Board Bulletin for 1/11/2023

 

The Fulton County School Board of Education met on Tuesday, January 10, for its regularly scheduled Board meeting at the North Learning Center. Following are highlights of some of the more highly discussed topics, with the full agenda available online. Other topics discussed or approved are available via BoardDocs. Summaries of board actions can be found here and board policy updates can be found here.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Mike Looney recognized Monday, January 8, 2023, as National Law Enforcement Day and extended his appreciation for the Fulton County Schools (FCS) Police Department and our School Police Officers who help keep our schools safe.

Safety Report
Dr. Looney updated the Board on key safety efforts that continue. He indicated the installation of the Centegix wearable badge crisis alert system is underway in schools at this time. Training for staff will be ongoing as the process continues. Separately, the Department of Safety and Security received a Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) grant award funded by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to procure NARCAN Opiate Antagonist Naloxone. Narcan is a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids. The spray bottles of Naloxone will be in all 59 elementary school clinics, with additional units dedicated to the campus security leadership team and the Emergency Operations Center.

Board President and Vice President Elections
The FCS Board of Education met for its first official work session of 2023 and selected officers. Kimberly Dove, who represents District 6, was elected to a two-year term as president. Katha Stuart from District 1 was elected vice president for a one-year term. Congratulations to the new Board officers.

Balanced Scorecard Project
Chief Information Officer Dr. Emily Bell and Executive Director of Governance & Strategy Dr. Ryan Moore delivered a presentation on the district’s Balanced Scorecard, which has been upgraded and can now be viewed in an interactive, digital format. The Balanced Scorecard allows stakeholders to look at system performance from both a short-term and long-term perspective to ensure that students reach their potential year after year. This report marks the 22nd year of collecting and reporting specific metrics, but the first year in presenting the metrics in a modern data dashboard, having moved the platform from a static PDF document to a real-time live dashboard accessible to public. Through their innovation and willingness to evolve the report by utilizing new technology options, the Board is now leading the way in K-12 districts by implementing this tool to measure performance. Click here to see the presentation. Visit the Balanced Scorecard website.

Changes to School Allotment Guidelines
Each fiscal year as directed by the Board, FCS develops allotment formulas and guidelines for all schools within the district. School-based budgets are based on these allotment guidelines, which are developed with principal input. For FY2024, FCS continues to focus on aligning budget requests and outcomes to the district’s priorities. This approach still allows FCS to use an all-inclusive and open budget development process so school-based programs throughout the district are sufficiently and equitably funded. At the present time, the district recommends maintaining elementary, middle, and high school class size at its current ratio. However, the recommended guidelines reflect changes to current formulas, including hiring campus security associates, custodians and EIP teachers, and staffing the district's new LEAP (K-5 behavior support) program. Click here to view details regarding School Allotment Guidelines.

State of the Charter Schools
The Fulton County Board of Education authorizes charter schools to provide high-quality, innovative, and standards-based opportunities for students and inform the replication of successful practices throughout the system, thus accelerating student learning district-wide. Charter Schools Coordinator Andrea Cooper Gatewood presented an update on the State of the Charter Schools for the 2022 school year. The annual presentation informed the Board about charter schools’ operations, enrollment performance, innovative practices, and financial standing so they may make data-based authorizing decisions regarding these schools. The presentation reflected on key accomplishments and future priorities for a charter sector of nine autonomous charter schools that serve over 4,800 students. View the presentation here.

A State Charter System, FCS has long supported local charter schools that provide unique educational opportunities for students in our community. Dr. Moore presented the Charter School department’s recommendations not to renew the charters for RISE Prep and RISE Grammar that expire at the end of this school year. Based on ongoing and historic evidence, both schools have failed to meet academic, operational, and governance performance.

FCS is dedicated to the students who attend these charter schools and assures families that the district will welcome these students back into their home schools with the least disruption possible. This important decision has been made within a significant time frame to allow students, families, and educators at both RISE schools ample time to make decisions about their future enrollment or employment. The recommendation will be brought to the Board for final action in February 2023 and result in the school closing operations at the end of this school year in July 2023. View the RISE Grammar Charter School recommendation here. View the RISE Preparatory School recommendation here.

The Charter School department did make a recommendation for a five-year renewal at KIPP South Fulton Academy based on their consistent performance, strong governance structure, and unique instructional model. View the recommendation here.

New Hires & Promotions
The following individuals were approved for new positions at the January 10 meeting:

• Kenya Williams | Deputy Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Department
• Brenda Truitt | Director, Technology Support, Information Technology Department

Read more about our new staff members.