Four Pebblebrook Teachers To Be Moved to Other District Schools

Four Pebblebrook High School teachers will be moving to another school in the Cobb County School District due to lower than expected enrollment at the Mableton high school.

A Pebblebrook High e-newsletter sent to parents on Friday read:

 “Because of this requirement, we will need to make revisions to our master schedule.  We will work hard to minimize the disruptions for students, but there will be some changes.  With two weeks into school, we know that many students are comfortable with their teachers and the schedule.  This unfortunate need to make revisions is unavoidable.  Changes will be made over the next few days.  Your patience and understanding are appreciated.”

The names of the four teachers have not been released.

Teachers are allotted to schools prior to each school year within the district based on estimated enrollment figures, said Jay Dillon, spokesman for the district.

On Wednesday, a count of actual enrolled students is taken. Pebblebrook had 1,909 students enrolled and was projected to 2,095.

The 2010-2011 school year was the third consecutive year that Pebblebrook failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress within specific content areas. Because of this, the school is required to provide Public School Choice, which offers parents of children zoned for Pebblebrook the choice to enroll their children in other district schools.

As of Aug. 9, only 14 transfers from Pebblebrook had been requested. However, Dillon said that number may have increased by the transfer application deadline of Aug. 20.

Dillon said the increase is not just at Pebblebrook, but that Wheeler, Sprayberry, Campbell and McEachern have also seen lower-than-expected enrollment this year.

Pebblebrook High Principal Zinta Perkins said the school’s high transience rate has a great deal to do with the fluctuating student enrollment.

“We’re used to students moving in and moving out, enrolling and then withdrawing,” Perkins said.

However, Perkins said other factors may be to blame for the school’s lower enrollment as well.

“I cannot attribute it to one factor,” Perkins told South Cobb Patch on Friday. “It just fluctuates.”

She has not noticed a decline in enrollment of any one racial or ethnic group, she said.

Perkins said the school experienced a surge in enrollment as the school year neared Labor Day and even after the holiday weekend.

“It’s unfortunate,” Perkins said about the students who enroll immediately before or after Labor Day, “because those first 10 days are critical.”