Final APS redistricting plan released

There are now 38.

But a middle school previously placed on the closure list and was the center of community rallies will now stay open.

Tris Sicignano is happy that Coan Middle School was saved:

“We’re super excited about that,” she said.

Sicignano is chair of the Eastlake Schools Coalition.

She believes joint efforts by neighboring associations proved to APS the importance of the middle School.

“I think that we made our support for the school known, I’m not sure that it was really known by APS but I think we worked really hard to let APS know we were 100 percent behind Coan,” she continued.

But not everyone is happy with Superintendent Davis’ redistricting plan.

Residents and community groups in the Peoplestown neighborhood could lose D. H. Stanton Elementary.

The southeast Atlanta school is now on the closure list although it wasn’t before.

Columbus Ward is president of the Peoplestown Revitalization Association.

He says the school is vital because the area is growing with new families.

“Well actually our organization itself has produced close to three hundred housing units in the neighborhood either rehab or new construction,” he said.

But D. H. Stanton is one of the schools with fewer than 450 students.

According to APS, it has fewer than 300.

Still Ward says that number will increase and the community will rally to keep it from closing.

“We’re going to be rallying, knocking on doors, putting up signs and putting up flyers and put in all the work we can put in to make sure our school is not closed”

If closed, D. H Stanton students will attend Parkside and Benteen elementary.

Columbus Ward and others will have an opportunity to voice their dissatisfaction when APS holds a community meeting later this week at D H. Stanton.