June State Board of Education Report - CORRECTION
by Stephanie Tanner on 6/16/2023

GSBA-CWO HeaderJune State Board of Education Report 

Note: The report has been updated to reflect the correct tenure of the current State Board Chair.

The State Board of Education held the monthly Committee, Committee of the Whole, and regular State Board meetings on June 14th and 15th. Committee meetings were held on the first day with the Committee of the Whole and full State Board meeting on the second. To view the complete agendas, click the highlighted links above. 

Committees 

The Rules, Budget, and District Flexibility & Charter Schools Committees met on June 14th. The Audit and State Schools Committees did not meet this month. 

Rules Committee 

Deputy Superintendent of Policy, Flexibility, and External Affairs Tiffany Taylor presented the eight agenda items to the Rules Committee.  

  • Seven items were placed on the consent agenda, and a rule amendment to State Board Rule 160-4-2-.13 Statewide Passing Score was pulled for a separate vote.  

  • The rule amendment will change the minimum percentage requirement of the Georgia Milestone End-of-Course (EOC) assessment score from 20 percent to 10 percent of a student’s final grade. During the pandemic the percent was reduced to 0.01. There was disagreement on setting the required minimum percentage at 10% rather than the historical 20%. The discussion on the rule amendment focused on rigor, accountability, comparability, and local control. The change is open to public comment for the next 30 days.  

  • The committee briefly discussed updating CTAE standards for biotechnology, healthcare science, light duty/hybrid electric vehicle technology, and marketing principles based on feedback from industry professionals and educators. They are also posted. 

  • When discussing approval of the list of Local Board Governance Training Providers that includes GSBA, Former GSBA President Frank Griffin asked if the State Board has required training like local boards do. Training is not required for the Board, but most members agree that it is a best practice and want to revisit having both new board member and whole board training in the near future. 

  • Seven more private schools have applied to be on the 2023-2024 school list for the Special Needs Scholarship Program. The program has gone from 117 private schools participating to 294 with these additions.  

Budget Committee 

Chief Financial Officer Rusk Roam presented the 40 items on the Budget Committee agenda. All items, except the contract for the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), were placed on the consent agenda. GaDOE is requesting that the Board authorize a new $88,800 contract with the SREB for professional development and mentoring for principals and assistant principals to increase retention. A few other budget highlights can be found further down in the report under “Actions Taken.” 

District Flexibility & Charter Schools Committee 

Tiffany Taylor presented the 11 agenda items, which included six charter renewals, two charter school contract amendments, two strategic waiver school system contract amendments, and the approval of the RISE schools for a state charter by the State Charter Schools Commission. All agenda items were placed on the consent agenda. 

Charter school representatives presented either virtually or in-person to highlight programs like career pathways and other successes at their academies. For example, Effingham College and Career Academy pointed to being named the Georgia College and Career Academy of the Year for 2022. 

The RISE schools were denied a charter renewal at the local level by Fulton County Schools due to academic, governance, financial, and special education compliance concerns. However, the State Charter Schools Commission uses their own standards when approving state charters. The Commission compares the charter to schools near its location rather than to all schools across the district, although the attendance zone is district-wide. Commission representatives said other charter schools could not absorb these students, and the Commission feels students would be better served by the RISE schools than other local options. The two RISE schools will be consolidated into one school. Matt Donaldson requested the charter’s financial score. The Board discussed concerns that some believe it simply acts as a rubber stamp for state charter approvals.  

Committee of the Whole/State Board Meeting 

Inspiration 

Phenna Petty introduced Mr. Dale Alexander, a benefits broker and strategist for school systems and author of “The Talk,” to present the inspiration. Mr. Alexander’s message focused on the importance of giving and serving. He believes it’s helpful to say aloud one thing you are grateful for every day, especially because others are often grateful for the things you take for granted. 

Actions Taken 

Seven items from the Rules Committee, 39 items from the Budget Committee, and 11 items from the District Flexibility & Charter Schools Committee were placed on the consent agenda and quickly approved by the Board. 

Budget Highlights: 

  • After the Governor instructed GaDOE to disregard the state budget allocation for a bonus for school custodians and instead use federal funds, the State Board approved $8,751,579 in federal funds for a one-time $1,000 bonus for school custodians.  

  • The Governor also directed GaDOE to use federal funds for free/reduced student meals in lieu of the state budget allocation. The State Board approved a grant for $6,333,876 in federal funds to School Food Authorities to reimburse the remaining cost of reduced priced student school breakfast and lunches. 

  • The Board approved a new $6,000,000 contract with The Rollins Center for Language and Literacy to develop and deliver professional development and coaching to support statewide science of reading and literacy efforts. 

  • The Board approved a grant to Local Education Agencies for $3,500,000 in state funds for dyslexia screeners per SB 48 from 2019. 

Three items were pulled for a separate vote.  

  • They included the rule amendment to State Board Rule 160-4-2-.13 Statewide Passing Score, the new SREB contract from the Budget Committee, and a disciplinary decision (2023-37 Polk County) from executive session.  

  • The rule amendment and the SREB contract approval passed easily with little discussion.  

  • The recommendation for the disciplinary decision was to affirm the local board’s decision, but with a vote of 5 to 4, the Board instead voted to reverse the local board’s decision. 

Chair’s Report and Superintendent’s Report 

Associate Superintendent of Federal Programs Shaun Owen presented Superintendent Woods’ consolidation of funds initiative. She said Georgia has the highest number of federal programs implemented and LEAs (49) participating. Consolidation of funds allows Title I schools to use one pot of money for schoolwide programs so that they have more flexibility and autonomy to focus on school improvement rather than compliance. Ms. Owen said the law says each state education agency must encourage consolidation of funds. The funds can be used for STEM and arts programs, career pathways, PBIS and MTSS, teacher recruitment/retention, school safety, and remedial and wraparound services. Martha Zoller compared consolidation of funds to past block grants and would like to see it expanded beyond Title I schools to all schools. 

Chief Information Officer/Deputy Superintendent for Technology Services Dr. Keith Osburn highlighted GaDOE recently receiving the Power Learner Potential Organization Award and Silver Learning Impact Award from 1EdTech Consortium for SuitCASE, the digital platform for K-12 academic standards. You can read more about the awards in the press release here. 

Outgoing Georgia Teacher of the Year Michael Kobito individually thanked Board members and reflected on his year as an Ex-Officio. He said the board is different and diverse in terms of backgrounds, beliefs, age, and more and that allows for robust discussions. His time allowed him new perspectives, especially concerning advocacy, outside the classroom. He saw firsthand that the Board must make heavy decisions that are not only interconnected but also have direct consequences. He encouraged the Board to branch out to people they don’t know, reach out to people in new ways, especially for public comment, and ask new questions all while still consulting old friends. 

Leonte Benton introduced Ron Clark from the Ron Clark Academy in Southeast Atlanta. Mr. Clark is the author of The Essential 55 and currently teaches 5th grade math as well as 6th and 7th grade history. He explained the school’s approach to education, which focuses on parental and community involvement, manners, high expectations, innovation, and exciting hands-on learning opportunities. Beyond teaching children, the academy trains teachers in the school’s methods. Mr. Clark invited Superintendent Woods and the Board to visit the school. 

Correction: The original report misstated the chair's tenure. This month was not Chair Jason Downey’s last meeting serving as chair. The chair's term ends on December 31, 2023. Next month, the State Board will meet for one day on July 19th.