Decatur School Board to Vote on Reopening Westchester as K-3 School for 2014-15 School Year
Decatur Metro | March 11, 2013This one should be no surprise to any, but it’s always nice to know where we are in the process.
On the docket for Tuesday night’s Decatur School Board meeting, approving a resolution that would reopen Westchester as a K-3 elementary school starting in fall 2014. According to a summary by Director of Operations Jason Ware, the resolution is needed now to move forward with a getting a new certificate of occupancy from the Georgia Department of Education.
As to what kind of K-3 Westchester will be, that decision is still being weighed. Asst. Superintendent Thomas Van Soleon told me a few weeks back that the Board will examine “the work product of our Master Planning consultant at the March 12 meeting”. So I guess we should know more in the relatively recent future.
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Parent/community input? Especially that of the Westchester community? School leadership team and/or System Charter Leadership Team involvement? (And not just a thumbs up or down on a fait accompli presented to them at the last moment, but a chance for true organic input and feedback before plans are near final?)
FREE WESTCHESER!!!
More redistricting? I hope not.
How else could they do it?
I believe at one point a long time ago they talked about making it an “opt-in” school, which could prevent redistricting. No idea if that’s still a option being considered so take it with a grain o’ salt.
Interesting. I think that in the debates over the various redistricting maps in 2010, there was some consideration given to not redistricting areas that would inevitably have to be redistricted again if (now when) Westchester reopened. Westchester is opening later than some had feared/hope at that time, so maybe that changes the calculus.
Found it:
“If enrollment numbers hold for another year, Westchester may need to open as a school for the 2012-2013 school year. In that light, the Board may wish to keep trailers at Oakhurst and/or Clairemont for the 2011-2012 school year in order to alleviate the possibility of families be re-
zoned for 2011-2012 and again for 2012-2013.”
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/Attachment.aspx?S=4052&AID=260238&MID=17013
Whatever the decision is…I hope that the School Board and Dr. Edwards learns from the past…
Too soon?
And that one of those lessons is to consider implications for more than just the next year or two. Are we interested in sending our kids to a 4th/5th grade that is 1000 students?
Bring K-5 schools back! It’s the only thing that makes sense. We can’t keep squeezing all our 4th and 5th graders into one school.
About time. Now can the neighborhood please have a regular K-3 so the kids can walk to school like they used to?