Board Bulletin for 8/12/2026

 

The Fulton County Board of Education met on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, for its regularly scheduled Board Work Session at the North Learning Center. The full agenda is available on Simbli, a website that provides the Board agenda and all supporting documents online. Meetings are streamed live on the FCS homepage, with recordings available within 48 hours.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney began his report by expressing appreciation for the commitment demonstrated by employees as Fulton County Schools (FCS) launches another school year. He noted that their efforts embody the teamwork, integrity, and accountability principles that define our organization and support our Board’s vision for student success.

Proposed Millage Rate

Continuing his comments, Dr. Looney notified the Board that he intends to recommend a new millage rate at the August 20 Board meeting. Rising costs, increased employer contributions for health care and the Teachers Retirement System, inflation, and declining local tax revenue from senior property tax exemptions have created budget pressures. To address these challenges, Dr. Looney plans to recommend a tentative millage rate of 18.08, a 1-mill increase from the current rate.

Dr. Looney emphasized that the recommendation is based on the financial information currently available. If the certified tax digest provides an opportunity to recommend a lower millage rate, he will adjust his recommendation accordingly.

The recommendation represents a change from recent years. For the past seven years, Dr. Looney has recommended lowering the millage rate, except for one year when he recommended keeping it the same.

The proposed increase would help FCS reduce its reliance on fund reserves, which is essentially the district’s savings account, to cover ongoing expenses. It would also put the district in a stronger position to operate within its available revenues over the long term. If approved, the additional revenue would allow FCS to eliminate the employee furlough day currently proposed for this school year and provide greater flexibility to consider salary increases in future years.

If the Board moves forward with the tentative millage rate, three public hearings will be held before a final vote. The Board may accept the Superintendent’s recommendation or consider changes to the rate before final adoption.

2025-2026 Georgia Milestones Update

Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins reported that Spring 2026 Georgia Milestones results show continued academic progress across the district. The available data indicates positive achievement trends, strong student growth in mathematics, and performance levels that exceed both state and Metro RESA averages across every tested content area. English Language Arts (ELA) results were not included because the GaDOE is implementing a new assessment and will report those results later this fall.

Achievement levels are rising, student growth is strong, and Fulton continues to outperform both state and regional peers. While there is still work to do, particularly in accelerating growth at the middle school level and closing remaining gaps, the overall results reflect positive momentum and provide a strong foundation for continued improvement. See the full presentation here.

Strategic Plan: Teamwork | Back to School Update

Fulton County Schools is prepared for the 2026-27 school year with strong staffing levels, significant academic initiatives, major capital investments, robust technology readiness, expanded family engagement efforts, and a districtwide focus on attendance, literacy, and student success.

Chief Academic Officer Gaskins along with Chief Human Resources Officer Gonzalo La Cava, Chief Operations Officer Noel Maloof, and Chief Strategy & Technology Officer Joe Phillips provided a back-to-school update. The presentation emphasized the district’s strategic value of teamwork and highlighted efforts to ensure schools, staff, and students are prepared for a successful year.

Academically, the district is strengthening literacy through implementation of the Georgia Early Literacy Act, expanding access to college and career opportunities through Achieve Atlanta, launching the 95% to Thrive attendance campaign, and enhancing support for students and families through new counseling and family engagement initiatives. New instructional resources, expanded Teaching Museum programming, and a continued emphasis on assessment and data literacy were also highlighted.

From a staffing perspective, the district begins the year with a 99% teacher fill rate, 90% teacher retention rate, and more than 500 new hires. The district also welcomed several new principals and assistant principals and invested in professional learning opportunities for both new and returning employees.

Operationally, enrollment stands at more than 83,000 students. The district’s First Day Fulton event supported over 10,000 families with school supplies, health screenings, registration assistance, and community resources. Transportation remains a major focus, with more than 39,000 students transported daily through a fleet of 930 buses, while school nutrition services continue to provide affordable meal options and expanded access to free meals for qualifying schools.

The presentation also highlighted significant capital and facilities improvements completed over the summer, including the opening of the new Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School, ongoing construction of replacement facilities at Camp Creek Middle School and North Springs High School, and major renovations at schools across the district.

In the area of Strategy & Technology, the district prepared more than 100,000 student devices, completed thousands of repairs, strengthened network infrastructure across schools, and integrated new digital learning applications. More than 400 new School Governance Council members are joining school councils this fall, and 740 SGC members received training.

Overall, the update demonstrated that FCS has made substantial investments in people, programs, facilities, and technology to support student success and ensure a strong start to the school year. See the full presentation here.

Pre-Work Session

Fulton County Schools’ pre-work session is a public meeting held before each monthly work session. It is an opportunity for the Board to receive policy drafts, provide feedback, give presentations, or focus on topics of interest. Audio recordings of the pre-work session are available within 48 hours. Topics discussed at this week’s session include:  

• 2026 Employee Engagement Results
• Program Evaluation Agenda
• 2026-2027 Policy Plan
• Board Policy JCAB Interviews and Searches of Students

New Hires & Promotions

The following individuals were approved for a new position at the Board meeting:  

• Dr. Rochelle Hinds | Director of Leadership Development
• Dr. Jeff Harrell | Director of Research, Evaluation, and Accountability

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 recognized at the meeting:

• MaryKay Berry, Executive Director of Services for Exceptional Children, was honored with the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) Jim Puckett Outstanding Educator Award
• James Tharp, Coordinator of Utilities Services, was selected as the 2026-2027 National School Air Quality Fellow by the Center for Green Schools

2026-27 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.