Sandy Springs families who fought the closure of Spalding Drive Elementary now have state permission to build its replacement.
The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia voted Wednesday, July 29 to approve Spalding Academy for Innovation and Learning, a tuition-free public charter school expected to open for the 2027-28 school year. The approval caps a 17-month campaign by the Save Spalding Committee, a parent-led nonprofit formed after the Fulton County Board of Education voted in February 2025 to shutter the 60-year-old neighborhood school.
"It has been a long process that started with a loss," Save Spalding Committee Board Chair Raymond Grote told Rough Draft Atlanta on July 30. "Now, we get to actually start building something, which is the fun part for me."
What families need to know
Spalding Academy will be free, public and open to all students. The committee has partnered with National Heritage Academies, a for-profit management company that operates more than 100 charter schools in nine states, including two in Georgia: Atlanta Heights and Four Points Preparatory Academy in Braselton.
Nearly 180 families in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and East Cobb had already expressed interest as of late July. The committee's immediate next step is launching a formal family interest list so prospective parents can sign up. That link has not yet been published; families should watch the Save Spalding Drive Elementary social media channels for updates.
The building question
The biggest hurdle remaining: finding a home.
The former Spalding Drive Elementary building is now used by Fulton County Schools as a teaching museum and administrative space. The district rejected a $10 million offer from the Save Spalding Committee to purchase it on May 9, 2025.
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, council member Melody Kelley, former council member Andy Bauman and city staff have been helping the group identify potential properties, according to Rough Draft Atlanta.
How it got here
The Fulton County Board of Education first proposed closing Spalding Drive Elementary on Sept. 12, 2024. Parents organized through a Facebook group that grew to more than 800 members and produced a 106-page analytical report opposing the closure. The board voted to close the school anyway on Feb. 21, 2025.
State law required the Save Spalding Committee to first apply to Fulton County Schools for a charter before petitioning the state. The county rejected that application, clearing the path to the state commission. The committee interviewed with state officials on June 1, received a recommendation approximately two weeks before the vote, and won approval July 29.
Spalding Academy was the only one of four schools approved that day that did not go through the Georgia Charter Schools Association's Charter Incubator Program, according to Fulton Neighbor. The other three approved schools are Atlantic Connections Academy, Middle Georgia Preparatory Academy and Prestige Preparatory School.
The committee's general counsel is Edward Lindsey, who helped draft and pass Georgia's first charter school law. Board members include Aja Burks, Erin Carey, Mary Elizabeth Crowell, Nora Robb, Mark Silver and Jennifer Lord Wilson.
The next Fulton County Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11 at the FCS North Learning Center, 450 Northridge Pkwy. in Sandy Springs.
