Politics & Government

Duluth Position Statement Greeted With Applause

Mayor, council oppose proposed redistricting as detrimental to Duluth schools

Duluth citizens overflowing Council Chambers loudly applauded a position statement read by Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris at Monday (March 14) night’s council meeting opposing redistricting in the Duluth Cluster as proposed by Gwinnett County Public Schools. Many were wearing purple to signify support for the Duluth Cluster.

The statement reflecting the city’s position was signed by Mayor Harris and Councilmen Jim Dugan, Billy Jones, Doug Mundrick, and Greg Whitlock. Councilwoman Marsha Anderson Bomar was absent. Harris announced she would be reading the statement to the Gwinnett County Board of Education at its Thursday, March 17, meeting. 

“Without going into a historical recollection of the boundary line issues that split Duluth (in redistricting) a decade ago, the key point that must be made is that we  lost too many neighborhoods and people that live in the city of limits of Duluth to another high school (Peachtree Ridge High School,)” Harris stated.

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“Each council member has received an enormous amount of feedback on the school redistricting proposal, and tonight we are making this statement at the request of Duluth citizens,” the mayor read.

The proposed section to be moved from the Peachtree Ridge Cluster into the Duluth Cluster “is a transitional area and unfortunately has the highest crime rate in the Duluth ZIP codes,” according to the statement 

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The area proposed to be redistricted into the Duluth Cluster is almost exactly the same distance from Peachtree Ridge and Duluth high schools, the mayor continued. “The geographic location is outside the city limits of Duluth and will not save the school system transportation money nor is the safety of the bus route improved.” 

In the statement, the city recommends that areas originally in the Duluth Cluster that were moved from Chattahoochee Elementary, which are geographically located closer to DHS, be moved back to the Duluth Cluster.

Harris said that the mayor and council represent citizens in both clusters and feel the redistricting should benefit both clusters. “However, the current proposal has a negative effect on the Duluth schools and indirectly everyone with a Duluth address. The proposed redistricting removes the majority of students from an elementary school currently under capacity (Mason Elementary School) and does little to relieve the overcrowding at Hull Middle School and Peachtree Ridge High School,” she read.

The city requests that the school board deny the proposed redistricting. “The Duluth citizens are very much open to discussing and solving the over capacity problems of the Peachtree Ridge Cluster, but not at the expense of our children in the Duluth Cluster schools,” Harris stated. More time is needed to address this challenge, she said.  “Six weeks, which includes spring break, is not long enough.”

Following is the full text of the Duluth mayor and city council’s statement: 

March 14, 2011

Recently the citizens of Duluth were surprised to hear that redistricting lines were being proposed for the Duluth Cluster and the Peachtree Ridge Cluster. After 10 years of working to repair and restore the damaging effects of the original boundary lines, many of us expected to hear that this time, boundary lines would be changed in ways that would benefit and balance both clusters and reunite broken communities. Realizing that this council represents citizens in both clusters, we are searching for fair and equitable solutions for the Peachtree Ridge Cluster and the Duluth Cluster. 

Without going into a historical recollection of the boundary line issues that split Duluth a decade ago, the key point that must be made is we lost too many neighborhoods and people that live in the city limits of Duluth to another high school. Neighbors living side by same on the same street are attending different high schools. We lost the northern and center part of Buford Highway that runs through the city limits, and this meant Duluth High School lost the financial support of businesses that could only afford to support the high school within their new cluster, Peachtree Ridge. 

The Duluth Mayor and City Council have met with Dr. Mary Kay Murphy to discuss our concerns. Each council member has received an enormous amount of feedback on the school redistricting proposal, and tonight we are making this statement at the request of Duluth citizens. There are the key concerns and out position on each: 

The Students

 All students deserve the very best education that can be provided. All schools face unique challenges and some schools more than other schools. Often students that live in transitional housing such as apartments, extended stay motels and low-income starter homes are transitional students that move during the school year. The proposed section to be moved from Peachtree Ridge High School (PRHS) to Duluth High School (DHS) is a transitional area and unfortunately has the highest crime rate in the Duluth ZIP Codes.

DHS is already working hard to overcome the following statistics created by the last redistricting:

Retention rate: DHS 13%  PRHS 5%

Free and Reduced Lunch: DHS 47%  PRHS 26%

After the proposed split: DHS 50%  PRHS 22%

Graduation rate: DHS 88%  PRHS 92% 

Another challenge for DHS has been the loss of student athletes, musicians and other exceptional students to PRHS due to an expansive and excellent extracurricular program, which are direct results of exceptional fundraising and parental involvement. DHS and a few other Gwinnett high schools could not compete, so many students were approved to move to PRHS through permissive transfers. Perhaps some of the over capacity of PRHS is a direct result of approving too many permissive transfer requests?

The Location

The proposed area to be removed from PRHS and moved to DHS is almost the exact same distance to each school. The geographical location is outside the city limits of Duluth and will not save the school system transportation money nor is the safety of the bus route improved. Furthermore, the proposed area was part of Mason Elementary before the formation of the Peachtree Ridge Cluster because of transportation safety of running opposite rush hour traffic, which is a goal of the Gwinnett County Public Schools Planning Department. We recommend that areas that were originally in the Duluth Cluster and moved from Chattahoochee Elementary, which are geographically located closer to DHS, be moved back to the Duluth Cluster. Since there is a relief middle school for Hull Middle scheduled to open in the Peachtree Ridge Cluster in 2013, would this not be a better time to redraw these two cluster lines? The GCPS Planning Department indicated that future plans have been designed to balance the attendance between the two high schools. This information should be released to allow an educated decision on redistricting for everyone.

The Reality

These proposed boundary changes will benefit the Peachtree Ridge Cluster, but how do these changes benefit the Duluth Cluster? We cannot think of any. It is time to show the Duluth citizens the value of the education SPLOST dollars and the indirect values for Duluth. Even though the Duluth Cluster schools are not growing at a rate that demands new schools in this cluster, all Duluth citizens watch and notice how education SPLOST dollars are being spent in areas that improve the quality of the schools in our city, in both clusters.

The mayor and council represent citizens in both clusters and feel the redistricting should benefit both clusters. However, the current proposal has a negative impact on the Duluth schools and indirectly everyone with a Duluth address. The proposed redistricting removes the majority of students from an elementary school currently under capacity and does little to relieve the overcrowding at Hull MS and PRHS.

We are requesting that the proposed redistricting map be denied by the Gwinnett County Board of Education. The Duluth citizens are very much open to discussing and solving the over capacity problems of the Peachtree Ridge Cluster, but not at the expense of our children in the Duluth Cluster schools. A considerable amount of time is needed to solve a challenge that affects so many people’s lives. Six weeks, which includes spring break, is not long enough. Please step back and try to offer us other solutions and options presenting Duluth citizens with student counts that include permissive transfers as well as transportation goals. Our exceptional school system is certainly capable of utilizing its rich resources and premiere staff to make sure the school board’s decisions reflect what would be best for both clusters and all students.


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