Whew.
Those who keep tabs on Atlanta Public Schools know 2019 was a busy year, but the new year has more in store.
Who will the school board pick as the next superintendent? What course will the next five-year strategic plan chart for APS? How will the district change after adopting a new facilities master plan?
Before 2020 ramps up, let’s take a look at 2019 and how APS got to this crucial intersection. Here are some of the big stories from the Atlanta school beat last year:
Carstarphen’s contract
The school board announced in September it would not extend Superintendent Meria Carstarphen's contract when it expires June 30. Instead, the board immediately began searching for a new chief. Board members reached the decision in closed session. In later interviews, the five members who opposed extending her contract cited various reasons, ranging from a desire for more financial and academic accountability to the belief that it made sense to pick a new leader to implement the district's next strategic plan.
Credit: Phil Skinner for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Phil Skinner for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tax abatements
District leaders amped up calls for tighter controls over tax incentives awarded to development projects, particularly in thriving areas such as Midtown and Buckhead where Carstarphen has said growth would occur without public funding. Carstarphen spent the first few months of 2019 serving on Fulton County's development authority, which awards tax abatements. School taxes make up the biggest share of property taxes, and APS officials have made it clear they want to protect the district's tax base.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
Grading schools?
After months of study (and a consultant fee of more than $200,000 paid for by a charter-school-friendly nonprofit), the school board halted a plan to grade or rate individual schools. The controversial proposed scorecard was part of the so-called "Excellent Schools Project" and it drew fierce opposition from critics who don't think APS needs to grade schools when the state already does. But the debate has returned as part of the board's development of a five-year strategic plan. Some board members are pushing for more ways to hold schools accountable for their performance (or lack thereof).
Gulch deal
The City of Atlanta and APS signed a complicated agreement in January 2019, aimed at ending a dispute over the use of Atlanta school taxes to help pay for a major downtown development project in an area known as the Gulch. As part of the pact, the two sides renegotiated the school district's participation in special taxing districts.
Special election
Byron Amos, who represents central Atlanta on the school board, left the board early in 2019 to run for city council. That forced a special election in the fall to fill the seat, which was won by Aretta Baldon. Baldon's campaign was backed by several prominent charter school supporters.
Around APS
In the spring, Tracey Pendley, a fourth-grade teacher at Burgess-Peterson Academy was named Georgia Teacher of the Year. She's the first APS teacher to win the honor since 1981. This year, the district also decided to close Crim High School and merge it with other non-traditional programs. It also expanded a free breakfast and lunch program to serve more students, regardless of family income, after qualifying for federal reimbursement.
