Fernbank Science Center has been spared from the DeKalb County School Board’s chopping block for now.
The board has decided to look elsewhere to fill a $73 million budget hole including a one mill property tax increase, two teacher furlough days, the elimination of 140 central office positions, and increasing class size by one student.
“Our goal and the Board of Education’s goal has been consistently to make the less (sic) impact on student success… these are all really painful choices to make,” says school system spokesman Walter Woods.
The closure of Fernbank would have saved nearly $5 million, but supporters of the science center say it would have come at a greater cost.
“It’s truly a unique gem here in DeKalb County,” says Susan-Anne MacKenna with the Druid Hills Civic Association.
The group promised the school board it would form a foundation to take over efforts to fund the science center if its doors could remain open.
“The goal of the foundation will be to pursue very aggressively grant monies and appropriate marketing… to assure the science center is no longer a burden on the county,” she tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish.
Parents and taxpayers have one final opportunity to speak on the proposed cuts at a public hearing tonight at 6pm.
The school board is set to vote on the final budget June 11.