The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, a bill to provide state-funded scholarships to low-income families who want to send their children to some of the state’s most costly private schools, passed the Georgia General Assembly and is just a step away from becoming law. If Gov. Brian Kemp signs the measure as expected, it’s likely to […]
K-12
Posted inEducation, K-12
‘Bridging the Gap’: Here’s How APS GO Teams Connect Communities to the School Board
Another Atlanta Public Schools election season is around the corner, and this time community stakeholders will have the opportunity to vote for a hyper-local advisory council that relies on parents, educators, community leaders, and students to inform the Atlanta Board of Education of happenings on the school level. Similar to the city of Atlanta’s Neighborhood […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Black Lawmakers Pushing for Increase in Funds for Poor K-12th Students
Georgia Legislative Black Caucus members are supporting a bill that would increase public education funding for kindergarten through 12th-grade students living below the poverty line throughout the state. If enacted, advocates say HB 668, aka the Georgia Educational Opportunity Act, would amend Georgia’s Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula to include a $1,500 per-pupil weighted […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Interested in Charter Schools? APS Just Opened Its Application Process.
It’s that time of year again. Atlanta Public Schools’ Office of Charter and Partner Schools has officially started its application process for the 2024-2025 school year. Seven charter schools operating within APS are now accepting applications through one comprehensive process called Apply APS Charter, a collaboration between APS and participating charter schools. Applications opened on […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Inside One Black Mom’s Fight Against Expulsion in Fulton County
Back in January, Zaire Byrd, then a junior at Tri-Cities High School, got into a fight with a few other boys after school. Per the Fulton County Schools student code of conduct, all the boys received an automatic 10-day suspension pending investigation and disciplinary hearings. Following the disciplinary hearings, each of the boys was given […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Meet the Educator Who Wants to be the First Active Teacher on the APS Board
This story was published as part of our #APSVotes project with Atlanta Civic Circle to help shed light on APS school board elections. Read our school board election voting guide here. Alfred “Shivy” Brooks’ outlook as an educator changed at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. An economics and government teacher at Clayton County’s Charles […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Breaking Down the APS $1.7 Billion Budget
This story was published as part of our #APSVotes project with Atlanta Civic Circle to help shed light on APS school board elections. Read our school board election voting guide here. How the City Council votes earns most of the headlines, but the Atlanta Board of Education’s budget is a much bigger deal in terms of tax dollars spent. The […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Chronic Absenteeism Has More Than Doubled in Atlanta Public Schools
This story was published as part of our #APSVotes project with Atlanta Civic Circle to help shed light on APS school board elections. Read our school board election voting guide here. At first glance, the Back 2 School Bash looked like Atlanta Public Schools’ version of Dragon Con. Over 12,000 families milled around the Georgia World Congress Center’s convention floor […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
The Push to Amplify Black Voices in ATL School Board Elections
This story was published as part of our #APSVotes project with Atlanta Civic Circle to help shed light on APS school board elections. Read our school board election voting guide here. Before Kimberly Dukes was an Atlanta Public Schools mother, she was a student in the system. She remembers how her mother couldn’t always be present during her educational journey. […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Have Questions About the School Board Election? We Have You Covered.
Early voting for Atlanta Board of Education elections kicks off on Oct 16. Ten candidates are vying for five seats on the board, which governs Atlanta Public Schools and its more than 50,000 students across the city. With polls opening soon, Capital B Atlanta answered some frequently asked questions people might have about the school […]