The Case For A Fully Inclusive Grady Cluster
Don't dismantle the years of hard work it took to create Grady's high-performing cluster.
by Alex Coffman
I and others are interested in any configuration that has our contiguous neighborhoods of Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, Candler Park and Lake Claire in the Grady Cluster. My neighborhood of Inman Park connects with Old Fourth Ward, the BeltLine and we share a business district together. We have a small Mary Lin contingency that would like to remain a K-5 school as does Springdale Park Elementary, but this is not realistic. I understand the business decisions being made and we have limited resources within APS.
As a 25-year-plus resident of the city of Atlanta, I would hate to see all the hard work that has gone on for years to make Mary Lin, Morningside Elementary, SPARK, Inman Middle and Grady High schools that neighborhoods are fighting for dismantled. Additionally, I would be saddened to see the BeltLine thrown out or disregarded in this alignment of School Reform Teams and attendance zones. I know many of us are excited that our kids will be able to ride or walk to school in minutes via this new transportation outlet that will cut down on city air pollution — and make us a greener city while we raise a greener generation.
The City has worked hard to make the BeltLine a reality along with lots of community support. I know the David T. Howard High School alumni and many in the O4W, Inman Park Neighbors, LIN, SPARK and MES communities are willing to roll up our sleeves and raise funds, write grants to help our neighborhood schools stay on a good trajectory and in the Grady Cluster and APS owns the site. A move to a 5/6 or 6 academy to serve MES, LIN, SPARK and Hope-Hill Elementary would solve a lot of ills fiscally for APS and be neighborhood smart.
Ms. Coffman, a resident of Inman Park, is a Mary Lin Elementary School parent.
Jennifer
6:39 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
"We have a small Mary Lin contingency that would like to remain a K-5 school as does Springdale Park Elementary, but this is not realistic."
PLEASE EXPLAIN.
I am a SPARK parent and I am angry beyond words.
SMALL? A SMALL amount of parents at SPARK wish for us to remain K-5? Are you kidding me? You've stated publicly here that very few of us wish to remain K-5. You've stated that it's not realistic (even though it's in option A and B).
Your school, Mary Lin, has hardly anyone wishing to stay K-5? REALLY? I don't believe that for a second and it won't be long until they see this.
This frightens me beyond words.
Please don't speak for us. You have no permission to state publicly that only a "small" amount of parents at SPARK wish for us to stay K-5.
I am FLOORED this got through editing.
Mr. Peralte Paul, please pull this before our parents all write at once. This is going to go over horribly.
Péralte Paul
11:19 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Hi, Jennifer. This is an opinion piece, not a news article so it can be subjective and reflective of the author's viewpoint. If you or SPARK's PTA/PTO would like to write a response, I'd be happy to publish it.
Jennifer
9:12 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
But I disagree. Just because it's an opinion piece doesn't mean you can stick a wildly incorrect "fact" in it. She states that only a small majority of parents at SPARK wish to remain K-5. This is sickeningly incorrect and we even have the voting numbers to prove it. You can't get away with a lie just because it's an opinion piece. If a wildly incorrect line is put in an opinion piece and is tried to be passed off as a fact, then it's the job of the editor to catch it and take it out before publishing.
Inman Park
12:18 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Jennifer- As an Inman Park resident, I do not know any of my neighbors that share Mr. Coffman's point of view and he certainly doesn't speak for me. While I am sympathitec to O4W's pleas for complete inclusion, it doesn't go as so far to state the I think Lin (or SPARK) should be K-2.