Board Bulletin for 12/15/2022

 

The Fulton County School Board of Education met on Wednesday, December 14, 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 announced that the Fulton County Schools Nutrition Program has received a donation of $27,000 from All for Lunch, Inc. to clear the district’s unpaid school meal charges accrued during the school year. All for Lunch, Inc. is a nonprofit organization with the mission of ending school lunch debt and guaranteeing that no child is denied lunch at school due to their inability to pay. Dr. Looney expressed appreciation to Alessandra Ferrera-Miller, founder of All for Lunch, and their donors for their generosity and support.

Dr. Looney also provided an update on school safety measures indicating the installation of cameras and equipment was progressing well. He also asked the Board and attendees to pause for a moment of silence to recognize the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy.

GADOE Support List Update
Chief Academic Officer Clifford Jones provided an update on Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools, Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) schools, and Promise schools, which he co-presented with Dr. Cherisse Campbell, Zone 1 Superintendent, Dr. Tamara Candis, Zone 2 Superintendent, and Blake McGaha, executive director of Services for Exceptional Children.

Mr. Jones proudly shared that seven district schools have demonstrated significant improvement and earned their exit from the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) needs improvement lists. Those schools are Oakley Elementary School (ES), Parklane ES, Bethune ES, Conley Hills ES, Feldwood ES, S.L. Lewis ES, and Paul D. West Middle School.

Additionally, FCS has moved from seven schools on the CSI list in 2018 to one school in 2022. That school, College Park Elementary, has faced various challenges over the past year but has made significant progress in improving school culture, which has set the foundation for future academic improvements.

During the presentation, Drs. Tamara Candis and Cherisse Campbell updated the Board on the high-leverage action steps, mitigation plans and school supports for all students, specifically for designated targeted subgroups like students with disabilities. Mr. McGaha addressed supports aligned to this subgroup, which include having an instructional support teacher and a specially designed coach at all three school levels and implementing two math supports in targeted schools across all grade bands. He also announced the roll-out of Teachtown, a comprehensive, adapted core curriculum.

FCS will continue transparently working at the school and district levels to ensure the remaining schools can successfully exit the lists. Click here to see the full presentation.

Board Approves Attendance Zone Redistricting Plan
After months of community input related to the Board-approved redistricting criteria, the Board voted to accept the implementation of both the north Fulton and south Fulton school attendance zone redistricting plans for the 2023-24 school year. Impacted families will receive notification in January 2023 and changes go into effect with the 2023-24 school year. Click here to see the final north Fulton plan. Click here to see the final south Fulton plan.

Mid-Year Budget Adjustment
Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef provided the Board with a review of the projected FY2023 General Fund revenues and a recommendation for a series of midyear expenditure adjustments to meet the goals and objectives for the remainder of FY2023. The Board voted to approve the budget adjustments, which include an increased allocation for grounds maintenance, personnel changes, and adding a K-5 therapeutic program, an intensive behavioral intervention program targeting the behavioral needs of students who have not responded successfully to interventions in their classrooms at their home schools. Dereef indicated there is an overall $7 million reduction to the expenditure budget and a revenue increase of $5.3 million due to the rise in interest rates for a net positive impact of over $12 million for the current fiscal year. Click here to see the midyear budget analysis.

It was also noted that a 2% midyear salary increase will take effect on January 1, 2023, for all employees, and a step increase for those eligible. Employees already received a 3% salary increase on July 1, making the employee compensation approved by the board for the fiscal year 5% in total.

For the upcoming budget, a proposed schedule of activities will guide budget development in Fulton County Schools for the school year 2023-2024. The public is welcome at all meetings. Click here to see the budget calendar.

Additional Items

Swearing-in Ceremonies for New and Re-Elected Board Members
Incoming Board member Katie Gregory was issued the oaths of office by the Honorable Judge Eric Dunaway. She will officially join the Board in January to fill the vacant District 3 seat. Ms. Gregory currently is chair of the School Governance Council at Hapeville Elementary School and has dedicated her time to supporting the school, its programs, and the Hapeville community.

After being re-elected earlier this year, School Board Vice President Kimberly Dove was sworn in for a new four-year term by the Honorable Chief Magistrate Judge Cassandra Kirk. Ms. Dove joined the School Board in 2017 to fill an unexpired term in District 6 and has been re-elected twice since that time.

New Hires & Promotions
The following individuals were approved for new positions at the December 14 meeting:

• Kirk Balcom | Executive Director, Human Resources Operations
• Alexandra Bates | Zone Superintendent, Zone 4
• Heather Clark | Director, Data Warehouse
• Diana Quinn | Director, Capital Improvements
• Liz Young | Executive Director, Recruitment, Retention and Strategy