Atlanta can invest in the city’s growth and public education

It’s no secret that Atlanta is on the precipice of a defining moment in its history.

More than 25 years ago, city leaders partnered with Fulton County and Atlanta Public Schools to create temporary Tax Allocation Districts designed to catalyze economic growth and redevelopment in historically underresourced communities. At the time, TADs represented an innovative approach to spur investment, improve infrastructure and expand opportunity. APS agreed to allocate a portion of its future tax growth toward redevelopment with the expectation that the investments would create long-term benefits for the city and its students.

In some areas of Atlanta, those investments generated visible economic growth. Communities surrounding the Beltline, Atlantic Station and Camp Creek Parkway experienced significant redevelopment and rising property values. Yet, too many longtime residents continue to struggle with housing affordability, limited access to essential services and schools serving growing student needs while operating without the full benefit of the tax growth occurring around them.

Board Chair Jessica Johnson listens during an Atlanta Public School board meeting in Atlanta on Feb. 2, 2026. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Atlanta absolutely has a responsibility to address inequities that persist in neighborhoods south of I-20 through thoughtful, community-centered investment. As a southwest Atlanta resident, I share the vision of revitalized corridors like Campbellton Road becoming vibrant spaces where families can live, work and thrive.

But as Atlanta considers its next chapter of redevelopment, we must ask a more urgent question: Who benefits from that growth, and at what cost to the students APS is responsible for serving right now?

Atlanta Public Schools is in the midst of historic progress. Thirty-four APS schools earned the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement’s “Beating the Odds” distinction. APS was recognized nationally in the Harvard and Stanford Education Recovery Scorecard as a “District on the Rise” for accelerating academic recovery in reading and math faster than nearly every comparable district nationwide. The district maintained a 90.3% teacher retention rate, earned Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award and balanced its budget for the first time in six years while also delivering approximately $10 million in property tax savings to taxpayers.

These outcomes were not accidental. They required difficult decisions and extraordinary discipline.

Over the past several years, APS made more than $70 million in central office reductions and operational cuts to stabilize the district financially while continuing to prioritize classrooms. The district also made painful decisions regarding school closures and consolidation. These sacrifices were made to protect student learning and preserve long-term financial sustainability.

Even with a balanced budget, APS still faces more than $60 million in unfunded priorities directly tied to student opportunity and workforce readiness. Those priorities include expanding early learning opportunities through universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, exploring magnet school models, strengthening college and career pathways, launching initiatives like a Medical Academy and aviation career pipelines and expanding access to arts and innovation programming for students across the district.

These are not luxury initiatives. They are investments in Atlanta’s future workforce, economy and competitiveness.

That is why the Atlanta Board of Education has significant reservations about TAD extensions in their current form.

APS has already committed approximately $969 million in public education funding toward redevelopment efforts across the city. Continuing to freeze school tax revenues at decades-old property values would further delay critical investments needed for today’s students and educators. Every additional year of extension represents funding that cannot be used now for classroom instruction, academic recovery, student support services, teacher retention, transportation, facilities and school safety.

The reality is simple: APS cannot continue asking students to wait for investments that were promised to students a generation ago.

This does not mean redevelopment should stop. It means the model must evolve.

Future partnerships with the city of Atlanta must include stronger accountability, a revisit of pilot payments and a deeper analysis of existing caps on corridor TADs. A larger portion of the investments should be tied to outcomes such as affordable three-plus bedroom housing with grocery access, reliable transportation near schools, economic opportunity, safe public spaces and thriving schools that attract and retain families.

Any future agreement must also include regular public review and flexibility for future Boards of Education to reassess whether investments continue to align with the evolving needs of students and communities.