Eagle Wings

The Fulton County Board of Education met on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 for its regularly scheduled work session at the North 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
Dr. Mike Looney began his report by expressing that our collective hearts go out to those affected by last week’s Apalachee High School shooting, noting the tragedy, which happened in a neighboring community, hits especially close to home. Fulton County Schools, along with the county’s municipal partners, are deeply committed to maintaining a safe environment for our students and staff. Since the shooting occurred, Dr. Looney said district schools have been impacted by disruptive and dangerous social media posts and reminded everyone that individuals making specific threats on social media will be investigated and fully prosecuted under the law. If you see or hear of a threat, please notify authorities but do not forward, share or repost the threat on social media or publicly. He ended these comments with a new slogan, “Report. Don’t Repost.”

Continuing his report, Dr. Looney acknowledged that September is Suicide Awareness Month, emphasizing that the district has counselors and school psychologists available to help students at any time. Additionally, help is always available by dialing the #988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a national network of more than 200 crisis centers that helps thousands of people overcome crises.

Division Update: Operations
The Operations Division provides high levels of service through five departments including Capital Programs, Facility Services, Transportation, Operational Planning and Nutrition. Over the summer, division leaders developed five strategic priorities to guide much of the division’s work this school year, including prioritizing safety and operational efficiency and strengthening employee engagement.

By embracing innovative practices, School Nutrition supports the needs of students and aligns with the district’s educational goals while serving approximately 75,000 meals per day. This year, the School Nutrition department is focused on enhancing the nutritional quality of meals and promoting student health and well-being. The team will introduce 32 new recipes enhancing the variety and quality of meal offerings.

The Transportation department has developed innovative ways to engage with students. For example, bus drivers will bring ‘Buster,’ a large remote-controlled bus, to classrooms to teach bus expectations and PBIS or Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. The department is also rolling out a safety program for elementary school students.

After completing 137 projects under construction in 84 schools last summer, Capital Programs is excited for the completion of Conley Hills Elementary School, construction of S.L. Lewis Elementary School and North Springs High School replacement projects, and the design of the new Camp Creek Middle School.

Also, this year, Operational Planning will work with school leadership and the Instruction Division to implement a new “Open Enrollment” Process.

After highlighting some of the division’s goals, Chief Operations Officer Mr. Noel Maloof assured the Board that Operations plans to emphasize communication and community engagement this year while strongly aligning with the district values of Integrity, Teamwork and Accountability. See the full presentation here.

School Closure/Consolidation
Deputy Chief Operations Officer Yngrid Huff 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. Huff 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 2024, 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.

Instructional Calendar Parameters
The proposed calendar parameters for the 2026-2027 school year were presented to the Board of Education for first read and will be voted on at a later date. With the Board’s approval, these parameters will guide the development of the calendar for the 2026-2027 school year. The following is the list of the proposed calendar parameters:

• Aim for 180 instructional days during the year
• Plan as many full weeks of instruction as possible
• Implement opportunities for job-embedded professional development
• Designate at least two teacher workdays each semester
• Include a full week at the Thanksgiving Holiday for staff and students
• Conclude first semester prior to the winter holiday break in December
• Include two full weeks for staff and students at the winter holiday break in December
• Aim for Spring Break to be the first full week in April following the first Sunday in April to align with metro districts
• Utilize remote learning to state/national elections or other emergency situations
• Conclude last day of school for students to be prior to Memorial Day Weekend
• Consider opportunities for fall and winter breaks

Pre-Work Session
The Fulton County School system's pre-work session is a public meeting that takes place before each monthly work session. The session is an opportunity for the board to receive policy drafts and provide feedback, as well as to 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 pre-work session include:

• Strategic Plan update
• Program Evaluation: Every Child Reads
• Operating Guideline IJ Programs, Pilots, Research and Evaluation
• Facility Alterations

New Hires & Promotions
The following individuals were approved for a new position at the Board meeting:

• Montreal Bell | Director, Grant Services
• Lauren Busing | Principal, Lake Winward Elementary School

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.