Southeast Atlanta Communities for Schools Hosts Meeting On Jackson High School Improvements

The Southeast Atlanta Communities for Schools is hosting a meeting today with the architects behind the $40 million planned renovation of in Grant Park.

SEACS, which advocates for and seeks to improve the quality of education in the institutions that comprise the Jackson High School Cluster, is hosting the 6:30 p.m. meeting at Burgess-Peterson Academy, 480 Clifton St. SE.

SEACS also will take nominations for its governing board.

Atlanta Public Schools hired architectural firm Perkins+Will — which is behind the $2.8 billion Atlanta BeltLine project — to lead the Jackson renovations.

APS projects the Jackson refurbishments, slated to begin at the end of this school year, will be complete by the start of the 2013-14 academic year.

During the renovations, Jackson's students will temporarily relocate to Coan Middle School in Edgewood during the 2012-13 academic year.

Coan's students will be moved to East Lake Elementary temporarily during the renovations.

Under the APS Board of Education's redistricting decision voted on last month, East Lake Elementary is one of seven low-enrollment schools APS will shutter at the end of this year.

The move is part of the district's long-term plan to reduce costs and shift resources to better meet those areas of the city with growing enrollments.