Atlanta Public Schools has 50 unused schools, buildings and pieces of property it would like to sell, but the City of Atlanta is standing in the way.
When the school system legally parted from the city’s control years ago, the deeds stayed with Atlanta.
It has not been a problem until the last few years, as APS student populations shrank, leaving excess property. The school system wants to sell them, but Mayor Kasim Reed has refused to turn over all of the deeds. He forced the school board to adopt a policy that would make sure affordable housing is included in school property redevelopments. Then he offered to turn over 10 of the 50 deeds for the school board’s yielding his demand.
Atlanta schools had already sued to gain control of its deeds.
“Accepting a piecemeal solution would not only jeopardize the district’s legal case on the remaining deeds, but it would also subject Atlanta Public Schools to continued political wrangling,” a school system statement in January said.
INTERACTIVE: WHERE ARE THE PROPERTIES?
The map below shows where the Atlanta Public Schools properties are. Roll over the highlighted points to see a description of the unused property.
You can read a fuller story of the dispute here on ajc.com.
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