8-4-17 Brookhaven Reporter

14 | Commentary

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Commentary / Cross Keys faces overcrowded, aging schools Like every school year, this one begins with hope and anxiety around the cluster. Hope, because for many families the local public school represents opportunity when few other avenues seem open. Anxiety, because the recent dominant topic among parents and community members has been the egregious overcrowding and poor facilities conditions in the cluster.

Stretching from Fulton to Gwinnett counties, through Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville, Cross Keys families are served by 10 or more public schools, including charter and choice schools. With the exception of the new Chamblee High School, all area schools are characterized by aging and inadequate facilities.

The unprecedented allocation of nearly $200 million in eSPLOST V funds to address overcrowding comes with both relief and anxiety, too.

As construction for three new schools and upgrades to others queue up in coming years, some families are losing their homes — in direct displacement in the case of the new elementary school for Doraville. Others are affected through indirect displacement through widespread gentrification in the region.

The new capacity will also bring changes to attendance lines, bringing more uncertainty.

This year, the nationwide issue of overcrowding and underfunding will haunt every school in the cluster. More temporary classrooms, also known as “trailers,” are being installed at Cross Keys High School on the athletic field. But overcrowding isn’t limited to Cross Keys – schools throughout north DeKalb County are at or over capacity and growing. It’s not just a local problem, either.

Between 1990 and 2000, enrollment nationally increased by 14 percent. AccordCross Keys trailers

ing to the National Center for Education Statistics, the size of the student body across all U.S. classrooms will almost double by the year 2100.

With 102,000 students returning to DeKalb CounDia Parker and Kim Gokce ty and hundreds are directors of the Cross Keys Founof teacher vacandation, which supports schools in the cies remaining, our Cross Keys High School cluster. community faces continued overcrowding along with all its negative impacts.

At times like this, municipality leaders, community organizations, and all stakeholders need to come together to support our public schools and the dedicated educators who serve them. We are encouraged by the recent partnerships between the cities of Brookhaven and Doraville with DeKalb Schools.

We at the Cross Keys Foundation will continue to expand our scholarship programs around the region, invest directly in area classrooms via grants, distribute quality books via our Little Free Library program, and foster youth development at our middle and high schools by sponsoring Atlanta Urban Debate League teams.

With your support, and working together with other area stakeholders, we believe that in spite of the challenges, we can expand educational opportunities and positive outcomes for more children this year and every year.

For more about the Cross Keys FounSPECIAL dation see, CrossKeysFoundation.org.

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Community Survey: What is your local school’s biggest challenge?

It’s about the money.

When we asked participants in our 1Q survey to identify the greatest challenge facing their local grade schools in the coming year, nearly 40 percent cited school budgets. One 66-year-old Brookhaven woman put it simply: “More funding!”

Of the 200 respondents, 18 percent saw administrative leadership as the biggest challenge facing their local school. Another 16 percent listed state or federal standards governing schools as the top problem.

Respondents to the cellphone-based survey of residents in communities served

by Reporter Newspapers and Atlanta INtown were asked to choose one primary issue from among seven issues facing schools, or to choose “other” if the listed issues missed the mark. Choices ranged from classroom subject matter to parental involvement. The smallest number — just 4 of the 200 respondents, or 2 percent — saw school buildings or facilities as the

greatest problem.

Asked how best to improve education locally, survey respondents found areas needing fixing in about every part of the school system.

Some respondents pointed to classroom teachers. “Hire better qualified teachers who are accountable for results,” a 61-year-old Sandy Springs man wrote.

Others took fault with school administrators. “Have strong, honest leaders that know how to budget and lead,” a 36-yearold Atlanta woman said.

Still others looked to parents for a solution. “It starts with parents teaching kids at home,” a 42-year-old Atlanta woman said.

And others looked to the larger community as the source of, and potential solution to, local school issues.

“Deal with the root causes,” a 22-yearold Buckhead woman responded. “Racial and class divides manifest themselves in the geographic composition of the city, and the effects of white flight in the 1970s fol-

lowing integration efforts are still seen today, leading to some public schools having ample funding while some severely lack in resources.”

What is the biggest challenge affecting education in your local grade school in the coming year?

School budget 39.5% Administrative leadership 17.5% State or federal standards 16% Parental involvement 12.5% Class subject offerings 5% School building or other facilities 2% Other 7.5% BK