APS Redistricting: Key Dates You Need To Know

by Patch Staff

Tonight starts a new round of meetings and sessions open to East Atlanta Patch parents regarding the redistricting of Atlanta Public Schools. APS Superintendent Erroll B. Davis Jr. is expected to make his final recommendation to school board members in April. The board is expected to vote by May. The changes and redrawn school boundaries would be instituted by the 2012-13 academic year.

Here's several key dates and meeting times you need to know:

• Jan. 30, 2012 - 6:30 p.m. “Demographic-Capacity Study:  Phase III - SRT3 Community Meeting” at Maynard H. Jackson High School, 801 Glenwood Ave., Atlanta, GA 30316.  (Includes the schools comprising the Grady High School and Maynard Jackson High School clusters.) The maps and options are available on APS' website www.atlantapublicschools.us.
• Feb. 2, 2012 - 6:30 p.m. SRT-2 - “Demographic-Capacity Study:  Phase III - SRT2 Community Meeting” at Price Middle School, 1670 Benjamin Weldon Bickers Dr.  Atlanta, GA  30315. (Includes the schools comprising the Carver High School and South Atlanta High School clusters.)
• Feb. 7, 2012 - 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “Parents of Atlanta’s Public Schools Legislative Reception” at Atlanta Public Schools Center for Learning and Leadership, 130 Trinity Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303.   This is an opportunity for elected officials and APS parents to meet and discuss education issues over dessert and coffee. Those wishing to attend should RSVP by Feb. 4th to parentsforatlanta@gmail.com or 404.234.7234.
• Feb. 8, 2012 - 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. “Council of  Intown Neighborhood Schools’ Community Meeting: Common Core Standards” at Springdale Park Elementary School, 1246 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta, GA 30306. (Parking is available behind the school on Ponce de Leon and in the SPARK lot accessed off Briarcliff Road [northeast of the Ponce intersection]. The two lots are only connected by a walkway.)  More than a year ago, Georgia joined 47 other states to develop a set of core standards for K-12 in English/language arts and mathematics. These standards are intended to provide a consistent framework nationwide to prepare students for success in college and/or the 21st century workplace. How will these standards impact teaching and learning in APS classrooms in the way of curriculum?  How do they align to our current Georgia Performance Standards?  APS representatives and Georgia Department of Education officials will provide answers to these and other questions as they provide an overview on Georgia’s Common Core Standards.
• Feb. 9, 2012 - 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. "An Atlanta Board of Education Listening Session with the SRT3 Community - Hosted by CINS" at Grady High School, 929 Charles Allen Dr., Atlanta, GA 30309. The ABOE members from District 1 Ms. Brenda Muhammad, District 2 Ms. Cecily Harsch-Kinnane, Seat 7 At-Large Mr. Courtney English, Seat 8 At-Large & Board Chair Mr. Reuben McDaniel III, and Seat 9 At-Large Mr. Emmett Johnson will join the SRT3 Community for a listening session on redistricting in SRT3. The board members representing Districts 3, 4, 5 and 6 will also be invited to participate.
• APS REDISTRICTING PROCESS - IMPORTANT NOTES: CINS provided suggestions to APS regarding the redistricting timeline and process. These suggestions were generated from the community input CINS has received and from school-based leadership in the Grady cluster as well as other SRT community groups. APS provided a response and asked that CINS share with the community the following:
  • The redistricting process, including the next round of meetings, still belongs to the independent demographers.
  • The current redistricting timeline is published on the APS website.
  • APS requested the demographers to submit the maps prior the SRT Community Meetings.
  • APS is committed to posting the maps prior to the next SRT Community Meetings, so the public will have time to thoroughly review them.
  • APS selected the largest locations available in each cluster for the next round of SRT Community Meetings, and these locations provide for some overflow.
  • The SRT Community Meeting format will be up to the demographers. In their previous meetings, the demographers said publicly that the format for the next round of meetings will include audience feedback during the meetings.
  • The demographers have also publicly committed to providing summaries of the feedback prior to the next SRT Community Meetings.
  • Regarding the guiding principles, , the Superintendent has shared them with the demographers “as a courtesy, but did not obligate them to use them in their next round of scenarios.”  Mr. Davis also stated that, “this was his thinking at the moment, but the principles could change as feedback continues to be received.”
  • APS will not take over the demographic process until after the demographers complete the next round of meetings and submit final recommendations to the superintendent.
  • The superintendent’s final recommendation to the Atlanta Board of Education may look different from the final maps from the demographers.
  • When the demographers transition everything over to APS, APS will keep the feedback that CINS submitted on behalf of the community in mind as APS begins to define their process.
  • Transparency remains a priority for APS.
  • APS understands that communication to the public is critical.
  • The community should continue to check the APS website for updates.
  •  APS website:  www.atlanta.k12.ga.us
  • APS Demographic email:  apsdemographicstudy@atlantapublicschools.us (APS monitors this email daily.)