Board Bulletin for 10/18/2024

 

The Fulton County Board of Education met on Thursday, October 17, 2024 for its regularly scheduled work session at the South Learning Center. The full agenda is available online via BoardDocs. Meetings are streamed live on the FCS homepage, with recordings available within 48 hours.

Superintendent’s Report

Dr. Mike Looney announced that October is National Principal Appreciation Month by extending his heartfelt gratitude to all principals for Inspiring the minds of our students and giving their all every day. He went on to express how principals exemplify the district’s values: teamwork, integrity, and accountability. Their ability to maintain high ethical standards and take responsibility for achieving the best outcomes for their students is reflected in every decision they make as they lead the district’s mission to educate every student to be a responsible and productive citizen. He also noted that October is National Bullying Prevention Month, while October 23-31 is Red Ribbon Week, which brings awareness to living a drug-free life.

Milestones Update

Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins shared exciting news about students' Georgia Milestones math assessment performance, based on the new Georgia Standards of Excellence for Mathematics, where Fulton County Schools (FCS) increased proficiency and exceeded state growth in 2024. Mr. Gaskins proudly announced that these results are the highest the district has seen on the Georgia Milestones Assessment System’s (GMAS) assessments in math, surpassing even our pre-pandemic performance.

This remarkable progress and recovery from the pandemic are reflected in our students' annual Milestones growth scores, also known as student growth percentiles. Across the state, approximately 65% of students achieve typical or high growth annually. Fulton County, however, exceeds this trend at every level, meeting typical or high growth. Click here for a detailed look at the results.

Annual Perception Survey

Director of Program Evaluation Amanda Swerdlow shared results from the most recent Annual Perception Survey, held during the second half of the 2023-24 school year. Results showed positive participation among students, school staff, and parents since FCS began administering the survey in 2021, with 83,495 respondents.

The presentation detailed both positive highlights as well as areas of opportunity. Among other high points, results indicate that a majority of respondents hold positive opinions about staff, administrators, and leadership support. Also, parents are generally more willing to recommend the district to their family and friends. Conversely, areas of opportunity include the need to enhance leadership trust and communication in district decision-making. In that regard, the perception of how the district clearly communicates the way it makes decisions also fell from the previous administration.

Parents are encouraged to participate in this year’s Annual Parent Perception Survey, which is anonymous and confidential. The survey will remain open from October 16 through November 22. Click here to participate in the survey. Click here to see the full presentation.

New Operating Guidelines Regarding Magnet Programs

The Board approved Operating Guideline IJ: Programs, Pilots, Research and Evaluation, in which revisions define different district- and school-based programs, outline processes to start and stop different programs, specify expectations for schools regarding credentialing, and outline measures of student success.  It is important to note that this operating guideline reclassifies and redefines magnet programming in FCS.  All existing schools with magnets and those interested in pursuing magnet programming in the future will now be required to submit programming requests through the Value-Added Flexibility Process, earn programmatic certification, and demonstrate student success based on the type of magnet offered. To review the new operating guideline, please click here.

New Hires & Promotions

The following individual was approved for a new position at the Board meeting:

• Benjamin Hopkins | Executive Director, Facilities & Maintenance

Board Recognitions

Each month the Board recognizes outstanding students, staff, and schools honored at the state, national, or international level. Honorees must have placed first at the regional or state level or be among the top finishers at the national or international level.    

• Congratulations to Executive Director of Procurement Angela Young and the FCS Contracting team for winning a 2024 Procurement Award.  

• Congratulations to Tabitha Stanley-Rollins on being named Georgia Bus Driver of the Year.   

2024-25 Community Meetings with Board Members

Each member of the Board sponsors a monthly meeting open to all members of the community. The sessions provide an opportunity for direct contact with community members and give Board members a chance to listen to local issues and concerns. Click here to see the meeting schedules of all Board members.