Clayton County School District work session, Sep 28, 2026

3 h 33 min · 1 public speaker

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 33 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Clayton County board votes not to renew arena management agreement 3:28:38

  • The consent agenda passed with 9 yes votes, and Policy Series G and Policy Series M each passed unanimously. 2:01:38
  • The board also approved a resolution for the issuance of a $45 million TAN by a vote of 7 affirmative with 2 abstentions. 2:20:41
  • Before the vote, a representative of the arena's operator presented its work, and district staff presented an alternative in which the district would take back more control over the facility. 2:27:23
  • The board voted 6 to 2, with 1 abstention, to accept the superintendent's recommendation not to renew its management agreement with The Wright Productions, Inc. for the arena at Southlake. 3:28:38

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and agenda adoption 5:40
    • The chair called the meeting back to order after executive session at 6:01 PM, led the Pledge of Allegiance and conducted roll call. 5:40
    • The chair said the meeting was a combined board meeting and work session. 9:12
    • The agenda was adopted 8⁠-⁠0. 11:05
  2. Public participation 10:48
    • A speaker at public comment asked the district to repeal a rule restricting homecoming applicants by biological sex and said a petition with nearly 1,000 signatures would be emailed to the district. 13:02
  3. Executive session actions 16:01
    • The superintendent recommended appointments for assistant principal at Callaway Elementary and for assistant director of transportation. 16:01
    • Mary Baker moved to approve right-of-way easement agreements for 6630 Camp Street and 95 Valley Hill Road. 19:18
  4. Board member updates 21:14
    • Jasmine Bowles said the modernization project at the high school they graduated from was 65% complete. 25:47
    • Victoria Williams showed pictures of a 4th annual back-to-school event. 29:06
    • Mary Baker said several board members attended the ribbon cutting at Terrace Stadium. 29:32
  5. Announcements and minutes 32:49
    • Students read the district's October announcements, including that all schools and offices will be closed for fall break from Monday, October 12th through Friday, October 16th. 33:19
    • The students announced that the November board meeting will take place on Monday, November 2nd, at 6 PM. 37:29
    • The chair said the minutes of the August 31st, 2026, work session and the September 9th, 2026, board meeting stood as presented with no changes. 39:18
  6. Early literacy update 39:59
    • A district staff member said the district has hired 3 science of reading coaches and expects to have one in all 39 elementary schools next school year. 44:35
    • A district staff member said an update to Policy IHE will be brought to the board for review and approval at the next board meeting. 45:40
    • Sabrina Hill asked how the district is serving the 739 students who exited the early intervention program. 49:09
  7. Graduation rates and assessment data 53:00
    • A presenter said the district's graduation rate was 88.3%, just below the state, and that 83.9% of students with disabilities graduated. 53:10
    • The presenter said 27.9% of students were projected to be proficient in reading and 27% in math on the MAP assessment. 55:44
  8. Magnet programs and partnerships 58:15
    • A district staff member said the newest magnet program is the Riverdale Early Learning Center, which offers pre-K-3, pre-K-4 and kindergarten. 1:01:22
    • One board member suggested the chiropractors offering services at athletic events could help during graduation week. 1:04:50
    • In response to Sabrina Hill, a staff member said admission to the center has no criteria and uses a random lottery. ~1:05:36
  9. Artificial intelligence framework 1:06:15
    • A district staff member said student access to generative AI remains limited to approved pilot programs and all other AI tools remain blocked for students. 1:07:11
    • One board member said they are worried that children will use AI before they learn to write and spell. 1:09:35
    • Jasmine Bowles asked about a timeline, support for students with disabilities and English learners, and data privacy protections. 1:15:25
  10. ClassDojo and Hope Month presentations 1:18:37
    • A staff member said more than 281,000 messages have been sent through ClassDojo, with 48% of them parent communication. 1:18:37
    • Students presented on Hope Month and the caring adults in the building initiative. 1:21:24
    • Victoria Williams asked whether parents could use one app instead of several, and Joy Tellis Cooper asked for a demonstration of ClassDojo for board members. 1:31:10
  11. Consent agenda 1:33:26
    • A finance staff member said the district had collected a little over $25 million, or 3.4% of budgeted revenue, as of August 31st. 1:34:10
    • A staff member said a capital outlay application would provide state funds for HVAC and roof replacements at Terrell Elementary and Sequoia Middle for summer 2027. 1:45:43
    • A staff member said there were 40 teacher vacancies as of last Monday. 1:52:03
    • The consent agenda passed with 9 yes votes. 2:01:38
  12. Board meeting calendar 2:02:03
    • Sabrina Hill asked for clarification on the January meeting date, and a staff member said it was a typo. 2:02:56
    • The chair said the board will vote on the calendar at the next board meeting. 2:03:34
  13. Policy Series G and M 2:03:50
    • Jasmine Bowles asked whether staff are notified of the new birth leave provided under HB 1118 and about using exit survey data in personnel updates. 2:04:17
    • In response to Sabrina Hill, a staff member said paid parental leave is separate from FMLA and provides up to 120 hours. 2:11:19
    • Policy Series G and Policy Series M each passed unanimously. 2:13:14
  14. Tax anticipation note 2:14:09
    • A finance staff member said the resolution would authorize Regions Bank to issue a $45 million note at an interest rate of 3.63% because of a delay in receiving property tax revenues. 2:14:46
    • A staff member said the $45 million in TANs will be paid back from property tax collection on December 30th. 2:18:04
    • One board member said they abstained because of a vision for a budget that can withstand 2 to 3 months of cash flow challenges. 2:21:34
    • The resolution passed with 7 affirmative votes and 2 abstentions. 2:20:56
  15. Arena management agreement 2:21:56
    • A representative of the arena's operator said the company is not asking for any more money from the district for 2027. 2:35:36
    • One board member said it was not wise from their position as a board member to continue in the current manner. 2:48:03
    • The superintendent recommended not renewing the management agreement with The Wright Productions, Inc. and moving to district-managed operations of the arena at Southlake. 3:28:38
    • The motion to accept the recommendation passed with 6 votes in support, 2 against and 1 abstention. 3:32:46

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

What was said

What board members said, in order

I see that you have split it up as to where the money is divided into, but I just want to know, why is it 2 lines for for the, uh, summer interns. So one has that amount of $130K, and then there's another one down there for $311K.Joy Tellis Cooper · Board member1:39:17
Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Clayton County Board of Education Work Session/Regular Board Meeting | September 28, 2026”