DeKalb County unveils third redistricting map

DeKalb County Schools has unveiled its latest plan for where your children will go to school and their learning environment. The district went back to the drawing board after parents rejected an earlier plan to close more than two dozen schools. Fox 5's Kevin Stewart takes a look at the plan and what it means to families. Parents have been giving feedback on all these changes all year long. Changes that could go into effect in 2027. Let's take a look at the problems and the new proposed changes. Look at this Brookhaven's Ashwood Park Elementary School. We have severe overcrowding in the northern part of our county. This campus is case in point. It's tight, full of classroom trailers because it's a whopping 178% overcapacity. The latest plan, the third one unveiled as the school system. Looks to create new attendance lines on the north side to ease overcrowding. If any changes are made by the board, elementary and middle school changes would start in fall of 2027. High school changes would not start until the earliest 2029. Rising students in 5th, 8th, 11th, and 12th to apply to stay at their existing schools if they do get redistricted. The plan puts four options on the table to deal with another problem. Right now, the expanding Cross Keys High School and its cluster Woodward does not have its own middle school. One plan calls for no middle schools. The others. There's three different elementary schools that we could use as middle schools. Woodward, Dresden and John Lewis to be exact. But using Woodward means shifting the magnet program from Chamblee Middle School to Henderson Middle School and Chamblee High to Cross Keys High. We're starting engagement series three, so we have an online survey. If you complete the online survey and you want more information, you can also do an online focus group. You can get a look at the entire plan by going to our website, fox5atlanta.com. Parents, you'll get a chance to give some feedback face-to-face with members of the school system beginning Wednesday at 6 o'clock. There'll be a meeting set up at Druid Hills Middle School and on Thursday at Dunwoody High School. That will also be at 6 o'clock. We're in DeKalb County, Kevin Stewart, Fox 5 News.