As a parent and/or stakeholder in the Druid Hills/Midtown/Poncey-Highland and Virginia-Highland community we, the undersigned, support our public neighborhood schools. We recognize steps need to be taken to ease overcrowding and underutilization. We ask the board and our superintendent to support the values of our community and create solutions that take into account the following principles:

1.      Keep SPARK K-5

·        Splitting SPARK creates transportation and other logistical issues.

·        Splitting SPARK creates substantial barriers to parental involvement by dividing families across two campuses separated by miles of traffic.

·        Splitting SPARK does not address capacity issues. K-2 with Hope/Hill at SPARK will be immediately overcapacity. K-2 with SPARK at Hope/Hill can only use 21 out of 28 classrooms because current classroom dimensions do not meet state standards.

·        Splitting SPARK creates additional transitions which are not good for students.

2.      Promote Neighborhood Schools 

·        Ensure that students have the opportunity to walk to school or go to school close to their homes.

·        Maintain connections between our schools and our local business community.

3.      Expand SPARK’s Capacity and Maintain Our School Zone

·        SPARK's current and projected enrollment is over capacity, and there are opportunities to expand now.

·        Initiate plans to utilize the $4.0 million or more in budgeted SPLOST funds to create new school facilities on SPARK’s Briarcliff lot to sustain a reasonable student population for the area.

·        Druid Hills, Midtown, Poncey-Highland, and Virginia-Highland create a close knit community and built SPARK together. Each of these communities has been forced to change schools several times over the last 5 years. Keep the SPARK community together.

4.      Slow the process down and increase the level of transparency and inclusion

·        If there are tough choices to be made, citizens need to know that all reasonable options have been heard and explored.   But we can only do this if the process is fair, transparent, and inclusive.

·        Ensure that all voices and options relevant to this SRT and high school cluster are shared and clearly communicated from demographic process to Superintendent Davis’ recommendation to final ABOE decisions.

5.      Keep SPARK as feeder school for Inman Middle School and Grady High School

·        Conduct an audit to ensure that all students attending the above schools live “in-zone”.