APS unveils update for MLK’s school

Atlanta Public Schools unveiled architectural renderings for a renovated David T. Howard school, once attended by Martin Luther King Jr.

Superintendent Meria Carstarphen commemo- rated the 50th anniversary of the civil rights leader’s assassination with a blog post that showcased two drawings depicting how the district plans to transform the old school into a new Howard Middle School, the future home for Inman Mid-

dle School. King and numerous other famous alumni went to the Howard school in the Old Fourth Ward. King attended from 1936 to 1940; the school closed in 1976.

The Atlanta school board is scheduled to vote Monday on a management contract with Parrish Construction Group to complete the proj- ect at a cost not to exceed $46 million. The district plans to use Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to pay for the project, whose total cost is roughly $52 million.

In her blog post, Carstar- phen touted the renovation as providing “much-needed relief ” to Inman overcrowding “while preserving one of our school system’s most iconic structures.” She said that the Howard renovation will include bio-retention cells to filter surface runoff, pedestrian and bicycle routes from the Beltline Eastside Trail and Freedom Parkway Trail, and additional parking spaces for staff and visitors.

APS An architect’s rendering of the renovated Howard building, which closed in 1976 and is slated to reopen as a middle school in 2020.