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APS Board Update – March 2025

Key Focus Areas: Discussion on FY25 budget adjustments, FY26 budget planning, compensation and salary updates, literacy investments, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation, facilities planning, and school nutrition programs.

Accountability

  • Budget Deficit and Cost-Saving Measures:
    • Addressing the $100M budget gap for FY26 and identifying cost-saving opportunities such as opting out of HB581 (savings of $20-30M).
    • Reviewing staffing ratios and potential savings of $251M-$344M by aligning with similar districts.
    • Implementing a 20% reduction in central office expenses ($60M total savings target).
  • ERP Implementation and Data Governance:
    • Concerns raised about 61 use cases for ERP and ensuring data governance issues are resolved.
    • Gartner identified five key improvement areas for the ERP system.
    • Future updates will be provided on cost savings achieved through ERP.
  • Teacher Experience and Student Outcomes:
    • Notable increase in teachers with 3+ years of experience, raising concerns about tracking student outcomes linked to teacher retention.
    • Discussion on whether salary incentives for long-tenured teachers should be tied to student success in high-need schools.

Equity

  • Literacy Investment and Curriculum Adoption:
    • Alignment with the Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB 538), Dyslexia Law (SB 48), and Georgia Council on Literacy (SB 211).
    • ELA curriculum vendors under review: Savvas, HMH, McGraw Hill, Amplify, and Benchmark Advance.
    • Investment of $10M+ for K-12 literacy improvements, with stakeholder engagement from principals, teachers, and parents.
  • Facilities Master Plan and School Utilization:
    • Addressing 51 underutilized/low-enrollment schools (22,000 empty seats) while ensuring resources are used efficiently.
    • Six overcrowded middle/high schools identified for future capacity planning.
    • Community engagement process scheduled April–October 2025, with board votes in November–December 2025.
  • School Nutrition Improvements:
    • Evaluating district participation trends in the meal program and potential policy adjustments to increase student meal engagement.
    • Exploring expansion of Breakfast in the Classroom and Grab & Go options to address declining breakfast participation.

Access & School Options

  • Support for Small Schools and Program Evaluation:
    • Discussion on $11.5M allocation to underfunded small schools.
    • Potential program cuts under review: Readers Are Leaders ($11.8M), Turnaround Initiative ($12M).
  • Charter School Facility Grant Adjustment:
    • $404,358 increase to the FY25 Local Charter School Facility Grant, bringing total funding to $1.9M.

Community Engagement Opportunities

  • Upcoming Public Hearings/Feedback Sessions:
    • Facilities Master Plan community engagement (April–October 2025).
    • Budget Commission discussions in May 2025.
  • How to Get Involved:
    • Attend committee and community engagement meetings to provide input on budget and facilities planning.
    • Participate in district surveys and community taskforce discussions.

Next Steps

  • March 20, 2025: Budget Commission’s first review of the comprehensive budget.
  • April 17, 2025: Review of FY2026 Special Revenue, SPLOST, and School Nutrition programs.
  • May 5, 2025: Tentative Board adoption of the FY2026 budget.
  • May 15, 2025: Budget Commission final review.
  • June 2, 2025: Final Board adoption of the budget.

Stay Informed & Take Action!

ign up for our upcoming community dialogue session: Charter Accountability Community Dialogue Session

Presentations

Additional Board Meetings

APS Board Update – June 2025

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APS Board Update – May 2025 

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APS Board Update – April 2025

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Dr. Keith Colbert

Dr. Keith A. Colbert has served in the Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) system since 1998, starting his career as a fourth-grade teacher at Northcutt Elementary School. After a two-year tenure at Northcutt Elementary, he transferred to Morrow High School, where he served as a math teacher, special education teacher, and assistant head basketball coach. To gain insightful leadership experience, Dr. Colbert shadowed the administrative team, gained useful school leadership experience, and obtained a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Troy State University.

Dr. Colbert was selected as assistant principal of Mundy’s Mill High School (MMHS) in 2003 under the leadership of Dr. Anthony W. Smith. During his tenure at MMHS, he was instrumental in preparing the first class to graduate from the newly constructed school.

Dr. Colbert was recognized as a future principal leader in the district and was selected as one of twelve future leaders to participate in the principal preparation program, “A Forward-LEAP.” After completing this program, Dr. Colbert was appointed principal of Lovejoy Middle School in 2006, where he led more than 1,400 students. At the time, Lovejoy Middle School was the largest middle school in the district and considered underperforming. Dr. Colbert and his team led the school to substantial improvements in student achievement and were consequently selected as the 2008 Georgia PTSA Principal of the Year.

Driven to nurture a class of students from 6th grade to graduation, Dr. Colbert was appointed principal of Lovejoy High School in July 2009, where he served for seven years. He is one of the few principals in traditional high schools who is fortunate to have guided sixth graders to graduation with the Class of 2013. During his tenure at Lovejoy High School, the school was recognized as a Title I Rewards school in 2012 and 2013, SAT’s greatest gains school in 2012, and a USA News top high school in 2011. Dr. Colbert’s achievements led to a finalist for Principal of the Year for Clayton County Public Schools in 2011 and 2013.

In June of 2016, Dr. Keith A. Colbert was appointed Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Clayton County Public Schools.

Cayanna Good, Ph.D.

Dr. Cayanna Good serves as Deputy Commissioner for Innovation and Impact at the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), where she leads systemwide strategic planning and drives organizational improvement across all institutional pillars.
Previously, she served as Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Adult Education, overseeing statewide literacy initiatives, workforce alignment, and Georgia’s high school equivalency credentialing program.

Before joining TCSG, Dr. Good held leadership roles at the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, the Georgia Department of Education, Teach For America, and TNTP. Her career began in the classroom in Houston — an experience that continues to ground her unwavering commitment to equity, access, and opportunity for all learners.

Dr. Good earned her bachelor’s degree from Fisk University, her master’s from Georgia State University, and her doctorate from Mercer University. She serves as Chairperson of the State Charter School Commission, she is a member of the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a member of the Brookwood High School Local School Council.