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Atlanta parents and city officials clash over TADs as APS establishes review council
Summary
At an extended public-comment session, Atlanta residents and city officials offered sharply divergent views on extending Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) tied to the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI). APS announced formation of a TAD Investment Review Council to study impacts and report back in October.
Hundreds of residents, parents and local officials flooded the Atlanta Board of Education’s public comment period to debate whether Atlanta Public Schools should continue participating in city tax allocation districts intended to fund neighborhood reinvestment.
Opponents argued TAD participation diverts school tax revenue and accelerates displacement. “You’re taking schools out of Black communities and you’re selling those schools to developers,” said Kimberly Brooks, a former APS student and community member, accusing decisionmakers of using selective enrollment metrics to justify closures. Aretta Balden, a former board member, warned the board that reinvestment must not come at the expense of legacy residents: “Growth should not happen to communities. It should happen with communities.”
Supporters said TADs are a necessary tool to finance affordable housing and services that stabilize families and improve student outcomes. Greg Clay, deputy chief of staff to Mayor Andre Dickens, said the administration had refined proposals to tie more funding directly to student outcomes and affordable housing, and described plans to build teacher housing and family units near schools.
In response, APS staff briefed the board on how TADs work. Bonnie Lapwood described the financing mechanism in plain terms: the base tax is preserved while future growth (the increment) is directed to redevelopment for the district’s term and then returns to taxing jurisdictions when a TAD closes. She noted APS has participated in nine of 10 city TADs, beginning in 1999 with the Westside TAD and that one (Atlantic Station) has already closed and returned revenue to APS.
To address community concerns, the board introduced a policy to create a TAD Investment Review Council (IRC) charged with evaluating existing TAD participation, tracking delivery of community benefit agreements (such as teacher housing and transit access), and issuing a report by October. Board members emphasized the IRC will be advisory, that no decision to extend TAD participation would be taken at the meeting, and that public engagement will continue.
The argument has remained sharply polarized: speakers opposing TAD extensions repeatedly pointed to school closures, facility neglect, and the risk of long-term revenue loss for schools; speakers supporting TAD participation and the NRI said targeted reinvestment is necessary to address systemic neighborhood disinvestment. The board’s next steps include chartering the IRC, scheduling public sessions, and collecting more data ahead of any action.
The board did not vote on TAD extensions; it advanced the IRC policy for administration to implement and to return findings to the board and public in the coming months.
