Talley Street Property Could Host Two Schools

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The outgoing superintendent of City Schools of Decatur would like to see two schools built on land recently placed under contract by the school system.

Phyllis Edwards envisions both a school for Kindergarten-3 and a 4th and 5th grade academy sharing the 4 acre property on Talley Street in southeastern Decatur, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Edwards added that the decision on what to do with the land would be up to her successors and felt that her plan would not fully satisfy the needs of area fourth and fifth graders.

In order to afford the $5 million purchase price for the Talley Street property, City Schools of Decatur needs city voters to approve a $75 million bond that would see the school system prepared for 93 percent of projected low-growth enrollment needs with a $680/year property tax increase for Decatur residents.

Residents were asked to participate in an online survey in April to help the school system gauge community opinions on how much they could ask the Decatur City Commission for in a bond referendum; a $60 million figure would cover 89 percent of the school system’s projected low-growth enrollment needs, with a $545 increase on property taxes for a home worth $500,000, while an $82 million figure would cover the entire projected need with a $744/year property tax increase.

Edwards’ successor, who could be named as early as September, will have been vetted by an extensive nationwide search conducted by Illinois firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. As part of the search process, the firm set up an online poll which asked City Schools of Decatur stakeholders to narrow down the list of desired qualities they should use as a rubric for hiring Edwards’ successor.

Participants told the Board of Education whether they wanted the new superintendent to, “Strive for continuous improvement in all areas of the District,” “Utilize student achievement data to drive the District’s instructional decision-making,” and “Hold a deep appreciation for diversity and the importance of providing safe and caring school environments,” among many others.

The Board of Education will take the survey results and built a list of the most desired positive characteristics and use them to help find the perfect superintendent for the district.

Community members who want a more interactive experience are invited to attend a series of public forums dedicated to the superintendent search being conducted by a private firm hired to find the best candidate for the job. The Decatur Minute reports that the final such meeting will be held on Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Beacon Municipal Center.

On March 10, Edwards said she would be leaving the position by the end of the academic school year or the end of 2015 at the latest. Edwards said at the time that she planned to return to Florida, where she spent more than two decades in education before taking the Decatur job, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.