The Sandy Springs City Council has passed a resolution supporting the construction of a new North Springs Charter High School to replace what is now the oldest high school facility in Fulton County.

The resolution notes that the school was built in 1963, is deteriorated, cannot support 21st century education initiatives, and poses a safety risk to teachers and students. Remedial measures to prolong the school’s life “are no longer efficient or effective due to the age and continuing deterioration of the structure.”

Not replacing the facility, the resolution says, “will result in quality teachers leaving the school for teaching positions in institutions where higher learning is supported at all levels,” and families leaving the northern end of the city “for neighborhoods where there is a strong perception of solid, quality public education.”

“The issue is not one of ‘want,’ rather, it is about a need to provide the tools and support our students need to be successful,” Mayor Rusty Paul said in a letter to the Fulton Board of Education.