Fulton County Schools are considering closing Spalding Drive Elementary School in Sandy Springs due to low enrollment and building conditions.
Staff presented the recommendation during the Fulton Board of Education’s Tuesday work session. The board is also mulling the closure of Parklane Elementary in East Point over similar issues.
The school board gave Superintendent Mike Looney and his staff permission to engage the Spalding Drive and Parklane communities about the potential closures and redistricting of students.
A virtual meeting called “Redistricting 101” will be scheduled this month for the entire school district to explain the process, said Yngrid Huff, the FCS deputy chief operations officer.
FCS spokesperson Brian Noyes said community meetings will be held in October, November, and December. A final recommendation to the school board on closure and consolidation will be made in January 2025.
“We understand this issue, this consideration, is quite a concern for parents,” Noyes said.
Board policy requires the school district to use the school’s age and condition when assessing a school for possible closure and consolidation, he said.
Huff said Spalding Drive was built in 1966. She said the school has 349 students enrolled, with 37 classrooms and a capacity for 550 students under Georgia Department of Education guidelines. It is in fair condition.
Huff said an elementary school predicted to have less than 450 students, a middle school with fewer than 600 students, or a high school projected to have fewer than 700 students can become candidates for closure.
“Schools operating below these thresholds are extremely costly to maintain,” she said.
Older facilities that need extensive and costly repairs and no longer meet facility expectations can also be considered for closure.
“If Spalding Drive does close, those students will be redistricted to nearby schools. No other redistricting is anticipated,” Noyes said.
Nearby elementary schools have space, allowing FCS to limit redistricting to Spalding Drive students, he said.