Residents press Decatur commission on School Districts early childhood center and transparency

Kathy Gannon of West Ponce De Leon urged the City Commission to re-examine the process surrounding the City Schools of Decaturs early childhood learning center (ECLC), alleging a lack of transparency and warning that permissive process choices could set a precedent allowing institutional uses on commercially zoned land.

"You can't just criticize them in public," Gannon said, adding she was "compelled to express a little disappointment" in how the matter was handled and that the public had been denied a meaningful opportunity for input. She asked why the schools pursued the process they did and urged more public scrutiny of a project she said could be a "$35,000,000 daycare center."

Commissioners responded that the school board is the jurisdictional authority for the property and that legal advice guided prior process decisions. One commissioner acknowledged the erosion of public trust from process changes and encouraged residents to attend an upcoming school-board meeting on Aug. 12. Another commissioner said the commissions role is limited but pledged to press for opportunities that preserve green space and public benefits where possible.

The meeting included exchanges in which commissioners emphasized the distinction between the city commission's authority and the school board's decision-making role and encouraged participation in school-board and planning meetings for further public input on zoning and use.