Fulton Back To School Update: Student Population Exceeds 93,000

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The Fulton County School Board on Thursday met for its monthly work session, hearing reports on the first day of school and highlights for the coming academic year.

Dr. Rob Anderson, deputy superintendent of academics, and Patrick Burke, deputy superintendent of operations, shared the behind-the-scenes work that goes into preparing for the new school year. They also spoke about some of the instructional programs, initiatives and capital improvement projects debuting this year.

Personnel and Staffing. The district’s total workforce is close to 13,700 employees, approximately 7,700 of which are teachers. Fourteen new principals have been hired to fill retiring or transitioning leaders, and nine of them have been cultivated from within the school system. By the first week, 782 new teachers had been hired with just over 100 vacancies remaining in hard-to-staff areas like special education and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). For perspective, the vacancies are less than 2 percent of the total teaching force, as close to 99 percent of the positions are staffed.

Student Enrollment. As of the third day (Wednesday) of school, Fulton’s total student population was 93,630. This is expected to rise to more than 96,000 over the next few weeks as families accustomed to starting after Labor Day enroll their children in school.

Personalized Learning. Fulton County Schools has taken the first step in a districtwide project that pairs students with mobile learning devices. Funded through eSPLOST, the one-penny sales tax for education, the district will implement programs that provide classroom sets of mobile devices to elementary schools, where students will use them on their own or share with a classmate during class, or for middle and high schools, where students will have their own device and be allowed to use it at school and home. The district’s schools were divided into five groups to make roll-out of the initiative smoother and more manageable. Schools in Groups 1 and 2 begin their roll-out this fall. Three vendors and their products were selected after an RFP process: Apple Inc. (iPads), Dell Computers (Chromebooks and Latitude laptops) and PC Specialists (Microsoft Surface tablets). The operating software used by the devices are iOS, Microsoft Windows and Google Chrome.

JA-MBA at Banneker High School. The Junior Achievement Magnet Business Academy welcomed its inaugural ninth grade class at Banneker High School. Called “JA-MBA” for short, the innovative high school model is the first of its kind in Georgia and is a partnership between Fulton County Schools and Junior Achievement. It provides students the opportunity to participate in hands-on, full immersion learning with a business and entrepreneurial focus. Students will complete three pathways – Business & Technology; Entrepreneurship; and either Marketing & Management or Financial Services. A waiting list for admission already has started.

New Career and Technical Education Programs. Career and Technical Education programs have been expanded to 12 middle and high schools in the areas of audio-video technology and film; business; graphic design; engineering; computer programming, gaming and apps; emergency medical responder; fire and emergency services; medical office and billing; sports medicine; and surgical tech.

CBI Expansion at Four Schools. Fulton County Schools expanded its community-based instruction (CBI) programs to Chattahoochee High School, Cambridge High School, and Tri-Cities High School along with an expansion of the program currently at Langston Hughes High School.

IB Primary Years Programme. Three elementary schools – Heards Ferry, High Point, and Lake Forest – have been selected as candidates for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. The International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme (grades 6-10) and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (grades 11-12) are currently offered at Ridgeview Charter School and Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs, where the three elementary schools are located, making it a natural progression for students.

Programs to Help Students Catch Up or Move Forward. There has been a 161% increase in credits earned through summer session from the previous year. In the South Learning Community alone, there has been a 444% increase, and in the Central Learning Community, there was a 218% increase. Many of these credits have been earned through the expansion of the Fulton Virtual School. AVID (Achievement Via Individual Determination) has been expanded to more Fulton schools, with 22 now using the program. The AVID program helps identify students in the “academic middle” and provides support to build their knowledge and skills in preparation for college or a career.

Safety. Sixteen new vehicles have been purchased for the School Police fleet to allow school resource officers to mobilize and travel throughout their school community as well as be quickly responsive during an emergency. School clinic assistants also began the new school year sooner, which provided more assistance to families and the schools with their student health needs.

Capital Improvements. Thanks to eSPLOST, the summer months were extremely busy. In South Fulton, the staff and students of Mount Olive Elementary School were moved from College Park to their new school in East Point named Asa G. Hilliard Elementary School. College Park Elementary School reopened to serve its permanent student body, and the McNair Middle School replacement is nearing completion with a spring semester opening scheduled. Also under construction is a new elementary school on Derrick Road, and a Career Technology and regional administrative office building at Banneker High School. Both facilities are set to open in 2016.

In North Fulton, the staff and students of Esther Jackson Elementary School have been relocated to the new elementary school on Alpharetta Street/Highway 9 in Roswell as their school is replaced. Also, the new Heards Ferry Elementary School opened in Sandy Springs and additions have been completed or are under way at five schools. A career technology addition emphasizing veterinary science is under construction at Cambridge High School.

Renovations were completed at 14 schools in the district, including the major work of replacing aging mechanical systems. Four schools were painted, 23 gym floors were refinished, and 37 portable classrooms were completely removed. The baseball field at Westlake High School has been finished as well as playground renovations at 33 elementary schools. Thirty-two new maintenance vans were purchased to replace aging vehicles.

School Nutrition. To continue compliance with the USDA federal regulation, Equity in School Lunch Pricing, the school board approved a 10-cent increase to student and adult lunch meal price. Fourteen elementary schools also were selected by the Georgia Department of Education to participate in the USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and 22 schools now offer free breakfast or lunch to students as part of the Community Eligibility Provision program.

Bus Transportation. Approximately 1,600 routes have been established and about 95 new bus drivers were hired and trained. All drivers annually receive CPR/emergency first aid training and Green Cross defensive driving, and new this year, PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Supports) training to provide a new level of student management techniques. Twenty-four new buses, funded by eSPLOST, have been added to the fleet.

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