FCS Community Update for May 13, 2022

Español  |  한국어  |  中国人

May 12, 2022, Post-Meeting Update

The Fulton County School Board met on Thursday, May 12, for its regularly scheduled Board meeting at the South Learning Center. The 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. Additionally, please find information about Summer School registration and Open Enrollment deadlines, distribution of meal kits for the upcoming Remote Learning Day, and an announcement about First Day Fulton and our inaugural Registration and Residency Day.

Board Approves FY 2022-2023 Tentative Budget

Sound financial stewardship and a strong commitment to taxpayers were paramount in the development and approve the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 tentative budget.  The FY2023 General Fund budget includes reducing the millage rate from 17.590 to 17.490 for the 2022 property tax year and anticipates a FY22 year-end fund balance of $338 million. The projected FY23 ending fund balance is $305 million or approximately 27% of the expenditure budget. The total appropriation amount for all funds is $1.6 billion:

General Fund: $1,151,281,374
School Nutrition Fund: $46,190,356
Special Revenue Fund: $61,767,103
Capital Program Fund: $319,057,692
Pension Fund: $40,393,338
Student Activity Fund: $15,848,908

Adoption of the 2022-2023 final budget is scheduled for Tuesday, June 7, 2022. All details of the tentative budget, including budgeted salary schedules, all provisos, School Allotment Guidelines, and the five-year capital program are contained in the FY23 Budget Book and can be found here.

K-8 STEAM Academies

Deputy Chief Academic Officer Dr. Gyimah Whitaker presented information and discussed the benefits of adding K-8 STEAM Academies to FCS’s portfolio of schools. STEAM Stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Fulton County Schools is committed to establishing K-8 STEAM Academies. Ms. Whitaker said the addition of K-8 schools to the FCS portfolio of school options will add a high-quality choice for parents. K-8 schools present an evidenced-based approach that improves student achievement and fits within the district’s overall commitment to middle school redesign. These academies will include lessons learned and best practices from our STEM schools, attributes of our arts programs, the authenticity of our CTAE programs, and the high academic standards of our math and science courses all under one building and in one school. See the presentation.  Click here to read more about the K-8 model on our website.

Have thoughts or questions about the K-8 STEAM model? Scan the QR code or visit the Thought Exchange website to give us your feedback.

Facilities Master Plan

In the following presentation, Chief Operating Officer Noel Maloof discussed the facilities master plan based on needs around enrollment, facility conditions and academic programming. He reviewed both the north and south regions, detailing which schools are in consideration for school closure/consolidation, and presented an option to facilitate a K-8 STEAM model in portions of the district. These ideas will impact the fall redistricting and feeder alignments. In addition to Board members’ regularly scheduled community meetings, the district will be hosting two community meetings on August 30 and 31 at Langston Hughes and Alpharetta high schools. Please stay engaged as more details will be coming out in the next few weeks. Please stay engaged. Click here to see the full presentation. Click here to read more about redistricting on our website.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney began his report by announcing that Chief Talent Officer Ron Wade will be retiring from Fulton County Schools (FCS). Dr. Looney emphasized that Mr. Wade has been a true asset to the district during his decades of dedicated service to our schools, staff and students and wished him well as he enters the next chapter of his life. Dr. Looney also recognized May 11 as National School Nurse Appreciation Day, sharing his appreciation for the nurses, clinic assistants, contract nurses, and case investigators who are so dedicated to the district.

Bridge to Success Update

Director of Federal Programs Montreal Bell reported the Bridge to Success team met three important deadlines and milestones this past month, including hitting state and federal reporting requirements regarding expenditures related to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. See the full presentation here. Click here to read more about the Bridge to Success plan on our website.

CTAE Update

Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Director Dustin Davis-Austin presented an update on the district’s CTAE program. He shared the current state of CTAE and provided some context around CTAE’s growing middle school programs. This year, more than 3,600 students have completed or are on track to complete a CTAE pathway. Currently, 98% of our middle school programs directly align with their feeder high school programs. One of the biggest focus areas in the district’s Bridge to Success Plan is at the middle school level for CTAE. In the future, CTAE will expand elementary programming, which would put Fulton County at the forefront in Georgia in expanding multiple CTAE programming areas into the primary grades. The district will also increase career exploration at the middle school level, offering students high school CTAE credit courses in middle school. See the full presentation here.

 

ADDITIONAL DATES, REMINDERS, AND KEY INFORMATION:

Summer School Registration Deadline is May 26

Summer School registration will continue through May 26. Late registration is also available at the summer learning sites on June 6 & 7. The face-to-face session will take place in 36 schools June 8 through July 8 (Elementary School from 7:40 a.m.-11:40 a.m., Middle School from 8:55 a.m.-1:20 p.m., High School from 8:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.). Fulton Virtual will take place June 1-July 13 with late registration taking place June 1-6 online. Breakfast, lunch and transportation will be provided at all in-person locations. For more information, visit the FCS Summer School website.

First Day Fulton

The 6th annual First Day Fulton Back to School Pep Rally is Saturday, July 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Banneker and North Springs high schools. There will be a wellness fair, and giveaways including food and backpacks, and many of our FCS departments will be on hand to answer questions about transportation, special education, and more. Please be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.

Inaugural Registration and Residency Day

For the first time, FCS will hold local cluster events on Friday, July 29 to register new students, check residency, introduce families to local partners, and provide opportunities for student groups to welcome and greet. Please be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.

Open Enrollment Deadline is May 16

The district has identified 75 schools that can accept transfer students next school year through Georgia’s Quality Basic Education Act, which allows parents of students enrolled in a public K-12 school to enroll in another school within the district if space allows. It is a lottery-based selection process. The application deadline is Monday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m. Parents will be notified of their child’s transfer status on June 30. Click here for the full list of schools accepting Open Enrollment transfers.

Reminder: May 24 (Election Day) is a Remote Learning Day

Election Day, May 24, is a Remote Learning Day. Should you require technical assistance with Remote Learning, call the Information Technology Service Desk: 470-254-HELP. For more information about Remote Learning, click here or call your school.

School Nutrition to distribute Meal Kits for May 24 Remote Learning Day

To ensure children have continued access to essential nutrition, School Nutrition will distribute a one-day Meal Kit to students for the May 24, 2022, Remote Learning Day. Families will be instructed to contact their local school for more information regarding pre-ordering and deadlines.

Virtual Creativity Days

In June and July, the FCS Instructional Technology Department will be hosting four virtual creativity days for students. During these sessions, students will engage in creative thinking as they design graphics, videos, and web pages using Adobe Creative Cloud Express. Each day will consist of three sessions centered around a daily theme. Students may choose to participate in any or all the sessions on a given day. Separate sessions will be held for elementary students and secondary students in middle school and high school. Students will participate in these sessions through Microsoft Teams. Links to participate in the Teams meetings will be sent to participants after they register. Visit https://adobe.ly/3ylBbq8 for additional details and to register. Space is limited, so register today!

Let’s Talk Schools

Check out our new weekly series, Let’s Talk Schools, hosted by Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney, as he chats about all things FCS. Click here to see his discussion with Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Dr. Christopher Matthews.

Extra! Extra!

Stay in tune with what is going on in the district. Be sure to check out the special News section of the district’s website for the latest and greatest FCS happenings.