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Spalding Drive school remains on district list suggested for closure Sandy Springs leaders seek reprieve By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
PHOTOS BY HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Above: Supporters of Spading Drive Elementary School, a crowd including elementary school parents, local politicians and community advocates, stand in support of speakers during public comment at the Fulton County Board of Education’s Jan. 14 work session. Fulton County Schools recommended closing the elementary school amid declining enrollment, an aging facility and financial concerns.
At right: Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis argues agaisnt the proposed closure of Spalding Drive Elementary School during the Board of Education’s Jan. 14 work session. Ellis said the county should not sacrifice highperforming public schools, especially on the heels of a pandemic that left students behind.
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Fulton County Schools staff recommended the closure of Spalding Drive Elementary to the Board of Education Jan. 14, setting up a final vote Feb. 20. Board member Katie Gregory, who represents the south half of Sandy Springs in the district 3 seat, asked for more information about the school’s statedefined capacity and facility assessment score and the rationale behind shuttering the neighborhood institution. “I appreciate that we often talk about our financial stewardship, and it’s often compared … to home and personal budgets, but it’s not,” she said. “It’s a school district … when we talk about these kinds of operations or teacher raises … we play almost a game of chicken, like we can’t balk first at some of this.” Gregory had the most questions about Fulton County Schools’ rationale for the closure from the seven-member board. “Yes, there are financial implications and things to be considered, but there are regional impacts,” she said. “Is this the right time, and a necessity, to make this [decision]?” District 7 member Michelle Morancie, representing the northern half of Sandy Springs, said she appreciated the concerns of Superintendent Mike Looney and Spalding Drive Elementary School parents.
See SCHOOLS, Page 13
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