FCBOE Work Session - April
The Fulton County Board of Education met for their monthly work session on April 16 2024.
Deputy Chief Information Officer Kenya Williams begins the board meeting with the Capital Plan Budget Update.
Chief Financial Officer Marvin L. Dereef Jr addresses market conditions from 2014 to present. There has been a increase in commercial construction prices.
Executive Director of Capital Programs Bill Boyajan introduces a new budget process. The original allocations were set pre-COVID-19. The next phase of the budget process will the rough order of magnitude. There will be new cost estimates and an established budget.
July. 1, 2022 is when the division decided to mitigate costs. Since then, they have began scope tiering on major renovations. For example, the division decided to use the warm, safe, and dry system where they had air conditioners, HVAC, etc in schools. Major renovations on schools are considered when mitigating costs.
In the Facility Master Plan, the division decided to choose five important renovation categories to place their funds into, such as critical system updates, turfs and tracks, and new schools.
The division discusses current replacements and reconfigurations and goes through certain magnitudes and funding placed for each project. They also review the status of current waves of projects throughout 2023 and 2024, and estimate waves for 2025 through 2027.
Chief Operations Officer Noel Maloof addresses emerging needs and renovations, as well as reviewing the budget summary. The division plans to address variance costs with projected funds from SPLOST.
The division concludes the presentation by stating the upcoming plans/projects for safety and security as well as update the revenue budget of 1.6 billion. Short-term borrowing is not expected, and the Federally Taxable Qualified School Construction bond will mature on January 1, 2027.
Board Vice President and District 5 Board Member Kristin McCabe shouts out Chattahoochee High School’s Science Olympiad Team who qualified for the national competition. She also mentions Northview High School FBLA students who had the most awards out of all schools in Georgia at the FBLA spring convention.
Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney calls on Executive Director of Strategy and Governance Dr. Ryan Moore to make an announcement. Moore announces that Fulton County Schools has earned a 346 on the Cognia IEQ Network Average. This is over 50 points higher than the last accreditation, which happened in 2014. Cognia called out on one area of improvement–professional learning initiatives.
The board carries the motion of the executive items 6-0. Dove is unable to pass the motion because she was absent when they were read.
Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins presents item 6.01 through item 6.06. There have been no changes since last month on any of the items. The board gives items 6.01, 6.02, 6.03, 6.04, 6.05, and 6.06 consent.
If item 6.04 is passed in the Georgia Department of Education, Fulton County Schools may have AP African American Studies starting in Spring 2025 or Fall 2025.
Moore presents item 7.02. This item adds a remote learning day for the upcoming election.
Pozatek asks how the remote learning day talked about in item 7.02 will be communicated with school leaders and parents. Looney says that schools are already being worked with to reorganize the activities going on on the proposed remote learning day.
The board gives item 7.02 consent.
Moore continues to present item 7.03 through item 7.07.
The board gives items 7.03, 7.04, 7.05, 7.06, and 7.07 consent.
Moore announces that they have made several changes to JBCC. The board gives this item consent for first read.
Maloof presents items 7.08 through 7.12. The board gives the items consent.
Executive Director of Contracting Ansley Young presents item 7.13, the contracting report.
District 4 Board Member Franchesca Warren asks Looney if other schools will be offered new equipment as well as with the schools who are getting new weight room equipment in the contracting report. Looney will have an answer soon.
The board gives the contracting report consent.
The board honors Cambridge High School’s principal Ashely Agans because she won the 2024 Georgia Thespians Administrator's Award. The board also honors Dr. Jennifer Compton Lambert, from River Trail Middle School, as the District 5 Music Teacher of the year.
There is no public comment tonight.
Young is back to present item 7.14, the alternative services provider option renewal.
The board gives item 7.14 consent.
Young continues to present item 7.15, 7.16, 7.17, 7.18, 7.19, 7.20, 7.21, 7.22, and 7.23. The board gives all items consent. These are all the contracting items tonight.
Deputy Chief Financial Officer Greta Tinaglia presents item 7.24, 7.25, 7.26, 7.27, and 7.28. The board gives all items consent, expect for items 7.26, 7.27, and 7.28 which will remain for discussion.
Item 7.27 is in regard to Northview High School’s banking resolution. These are necessary to add administrative signatures to the local school account.
Gaskins presents item 7.29. The board gives the item consent.
Dove reads the information reports to the board.
McCabe asks for more information on a projector installation. It is something the PTO is installing.
Dove now reads the items that remain on discussion or for more information.
Dove says that Fulton County Schools has a survey regarding the county’s Code of Contact. The community can provide feedback on it before the end of the month.
Dove adjourns the meeting.
