in opposition and I also recognize that sometimes people are compelled to treat guidelines like mandates. All I’m saying is that (some of) those pushing for another solution need to broaden their message to one that recognizes the million moving parts of a good education if they want to get any real traction on the issue.

Good educators, of which we’re blessed with many, turn available resources into educated kids. I have faith — until they prove me otherwise — in CSD’s ability to continue doing so in the context of the 5th Avenue decision.

By: CSD Mom

CSD Mom — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:53:45 +0000

If I’m not mistaken, Renfroe has about 550 students on perhaps a 6-acre lot. Fifth Avenue will have more than that number of students on a lot of 3.62 acres.

By: CSD Mom

CSD Mom — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:47:14 +0000

Scott, these are federal and state guidelines. This is not about personal opinion. If we build 5A to have 660 sq ft classrooms, then we can’t convert it later to a K-3 or K-5 because the requirements for younger grades are 750 sq ft.

By: grackle

grackle — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:46:06 +0000

Using DeKalb Medical births was especially silly considering that I know a whole slew of babies in Decatur that were born at Piedmont and Northside.

BTW, if you look at the CURRENT enrollment numbers for K, 1 and 3, and if 5th Avenue really is only going to be designed for 500 kids.. then it will be officially overcrowded in its second year of operation with 514 kids enrolled at that time. The next year, there will be 539 kids. Will that mean two trailers?

All of this assumes that we have no net gain in students in grades K-2 in the next few years.