NEWS ANALYSIS

Over 1,000 North Fulton residents packed Alpharetta High School on Wednesday night for the Fulton County School Board's meeting on North Fulton high school redistricting.

It was the second of three public meetings to explain a redistricting process that was initiated due to the construction of a new high school -- on Bethany Bend Road -- to relieve overcrowding at other area schools, specifically Roswell and Milton.

Fulton County School System's (FCSS's) Executive Director of Operational Planning, Yngrid Huff, rolled out three sets of proposed high school attendance maps.

Concerned residents were supposed to be given an opportunity for input prior to any final plans being adopted.

In theory that is what the meeting was all about. But as Yogi Berra once observed, "In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they aren't."

In fact, the well-orchestrated event was reminiscent of a classic scene from an old W.C. Fields flick.

Playing the role of the unscrupulous card shark, Fields is teaching a mark how to play poker. As Fields shuffles the cards the hayseed asks, "Is this a game of chance?" To which Fields responds dryly, "Not the way I play it, no, no."

That's the way the Fulton County School Board (FCSB) appeared to be dealing Roswell's hand in the redistricting game: their game is a charade, their deck is stacked, and Roswell won't get to draw any new cards.

Surprising to many in the audience was the scope of the changes. The new school will be located in southeast Milton, but appears to impact students as far away as Medlock Bridge Road in Johns Creek. And not just high school boundaries are changing, but middle school ones, as well.

THE PLANS

Plan A keeps middle school feeder alignments as clean as possible and appears to fix some previous errors from missed enrollment estimates in the east of North Fulton. However, it impacts the most students and it does not evenly balance overcrowding issues.

Plan B brings overcrowding down at all North Fulton Schools to below capacity, but puts the new school over capacity by the third year. Plan C keeps the new school below capacity, but involves quite a bit of east-west travel for the citizens of Milton, where the roads are typically north south flowing.

Attendees at the meeting were shown the alternative maps, the neighborhoods that were in play and the projected enrollments for three years out. Then they were asked to move into small-facilitated groups throughout Alpharetta High.

FCSB: IT'S OUR WAY, OR THE HIGHWAY

The bottom line is as simple as it is disingenuous: the school board put on a show -- a pretense designed to create the illusion that redistricting is a bottom up affair guided by objective criteria.

But they've already made their decision. The meeting was a mere façade of formality that allowed the board to check off a box on their rules "to do" list and avoid a legal challenge to the process down the road.

In so doing, the school board's redistricting plan is nothing short of a sham. The plan, drawn up months ago by an unresponsive board, is clearly designed to relegate Roswell H.S. as North Fulton's transient student dumping ground, while protecting North Fulton's other multi-million dollar high schools with more affluent students. The plan -- if adopted -- will likely relegate Roswell H.S. into Title 1 status by 2015.

SHUT UP, ROSWELL 

From the get-go, meeting attendees were treated like school children -- and errant ones at that, for there was a highly visible police presence. As residents were signed-in at the door, hot "off the printer" copies of the board's preliminary redistricting maps were available, along with the evening's agenda and a list of rules: no chewing gum, no running in the halls and no inappropriate questions or comments, etc. Only queries based on acceptance of "the process" -- and remarks confined to minor modifications of the board's preliminary plans -- were considered "appropriate."

After a tedious introductory session, Huff explained that the new Bethany Bend High School was created to "alleviate over-crowding at Roswell H.S., Alpharetta H.S. and Milton H.S.," and that the new school districts are based upon several criteria, the "primary" of which is: "geography."

One could logically assume from the board's "primary geographical criteria" that neighborhoods would be assigned first and foremost to the nearest school, right? 

Nope.

In reviewing the board's maps, their geographical boundaries made no sense of -- or allowance for -- proximity.

THE SCHOOL BOARD'S "MAP-GATE"

For example on all three proposed plans, students within walking distance of Roswell H.S. will go to Milton H.S.

Students who presently live in Milton and attend Milton H.S. will go to Roswell H.S.

Students who live in Alpharetta and attend Alpharetta H.S. will go to Milton H.S.

Students who presently live in Milton and attend Milton H.S. will go to Alpharetta H.S. 

And so forth.

At the core of any districting process should reside the simple principle that students who live in a city should fill the schools within that city first, and then go elsewhere outside the limits of the city, if the school in that city is overcrowded.

The flawed maps begged the question: if the number one criterion was so blatantly disregarded, what about the other criteria, like demographics?

One didn't have to look far. Roswell H.S. gets virtually all the low-rent apartment complexes north of the river, even some in other jurisdictions. At the same time all but a few of Roswell's upscale neighborhoods go to the Milton school district.

If anything close to any of the plans proposed at Wednesday's meeting come to pass, the Fulton County School Board is about to put a stake in Roswell's heart.

Many children who live in Roswell will grow up identifying with other municipalities. That will break down community unity, the sense of belonging and being a part of Roswell.  At the same time a significantly larger portion of the student body at Roswell H.S. and its feeder schools will be from the most transient segments of our population, including illegal aliens. That means test scores will likely decline, discipline issues will increase and property values in the neighborhoods feeding Roswell High will plummet.

The Fulton County School Board is marginalizing the city of Roswell; they are dismantling community cohesiveness and they are obviously not concerned with the impact their decision will have on property values.

    

The board's "process" is intellectually corrupt at its core.

 

Local school decisions should be made at the local municipal level -- at least for a city like Roswell that is larger than 136 of Georgia's 159 counties. If Taliaferro County, population 2,077, can run its own school district, then Roswell -- without the oversight of board members who represent East Point and Fairburn -- can as well.

Perhaps if the majority on the Roswell city council had shown the least bit of interest and concern in this issue up front, Roswell might have been dealt a better hand. But with the exception of Mayor Jere Wood and Councilwoman Betty Price, apparently events that shape the future of the city and devastate its residents aren't high on the priority list with the lawmakers on Hill Street.

ROSWELL'S CITY COUNCIL SELL OUT – "THE GUTLESS GANG OF FIVE"

NO HOLDS BARRED: By D. Jefferson Bean / Staff 

A resolution intended to increase local participation in the Fulton County School Board's re-districting process died in City Hall on Monday, March 14.

The proposed resolution, which would have requested the Fulton County School Board to recognize communities when drawing attendance zones, failed despite the support of Councilwoman Betty Price, Mayor Jere Wood, and scores of concerned citizens.

Price had the guts to offer the resolution. But she couldn't muster a single "second" from any of her five city council colleagues.

We'll tag them: "The gutless gang of five."

Five Roswell City Council members who are sadly intimidated by -- and beholden to -- an out of touch and arrogant Fulton County School Board who deem themselves omnipotent and all too self-important.

Two of the five who lacked the political fortitude to stand with Price for their constituents' right to have legitimate input into their community's high school re-zoning ploy are up for re-election in November: first -termers Becky Wynn and Rich Dippolito. Both are likely to have stiff and viable opposition. 

"There are three issues that encompassed in this resolution," said resident Mike Nyden during the meeting's public comment phase, "The question of whether or not we're a community; the question of our interaction with the School Board, and the question of timing. Obviously we're a community. This part of the resolution is self-explanatory. It's my opinion that school boards should be reaching out to elected officials and fellow citizens for input regarding redistricting. This resolution goes a long way towards allowing elected officials and the community to reach out to the board of education and express their concerns."

Nyden went on to note that the School Board said they would not consider additional information after its next re-districting meeting.

PRICE AND WOOD STAND TALL

"I support this resolution for sentimental reasons," said Wood. "I went to Roswell High. As long as I've been in this town, I've identified with Roswell High. I recognize that it [city lines] would be just one of the criteria, I'm simply asking that they consider where the city lines are drawn -- not as a mandate to the School Board, simply as of the criteria they consider."

Before moving to approve the motion, Price stressed constituents' concerns: "…concern for neighborhood integrity, neighborhood feel, access to the school, the feeling that they're not being heard, and that is where the dialog needs to begin. People are concerned that we have a cohesive unit now, and we have had a cohesive unit through loyalty and identity. If we seek to brand our city, will we be able to brand it if it's more disparate than unified?"  Price asked.

The city lawmaker, elected in 2009 and serving in her first term, then emphasized that the resolution was not a challenge to the school board, but a request to consider Roswell's desire to preserve its established identity as a community.

Price's speech was impassioned, logical, and spot on. Her motion, however, died a solemn death of ominous silence, as her city council peers sat dispassionately and sheepishly on their hands. 

NANCY DIAMOND'S DEFENSE 

Below is a response from Roswell Councilwoman Nancy Diamond answering questions about her in-action, sent via email to the East Roswell Forum on March 16 2011:

Dear Friends,

Since most of you have been through school redistricting before, you know how rumors and other agendas can make it a very stressful and scary process for all concerned. This time is no exception, and for a variety of reasons, it has also become a topic of discussion at the city government level.

 

You may have heard about a resolution that was presented to council on Monday, where we were asked to send a message to the Fulton County school board, asking them to change the criteria they use for redistricting. There was a motion made, but there was no support for a second, so the motion stopped there. If you are wondering, or in case you are asked, I wanted you to have the information as I see it on this issue. 

Why no discussion by council about not supporting the School Board resolution?

Under our system, discussion only occurs when there is a second on a motion. I can't speak for the rest of council, but I don't know that any of us knew there would be no support for a second. I was anticipating a discussion and ready to respond, as I would imagine the other council members were. Under the rules of order, once there was no second, the matter ended.

Why was there no other support for the resolution?

Again, we don't generally speak for each other, but there may be some overlap in reasons.

For those who don't know me, here is some of my background. With the exception of college, I have lived in Fulton County all of my life. I have lived in the Roswell High School district since 1984. Both my children went to Roswell High School, I served as treasurer for Roswell HS PTSA for two years, served on the Roswell HS Foundation board for six years, and have spent countless hours on a variety of committees at the school. Redistricting caused my children to attend different elementary schools, and I have been to more redistricting meetings and written more letters in those efforts than I can remember. I have also served as a board member for a local education foundation, which has led me into additional schools throughout Roswell, where I have gained a broader perspective on the way the growth and redistricting options are handled.

Here are my reasons for not supporting this resolution, in no particular order:

Roswell City Council represents all of Roswell. In researching this resolution, I looked into the district lines for both Roswell and Centennial High Schools, and discovered that about 29 percent of the students in Centennial come from Johns Creek and Alpharetta. 

These neighborhoods are much the same affluent socio-economic makeup as the "rumors" suggest are the neighborhoods at the heart of this effort for Roswell High School. If the school board were to change the criteria, as this resolution requests, the effect on Centennial High School's population would be the reverse, eliminating those students outside Roswell. I'll address the demographic issues later, but if in fact the concern is with what the socio-economic makeup will do to Roswell HS, do we not have the same concern for Centennial H.S.?

What we are asking the school board to do is change their policy in the middle of the process.  As you may know, school boards are among the most heavily regulated and scrutinized organizations in the public realm. Violating their policies can lead to sanctions from SACS - the organization who accredits ur schools.  We have seen this happen in other metro area districts, and I can't imagine why we would advocate for it.

In my life before this position, I might have agreed with some who tell me this is just a symbolic gesture that doesn't mean anything, so why not support it? The reality as I have come to understand it is that people don't go to this effort without a motive, and those who receive our resolution are keenly aware of it. As a lifelong resident of Fulton County, I would submit that there are people in this county who believe we in Roswell have racist and elitist motives for some of our actions. If this is a surprise to you, just attend a meeting about Milton County and you will hear it in no uncertain terms.

The school board members who vote on this redistricting are representatives of all areas of Fulton County. There is no part of this resolution that makes any mention of the students' education, which is the primary consideration the School Board has at hand. I don't believe this resolution shows Roswell in the light that benefits anyone, and might well alienate more than help. I'm not arguing that this is the way it should be, but I'm relaying what is.

It was suggested to me that this resolution was important for me to support so that it wouldn't be used against me in a campaign later on. That doesn't strike me as a reason to vote against my conscience, and hopefully that is not what you want in elected officials.

Finally, I believe the best way to improve our schools is to concentrate our efforts on redevelopment in Roswell. Revitalizing our commercial areas and re-purposing less desirable properties will create real and meaningful improvements and raise our property values. There are a number of potential incentives in the works to help us in this effort.  At least one of them would require approval from the Fulton County School board. There are a lot of people in your city government and a lot in the private sector, working hard toward these goals. You may be one of them. If you would like to be involved, please come to public meetings, check the city website for areas of interest, and make your voice heard. - Nancy Diamond

ROSWELL RESIDENT CLAIRE BARTLETT'S OPEN LETTER 

Dear Mayor Wood and Roswell City Council,

I am writing today with all due respect to express grave concerns about Roswell's future. Because there are so many items to address that are inter-related and overlap, I have attempted to categorize them for an easier read.

REDISTRICTING

Linda Schultz (Fulton County Board of Education [FCSB]- Roswell) says she told the city about possible redistricting for Roswell when she was made aware that a new school was being built in 2006. I have no written statement from Linda to validate this claim -- but if it is true, I would like to know why the city did not make it known to its residents back then? 

FCSB's [redistricting] process was established back in 2000 when the county was largely unincorporated. Why has the city not established a member or committee to work with the school board on their decisions that affect our community / city? Why has the city not established a coalition with other cities in North Fulton to protect our communities, neighborhoods, parks, etc. that the school board decisions affect?

This is the largest redistricting in North Fulton -- ever. The city council has been largely absent. This isn't a jurisdiction issue. This is a leadership issue.  With the exception of Mayor Jere Wood and Councilwoman Betty Price, why have none of you spoken on behalf of the city's best interests? FCSB has the greatest impact on our community, our tax revenue, our roads, and our community. Roswell's city council is silent.

After the release of the FCSB maps it is proposed that a huge swath of Roswell will redistrict into Milton H.S. -- regardless of proximity. All three alternatives presented maintained this annexation.  

I tested the route. It took me 25 minutes one way to get to Milton H.S. -- without added school buses, student vehicles and carpoolers.  

 

The addition of this load on our roads impacts our traffic patterns. That is an additional cost to Roswell's taxpayers.

 

Where are the comments from our Council Liaison -- Rich Dippolito -- to the city’s Transportation Department?  

Common sense dictates children should attend school based on proximity or wherever their parents choose. FCSB doesn't see city lines. They should. We do. Why else did we bother to create the new cities of Milton, Sandy Springs, and Johns Creek? For the same reason Roswell is a city. Let's show some leadership.

The community of Roswell does not want its children attending Milton H.S., for many viable reasons.

 

If our population warranted the need for this school, that would be another story, but this is not the case. The board has obfuscated data to get to their conclusion. Has anyone reviewed the data for accuracy? 

As I was told by an FCS board member, "If you don't live in the shadow of the building, don't count on attending school there." I was also told, that "we are building the school and we are going to fill it". So to me if that means moving children from Roswell to Milton, then so be it. It does not matter to them if RHS is a lot closer. They do not care about this argument. Bu our community does. 

I do not see how we could possibly support Roswell parks and recreation when our children go to Milton. We will be forced to support their parks and recreation programs. We may as well move to Milton. 

Our children should come first as the Fulton County School System (FCSS) motto says. But when it comes to redistricting, it is proven time and time again that this type of redistricting first destroys schools, then neighborhoods, and finally cities. The process needs to change and we can only do that with the help of our city council and mayor.  

RESPONSE TO NANCY DIAMOND' DEFENSE OF HER "NON-ACTION"

Regarding the redistricting, Councilwoman Diamond said, "it has also become a topic of discussion at the city government level."  

If you were contacted back in 2006 by FCSB, then it should have become a topic then -- five years ago! Redistricting impacts our city at every level. Where is the communication from the city, Nancy? 

"...I don't know that any of us knew there would be no support for a second."  

Why wouldn't any other council member second the motion so you could get to discussion? Why didn't you second it? You heard from residents, there were more in the audience ready to speak, as I'm sure you saw. This was clearly of interest to the community.

"In researching this resolution, I looked into the district lines for both Roswell and Centennial High Schools, and discovered that about 29 percent of the students in Centennial come from Johns Creek and Alpharetta."  

Why would you not know that already? I certainly did. Where were you during the Centennial process if you represent Roswell? Your lack of actual involvement in East Roswell and the influence you could have used to help our neighbors was, well: your silence was deafening, Nancy. 

"These neighborhoods are much the same affluent socio-economic makeup as the 'rumors' suggest are the neighborhoods at the heart of this effort for Roswell High School. If the school board were to change the criteria, as this resolution requests, the effect on Centennial High School's population would be the reverse, eliminating those students outside Roswell. I'll address the demographic issues later, but if in fact the concern is with what the socio-economic makeup will do to Roswell HS, do we not have the same concern for Centennial HS?"  

Where were you back then, Nancy? I did not see your personal involvement in any of that while others of us were helping our friends in East Roswell and Alpharetta to preserve their cities and neighborhoods against the overbearing county school board.     

Your lack of involvement set a bad precedent.

"As a lifelong resident of Fulton County, I would submit that there are people in this county who believe we in Roswell have racist and elitist motives for some of our actions. If this is a surprise to you, just attend a meeting about Milton County and you will hear it in no uncertain terms."  

This is a slanderous statement. Since when is doing what is best for my children, neighborhood, and city an elitist, racist, or politically motivated activity? We have no other motive than to protect our children and our investment in our homes and community. For you to consider otherwise -- and not defend us -- is not only unprofessional. It's shameful.

"There is no part of this resolution that makes any mention of the students' education, which is the primary consideration the School Board has at hand.  I don't believe this resolution shows Roswell in the light that benefits anyone, and might well alienate more than help. I'm not arguing that this is the way it should be, but I'm relaying what is."  

There is no part of the redistricting process that mentions what is best for the students (our children). We were simply trying to use every means possible, within the processes allowed to us, to galvanize our community on the largest redistricting to ever hit North Fulton.

"It was suggested to me that this resolution was important for me to support so that it wouldn't be used against me in a campaign later on. That doesn't strike me as a reason to vote against my conscience, and hopefully that is not what you want in elected officials."

You were not elected to vote your conscience. You were elected to represent your constituents -- their wishes, not yours. We'll reconcile that in 2013. 

"Finally, I believe the best way to improve our schools is to concentrate our efforts on redevelopment in Roswell. Revitalizing our commercial areas and re-purposing less desirable properties will create real and meaningful improvements and raise our property values. There are a number of potential incentives in the works to help us in this effort. At least one of them would require approval from the Fulton County School board."

This assertion is not only preposterous -- it is completely unfounded. City redevelopment does not improve schools. It's the other way around. History has proven this time and time again. However, well-intentioned governments waste millions of dollars trying it over and over again. 

This assertion is also contradictory. If the city of Roswell has no "jurisdiction in the school system" and therefore no stake in this redistricting discussion, then how could the city possibly help improve our schools? If the residents of Roswell do not attend Roswell schools, what is the incentive for residents to participate in these mysterious "meaningful improvements"?

Town Hall Meeting 

I would like to know, Nancy, why neither your nor four of your Roswell Council colleagues -- other than Betty Price and Mayor Jere Wood -- could be bothered to attend the Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday night that Mayor Wood sponsored on this topic? 300 of my our neighbors found the time to attend. - Claire Bartlett, Roswell.