Atlanta Public Schools leader: Buckhead ‘divorce’ will leave APS students behind
By Jason Esteves, Atlanta Public Schools board chair
I’ve heard the proposed Buckhead de-annexation often referred to as a “divorce.” As the son of parents that divorced when I was 13 and the current chair of the Atlanta Board of Education, that analogy has a deeper meaning for me. I’m fortunate my parents’ divorce was relatively straightforward, but, in messier divorces, the interests of children are oftentimes put on the back burner.
The Buckhead “divorce” appears to be messy.
More than 5,500 Atlanta Public Schools students live within the boundaries of the proposed city and attend North Atlanta High School cluster schools (including charter schools). That’s nearly 60% of all school-aged children in Buckhead. There are also more than 2,400 students who attend North Atlanta cluster schools, but would be left out of the boundaries of the proposed city.