Board Bulletin for 11/21/2025

 

The Fulton County Board of Education met on Thursday, November 20, 2025, for its regularly scheduled School Board meeting at the South Learning Center. The full agenda is available online via Simbli, a website that makes the Board agenda and all supporting documents available. Meetings are streamed live on the FCS homepage, with recordings available within 48 hours.

Superintendent's Report

November is Georgia Apply to College Month, a statewide initiative held every November to help high school seniors apply to college. Fulton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney noted that school counselors are prepared to assist students and families with their college applications. Dr. Looney then yielded his time to Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins to share this year’s College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) results.

2025 CCRPI Update

According to Mr. Gaskins, the district’s CCRPI results showcase significant growth in key areas that measure student achievement and readiness for future success. Content Mastery, which evaluates performance in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, showed notable year-over-year improvement across all grade levels. Progress indicators, tracking growth in ELA and math over three years, also reflected strong gains districtwide.

Closing Gaps, a measure of equity, remained a point of pride with elementary and middle schools sustaining a perfect score for the second year in a row, while high schools improved by 15 points and showed that targeted strategies are working.

Finally, Readiness indicators demonstrate how well students are preparing for the next academic level, college, or career. Elementary and middle schools advanced in literacy, attendance, and enrichment courses, while high schools improved in accelerated enrollment, pathway completion, and college and career readiness.

These results reflect the dedication of our students, educators, and families in ensuring every learner is ready for the future.

Georgia Department of Education Literacy and Math Leaders

Mr. Gaskins also announced that the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has recognized Fulton County Schools (FCS) for outstanding achievement and growth in reading and mathematics during the 2024–2025 school year. Schools earning these distinctions were named Literacy Leaders for excellence in reading and Math Leaders for excellence in mathematics. The GaDOE recognized 35 schools as literacy leaders and 30 schools as math leaders. Eight schools were recognized in both categories.

Fulton County elementary schools earned a total of 61 Literacy Leader awards and 14 Math Leader awards, with most math recognitions tied to growth in fifth-grade gateway performance. Middle schools also excelled, earning Math Leader awards for high school achievement and growth, particularly among students taking the Algebra End of Course (EOC) exam. At the high school level, four schools were honored for sustained improvement in mathematics performance, reflecting strong progress in advanced coursework.

These recognitions affirm FCS’ leadership in literacy and math and highlight the district’s commitment to ensuring every student achieves at the highest level. See the full presentation here.

Change of School Assignment (COSA)

Tarika Peeks, executive director of Operational Planning, presented an overview of the district’s Change of School Assignment (COSA) process. COSA provides options for students to attend a school different than the one zoned for their home. No specific academic, hardship or medical reason is needed to apply, but the desired school must be part of the district’s list of accepting schools. Only schools with available space, defined as 95% enrollment or below stated capacity over a 3-year projection, are COSA-eligible. 

Students wishing to attend a school offering a magnet program (3DE, STEM, STEAM, International Baccalaureate or Visual and Performing Arts) must follow the COSA process first to ensure they may attend the selected school. Transfer approvals do not guarantee admission into the magnet program; a separate application process occurs at the school after COSA approval.

The application window for the 2026-2027 school year opens December 1, 2025, and close January 9, 2026. Parents will be notified by email of the district's decision betwen January 15-16, with a deadline to accept or decline by January 20. For more information, visit the COSA website at www.fultonschools.org/COSA or view the full presentation here.

Financial Pressures and G.L.I.D.E. Cost-Saving Strategies

Dr. Looney reflected on the district’s growing financial pressures and the strategies underway to lessen the strain. Shifts in state and local funding, rising healthcare costs, declining student enrollment, and the long-term impact of the senior tax exemption have all led to a projected $93-$95 million deficit for FY2027 and future fiscal years. Launched in June, the district’s G.L.I.D.E. framework has focused on a mitigation strategy that identifies revenue-generating and cost-saving initiatives across five areas: Growth Opportunities, Lean Operations, Investment in Innovation, Diversifying Revenue, and Enhancing Efficiency.

Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef provided an update on the G.L.I.D.E. cross-functional team that has spent the past six months reviewing spending patterns, benchmarking practices, analyzing trade-offs, and gathering input from school leaders, employees, families, and the community. The team developed an extensive portfolio of strategies, and 23 of the most impactful and feasible ideas were presented at the Nov. 20 School Board meeting. Strategies range from adjusting facility rental rates and boosting Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) revenue through senior student scheduling and state coding, to reducing daily substitute allocations, redesigning virtual learning programs, and expanding Medicaid reimbursement, to consolidating district staff or summer school sites. Collectively, these items represent a potential financial impact of $43-$76 million.

Even with these possible adjustments, the district is still projected to fall short of its funding needs, leading to difficult conversations about personnel. Current projections indicate a need to reduce at least 100 school-based positions and 40 district-level positions for the 2026-2027 school year.

Dr. Looney shared that any decision to reduce positions would be made transparently and in a way that focuses first on attrition through retirement and voluntary resignations, and by delayed hiring or elimination of vacant positions. Only after those measures were exhausted would a formal Reduction in Force process begin. Even with a staffing reduction, additional actions guided by the G.L.I.D.E. framework will still be necessary to close the financial gap, including identifying new revenue sources, operational efficiencies, and innovative approaches that protect student learning and organizational stability.

Dr. Looney emphasized that the proposed revenue-generating and cost-reduction strategies mark the beginning of a broader public conversation that will be transparent and ongoing. Engagement will continue with school leaders, employees, families, and the community as the next fiscal year’s budget process evolves. Some financial figures may shift as projections are refined, but the commitment to transparency remains constant.

The School Board will consider the strategies – and possibly others – as the FY2027 budget is developed and adopted this spring; no reduction decisions have been made at this time. However, the FY2027 School Allotment Guidelines are expected to be approved in December. Principals will use these guidelines, which could be impacted by some G.L.I.D.E. strategies, to develop their school budgets for 2026-2027.

Stakeholders are encouraged to stay involved in the conversation by sharing thoughts and input through this ThoughtExchange survey: www.tejoin.com/scroll/810399903.

See the full presentation here.

2027 Proposed School Allotment Guideline (SAG) Adjustments

Fulton County Schools is updating how resources are allocated to make sure funding supports students where it matters most. These changes come after a three-year review focused on fairness, transparency, and cost savings.

According to Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef, the proposal includes lowering the per-student funding amount slightly, adjusting staffing formulas for roles like assistant principals, counselors, and custodians, and updating how teachers are assigned for reading, world languages, and career programs. Some specialized programs will see changes too, such as shifting STEM/STEAM schools to a flat funding model. Virtual learning will now be funded based on actual enrollment.

Non-personnel funding will also be streamlined by reducing carrover limits and eliminating funds for programs that no longer exist. Overall, these updates are expected to save about $17 million while keeping strong support for classrooms and student success. Final approval is scheduled for December. See the full presentation here.

Policy Update

The following policies and regulations were approved at the Board meeting:

Board Policy IHE: Promotion and Retention

• Temporarily waived the promotion requirements in reading for grades 5 and 8 for the 2025-2026 school year due to the implementation of new English Language Arts standards
• Revised section titles and select language to enhance clarity and understanding

Regulation IDD Special Programs: Schools without Attendance Zones

• Details the application process; each specialized school manages its own timeline, criteria, and lottery separate from change of school assignment
• Outlines that admissions and placement are offered only to students who meet criteria; if qualified applicants exceed seats, a lottery occurs and families must accept or decline by the deadline
• Details that buses will be provided from the hub to the specialized school
• Allows full-time employees to apply for their child during the annual window or within 30 days of hire; acceptance depends on criteria and space, with transportation only provided via a hub
• Includes probation and revocation; students not meeting attendance, academic, or behavior expectations may be placed on probation, and continued issues may result in revocation by the School Assignment Committee and Superintendent
• Explains the administrative placement process

Regulation JBCC Student Assignment

• Guides families and staff regarding student placement outside of their zoned school.
• Clarifies COSA as an option available for K-12 students. PreK has separate guidelines for eligibility and the application process.
• Outlines eligibility, application procedures, acceptance criteria, and special provisions for employees.
• Includes the steps followed in the student probation and revocation process.
• Defines the process followed for administrative placement.

Regulation JD (2) Student Discipline: Bus Conduct

• Outlines expectations for student behavior on any district-provided transportation and at school bus stops.
• Content of Regulation EDCB Bus Conduct will be moved to JD-R(2) Student Discipline

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. The following teams and individuals were honored at the meeting:  

• Café Managers Santray Hayes of College Park Elementary School, Martha Ramirez of Renaissance Middle School, and Tonya Tatum of Brookview Elementary School, and their teams, earned the Cafeteria Award of Excellence for their schools from the GaDOE School Nutrition Division.
• Tri-Cities High School physical education teacher Richard Williams was named Georgia Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (GAHPERD) Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year.
• River Eves Elementary School physical education teacher Adriana Carrillo was named GAHPERD Elementary PE Teacher of the Year.
• Hopewell Middle School physical education teacher Anna LoBean was named GAHPERD Middle School PE Teacher of the Year.
• North Springs High School senior Theo Slade won the National Press Association’s poster design contest for Scholastic Journalism Week.
• Four outstanding art educators earned awards from the Georgia Art Education Association (GAEA). Ondrian Duncan of Haynes Bridge Middle School earned the 2026 GAEA Outstanding Middle Art Educator Award. Adaptive Art teacher Beth Brayley earned the 2026 GAEA Croy West Special Needs Art Educator Award. Kara Rice of Chattahoochee High School earned the 2026 GAEA Outstanding National Art Honor Society Sponsor Award. Noelle Petersen of Riverwood International Charter School was awarded the 2026 Georgia Art Educator of the Year.

2025-26 Community Meetings with Board Members    

Each member of the Fulton County Board of Education sponsors a monthly meeting open to all community members. 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.