'More Than A Measure Of Standardized Scores, Statistics, Averages And Percentages'

Scores of residents of the Old Fourth Ward held an afternoon rally Sunday to make their voices heard in the ongoing Atlanta Public Schools redistricting discussions.

Under two proposals being considered, Old Fourth Ward's neighborhood school, Hope-Hill Elementary, is to merge with Cook Elementary School in Capitol Gateway. One proposal calls for the combined student bodies to attend Cook, closing the Hope-Hill campus. The other proposal closes Cook's campus.

Both schools are under-enrolled and the redistricting is part of an overall plan at APS to consolidate schools operating far below full capacity. It also is designed to relieve overcrowding at other schools and proactively address population booms expected in certain parts of the city.

Those who rallied Sunday, argue against the closure of Hope-Hill, saying Old Fourth Ward has already lost Walden Middle School and Howard High School.

What would be better, marchers said, is for APS to reuse the properties as a tool to reduce overcrowding.

The marchers also advocated for a true feeder system to Grady High School — Hope-Hill, then Inman Middle and then Grady. Currently, a portion of Hope-Hill’s children attends to Inman Middle School and then Grady High School.

The proposals would rezone the entire school for Coan Middle in Edgewood or King Middle in Grant Park — which are in the Jackson High cluster — but then back to Grady for high school. Old Fourth Ward parents oppose that, the proposals ping-pong their children between clusters.

"Today we stand together, Old Fourth Ward with many of our neighbors that make up the intown Atlanta," Julia Neighbors, chairwoman of the Forth Ward Neighbors' education committee, told marchers who gathered at the Martin Luther King Visitor's Center.

"I believe today is the first day of many more days when we can truly represent Atlanta connected."