Visions For Vacancies

What Should Go Here?: Tech High School

Charter school closed last year. Should Atlanta Public Schools keep it or sell it for redevelopment?

REYNOLDSTOWN — Last year's closure of Tech High School at 1043 Memorial Drive SE added yet another vacant Atlanta Public School building to the city's list of empty properties. APS had already closed several schools last year following the redistricting drama that gripped the district last year, including Cook Elementary in Capitol Gateway and East Lake Elementary. APS officials have explored alternative uses for Cook and East Lake Elementary is the temporary home of Coan Middle School students. Tech's closure wasn't redistricting-related, but school officials said it APS' funding formula for public charters, which a judge ruled illegal, was a factor in the decision to shutter operations. So now the building, which some former Tech …

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Patch Voices

Tech High School Closure Just Plain Unfair

Why should charter schools suffer APS' mismanagement?

by Tony Roberts When a charter school closes because it has failed to meet the academic goals set out in its charter, it’s disappointing, but as every charter school knows, accountability and performance are the “rules of the road.” It’s something entirely different when a charter school high school with a 93 percent graduation rate has to close because it’s become a scapegoat for district-wide mismanagement and overspending. That’s exactly what happened to Tech High School, Atlanta’s only charter high school offering a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) focus. Atlanta Public Schools informed Tech High on May 31 that it would have $360,000 less in operating funds for the 2012-2013 year. These cuts made the school financially …

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UPDATED: Tech High School Shutting Its Doors

Low-enrollment, budget cuts cited.

Facing a 16 percent cut in funding, Tech High School, the charter institution in Reynoldstown that opened its doors in 2004, is closing. Tech High School's Governing Board announced the APS charter school would not reopen this fall because of student under-enrollment and related financial issues, Atlanta Public Schools said in a statement. A meeting for Tech High School students, parents and guardians is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 10, 2012 at the school, where they can obtain more information about the closure and learn about their next steps, APS said. The school, which has 200 students in the 9th through 12th grades focused on science, technology, mathematics, engineering and robotics, is located at 1043 Memorial Dr. SE. The students …

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East Atlanta Patch Schools Cited For Academic Gains

Toomer, Drew Charter and Mary Lin among schools recognized for achievements.

A handful of schools in East Atlanta Patch were cited by the Governor's Office of Academic Achievement for gains made in the last two years on the Critereon Referenced Competency Test. Schools cited in the "Greatest Gains" category included: The one school cited in the "Highest Performance" category was Candler Park's Mary Lin Elementary, which received a Silver Award. "Mary Lin is a community that thrives on parent involvement and on fundraising. Both are essential in making a quality school," said Alex Coffman,Mary Lin Parent Teacher Association president. The PTA works closely with administration to ensure support of teacher efforts and supplementing those initiatives with programs outside the students' regular school day, she told East…

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