Atlanta Public Schools Board Chairman Releases Statement About Progress of Meeting SACS Requirements

While the Atlanta School Board has made no direct response to the passage of Senate Bill 79, which would allow Gov. Nathan Deal to remove board members, board Chairman Khaatim Sherrer El has issued a statement saying that the board has made "substantial progress" on meeting requirements to retain accreditation.

The legislation, approved by the Georgia General Assembly, must still be signed by Deal and reviewed by the U.S. Justice Department. 

In January, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed the APS high schools on and gave the school board a timeline for meeting six requirements. 

Here is the chairman's statement, released by APS:

The Atlanta Board of Education has made substantial progress in addressing the AdvancEd/SACS accreditation issues well ahead of the deadline set by the agency for resolving the matter. The Governor has a representative who has attended every Board meeting since the beginning of the year who is well aware of the specific progress the Board has made on the SACS accreditation matter. 

AdvancEd/SACS assigned the Board 6 “Required Actions” to be addressed by the September 30, 2011 deadline. The Board is on track to have largely resolved the technical requirements of the required action by the Board’s self-imposed April 29 deadline.  Below is review of the progress the Board has made on each of the items since the beginning of the year.

• Required Action No. 1 – Drafted a long-term Communications Plan with key target audiences, key messages and an outline of communications vehicles to be employed. Convened a cross section of constituents including parents, students and community stakeholders to serve as advisors for the Board regarding implementing the six required actions.        
• Required Action No. 2 – Hired a professional mediator to assist Board members in working together as a cohesive group on the accreditation matter and other issues.        
• Required Action No. 3 – Solicited the services of an expert in policy development and governance and will be bringing the item to the board for approval at its next meeting April 18.
• Required Action No. 4 – Completed its preliminary review of the policy review process.
• Required Action No. 5 – Hired an executive search firm.  The firm received public input regarding the superintendent search process April 11.
• Required Action No. 6 – Approved a Policy Review Plan that prioritizes policies for review.