Support Small Schools for all Children in ACSD

The Superintendent and members of the Facilities Steering Committee have repeatedly stated that the Board has mandated a change to the district’s existing facilities. In response to this charge, the Steering Committee has proposed consolidating our existing elementary schools into one or two facilities that would be among the largest in the state. The committee has also suggested moving the middle school out of its recently remodeled facility to be rebuilt closer to the high school. It is our belief that the current direction of the Facilities Steering Committee is unacceptable and is unlikely to be funded by taxpayers.

A large body of research suggests that small schools provide a higher quality educational experience to students, teachers, and parents. Additionally, there is evidence that consolidation can be especially detrimental to students from low socioeconomic settings. At-risk students would be better supported in the same way that all students are best-supported: through small schools integrated into their communities, like the existing Middle School, The Plains, Morrison-Gordon, East, West, and formerly Chauncey.

The risks associated with consolidation are many:

• A decrease in the quality of education provided to students

• Significant increases to busing for most children in the district and its associated monetary and environmental cost

• Health consequences due to fewer children walking or riding to school

• Decrease in the City of Athens’ ability to fund existing community and county-wide infrastructure due to lost city income tax (such as the community center, recreational programming and existing police coverage)

• Neighborhood instability and property devaluation due to the closing of nearby schools

• Lower parent involvement, especially in the case of lower socioeconomic families that struggle with limited transportation

• Lack of school ownership and responsibility by students in a large school setting

It is our belief that disposing of our cherished, successful small schools will negatively impact our students and our communities with consequences that extend far beyond the classroom.

Districts across the nation have made strides in increasing socioeconomic equity, educational quality, and sustainability within small schools similar to those we currently have.