Friday, July 18, 2003

Fulton County schools to return with changes, improvements

This is the first in a series of articles outlining the changes in our schools beginning with the 2003/2004 school year.

School bells soon will be heard in Fulton County, ringing in the 2003-04 school year. The opening of two new schools and implementation of new student achievement programs are highlights of the school year, which begins for students August 11.

With an enrollment expected to top 73,000 students, the Fulton County School System is the fourth largest school district in Georgia. The school system has approximately 9,900 full-time employees, 6,000 of whom are teachers and other certified personnel, who work throughout the county in 83 schools and other administrative buildings.

There are 50 elementary schools, 16 middle schools, 13 high schools, and four charter schools. Two elementary schools operate year-round ­ College Park ES and Parklane ES ­ which began their new school year July 14.

During August 4-8, a task force of 38 school social workers will activate "Project First Day," an information campaign to educate students and parents about the importance of attendance on the first day of school.

Project First Day was started in 1998 to combat the wait-a-week or wait-until-Labor-Day attendance syndrome. Social workers began posting and distributing special Project First Day fliers to apartment complexes, churches and other places of worship, neighborhood businesses and playgrounds, and any other meeting places where parents and school-age children gather.

Social workers also are calling parents of chronically absent students to remind them of the first day of school and to answer any questions they may have about the new school year.

Here are some other highlights for the start of school:

New Superintendent­ Though his first official day was June 3, new Superintendent John T. Haro will mark the beginning of his first official school year in Fulton on August 11.

A veteran educator with a 20-year record of success as a superintendent, Dr. Haro also has served as a teacher, athletic director, dean of students, assistant principal, and high school principal. His priorities include focusing Fulton's resources toward closing the achievement gap among students while enabling students who excel to reach higher levels of performance and making sure all students have the opportunity to reach their potential.

New Principals ­ New principals have been named at the following schools:

Brookview Elementary School-Paul Brown (former assistant principal at Camp Creek MS)

Gullatt Elementary School - Telana Hicks (formerly of Compton Unified School District, Calif.)

Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School-Gregory King (formerly of Atlanta City Schools)

Seaborn Lee Elementary School-Emily Massey (former assistant principal at Bethune ES)

Mt.Olive Elementary School-Darryl Felker (former assistant principal at Brookview ES)

McClarin High School Anita Willingham (former principal at McNair MS)

McNair Middle School-Ronald Taylor (formerly of New Orleans Public Schools)

Woodland Middle School- Will Bradley (former assistant principal at Paul D. West MS)

KIPP South Fulton Academy opened as a charter school in July 2003, becoming Fulton's second start-up charter middle school. The Academy aims at strengthening the knowledge, skills, character, and physical fitness of middle school students in south Fulton County.

Spalding Drive Elementary School was awarded conversion charter status in March. It becomes Fulton's second conversion charter school after Woodland Elementary Charter.

As charter schools, KIPP South Fulton Academy and Spalding Drive operate as part of the Fulton County School System but are exempt from some local and state rules due to their charter, which are approved by the Fulton County and State boards of education. KIPP is located at 1286 E. Washington Avenue in East Point and Spalding Drive Elementary is located at 130 Spalding Drive NE in Sandy Springs.