On April 30, Fulton County Schools sent out information to families, taxpayers and other stakeholders claiming to take “decisive steps” to fix a looming budget deficit — cutting central office spending, eliminating unfilled positions, reviewing contracts and even raising school lunch prices. In their own words, FCS plans to dip into reserves this year and tighten their belt for the long haul.
That all sounds reasonable. But look more closely, and it’s clear: the district’s biggest decisions do not match its financial rhetoric.
While families across Fulton adjust their own budgets, FCS is inexplicably turning down a legitimate offer to purchase the former Spalding Drive Elementary School for approximately $10 million. The buyer? A nationally recognized charter school operator with a proven academic track record vying to continue public education at the site.
The Fulton County Board of Education finally released its plans for the schools it recently voted to close — Parklane and Spalding Drive elementary schools. The district wants to spend even more money to convert the Spalding building into a “teaching museum” and administrative building, consolidating two other locations into a new central site. If you don’t know what a teaching museum is, you are not alone. There is no demonstrated public demand or value for such a facility, and the plan generates zero revenue. Rather than preserving the legacy of Spalding this plan disrespects it, and represents a failure of both judgment and fiscal responsibility.
This isn’t just a missed opportunity. It’s a glaring example of what happens when a school board stops being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Let’s break it down:
- The $10 million offer would provide immediate revenue and eliminate millions in ongoing maintenance for a building the district itself described as “falling apart.” One board member even noted the school was “in a state of decline and disrepair” during the closure process.
- If the charter is denied locally, the state is likely to approve it. FCS would retain $3.67 million in annual local funding while off-loading the cost of educating those students to the state yielding a potential $38 million upside over five years.
And yet, they’re walking away from all of this without meaningful discussion with the community.
Compounding the damage, over 100 pre-K children in the area have been left without any viable public educational option for next year. Additionally, the district’s claims that existing services at Spalding would be served elsewhere were factually incorrect. Operations had repeatedly stated that special education services would follow the students being redistricted. But this proved untrue — most notably with inclusion classes. These classes will not be offered at either of the two redistricted schools, forcing many special needs students to travel miles away from their newly assigned schools. Families most affected are also among the least likely to have transportation options, making this more than a mere inconvenience, it’s a barrier to early childhood education. So much for equity.
All of this comes on the heels of the vote for two school closures earlier this spring, supposedly for cost-saving purposes. But those closures generated only marginal savings and targeted smaller schools — while larger, underutilized schools in the northern part of the district were spared entirely. Neither the strategic nor financial rationales for the closures have withstood even minimal scrutiny.
FCS touts itself as a top-tier district, but the data tells a more complex story. Academically, FCS ranks around the middle of the pack statewide — 41st out of 181 districts in Georgia, according to 2023 College and Career Ready Performance Index data. Nationally, it doesn’t crack the top tiers. Its reputation for academic excellence comes mostly from a subset of high-performing schools, not from a systemwide standard of excellence.
That’s the heart of the issue. FCS wants credit for being fiscally responsible, but true financial stewardship requires more than just raising lunch prices and trimming admin head count. It means making strategic, intelligent, high-impact choices that reflect both immediate need and long-term outcomes.
Instead, the district has clung to flawed assumptions, dismissed viable alternatives and prioritized optics over outcomes. In doing so, it has revealed itself not as good stewards of public resources, but as stewards of control — unwilling to share responsibility for educating students if it means conceding ground to charter operators, even when doing so would better serve kids and taxpayers alike. FCS already operates at least 10 administrative and support buildings, yet somehow believes it needs more — despite cutting staff and claiming to face a financial crisis.
Why on earth does a district eliminating jobs and raising lunch prices need more administrative space?
If FCS is serious about fixing its budget and restoring public trust, the path forward is simple:
- Cancel the museum conversion (and eliminate associated costs)
- Sell the Spalding building for $10 million
- Support a high-performing charter school operator to deliver public education — at no cost to the district — in a community that desperately wants it.
Don’t claim to be solving a budget crisis while turning down tens of millions in financial upside.
It’s not too late to change course. The longer FCS clings to this irresponsible plan, the more obvious it becomes that the district isn’t just bad at math — it has lost sight of its mission. The Fulton school system’s motto is: “Where Students Come First.” Are you really, as your motto says, putting students first?
Raymond Grote is a member of the Save Spalding Committee, a nonprofit exploring the establishment of a charter school at Spalding Drive Elementary School.
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