Author Archives: Stan Jester

Austin Elementary in the Crier

Confusion and rumors circle the destiny of the old Austin elementary school once the new Austin elementary school opens.

On the day the new Austin elementary school opens, the Dunwoody Cluster will still have over 500 elementary students across the Duwnoody cluster in trailers. So what’s the plan?

In an attempt to come up with ideas, I suggested that using the old Austin elementary school in some way might help alleviate overcrowding in the cluster. I don’t believe anybody has considered the viability of this option, but I wanted to get the temperature of the community.

So, I asked on my blog What are your thoughts about using the Old AES? After careful consideration, I think the general consensus is to redistrict where possible, use nice quad trailers sparingly across the cluster and build appropriate schools to accommodate the student population.

Dunwoody Crier

In the print version of the Crier today is a somewhat factually incorrect and extremely misleading article about the plans for the old Austin elementary school.

By Adam Darby
Dunwoody Crier

Austin Elementary to Remain Open To Relieve Overcrowding

DUNWOODY, Ga. – The original Austin Elementary School will remain open despite an earlier announcement by administrators that it would close next year when a new 900-seat property opens nearby.

The decision comes in the wake of a decision by the City of Dunwoody to continue leasing the current building to the school district to relieve overcrowding.

Since the district’s 2016 agreement with the city, the city as agreed to lease the property to DeKalb Schools … (Pick up the Crier to continue reading)

Statement from the City of Dunwoody about the article:

“We want to present the real story behind an article about Austin Elementary School in this week’s Dunwoody Crier. The headline and key facts in the article are incorrect. City of Dunwoody officials have discussed options, but no decision has been made about whether to extend the lease with DeKalb County Schools to use the current campus after the new Austin opens in 2020. We have shared our concerns about the reporting for this article to the new owners of the Dunwoody Crier, Appen Media Group.”

While the Dunwoody Crier didn’t contact me about this article, I stand ready to assist them in clearing up any confusion. –Stan

Related Posts

Need Input – Old Austin Elementary
April 16, 2019 – On the day the New AES opens, the Dunwoody Cluster will still have over 500 students across the cluster in trailers. Dunwoody High School has a capacity of 1,500 students, currently has 2,100 students and is expected to have 2,300+ students by 2021.

Delay in New Austin ES Opening
Aug 24, 2018 – The DeKalb Schools Operations Division was informed last week that we are experiencing a delay in the opening of the new Austin ES. This has shifted the opening of the school from August 2019 (start of the first semester of 2019-2020 SY) to January 2020 (start of the second semester of 2019-2020 SY).

Peachtree Middle School Ball Fields

Austin Rebuild – Approved by BOE
October 5, 2016 – On Monday, the DeKalb Schools Board unanimously approved an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for the purchase, sale and exchange of land with the City of Dunwoody. After everything is said and done, DeKalb Schools will pay the City of Dunwoody $3.6 million.

Jester Community Town Hall

I’m inviting all students, parents, teachers, and the community at large to my upcoming Community Town Hall meetings.

DUNWOODY
When: May 14th @ 7pm
Where: St. Luke’s – 1978 Mt Vernon Rd, Dunwoody
Room: Chapel – From the Manhasset entrance, turn right in the lobby

CHAMBLEE
Date/time: TBD
Where: Chamblee Library

As we approach the end of the 2018-2019 school year, we have a lot to talk about. No speeches here … let’s discuss what’s going on. What’s going on? Off the top of my head, E-SPLOST projects are running out of money, the school district is squeezing more and more children into our schools and the school district will be asking for a loan of up to $250 million soon. Furthermore, the Dunwoody, Chamblee, Brookhaven and Doraville areas will see some redistricting over the next few years as new schools come online.

Come one, come all. I will also invite various representatives from our other local governments to join us.

See you soon.