City Schools of Decatur to build new early learning center on Electric Avenue

One of the objectives in CSD’s strategic plan is to build a net-zero early childhood learning center. The building would offset its electrical usage with renewable energy sources, Chief Operations Officer Sergio Perez said during the March school board meeting.

“This building with be a net-zero, carbon-neutral, well-ventilated and high-energy efficient, ensuring it does not contribute to carbon emissions or other greenhouses,” Perez said.

Currently, the plan is for the greenspace at 346 Electric Avenue to become solely an early childhood learning center. CSD hopes to break ground in fall 2025 and the school is slated to open in 2027.

“Our current property across from the Wilson Center, at the intersection of West Trinity Place and Electric Avenue will be the site for our new Early Childhood Learning Center,” a spokesperson for the district said. “Past plans for this property always included building a school.”

College Heights would remain and continue to offer early childhood education. The new ECLC will supplement the program at College Heights and is not meant to replace the existing ECLC.

“We also want to be able to embrace what is currently happening at College Heights. There may be an avenue for us to work together and enhance learning for all kids, those who stay at College Heights and those who might be coming to the new early learning center,” said Mari Early, chief executive officer of Legacy 33.

The city of Decatur’s downtown and parks and recreation master plans also identify this property as a potential greenspace in downtown. The school district purchased the property in 2017 and it has served as a passive greenspace since then.

“Following the completion of a feasibility study by City Schools of Decatur for a potential future facility on this property, this plan recommends any redevelopment or infill prioritizes green space, park space, or plaza space as a meaningful and thoughtful element in the site plan design,” the downtown master plan says.

CSD’s five-year capital construction plan had called for the property to become a combined ECLC and upper elementary school, but the upper elementary school is no longer part of the plan.

“The plan does not include upper elementary because the data suggests that to improve outcomes for all students in CSD, additional early learning (birth to age 4) opportunities are necessary,” the CSD spokesperson said.

“According to our data, CSD has a significant population of students who start Kindergarten without the readiness skills needed to thrive,” she added. “As a result, they struggle to excel in elementary, middle, and high school. The new Early Childhood Learning Center is our strategy for addressing foundational learning needs to ensure Kindergarten readiness for all students.”

Legacy 33 CEO Early works to help remove barriers for strong, equitable outcomes through her consulting work.

“With a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, Legacy 33 supports families, communities and organizations to ensure stability and fairness for future generations. From educational support to organizational development to financial strategies, Legacy 33 offers real guidance, resources and solutions to produce sustainable results and empower our community,” her LinkedIn profile says.

During the school board retreat, she said the district wants to ensure the new ECLC supports all students from cradle to career.

“We want to be able to grab them as quickly as they are here to be able to support learning and ensure that they are kindergarten ready, third grade ready, high school ready and community and career ready,” Early said.

CSD and the consulting team are in the beginning stages of planning for the new facility and are focused on gathering information. Early said some of the key information and inputs they are seeking include financial sustainability, community integration and communication, high-quality staff, and continuous improvement.

“These are our four focal points and key inputs that we are working towards to ensure that we have a sustainable and viable program for our children,” she said.

According to the presentation, this also includes building a model that integrates and supports the community, ensuring educators and staff are well-trained and equipped to provide high-quality education, and continuously assessing and improving the quality of the learning center’s programs and services.

In addition to gathering that information, the team will do a landscape analysis and focus on building relationships with stakeholders. The district has also launched a parent survey to gain feedback, and is forming the strategic visioning process for the project.

The district spokesperson added that there will be several opportunities for stakeholder input.

“We have a diverse group of community members participating in feedback sessions to understand the need and help the architects envision the design of this new building,” she said. “These sessions will ensure that the building and surrounding campus balance the values of our community with the learning needs of our children.

A team is visiting schools and the Decatur Housing Authority. The school board will see the updated capital master plan during its meeting on Sept. 10.

“The Board of Education will [also] receive a comprehensive plan on December 10, 2024,” the spokesperson said. “The public can also attend our Jan. 22, 2025, Community Meeting, where we will provide status updates on the building project.”

Dates for community input in the spring will be announced later. Anyone with questions or input is encouraged to contact Early at mari.early@csdecatur.net.

This story was provided by WABE content partner Decaturish.