‘No Dunbar, No Peace’: APS holds school community meeting at Dunbar Elementary School amid concerns

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) announced they would be holding school community meetings to garner feedback from staff, parents, and community members about the latest APS Forward 2040 refined scenarios.

Families in Atlanta’s Mechanicsville neighborhood Paul L. Dunbar Elementary School is more than classrooms. Parents described the school as a lifeline, offering after-school programs and resources they rely on to maintain a work and family life.

During the meeting, parents voiced their concerns and chanted “No Dunbar, No Peace”.

The concerns skyrocketed after a repurpose proposal surfaced about turning Dunbar into an early childhood center, which would mean current students would have to attend another school.

Parent Janet Barnett, who works more than 40 hours a week, said the change would become very disruptive.

“Truthfully, I’d have to wake up twice as early to make my child move twice as fast,” she said. “It’s just a lot of going on.”

Barnett said her child’s after-school programs make it possible for her to keep working to provide for her family, and she is concerned those efforts would vanish if the school is repurposed.

APS said the change is still only a proposal, which is part of its APS Forward 2040 plan. Additionally, APS released a series of “refined scenarios” for its long-range plan, APS Forward 2040.

These refined scenarios are the “product of data, analysis, and thousands of voices from our community,” according to APS. The refined scenarios reflect the district’s ongoing effort to balance enrollment, expand access to academic programs, and reinvest in schools that have historically been overlooked.  

APS officials said “nothing is final” as they continue to collect public feedback.

Another parent, Yasmine Garner, said she’s devastated because the elementary school has done so much for the community.

“It’s very unfortunate if this comes to fruition because this school has done so much for our community that it would be sad to see it go away,” she said.

Scenarios will continue to change and evolve as APS listens to families and communities before making any recommendations to the Board of Education as a first read in November.

Additionally, APS said it has received over 6,500 survey responses, collected hours of community feedback, and received comments through the website.

Refined scenarios included as of Wednesday, Oct. 8:

·      Repurpose Dunbar for community good

·      Repurpose Toomer Annex and redistribute 3 Georgia Pre-K classes

·      Realign boundaries for Benteen, BAMO, Dunbar, and Parkside

·      Jackson HS addition – Timeline: Fall 2029

·      King Middle School Addition

The benefits, according to APS, include:

·      Possible professional learning space/admin, Early Childhood Education, Sheltering Arms

·      More efficient enrollment leads to deeper program offerings

·      Investment at Jackson High School: $70-90 million (ESPLOST dependent); boundary remains the same

·      Investment at King Middle School: $15 million (ESPLOST dependent); boundary remains the same

One of the biggest concerns for parents is transportation to other schools, with 86% of Dunbar students having to walk to get to school or to attend the after-school care program next door at The Dunbar Center.

The school stated that it already offers an early childhood education program. One of the biggest concerns for parents is transportation to other schools. According to APS officials, they will provide transportation to other schools; however, parents still question what would happen if their child missed the bus and the parent didn’t have a car.

Additionally, APS stated some of its buildings, including Dunbar, are underutilized, with not enough students to fill them. Dunbar currently has a capacity of 450 students, and only around 300 students are enrolled for this school year.

However, President of the Mechanicsville Civic Association David Holder expects enrollment to increase.

“We’re looking at probably 400 new single-family market-rate homes in the neighborhood, and not telling how many families that’s going to bring into the neighborhood,” Holder said.

The plan is not final and the school board will take up the first reading of the plan next month. If approved, it’ll be implemented in 2027.

To review the refined scenarios, visit https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/aps2040

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