Voters could decide fate of Decatur’s planned early learning center
The City Schools of Decatur will have to let voters decide whether the district can proceed with plans to build a new early learning center if Gov. Brian Kemp signs a bill state lawmakers passed Thursday evening.
Senate Bill 625, filed by Decatur Democratic Sen. Elena Parent, requires voter approval before the $22 million center can be built. The legislation says the school district must hold a referendum before issuing bonds of $20 million or more. The legislation does not say when a referendum would be held.
Decatur’s legislative delegation, which includes Parent and Democratic state Reps. Mary Margaret Oliver and Omari Crawford, sent a letter to the school board dated March 15 requesting that they put the issue on the ballot because of growing distrust among residents about the plans.
“Many community members have raised concerns with us, chief among them that the process to reach the decision to build the ECLC (Early Childhood Learning Center) has not been open, transparent, and collaborative, specifically with respect to community stakeholder input on the cost, scope, and location of the proposed project,” the letter reads.
The delegation went on to say that they would file the legislation if the school board refused to hold a referendum.
During a special called meeting on March 27, the school board voted 3-2 against holding a referendum on the plans. The district’s attorney, Jody Campbell, advised the board during a discussion before the vote.
“I can find no legal authority anywhere in the state of Georgia that requires any school board … that would require that as a condition to utilizing processes and procedures, a public referendum has to occur to approve a specific project,” he said.
By the time the board voted, the legislation had already passed the Georgia Senate and was making its way through the House. On Thursday, the last day of the legislative session, the House approved the measure.
Parent told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution it was unfortunate that state lawmakers felt they needed to intervene.
“I understand that (the school board) can do what they think is right, but from my perspective, it would have been a good opportunity to take a step back and reengage with the conversations in a way that take very seriously all of the community pushback and discord, and I wish that they would do that without legislation,” she said.
Plans for the center have been tangled in controversy. Some parents believed it was the reason the school board considered closing a K-2 elementary school this year. They thought board members wanted to put the money saved by closing a school toward the center. Board Chair Carmen Sulton told the AJC that wasn’t true and said there is a high demand for early learning in Decatur.
The Decatur City Commission also lambasted the school board’s handling of the project during a March 16 meeting. Mayor Tony Powers said the board hadn’t considered the community’s input.
“When you don’t take public comment into your deliberations or people feel like they haven’t been heard, this is what happens,” Powers said. “It takes a long time to gain public trust.”
Another issue weighing the project down is its planned location. The district’s website says the site is “at Electric Avenue and W. Trinity Place across from the Ebster Recreation Center,” which is part of Decatur’s historically Black Beacon Hill neighborhood. The area has a painful history, as Black families were pushed out during the city’s urban renewal process starting in the 1930s.
The school district owns the land, but Beacon Hill elders have asked the City Commission to designate the area as a historic district and want to preserve it as a park. Building on the land has been paused until a decision is made. However, the designation wouldn’t prevent the school district from building on the site.
About the Author
Martha Dalton is a journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, writing about K-12 education. She was previously a senior education reporter at WABE, Atlanta's NPR affiliate. Before that, she was a general assignment reporter at CNN Radio. Martha has worked in media for more than 20 years. She taught elementary school in a previous life.
