The Fulton County Board of Education met for their monthly board meeting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2023.

• Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney gives the superintendent’s report. 

• Director and Project Lead, Amanda Swerdlow, presents the Year 2 Every Child Reads program evaluation. The evaluation examined initiative support, teacher support, district expectations, and teacher self-efficacy. The group collected data from literacy advisory boards, single instance focus groups, context gathering sessions, and a K-12 RELA teacher survey.

• Chief Communications Officer Brian Noyes recognizes Lynn Meadows for being inducted into the 2023 National Academy of School Nursing Fellows. Nurse Paula Abbey was also recognized for being the GHSA school cluster nurse. 

• Board President and District 6 Board Member Kimberly Dove brings the conversation back to the Every Child Reads program. 

• Board Vice President District 1 Board Member Katha Stuart thanks everyone who has helped contribute to the program. 

• District 4 Board Member Franchesca Warren asks how the program is being utilized to reach more of the community and students who may be slipping through the cracks

• Looney says he will find out that information. He requests for everyone to stay on course and not get distracted. He wants students to continue to be able to read and read to. He also urges parents to have students read at home. 

• District 5 Board Member Kristin McCabe thanks Looney for his words and bringing the program to Fulton County. She asks what the board is planning to do for the wonders piece. 

• The wonders and phonics pieces are separate. 

• Swerdlow says that the materials in wonders do not have many options for students who are not yet at grade level. The spiral is being continued to be addresses to bring in more text. 

• District 2 Board Member Lillie Pozatek asks how many people are being surveyed. 

• Swerdlow says that she does not have the exact number but will get back to Pozatek. The team either gave ELA teachers the Every Child Reads survey or the Achieve survey. 

• Pozatek wishes for more teachers in the surveys. 

• District 3 Board Member Katie Gregory presents her excitement for the program and how the county is being a leader. 

• Stuart asks to make sure the powerpoint the board got and the one on BoardDocs are the same. 

• Dove thanks the Every Child Reads team for their evaluations and how they found what the teachers were seeing. 

• Looney completes the superintendents report. 

• Looney reads the motion for the consent agenda items. 

• Motion carries unanimously. 

• Chief Operations Officer Noel Maloof presents items 6.01 and 6.02. 

• Item 6.01 is a request for wavier and of facility use fees for non-profit organizations. 

• Maloof reads the motion statement for item 6.01. 

• The board passes the motion. Stuart abstains 6.01. 

• Maloof reads the motion statement for item 6.01. 

• The board passes the motion. 

• Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef reads the motion statement for item 6.03. 

• Dereef reads the motion statement for item 6.04. Item 6.04 is the banking resolutions. 

• The motion passes unanimously. 

• The board does not have any questions for the information reports. 

• Dove adjourns the meeting.