A Fulton County school board election comes as the district navigates leadership changes and lingering community frustration over an elementary school closure.
Some Sandy Springs parents are now working to open a charter school in response.
Fulton County School Board member Michelle Morancie, who voted against the permanent closure of Spalding Drive Elementary School last year, said the district is working to rebuild community trust. She says academic programs are leading to early signs of enrollment growth at some schools.
Morancie is seeking reelection to her District 7 seat against challenger John Seeli, who has criticized the overall school district over transparency and decision-making.
The two candidates answered questions during a virtual forum on April 30 moderated by Sandy Springs Councilwoman Melody Kelley and resident Raymond Grote, whose daughters attended Spalding Drive Elementary.
The school’s closure, which Fulton County Schools said was due to declining enrollment, continues to reverberate through the community. Grote is part of the Saving Spalding Drive Committee, a parent-led group that unsuccessfully pushed to keep the school open.
Last year, the committee selected National Heritage Academies to operate the proposed charter school called Spalding Academy for Innovation and Learning, or SAIL. Plans are to open in 2027 pending state approval. Parents initially sought to use the Spalding Drive Elementary building, but Fulton County Schools has said the facility is not available.
Grote said his daughters attend Fulton Academy of Science and Technology in Roswell this school year instead of Woodland Elementary, the school designated for them after Spalding closed. They will attend Heards Ferry Elementary School in Sandy Springs next year through a Change of School Assignment approved by Fulton Schools.
Grote said dozens of families in the neighborhood have either moved or are about to move following the closure of Spalding Drive Elementary. He said he and his wife chose to move there in 2013 so their children could attend the school.
“It was a huge life choice for us to do, by the way,” he added. “The vast majority of [families] who went to Spalding; moved to the neighborhood because of the school.”
During the forum, Kelley asked the candidates about challenges facing the district during what she described as a period of growth.
While some former Spalding Drive families are leaving the area following the school’s closure, Seeli noted housing trends that he said are affecting young families and school enrollment in north Fulton.
“If we want stronger enrollment, we need housing and the jobs that support families,” Seeli said. “Right now we have studios and one-bedroom apartments. Families need three-bedroom options.”
Morancie said Fulton County Schools works closely with Sandy Springs in researching and forecasting housing trends.
“For families, it has to be affordable housing as well. That’s an issue that we have,” she said.
The election also comes as Fulton County Schools prepares to restructure its superintendent zones next school year.
Area Superintendent Alexandra Bates, who currently oversees schools in the Sandy Springs area, will move to a south Fulton zone that includes Banneker High School, according to district officials.
Fulton County Schools spokesman Brian Noyes said Superintendent Mike Looney believes Bates is well-positioned for the assignment because of her previous experience as principal of Westlake High School. And separately, she has been a zone superintendent for Title I schools. Banneker is Title I.
Noyes added that Sandy Springs schools will continue to be led by experienced former principals under the district’s restructured zone model.
“We’re committed to the Sandy Springs community,” Noyes said. “I think they will be very happy with the leaders that will come in to work with them.”
