The DeKalb school closure drama reached a boiling point Monday night at Lakeside High. Hundreds of angry parents packed the auditorium for another "input session" on the district's latest proposal for closing schools, but many had already given up on the process being anything more than theater.
Before the meeting even started, families from Oak Grove and Evansdale elementary schools were outside protesting with signs calling for small schools and a people-first approach. Samuel Howe, an Oak Grove parent, didn't mince words: "This is not a process. This is a farce, and they're not listening."
What's particularly frustrating for parents is that this feels like déjà vu. The district has been through multiple rounds of closure proposals, community input sessions, and revised plans. But families still feel like the fundamental decisions have already been made and they're just going through the motions of community engagement. With the district facing serious budget pressures, something's got to give, but parents want actual transparency about the decision-making process.