October 17th

Dear Save Spalding Friends,

This evening’s school board meeting provided an opportunity for more community voices to be heard. Here are the key themes raised by speakers from Spalding Drive:

• Neighborhood Growth and Community Impact:
  Several speakers highlighted that Spalding’s neighborhood is undergoing a shift, with many homes being sold to younger families. This has resulted in more young children in the surrounding neighborhoods and increased community engagement. Spalding is seen as a magnet for young families, and speakers emphasized that closing the school would disrupt this positive trend.

• Enrollment and Long-Term Viability:
  The school’s enrollment projections are stable according to Board data, and there was a strong call to allow five more years to see the effects of open enrollment, ongoing home turnover, and new multifamily housing developments. Speakers believe this will allow Spalding to continue feeding into the new North Springs High School and attract more students.

• Pandemic Impacts and Pre-K Programs:
  Many pointed out that pandemic-related enrollment changes may take years to fully understand and normalize. With that in mind, closing Spalding now could be premature. There was also a focus on the school’s successful Pre-K programs, and a 26% increase in enrollment from K which could help draw more families if given time.  Further, adding more Pre-K classrooms to accommodate the lengthy waitlist at Spalding would naturally lead to greater numbers of future students.  

• Trust and Transparency Issues:
  There were concerns about the rushed and opaque nature of the closure process. Speakers expressed frustration over feeling excluded from decision-making and urged the Board to take a more transparent and data-driven approach.

There were several speakers on behalf of Parklane as well.  Among the many good points about their specific school, speakers raised concerns about FCS's policies disproportionately affecting smaller schools - while larger schools could have a lower % of their capacity filled, they could still have over 400 students.  Smaller schools must maintain a higher % of capacity to meet the minimum enrollment standard.  

Final Thoughts:

There was widespread support for long-term, sustainable solutions rather than immediate closures. Many speakers reiterated the importance of investing in schools like Spalding and Parklane, which serve as pillars of their communities, rather than dismantling them in haste.

Thank you for your continued dedication to Save Spalding! Let’s keep pushing for solutions that serve our children and community.