Board Bulletin for 3/13/2024
Board Bulletin for 3/13/2024
The Fulton County Board of Education (FCBOE) met on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, for its regularly scheduled work session meeting at the North Learning Center. The full agenda is available online. All items approved are available via BoardDocs. Meetings are streamed live on the FCS district homepage. Recordings will be available within 48 hours.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Mike Looney began his report by acknowledging that last week was National School Social Worker Week and thanked the district’s social workers for their dedication. He also noted that March is Youth Art Month, thanking the Board for their commitment to investing heavily in the arts. Finally, Dr. Looney added that March 11-15 is School Board Appreciation Week and thanked the Board for the many good things happening in the district as a direct result of school boards past and present. Dr. Looney also gave a reminder for all stakeholders that the last opportunity to complete the Annual Parent Perception Survey ends on Friday, March 15. This survey allows parents, staff, and students to tell us what they think about their students’ schools and the district. The parent perception survey is available here. Staff and students received the survey link through internal communications.
2024 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools
Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins proudly acknowledged 17 schools that received recognition by the Georgia Department of Education as Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools for 2024. Congratulations to :
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FY2024 Budget Forecasted Revenue Projections
Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef’s presentation of the preliminary General Fund revenue forecast highlighted the Board’s strong financial stewardship while he also shared the district’s fiscal condition leading into the FY2025 budget process. Mr. Dereef is projecting a 4 to 5% growth in the tax digest for initial planning purposes. He expects a rise in local fair share, which reduces the Quality Basic Education (QBE) earnings as part of the calculation of state funding to school districts. On top of increases last year, the State Health Benefit Plan and the Teacher Retirement System are expected to raise the employer contribution rate again, which will increase local expenditures. Mr. Dereef stated throughout the presentation the projections are not final until after the state of Georgia finalizes its FY2025 budget and Fulton County tax office provides additional tax digest information. As of now, Fulton County Schools is forecasting $1.3 billion in General Fund revenue. See the full presentation here.
2023-2024 Enrollment Projections
Executive Director of Operational Planning Tarika Peeks provided an update on 2023-2024 enrollment projections in which she discussed enrollment trends, compared actuals to enrollment predictions, shared housing and demographic data, and provided implications of these data elements in the form of the long-range enrollment projections.
For the 2023-24 school year, the district enrolled 87,872 students, a decrease 2 ½ times larger than last year’s decline, which is attributed to several factors, including changes in growth between grade levels. Cohorts are grade-level bands of students who transition from one grade to the next. The district’s overall cohort declined by 526 students, the largest decrease in the district’s history, excluding the pandemic year. Overall, the cohort decline indicates student enrollment is decreasing as students transition from grade to grade. Additionally, two significant factors that affected this year’s enrollment count were residency verification at certain schools and the RISE Charter Elementary and Middle Schools moving to state-sponsored charters, which removed them from the FCS enrollment numbers.
Ms. Peeks reviewed regional, metro-level and grade level enrollment trends as well as Fulton private school trends, all of which contribute to annual enrollment projections. Enrollment trends can also be attributed to new families moving into district communities. Overall, the district has experienced a decline in home sales over the past year. The lack of existing housing supply, increased cost, and escalated interest rates has influenced the housing market uncertainty within the district.
Concluding her presentation, Ms. Peeks explained the projected enrollment change for each region and Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence (FAVE) for the next five years. For the 2024-25 school year, the district anticipates a continued decline in student population of 600 students, to reach a district total of 87,272 students with a steady continuation of enrollment decline over the next five years. See the full presentation here.
Board Community Meetings
Each Fulton County Board of Education member sponsors a monthly meeting open to the public. These meetings provide an opportunity for community members to have direct conversations with their elected Board representative about local issues and concerns. Find your Board member and view the Community Meeting Calendar.
