September 10, 2026
The meeting was held in the Sutton Middle School auditorium. Emily Boatright opened the meeting along with Ena Brooks, president of NAPPS. Emily then introduced the elected officials in attendance These included Councilmember District 8 Mary Norwood, Atlanta Public School Board Chair Jessica Johnson, Vice Chair of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education, Ken Zeff, District 7 Member At Large Alfred “Shivy” Brooks, District 8 Member At Large Kaycee Brock.
Dr. Bryan Johnson, Superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools led a community meeting reviewing his Back to Basics 2030 Strategic Plan focusing on strengthening academic outcomes and preparing Atlanta students for success in college, career, and life. He introduced several of his staff as well as Dr. Dominique Merriweather, principal at Sutton Middle School, who were in attendance.
When he joined Atlanta Public Schools there was a deficit of about $100 million and a school system built for about 70,000 students, but with only about 48,500, of which about 39,000 are students in traditional schools. The teacher retention rate is about 90%. They cut about 70% from the budget which allowed more money into our schools and the community.
Dr. Johnson went on to further explain his back to basics around literacy, a focus on the science of reading, teaching cursive and using books – not electronic tools – to teach reading. In math science and social studies, APS had the highest year-over-year gains of any school district in metro-Atlanta. So, something is working. We do need to continue to right-size our schools with the current enrollment. APS has made tremendous strides in becoming a leader in education.
Some of the commitments Dr. Johnson made were:
• Re-look at the E-SPLOST document to more clearly articulate the commitment to Sarah Smith’s campus consolidation and address the community’s concerns.
• Connect Jenny Perry with Adam Dancer and Anthony Johnson to address transportation issues.
• Review 10-day policy/procedure regarding accommodations for those transferring from private schools.
• Revamp the enrollment and recruitment process to make it more customer-friendly and centric.
• Increase marketing efforts to tell the story of APS and compete for students in the open market.
• Work on consolidating and expanding Career Technical Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs, including seeking investment from business partners.
The discussion also covered school facilities, with concerns raised about HVAC issues and the priority of Sarah Smith’s campus renovation. Sana Imad raised questions about exceptional education, to which Dr. Johnson responded that the role is now led by an assistant superintendent at the senior leadership table. The conversation ended with discussions about transportation changes and charter schools, with Dr. Johnson emphasizing high expectations for all schools, including charters and traditional public schools.
There was praise for the excellent job and expressed appreciation for feedback on TAD (Tax Allocation District) investments. APS lacks a formal oversight process for TAD investments and emphasizes the importance of creating one to study outcomes and make informed decisions. The current TAD review committee’s work is aiming to produce a report with recommendations by November or December. The discussion also covered APS’s collaboration with the City of Atlanta on affordable housing development, noting they maintain constant communication about facility opportunities and school repurposing, particularly focusing on multi-bedroom developments in areas where schools were not at capacity.
The meeting adjourned at 8:45pm.
Respectfully submitted
Anne McKillips, Secretary