Greg Coleson writes in…

The City Schools of Decatur 5^th Avenue school is in need of balls for recess.  If you have any new or old, but in good condition, balls please drop them off at the school or at 125 Wilton Dr..  Any type of balls will do, but we really need some kickballs and basketballs.  Don’t worry if they need air, I will fill them up.

School Map

125 Wilton Dr. Map

Photo courtesy of Anne

Heather at CSD writes in to remind us about this Sunday’s Open House at the new 5th Avenue Academy.

Here’s the invitation from Superintendent Edwards.  (Click to enlarge)

Some residents have expressed continued concerns about traffic in South Decatur with the opening of the new 5th Avenue Academy this fall.  As part of the City Schools of Decatur traffic study – which will be presented to the School Board this evening – Decatur PD collected traffic flow data on along Oakview Road on two days in February.  The conclusion:

The data indicates that traffic flow on Oakview is very limited. In the mornings the average traffic was less than one car per minute in either direction. In the afternoons the average was slightly more than two cars per minute.

Here are DPD’s hour-by-hour charts for your convenience.  “WB” stands for westbound, while “EB” stands for – you guessed it! – eastbound.  I’m guessing the colored-in hours are times when school traffic would be highest.

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For any and all living under a rock last week, the announcement that Decatur schools’ current Communications Director Bruce Roaden would get back behind the principal’s desk at the new 5th Avenue Academy this fall set off a rather testy conversation here on DM and also lit up my Inbox with the voices of more than one CSD employee upset with the way the decision had been made and communicated.

Assistant Superintendent Thomas Van Soelen replied to my follow-up inquiry, stating in so many words that the administration stood behind the decision, noting the rarity of such “appointment hires” over the course of Superindendant Phyllis Edwards tenure, along with the looming budget gap – thanks in part to an additional K-3 school – in the coming fiscal year…

Hiring practices are at the discretion of the superintendent. Bottom line. Dr. Edwards’ history in Decatur has not been one of appointments, I can only remember a few in my 5+ years. I experienced multiple interviews for my own position (then Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Accountability) in December 2004.

Dr. Edwards is anticipating more cuts to the budget, and just as we would do for any teachers that we would anticipate cutting, we would want to place those employees in other jobs for which they are suited. Mr. Roaden is an experienced principal and his skills are needed for a smooth transition to a brand-new building.

That being said, will the Director of Community Relations position be cut? Perhaps.

I’m not sure how I missed this!

Karass writes in a comment that an article in today’s AJC metro section notes that current Glennwood Principal Gloria Lee is retiring and that former Renfroe Middle School Principal and current CSD Communications Director Bruce Roaden would be taking over the post.

The AJC article is not currently online, but the news was also mentioned in this Patch summary of the last School Board meeting.

Andrea Berry’s Decatur EdTV has some dang good coverage of the recent groundbreaking at Decatur’s soon-to-be 4/5 5th Avenue Academy.

CSD Fifth Avenue Academy Groundbreaking from Decatur EDtv on Vimeo.

Here’s Bruce Roaden’s letter to the 5th Avenue neighborhood regarding the demolition of the old 5th Avenue school, posted by Patti Garrett on the Oakhurst Message Board…

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

We are pleased to announce that over the next two weeks we will begin working on the 5th Avenue 4th and 5th Grade Academy. This is the first new school the City Schools of Decatur has built in over 30 years and we are very excited about the project! Initially you will see the contractor install construction fencing and shortly thereafter the demolition of the existing school will begin.

During the project there will be more truck traffic than usual and some of the construction will be noisy. Erosion control measures will be installed and we will make every effort to keep the dust down. The work will be scheduled during the City of Decatur approved work hours 7 am – 6 pm M-F. The contractor, New South Construction, has not included Saturday work in the schedule but if periodically we need to work that day to stay on schedule we will adhere to the City’s mandated work hours of 9 am – 5 pm.

If you have any concerns over the course of construction project, we hope you will contact us and we will make every effort to address the issue. Our Program Manager is Susan Simpson of Rosser International and she can be reached at 404 370 4400 x915 or you can call me at 404 370 4400 x933

Sincerely,

Bruce Roaden

Director of Community Relations