History of Slaton

Beginnings

In May of 1907, the Atlanta School Board met to name a new school at the corner of Grant and Pavilion in Grant Park. The board named the school in honor of Professor W. F. Slaton in recognition of his contributions to public schools in the city of Atlanta. Mr. Slaton was then ending a 30 year career in the Atlanta schools as principal of Boys' High School and then as the school system's second superintendent. Slaton's son, John Marshall Slaton, would become Georgia's governor in 1912. 

Eugene C. Wachendorff, an Atlanta-born architect whose best-known works are public buildings, designed the building. Three buildings he designed are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Booker T. Washington High School, the first black public secondary school in Atlanta; Crawford W. Long Memorial Hospital, and the Lamar County Courthouse in Barnesville.

School records show that Slaton opened in September 1907, but the actual building wasn't ready for students at that time. A contractor's bid was accepted in May when the school board also agreed to rent temporary classroom space for $25 a month from nearby Grant Park Baptist Church. The deal included the installment of "good plumbing in a water closet" at the school system's expense.  The new school cost $31,748 to build.

School Days

Slaton's first payroll reflected Principal Agnes Morgan's salary of $100 in September 1907, while the assistant principal received $65. There were only two teachers, whose salaries were about $60 each. The school janitor, John Eaves, had a monthly salary of $21. School happenings dotted the pages of the Atlanta Journal, with one 1917 report noting that a pigeon had flown in the window and stayed for a hearty lunch of breadcrumbs.  Other exciting news was also reported: the third graders practiced a new "toothbrush" drill and were sent home with a sample tube of toothpaste and seventh graders got the use of a vacant lot for a garden.

All the fourth graders in the 1926 class photo were white, and a 1950 photo shows two African-American workers serving white students in the cafeteria line.  This was not that unusual for that era: segregation meant that there was no black high school in the Atlanta Public School system until 1924, and black and white teachers were paid under different salary schedules until the 1930s.

Slaton's Timeline

Historical records kept by the Atlanta Public School system offer few specific details about life at Slaton between 1950 and the late 1970s, but it is clear that white flight proved to be a death sentence for dozens of other Atlanta schools.  Desegregation opened previously all-white schools like Slaton to black children who had been stuck in Atlanta's inferior dual public school system.  In 1951, there were just 29 schools for African Americans, compared to 105 for whites.  During this time, white flight began almost immediately, with 3,400 white students abandoning the Atlanta Public School system in 1965 alone. With enrollment levels plummeting, state officials recommended in 1975 that 36 of the city's 143 public schools be closed, and 50 were shuttered over the next decade. Slaton bucked the trend though, gaining students each year between 1980 and 1985, partly due to the closing of nearby Grant Park School.

Though the neighborhood struggled in the 1970s and 1980s, Slaton maintained its important presence in Grant Park. An Atlanta Daily World photo from 1986 shows Slaton students planting seeds at the groundbreaking for the redevelopment of Zoo Atlanta. Fifth graders marched in a 1990 parade for newly crowned boxing champ Evander Holyfield, Slaton's most famous former student. Spanish-speaking parents were urged in a 1991 newsletter to attend a PTA meeting about "la proteccion del nino," or child safety. Despite its historic role in the Grant Park community and the efforts of a handful of dedicated parents, the school began a steady decline. Academic performance deteriorated and community involvement with Slaton withered. The school system cut off funding for building maintenance and the children of Slaton were left to attend a facility in a state of severe neglect and disrepair. By 1995, Slaton was placed on Atlanta Public Schools' "endangered" list. In June 2001, Atlanta Public Schools closed Slaton Elementary.

Rebirth

In 1998, a group of parents organized what would eventually become Neighborhood Charter School, Inc., and began lobbying Atlanta Public Schools to improve educational offerings in Grant Park and Ormewood Park. In October 2000, the Neighborhood Charter School submitted a petition for a charter school to be housed in the Slaton building. This charter was approved and in the summer of 2001, the Neighborhood Charter School began plans for a major renovation of Slaton Elementary. After a year of extensive improvements, repairs, and hundreds of parent and community volunteer hours, Slaton Elementary School opened its doors as the Neighborhood Charter School on August 10th, 2002. Governor Roy Barnes attended and participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony and reception.

Tragedy

On February 8th, 2003, the Slaton Elementary School building was completely destroyed by fire. While the interior was completely gutted and had to be removed, the historic brick exterior walls and facade were saved.

New Life

On February 26th, 2005, a community-wide re-dedication ceremony was held in the auditorium of the newly renovated Slaton Elementary School building.

Brooks, Rick. "History of W.F. Slaton Elementary School. " Draft manuscript.  Atlanta: 2001.