Category Archives: Brookhaven

Redistricting For Schools in Chamblee & Brookhaven

Posted on September 6, 2018 by | 21 comments

Three meeting redistricting process for schools in Chamblee and Brookhaven will start this October.

Redistricting – Fall 2018

The New John Lewis Elementary facility will be opening Fall 2019 on Skyland Drive in Brookhaven. The John R. Lewis ES Redistricting process is being undertaken this Fall (2018), and will affect schools in the Cross Keys and Chamblee clusters.

In the Approved Cross Keys Redistricting Plan, roughly 300 students were temporarily districted to the Druid Hills cluster. To address the opening of 300 seats of elementary capacity in the Druid Hills cluster, the Druid Hills Elementary Redistricting process is also being undertaken this Fall (2018) as part of a second redistricting process.

John R. Lewis ES Redistricting
The purpose of this redistricting process will be to determine new attendance lines for John R. Lewis ES. This redistricting will be the first of three years of redistricting in the Cross Keys and Chamblee clusters, as a new elementary school is scheduled to open in the norther part of the Cross Keys cluster in Fall 2020 (one year after new John Lewis ES opens), and the new Cross Keys HS and converted Cross Keys MS facilities will open in Fall 2021.

The John R. Lewis Redistricting process could impact:

  1. Ashford Park ES (Chamblee)
  2. Dresden ES (Cross Keys)
  3. John Lewis ES (Cross Keys)
  4. Montclair ES (Cross Keys)
  5. Montgomery ES (Chamblee)
  6. Woodward ES (Cross Keys)
  7. Chamblee MS (Chamblee)
  8. Sequoyah MS (Cross Keys)
  9. Chamblee HS (Chamblee)
  10. Cross Keys HS (Cross Keys)

The attendance areas of Briar Vista ES and Fernbank ES inside the Cross Keys cluster will be included in this
process.

Druid Hills Elementary Redistricting
The purpose of this redistricting process would be to take advantage of the 300 seats of available capacity at
Fernbank ES and Briar Vista ES to balance elementary enrollment in the Druid Hills cluster.

The Druid Hills Redistricting process could impact:

  1. Avondale ES
  2. Briar Vista ES
  3. Fernbank ES
  4. Laurel Ridge ES
  5. McLendon ES

Redistricting Process – Fall 2018 Oct 2018 – Feb 2019
Both redistricting processes will follow the District’s standard redistricting process used in the 2015 Cross Keys Redistricting and 2017 Clarkston & Stone Mountain Redistricting. The redistricting process is driven by three rounds of increasingly specific community input. Once all three rounds of community input are complete, a Superintendent Recommended Redistricting Plan will be presented to the Board for approval.

All public comments throughout all three rounds are limited to the following redistricting criteria

  1. Safety and traffic patterns
  2. Previous redistricting
  3. Intact neighborhoods
  4. Special programs, e.g., programs serving special needs students that require additional classroom space
  5. School feeder alignment
  6. Efficient and economical operations

Three Meeting Process & Timeframe

Meeting 1: The purpose of the first meeting is to gather general feedback from the community before any options are created or presented. The proposed dates for the first meeting of each process are:
• John Lewis Redistricting: Tuesday, October 2, 2018 @ Cross Keys HS, 7 PM
• Druid Hills Redistricting: Thursday, October 4, 2018 @ Druid Hills MS, 7 PM
• Online Survey: October 2 – October 11 (midnight)

Meeting 2: The second meeting introduces two to four options and allows the public to provide feedback on them. The proposed dates for the second meeting of each process are:
• John Lewis Redistricting: Tuesday, October 23, 2018 @ Cross Keys HS, 7 PM
• Druid Hills Redistricting: Thursday, October 25, 2018 @ Druid Hills MS, 7 PM
• Online Survey: October 23 – November 1 (midnight)

Meeting 3: The third meeting presents one “Staff Recommended” option and gives the public one more opportunity to provide feedback. The proposed dates for the third meeting of each process are:
• John Lewis Redistricting: Tuesday, November 27, 2018 @ Cross Keys HS, 7 PM
• Druid Hills Redistricting: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 @ Druid Hills MS, 7 PM
• Online Survey: November 27 – December 6 (midnight)

Board Approval: After the third public meeting, Planning staff incorporate all public feedback into a “Superintendent-Recommended Redistricting Plan”.
• First Read: January 7th, 2019 Board meeting
• Board Approval: February 4th, 2019 Board meeting.

21 Comments

Posted in Brookhaven, Chamblee High School, Redistricting

City of Brookhaven Not a Fan of Briarcliff HS Site

Posted on April 26, 2018 by | 55 comments

The Brookhaven City Council is not a fan of the school district’s current plans for the new Cross Keys Brookhaven High School.
The DeKalb County Board of Education voted to build the new Cross Keys Brookhaven HS at the former Briarcliff HS site which is East of 85 and not in Brookhaven.

The City of Brookhaven council passed this resolution at their most recent meeting.

A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF EFFORTS TO RETAIN A DEKALB COUNTY PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN THE CITY OF BROOKHAVEN.

WHEREAS, the Board of Education (BOE) recently announced the location for a new high school in the Cross Keys cluster outside the City of Brookhaven limits, and
WHEREAS, the BOE decision will result in the closing of the historic Cross Keys High School and leave the City of Brookhaven without a public high school, and
WHEREAS, the City of Brookhaven comprises more than 52,000 residents and requires the public high school option, and
WHEREAS, the current Cross Keys High School serves a large population of minority and at-risk students living along Buford Highway, and
WHEREAS, Buford Highway is the home of families and businesses that support Cross Keys Cluster students, and
WHEREAS, the BOE preferred location of the new high school is separated from the community it serves by I-85, and
WHEREAS, the City of Brookhaven has made improving the quality of life of Buford Highway residents a top priority, and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council believe there are strategies and tools to collaborate with the BOE to construct a new Brookhaven High School along the Buford Highway corridor.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council and Mayor of the City of Brookhaven respectfully request the DeKalb County Board of Education reconsider its decision to close the only public high school in the City of Brookhaven, and
IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council direct the City Manager to engage the DeKalb County School Superintendent to begin a dialogue to collaborate on the construction of a new Brookhaven High School along Buford Highway, and
IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council requests the Brookhaven Development Authority to assess any and all available tools to assist in efforts to retain a public high school within the City of Brookhaven.
This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its adoption.
SO RESOLVED AND EFFECTIVE, this the 24th day of April 2018.

55 Comments

Posted in Brookhaven, Cross Keys Cluster