Towns Elementary School Public Hearing

March 30, 2012

Dear Parent:

As you may know, Atlanta Public Schools is in the process of addressing school enrollment challenges throughout the district. After conducting a comprehensive assessment of all schools and completing an in-depth demographic/capacity study, I am recommending that George Alexander Towns Elementary School close at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. 

While this is undoubtedly difficult news for the community, rest assured that APS is actively taking steps to ease the transition for families affected by the closing. The school principal, Dr. Abigail McKinnon, will be available to address your questions.  Additionally, APS will host two community meetings at Towns Elementary to discuss the recommendation. The dates and times for the meetings are as follows:

·      Thursday, April 5, 2012, at 6:30 p.m.

·      Monday, April 9, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. 

Students living in the Towns zone will be reassigned to one of the following schools:                Fain Elementary (a K-5 school), Scott Elementary (a K-5 school) or Adamsville-Miles Elementary (a merged school split between two campuses, one for K-2 and the other for grades 3-5). In addition, we have established a building repurposing team that will determine the future plans for the Towns facility.  

Please know that the district’s priority is to provide a quality education to all students. We are committed to minimizing the impact that the school closing will have on your family. The decision to close a school is never an easy one.  However, by addressing enrollment issues throughout the district, we can ensure educational equity for all students. 

Thank you for supporting our plans to provide a quality education to the students of Atlanta Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Erroll B. Davis Jr.

Superintendent