APS Board approves turnaround plan for low-performing schools

ATLANTA - Parents and community members filled the room at Monday’s school board meeting where the board unanimously passed the turnaround strategy for low performing Atlanta Schools.

For one hour parents and community members voiced their concerns during the public comment portion of the meeting. Expressing their anger and asking the board to delay the vote.

The chair of the board asked officers to escort people out who were interrupting the meeting after the public comment, which included a man the chair called a “pastor.”

“I do not think they gave the community enough time to actually engage and give their opinion on the vote,” said Melissa Hughley who attended the meeting.  “I think two plans should have been presented to the parents and also the students and the teachers and that did not happen and that is why I disagree with the vote.”

Despite the outcry, the board went ahead with the expected vote.

“I know people were stretching hard tonight,” said Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen.  “I know there are community members that still have lots of questions and may not support the design, but for us, I think that we made the right step to not only our serve our kids who have never been educated well in the past, but also remove barriers for the future.”

The APS Turnaround Strategy focuses on three low performing clusters, Carver, Douglass and Washington.

Under Dr. Carstarphen's plan, Bethune Elementary School will close.  Carter G. Woodson Elementary School will merge with Grove Park Elementary and Connally Elementary and Venetian Hills Elementary will merge at the Connally campus.

Two non-profit providers, the Kendezi Schools and Purpose Built Schools will restructure Gideons Elementary, which was prominent in the cheating scandal.  Thomasville Heights Elementary, Slater Elementary and Price Middle and Carver High School will also be restructured.

“Thomasville is the number one failing school in Georgia,” said Kimberly Dukes whose son is in fourth grade at the school. “If we continue to do the same thing we have been doing, we are going to continue getting the same results so we have to something,” said Dukes.

The turnaround plan also includes programs like high impact tutoring, math and reading specialists to help support students, targeted professional learning for teachers along with other changes.

Dr. Carstarphen said some of this work is already underway.

“I think Atlanta will feel the difference as a community, but I know our kids will have completely different lives if we do this right,” said Dr. Carstarphen.