Support the City Schools of Decatur. Free the Callaway building and property for purchase by CSD.

The City Schools of Decatur are facing a growing facilities, capital, and operating expense crisis of unprecedented proportions. Student enrollment is projected to double and schools are already at maximum or over maximum design capacity even without annexation. Decatur's enrollment growth is projected to require an additional 3 to 4 new schools and the doubling in size of both the high and middle schools costing conservatively 140,000,000 USD in additional debt to finance. Operational expenses may require significant property tax increases which some estimate in the 4 to 5 millage range. We currently have neither the property, facilities, or monies available to meet this crisis. To make matters even more frieghtening Decatur has little prospect of successfully meeting this challenge based on Decatur's physical and financial limitations without redirecting commericial development efforts and appropriate annexation of existing educational facilities currently outside the Decatur City limits.

While knowing the depth of this crisis, the Decatur City Commission refuses to sell the Callaway Building or property to the City Schools of Decatur. This sliver of property, formerly owned by Dekalb County is now owned by the City. It is located in the second block of Trinity Street bounded by Commerce St. to the west, N McDonough to the east, and the existing Decatur High School property to the south. The property contains a 200,000 sq ft office building convertable to educational use and property for a much needed parking deck on its north east corner which could be shared by the city and the schools. The city has no current prospects for commercial redevelopment of this property.