The Fulton County Board of Education met for their monthly work session at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2021.

• Dr. Matthew begins by going over the process of identifying and helping students who are diagnosed with dyslexia, including text-to-speech, FastBridge, and other accommodations. Visuals can be found below.

Graphics Courtesy of Fulton County Schools

• Georgia Standards of Education will be implemented for reading and will help support students with dyslexia.

• Fulton County is undergoing the review process for new English course for K-2.

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves asks if specific accommodations made for students who are already well supported at home, where symptoms might go unnoticed.

• Dr. Matthew says the new legislation mandates screening to diagnose dyslexia specifically in K-2 children to prevent dyslexia from going unnoticed. He emphasizes that teachers are thoroughly trained to identify symptoms of dyslexia and that several staff members are already participating in the dyslexia identification pilot. 

• District 4 Board Member Franchesca Warren raises concerns over students who are already diagnosed with dyslexia.

• Dr. Matthew says teachers and parents of students who have dyslexia can reach out to school to take further action.

• District 1 Board Member Katha Stuart asks about the methodology behind dyslexia screening.

• Marietta has begun the screening process, but the instrument used is unknown.

• District 5 Board Member Linda McCain asks if teachers will endorse specific students in their classrooms for dyslexic programs.

• Dr. Matthew says within schools where teachers have dyslexia training, endorsements are utilized. According to the results, which were limited due to COVID-19, students from first to third grade did not experience a significant change in performance. 

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves asks if teachers who have been trained are being utilized.

• Dr. Matthew says within their schools, they are being utilized. According to the results, which were limited due to COVID-19, students from first through third grade did not experience a significant change in performance.

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves believes the explicit education system is beneficial to any child with diagnosed or undiagnosed dyslexia and asks why all students should not be taught in this manner.

• Dr. Matthew says the pilot program is broken down into three tiers. The Tier 1 program will have an 80% the success rate if implemented correctly. All students will eventually undergo Tier 1, and students who have identified symptoms will receive further help through Tier 2 and Tier 3. 

• District 4 Board Member Franchesca Warren asks about students who are in third grade or older and emphasizes the need to spread awareness to parents. 

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves also emphasizes the need to educate parents who are unaware in situations where a possible dyslexia diagnosis may arise.

• Dr. Matthew says teachers and parents will work together to help students reach a conclusion.

• Chief Talent Officer Ron Wade moves to present the implementation process for ATLAS, an enterprise business solution that will help Fulton County Schools move towards a paperless business transaction format. It will include a new payroll pension and an open text implementation. Visuals can be found below.

Graphics Courtesy of Fulton County Schools

• District 6 Board Member and Board Vice President Kimberly Dove asks who is included in the current Financial Advisory Board.

• Wade says it includes bookkeepers, principals, and assistant principals.

• District 6 Board Member and Board Vice President Kimberly Dove asks about other institutions using ATLAS.

• Wade says Purdue University is using ATLAS and includes an example for the one-touch entry system. A personal device will be used to clock in instead of a paper format.

• District 4 Board Member Franchesca Warren asks if teachers will be trained on this new format. 

• Wade says a more intuitive training method will be provided alongside in-depth tutorials and disaster relief. 

• District 5 Board Member Lina McCain asks if the system will provide an easier way for substitute teachers to submit applications. 

• Wade says it will and adds that the general user experience will be better. 

• District 3 Board Member Gail Dean asks what happens when change requests are more frequent. 

• Wade says they will be taken care of, and changes will be presented routinely to the Fulton County School Board to ensure it runs smoothly. 

• The Board moves to pledge allegiance. 

• The Board motions to move forward with other agenda items.

• Fulton County Tax Commissioner Dr. Arthur Ferdinand presents the 4.03 tax update which includes the closure of two offices due to COVID-19 and a new, faster method to collect taxes. Visuals can be found below.

Graphics Courtesy of Fulton County Schools

• Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef thanks Dr. Ferdinand for ACH, an automatic method the Board uses to deposit checks.

• District 5 Board Member Linda McCain asks about the cost of having people use their credit cards to submit payments instead.

• Dr. Ferdinand expects to collect from cities where citizens will be able to pay using their credit cards.

• District 3 Board Member Gail Dean asks for a public service campaign to show that people have an option to use their credit card without the mandatory fee. 

• Dr. Ferdinand says it was broadly advertised and sent on various envelopes. More online advertising is being done online than last year.

• District 3 Board Member Gail Dean thanks Dr. Ferdinand for his work and this project.

• The Board transitions to Board Matters.

• District 1 Board Member Katha Stuart begins by recognizing Oaken Point Middle School for its Japanese International Language Competition.

• Two Roswell High School senior girls earned Eagle Scout Awards.

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves recognizes New Prospect Elementary School educator Lindsey King, who was named an extraordinary educator along with 44 other teachers nationwide. This is a national honor that showcases classroom excellence.

• At Hopewell Middle School, educator Steve Jones was selected to serve on the NASA Education Advisory Board.

• District 3 Board Member Gail Dean recognizes fifth graders who have completed 100 i-Ready lessons this year.

• At Riverwood High School, Brandon Rice won the Georgia State Giving Champion, and Miller Ellis received a Gold Key Award for a submission in the National Scholastic Art Competition. 

• District 4 Board Member Franchesca Warren recognizes Bear Creek High School students who took the PSAT and thanks Palmetto High School for conducting new virtual classes on saturdays.

• Wilson Creek Elementary School received a $2000 grant for the Be The Voice Campaign, where students teach fellow students to be voices for kindness.

• Johns Creek High School enacted an one-act play which won second place in the region, and its swim team won the state title.

• District 6 Board Member and Vice President Kimberly Dove submitted a grant to Georgia’s Department of Education. If approved, it will improve equity access to students over the summer.

• District 6 Board Member and Board Vice President Kimberly Dove announces the new KA Program at Conley Hills Elementary School.

• The Board moves to other agenda items.

• Chief Communications Officer Brian Noyes introduces the Sesquicentennial Anniversary, which celebrates the 150 years that Fulton County has been in existence. Noyes plays a series of videos chronicling the advancement and history of Fulton County Schools. Further information can be found on the fulton county website.

• The board celebrates the history of Fulton County after watching the videos. 

• Supt. Dr. Mike Looney acknowledges the letter Board members sent to affirm that he supports a pause in the KA.

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves expresses how she has always been intrigued by a KA and has seen visible interest in her district. She believes KA has the potential to better prepare students for high school and looks forward to formulating plans on the matter in the future.

• Dr. Looney celebrates Black History Month and National School Counselors Week.

• Wade presents a COVID-19 update. Around 69,000 new cases in Fulton County arose with a positivity rate of .1%. The numbers are generally going down. Visuals can be found below.

Graphics Courtesy of Fulton County

• Wade continues to encourage employees to receive the vaccine, and his ultimate objective is to vaccinate the remaining 10,000 employees. He sent a survey asking if anyone interested in the vaccination process on Feb. 8 to ensure people are getting their second dose. 

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves says the staff at the vaccination event was very empathetic to people who were nervous to receive the vaccine.

• District 1 Board Member Katha Stuart and District 3 Board Member Gail Dean recognize Wade and others’s efforts to organize the vaccination event. 

• Chief Academic Officer Cliff Jones moves to present the Charter Initiatives from two high schools.

• Alpharetta High School proposed the addition of two semester-long elective courses in Social Studies, Introduction to African-American/Black Studies and Introduction to U.S Women’s Studies, for the Board’s consideration.

  • If approved, all Fulton County high schools will have the option of offering these courses, and a committee of teachers will select a recommended text that will be brought forward for public review and adoption.

• Milton High School proposed the addition of a course in film acting and production for the Board’s consideration.

• The Literacy Department offers a second public review period to help narrow the choices for Fulton County’s ELA textbook adoption during the 2021-22 school year. Feedback from parents and teachers will be gathered through an electronic survey.

  • The public review period will close on Friday, March 26, and a final recommendation for adoption will be presented to the board in April 2021.

• The Board goes through the discussion items.

• Deputy Chief Academic Officer Dr. Gyimah Whitaker updates the Board about the application and lottery process for naming Fulton County’s newly-created full-time online school this month. 

• The naming committee is set to finalize the school name. They will vote between “Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence” (FAVE) and “Hank Aaron Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence” (Hank Aaron FAVE).

• The new online school will have a lottery process, and 90 students from each of the grades 1-8 will be accepted. Families will have until Feb. 26 to confirm their enrollment.

• District 5 Board Member Lina McCain raises the concern that once the virtual school is named after Hank Aaron, no other Fulton County school can include “Hank Aaron” in their name.

• District 3 Board Member Gail Dean thanks the staff who worked on the naming process and acknowledges the need to quickly name the school in question so it can advance to the next stage.

• District 6 Vice President and Board Member Kimberly Dove asks about the potential consequences if naming is not complete by the end of February.

• Dr. Whitaker says the opening date will be postponed because the name is required to move forward in the opening process. He also mentions that parents will have to commit to enrolling their students, and some may be placed on the waiting list.

• Executive Director of Strategy Dr. Ryan Moore introduces action 7.05 regarding the Board Policy BCBI. Students will take pledges to obey certain rules regarding their school-issued devices.

• Dr. Moore also introduces action item 7.06 regarding the Operating Guideline IFBGA and the Responsible Use of Enterprise Network.

• The Board moves to discuss recognitions.

• Jones recognizes Medhya Sivaganesh and Elena Breedlove, two sixth grade students from Northwestern Middle School won top honors in the Rube Goldberg Machine category of the Georgia Technology Student Association for virtual competition “Technology Day.” The board watches a video of the students describing their award. 

• Jones also congratulates the achievements of Sloan Salinas, a senior at Milton High School, who created a scarf from 100 earbuds. Salinas’ art will be presented in the 2021 National Art Honor Society exhibition. The Board watches a video of Salina speaking about her project.

• The Board moves to consider proposed budget items.

• Jones moves to present action item 7.14, the 2021-2022 Georgia Prekindergarten Grant Program. As per last month, 85 Pre-K classrooms were requested.

• Jones moves to present action item 7.15, the February 2021 Employee Travel Report for police officers to be able to travel out of state.

• District 2 Board Member Katie Reeves asks why travelling is a necessity as opposed to virtual training. 

• Jones says the required training program must be conducted in-person in Tennessee.

• District 4 Board Member Franchesca Warren asks if training can be done virtually. 

• Jones clarifies that both virtual and in-person training is required.

• The Board consents to all action items, except 7.03, 7.12, and 7.13, which will be addressed next week.

• The meeting is adjourned.