Board Bulletin for 9/20/2024

 

The Fulton County Board of Education met on Thursday, September 19, 2024 for its regularly scheduled work session at the South Learning Center. The full agenda is available online via BoardDocs. Meetings are streamed live on the FCS homepage, with recordings available within 48 hours.

Superintendent’s Report

In a passionate plea to parents, Dr. Mike Looney asked them to support the district’s new “Report, don’t repost” campaign, which he says is critical to the safety of our schools. According to the superintendent, every zone in our district at all levels (elementary, middle, and high school) has been impacted by social media threats and anonymous threats, which have tripled since the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School earlier this month.

Dr. Looney gave a real-life example, describing a situation at an FCS high school that went into a hard lockdown when a gun was reported. That gun ended up being a BB gun, but administrators did not know at the time the gun was not real. The hard lockdown disrupted the entire school day, frightening both students and parents. Dr. Looney implored parents talk to their children about the use of social media and having cellphones in school, reminding them ‘If you see/hear something, say something.’  Do not make it worse by posting inaccurate information online. We cannot let social media, cell phones in schools and reposting false information wreak havoc in our district. We must work together to keep our schools safe.

Dr. Looney also noted that September is Attendance Awareness Month stressing the importance of good attendance and being in school on time.

School Closure/Consolidation

Executive Director of Operational Planning Tarika Peeks presented data showing enrollment as a district is on a downward trend in Fulton County, resulting in excess classroom space throughout the school system. Specifically, the most significant decline in student population is at the elementary school level, but middle and high schools also are impacted.

Ms. Peeks shared that Board Policy FDB requires a review of schools that meet certain criteria – such as low enrollment or aging building conditions – to be considered for consolidation or closure. Neighboring schools also are reviewed for available space and whether they can accommodate additional students. The policy states that schools with enrollment below specific thresholds (elementary schools - 450 students, middle schools - 600 students, and high schools - 700 students) are administratively expensive to maintain, operationally inefficient, and cannot effectively support the staff and resources needed for an optimal educational program.

While Policy FDB does not require the Board to close or consolidate schools, it does instruct district staff to identify schools meeting those criteria and share a list with the Board for discussion. Nine schools each have 450 or fewer students enrolled, face a continued declining enrollment projection, and/or have aging facility conditions.

After a review of the schools’ data, Board members directed FCS staff to begin engaging the community about the possible school closure and consolidation of two schools: Parklane Elementary School in the south Fulton region and Spalding Drive Elementary School in the Sandy Springs region. Data for the north Fulton region also was examined, and Board members directed staff to postpone a similar conversation with the community until 2027 so that recommendations can be incorporated into the next five-year capital plan.

For the Parklane Elementary School and Spalding Drive Elementary School conversations, community meetings will be held in October, November and December to collect input for drawing new attendance boundaries in the affected schools’ attendance zones and to balance enrollments among neighboring schools. The formal recommendation will be presented to the School Board for a vote in February 2025, with changes occurring with the 2025-2026 school year. Board members also will receive feedback at their monthly community meetings.

The presentation, which includes facility condition/classification for all schools as well as a sub-set of elementary and middle schools with declining enrollments, can be found here.  For more information you can email planning@fultonschools.org.

CSI/TSI/ATSI Update

Chief of Staff Cliff Jones began this month’s update on the Comprehensive and Target Support and Improvement and lowest 25% schools report by giving a high-level summary of staff’s work to identify areas of improvement and the schools’ initial plans to address areas of improvement. Zone superintendents in zones 1 through 5 then spoke about their work related to the goal of having no Fulton County school in the lowest 25% in the state and no schools on any improvement list.

Mr. Jones reminded the Board the district currently has eight schools on various lists: five traditional schools, two non-traditional schools, and one charter school. Our one tier IV Comprehensive Support and Improvement School (CSI) is College Park Elementary. There are four other CSIs based on graduation rate and achievement.

The first category is related to graduation rate, and there are three high schools with graduation rates below 67%: Independence, FAVE, and Skyview. The second category is related to student achievement in the lowest 5% of all Title 1 schools in the state. Conley Hills Elementary School is the only school in this category.

The new category, which was introduced last year by the state, is Additional Targeted Support and Improvement School (ATSI). These schools identified for special education are Banneker High School, Brookview Elementary School and Seaborn Lee Elementary School.

According to Mr. Jones, this year this district broadened its focus on school support to include the lowest 25% of schools in the state based on Georgia College and Career Readiness Performance index (CCRPI) content mastery scores. There are 20 total schools in the district that fit the description previously mentioned: 10 elementary, five middle, and five high schools.

After kicking off the presentation, zone superintendents Dr. Cherisse Campbell (Zone1), Dr. Jason Stamper (Zone 2), Ron Maxwell (Zone 3), Alexandra Bates (Zone 4) and Angela Parham (Zone 5) discussed methods being implemented to advance school improvement by deepening principal support and emphasizing support for special education, English learners and academic programs. Click here to see the full presentation.

Board Recognitions  

Each month the Fulton County Board of Education 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.  

• Congratulations to River Trail Middle School student Minakshi Chilagani on winning first place in the 2024 Georgia School Bus Safety Poster Contest and second place in the national competition. 

• Congratulations to Chattahoochee High School students Prinsha Chanda and Caroline Huang on winning first place at the 2024 National Beta Club Convention. 

 

2024-25 Community Meetings with Board Members    

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