A number of new schools are opening this year and Fall 2020. There will be 61 fewer trailers used throughout the school district in 2020-21 than the current school year. Eight (8) schools will see an aggregate increase of 23 trailers. This lowers the district trailer count from 389 to 328.
On Monday, the Board of Education approved the purchase of three (3) quads units with restrooms and twelve (12) single units. The purchase of these units will support capacity at some growing schools as well as the replacement of some existing aged modular classroom units.
DeKalb Schools administration presented the latest redistricting maps to the Board of Education last Monday.
The administration didn’t present any redistricting for the new Pleasantdale ES, but it is likely to gain students in subsequent redistricting efforts. This will more than likely drop the trailer count further by 10+ trailers in the Lakeside cluster.
Here is how the current and projected trailer inventory breaks down:
| Cluster | School | Fall 2019 Portable Classrooms |
Fall 2020 Portable Classrooms |
Portable Classroom Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamblee | Ashford Park ES | 10 | 14 | 4 |
| Chamblee | Huntley Hills ES | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Chamblee | Montgomery ES | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| Chamblee | Chamblee HS | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Dunwoody | Austin ES | 7 | 0 | -7 |
| Dunwoody | Chesnut ES | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Dunwoody | Dunwoody ES | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Dunwoody | Hightower ES | 11 | 5 | -6 |
| Dunwoody | Vanderlyn ES | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Dunwoody | Dunwoody HS | 20 | 24 | 4 |
| Dunwoody | Peachtree MS | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| Lakeside | Briarlake ES | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Lakeside | Evansdale ES | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Lakeside | Hawthorne ES | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Lakeside | Henderson Mill ES | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Lakeside | Oak Grove ES | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Lakeside | Pleasantdale ES | 6 | 0 | -6 |
| Lakeside | Sagamore Hills ES* | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| Lakeside | Lakeside HS | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Cross Keys | Dresden ES | 18 | 0 | -18 |
| Cross Keys | Montclair ES | 6 | 0 | -6 |
| Cross Keys | Cary Reynolds ES | 10 | 0 | -10 |
| Cross Keys | Woodward ES | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Cross Keys | Cross Keys HS | 27 | 27 | 0 |
| Cross Keys | Sequoyah MS | 38 | 44 | 6 |
| Clarkston | Allgood ES* | 3 | 0 | -3 |
| Clarkston | Dunaire ES* | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Clarkston | Indian Creek ES | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| Clarkston | Jolly ES | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Clarkston | Clarkston HS | 15 | 19 | 4 |
| DeKalb HS | DeKalb HS of Technology-South | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Lithonia | Stoneview ES | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| McNair | Flat Shoals ES* | 3 | 0 | -3 |
| McNair | Kelley Lake ES* | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| Miller Grove | Panola Way ES | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Miller Grove | Woodridge ES* | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| MLK | Flat Rock ES | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| MLK | Fairington ES | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Redan | E. L. Miller ES* | 4 | 0 | -4 |
| Stone Mountain | Stone Mountain ES* | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| SWD | Bob Mathis ES* | 4 | 0 | -4 |
| Towers | Rowland ES* | 7 | 3 | -4 |
| Towers | International Student Center | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Tucker | Idlewood ES | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| Tucker | Livsey ES | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Tucker | Tucker MS | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Tucker | Tucker HS | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 389 | 328 | -61 |
This table shows the number of portable classrooms at each school. The unit-type of each portable is not accounted for in this table.
* Pending discussion with Prinicpals and Regional Superintendents to confirm appropriate number of portables to be removed.
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
“The administration didn’t present any redistricting for the new Pleasantdale ES”
Fantastic! DCSD builds a brand-new school (Pleasantdale) to relieve overcrowding, then leaves about 25% of its seats completely empty while simultaneously buying more trailers for other schools.
Suggestion: Why not move the French Immersion magnet program out of Evansdale and into Pleasantdale? The schools are only 2 miles apart. Moving the magnet program would avoid another redistricting cluster-fark and allow Evansdale to get rid of its four trailers.
I wonder where they are planning to put six more trailers at Sequoyah M.S.? Students already have to walk more than 5 minutes to get to the ones on the field.
It is a huge safety issue. I can’t believe the administration accepts that liability.
44 trailers at Sequoyah Middle School?!?
Where does DCSD plan to place the additional modular units? When and how does DCSD plan to alleviate the sever overcrowding of Sequoyah Middle School? Students already face long walks in the rain, heat, and cold without cover to the main building. Stan, I look forward to hearing how and when DCSD is planning to address the Sequoyah campus.
I agree with Kirk Lunde and SMS Trailer Park. There are nearly 2000 students at Sequoyah MS. Housing that many middle schoolers in one school doesn’t sound good to begin with, and it’s unconscionable to require 44 trailers to do so.
Estimating 20 students per trailer, this means that 880 students are housed in trailers at Sequoyah.
This is more students in trailers at Sequoyah than the total enrollment at 7 other middle schools! (Redan, Chapel Hill, Miller Grove, Bethune, Columbia, Cedar Grove, McNair)
In particular, McNair MS has just 770 students. Lucky for them, DCSD just spent $43MILLION on a 1200 seat, 170,000 square foot new McNair Middle School.
How does this happen, when Sequoyah MS has 44 trailers?
I agree with Mrs. Tyson that the E-SPLOST-V new HS and MS projects were so badly over-budget that it would have been irresponsible to continue.
But there has to be some sort of near-term relief for Sequoyah.
At the very minimum, DCSD has got to build some covered walkways to the trailer park. These students spend 3 years of their life walking in rain and mud. Teachers may spend that much time or more, or they may decide that it’s nuts and resign.
What’s best for the kids? Certainly not 44 trailers!!!
Sequoyah Middle School is 90.8% Hispanic. That’s why Sequoyah gets 44 trailers.
McNair Middle School is 2% Hispanic. That’s why McNair MS got a $43 Million building.
DSW2Contributor,
I am afraid you are correct.
The other side of that coin is McNair Middle was is worse shape than Sequoyah. It was very nearly falling down and needed to be rebuilt.
Kirk,
But back in 2011/12 the District had a plan that would have consolidated McNair MS and McNair HS into a 6-12 school, probably located at McNair HS since its facilities were in better shape.
Instead, we decide to spend $43M on a MS in a cluster that has many empty seats rather than consolidating.
I don’t think McNair MS students should have to tolerate a building that ‘was very nearly falling down,’ but it seems like there could have been a better way to give McNair MS students a better learning environment AND not neglect Sequoyah MS. Again.
Anon.
Without a doubt, you are correct. This is why an outside entity has to come up with the comprehensive master plan (CMP). The administration always screws planning up.
What’s the track record for Dekalb County removing trailers on schedule? I ask because a previous post suggested that Dekalb County would be using 323 trailers in 2019 (see here http://factchecker.stanjester.com/2017/04/7227/). Also is Dekalb County continuing to purchase used trailers vs lease new trailers? How many of these 389 trailers in use are old and past their useful life? How much of the budget is earmarked for new trailers (purchased or leased)? Personally I’d like to see more leasing of trailers as board members push for more permanent, trailer-less solutions that actually fix the underlying problems.
Stan, can you provide a listing of trailers by school and include how long those trailers have been in service at each school? That would be interesting and useful information.
The chart above gives you the number of trailers at each school. The school district owns most of these trailers, and some of them are 20+ years old. I believe each trailer displays a tag with model and year on it.
Stan,
The district owns all of the trailers and more than half of them are 20+ years old. Mr. Drake told the BOE “only a handful” are more than 20 years old, but the inventory tells the truth.