Author Archives: Stan Jester

Nancy Creek Elementary School could provide relief to 600 elementary students across the Dunwoody and Chamblee clusters as early as Fall 2020.

Address: 1663 E Nancy Creek Dr

Nancy Creek Elementary School
Nancy Creek Elementary School was built in 1970 and served the local area south of the perimeter for almost 40 years. Due to under utilization, in Fall 2008, Nancy Creek ES students were moved to Huntley Hills ES and Montgomery ES to make room for Kittredge and the high achievers magnet.

The old John Lewis ES (next to Adams Stadium and Kittredge Park on N. Druid Hills Rd) was named Kittredge before they changed it a couple years ago. It was where the high achievers magnet was located before it moved to Nancy Creek.

During the redistricting process, my push to consider alternative solutions to add elementary school capacity in the Dunwoody and Chamblee clusters, including finding a new, suitable location for the high achievers magnet, was met with resistance from the former Superintendent and his staff. Interim Superintendent Tyson started in November and has taken a different approach.

Superintendent Tyson is taking a second look at moving Kittredge back to its original home at the old John Lewis ES site and opening Nancy Creek back up in Fall 2020. Nancy Creek could be used to provide relief to the Dunwoody/Chamblee Clusters until a new school can be built with a target opening date in 2023. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Superintendent Tyson soon on the potential for this plan to be deployed in the Fall.

The Principal’s Advisory Committee (PAC) at Dunwoody Elementary School (DES) sent DeKalb Schools board and administration their feedback on the latest redistricting plan.

The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the plan in February. The biggest concern articulated by the DES PAC is that the most recent redistricting proposal does not relieve overcrowding robustly enough. Below, I’ve included the DES enrollment projections and some of the details of the administration’s changes to the eSPLOST V project list addressing the need for more elementary school seats in the Dunwoody and Chamblee Clusters.

ENROLLMENT FORECASTS at
DUNWOODY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
According to the 2019 – 7 Year Enrollment Forecasts – Elementary Schools in Dunwoody, in 2025 DES will have approximately 1,412 students if there is no redistricting. DES school capacity is 955 students.

According to the October 2019 School Enrollment & Capacity Report, DES is currently at 123% utilization.

Year – Total Enrollment – Utilization
2017 – 1,092 – 114%
2018 – 1,173 – 123%
2019 – 1,177 – 123%
2020 – 1,212 – 127%
2021 – 1,245 – 130%
2022 – 1,310 – 137%
2023 – 1,358 – 142%
2024 – 1,378 – 144%
2025 – 1,412 – 148%

DUNWOODY CLUSTER – ROUND 4
The January Round 4 Redistricting Presentation for redistricting the elementary schools in the Dunwoody and Chamblee clusters seems to attempt to minimize disruption.

For Fall 2020, the latest redistricting plan is to move 102 students from Dunwoody ES to Austin ES. If a new elementary school doesn’t open until 2025, then for school year 2024 DES will have 1,276 students at 134% utilization.

NEW DUNWOODY/CHAMBLEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A new ESPLOST project list was presented to the board on Monday. It includes turf fields for all high schools and a new elementary school for the Dunwoody/Chamblee cluster.

Timeline – No timeline was given for completion of a new elementary school. The project list also includes $1 million for improvements to the Old John Lewis school for Kittredge.

Location – Opening Nancy Creek as is or rebuilding Nancy Creek to a 950 seat school seems to be on the table. DeKalb Schools also owns the Shallowford site which is an ideal location for a new school. There is also $15 million in the project list to buy new land for a new school in the Dunwoody/Chamblee clusters. That money could be used to buy a new property or expand the small Shallowford site.

DES currently has 1,177 students at 123% utilization. A new elementary school could open Fall 2023 at the earliest. If 102 students are redistricted out now, then DES in year 2022 would have 1,208 students at 126% utilization.

Please comment below with your thoughts on the most recent proposals.