Board approves closure of Spalding Drive Elementary amid Sandy Springs enrollment debate
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Fulton County Board voted 4–3 to close Spalding Drive Elementary and redistrict students across Sandy Springs; staff said projected new development would yield roughly 218 new students over 10 years, not enough to reverse broader district declines.
The Fulton County Board of Education voted 4 to 3 on Feb. 20, 2025, to close Spalding Drive Elementary and approve a redistricting plan for the Sandy Springs region.
District staff said Spalding Drive — built in 1966 and currently enrolling about 347 students — has maintained enrollment under the board’s 450‑student closure threshold since 2015 and received a facility assessment rating of “fair.” The building's state capacity is 550 with 37 classrooms. Staff told the board the closure was recommended to “optimize the use of available space and resources” in Sandy Springs.
Presenters said they are tracking residential development in Sandy Springs and that, even including a set of additional units the city provided this month, the district’s working projection was for roughly 73 new students from known developments and up to about 218 students over 10 years if all potential preplanning units are built. Staff emphasized those figures were insufficient to change the near‑term imbalance in elementary capacity.
Board debate was emotional. Board Vice President Jackie Warren and multiple members urged more time and collaborative work with communities, while other members emphasized district‑wide declines in enrollment and the fiscal implications of underused facilities. Superintendent Kendall Looney noted the district has lost about 8,000 students over the past several years and cited broader capacity and budget pressures as factors in the recommendation.
The district reported the zone 4 recommendation would affect four elementary schools and estimated 264 current kindergarten through grade 4 students impacted by closure and 276 impacted by redistricting; staff said 53 rising fifth graders would be eligible to remain at their current school if parents provide transportation. If approved, the redistricting takes effect in August 2025 and affected families will be notified in March.
The motion to accept the zone 4 closure and redistricting plan carried 4–3. Board members recording their opposition said they wanted more time to explore alternatives and to revise the board’s FDB policy before applying it in further closures.