Politics & Government

Duluth City Council Wants Neighborhoods Returned

Bad feelings linger over redistricting that divided Duluth community a decade ago

New plans by Gwinnett County Public Schools to redistrict students in Duluth and Peachtree Ridge clusters have ripped the bandages off wounds caused by dividing the Duluth community a decade ago and diverting students to new Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee. It was apparent during a Duluth City Council work session Monday night (Feb. 28) that the traumatic redistricting still rankles, and the council is uneasy about the way it’s being done this time.

Council members didn’t hesitate to voice their concerns to District III Gwinnett Board of Education Member Dr. Mary Kay Murphy, who attended the work session to discuss several issues including redistricting. Murphy’s district includes schools in both the Duluth and Peachtree Ridge clusters. She lives in Duluth.

The school system reportedly plans to move 540 students from the Peachtree Ridge Cluster into the Duluth Cluster to relieve overcrowding for the 2011-12 school year. This includes 180 students from Peachtree Ridge High to Duluth High.

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Other schools involved in the proposed redistricting would be Hull and Duluth middle schools and Mason, Chesney and Harris elementary schools. Hull MS and Mason ES are located in the Peachtree Ridge Cluster. Duluth MS, Chesney ES and Harris ES are part of the Duluth Cluster. About 130 students in middle schools and 230 in elementary schools would be redistricted. Maps showing the proposed new cluster boundaries are expected to be ready March 7. 

“We need to balance out enrollment in the Peachtree Ridge and Duluth clusters,” Murphy said. “Peachtree Ridge has grown faster and larger to accommodate growth. Duluth has also grown but not at such a rapid rate.” Alleviating overcrowding would get students out of trailers, she said.

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Murphy informed the council that students at the high school level would probably be given the option of choosing to attend Peachtree Ridge HS or Duluth HS. “I think the superintendent will consider this. It has been done in the past,” she said. Students (or their parents) usually have to provide transportation if they attend a school outside their cluster.

“There is a lot of feeling in the Duluth community that the redistricting 10 years ago was not done in a balanced way,” Mayor Nancy Harris told Murphy. Many of the city’s stable and affluent neighborhoods were put into the Peachtree Ridge Cluster, Harris said. “We ask to get back some of our neighborhoods,” she said. Under the new redistricting plan, Harris said, it appears that apartments near Gwinnett Place Mall are slated to be moved back into the Duluth Cluster

Councilman Greg Whitlock, a Peachtree Ridge parent, questioned why more schools, particularly elementary schools such as Burnett ES and Jackson ES, were not included in the redistricting plan so enrollment could be balanced overall.

According to Peachtree Ridge Cluster enrollment figures posted on the GCPS website, Peachtree Ridge HS has an enrollment of 3,226 students; Hull MS 2,409, and Mason ES 1,187. Burnett ES has 667 students, Parsons ES 797, and Jackson ES has 1,673. Burnett, Jackson and Parsons elementary schools are not part of the redistricting plan. 

Duluth Cluster enrollment figures were 2,404 students at Duluth HS, 1,761 at Duluth Middle School, 888 at Chesney ES and 669 at Harris ES. Enrollment at schools not included in the redistricting plan are Berkeley Lake ES with 1,122 students and Chattahoochee ES with 1,146 students.

Murphy explained that data compiled by the GCPS Planning Department will be used in developing final maps along with public input. The superintendent will also make a recommendation to the board prior to its vote on new cluster boundaries. Murphy also pointed out that the redistricting will have to meet U.S. Justice Department requirements. “There’s a process we have to follow. It has to be transparent and fair. It may not result in the outcome we want,” she said.

‘I will certainly pass on the input from the council,” Murphy assured the council members. She also invited the council and citizens to attend the annual Area III Gwinnett Board of Education meeting at Norcross High School on March 31. There is a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by the meeting at 7 p.m.

“Ten years ago, the citizens in our community went through real soul searching,” said Councilman Doug Mundrick. “The redistricting divided our city. (I think I still have my “Don’t Divide Duluth” sticker somewhere.) It was a traumatic process, and I’m not sure our feelings were taken into consideration. We decided to embrace both (high) schools as best we can.” The redistricting continues to create problems, Mundrick said. “We urge you to go back and rectify the errors of the past,” he appealed. “We need to bring the Duluth community back to Duluth.”

Councilwoman Marsha Anderson Bomar said she doubted Justice Department requirements had been satisfied during the previous redistricting. “In the end, the districts were not divided properly between the two schools,” Bomar said. The new plan, she said, “further concentrates the demographics in Duluth in the lower economic strata.” A balanced plan, she said, “mixes demographics, diversity…every dimension." 

Murphy said the Gwinnett Board of Education will vote on adopting the new redistricting boundaries April 21. There are several ways for the public to give input, she emphasized. The preliminary maps and an online input form will be posted on the GCPS website. Committees will be formed at the schools affected by the proposed redistricting to provide feedback. The final maps will be placed on the GCPS website April 18. Starting at 5 p.m. April 21, the school board will hear public comments from affected schools. The meeting at which the board is scheduled to vote follows at 7 p.m.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here