The Atlanta Board of Education approved its 2025 budget that includes an 11% pay raise for teachers – the largest increase in Atlanta Public Schools’ history.

The full budget approved Monday for Atlanta Public Schools is $1.79 billion, with the general fund set at $1.26 billion. A presentation on the budget can be found by clicking here.

According to ABOE, the teacher pay raise “ensures that teachers and staff are recognized for their tireless efforts to ensure all students receive high-quality instruction and support.”

“This significant pay increase will positively impact our teachers, which was a focus throughout the budget process,” ABOE Chair Erika Mitchell said in a statement. “I appreciate the Budget Commission’s work with Superintendent Battle, along with every Board member’s participation in the process. The budget is an important lever the Board has to improve student outcomes and teacher morale, and we must ensure it aligns with our priorities and needs for the greatest impact on our students.”

“We know that the true value of our dedicated employees’ work and contribution is difficult to quantify or put on a salary schedule, but we are committed to providing competitive salaries that will allow them to better feed their families while helping us retain our outstanding workforce,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Danielle Battle said in a statement. “We are grateful that our board members share this belief.”

Other highlights from the approved for the 2024- 2025 school year budget include:

●        $11.8 million for the Superintendent’s “Readers are Leaders” initiative focused on ensuring all students are reading on grade level

●        $9 million for Special Education

●        $15.4 million for a new in-house Nutrition Program

●        $720,000 for Safety and Security

●        $7.8 million for one additional position at every school to support the whole child

Some of these new funds were achieved through the reductions in APS’s Central Office staff in an effort to provide more money to the schools. 

Superintendent search

While the budget is done, the search for a new superintendent continues. Mitchell said ABOE is currently reviewing candidates, but is protecting the confidentiality of applicants by excluding any identifying factors, such as the candidates’ name, current district, or any other factors that would reveal their identity during the process

The board extended the application window from May 2 to May 17 after board members learned the names of some candidates were made public — a violation of the process.

“You have a group of parents, you have community people, you have stakeholders, you have people who know people all around the United States and Georgia and Atlanta — and people are having conversations,” Mitchell said in a May interview with Rough Draft.

“I was told this is one of the biggest searches, so people are talking about it,” she said. “Conversations were taking place in different areas all over the city, there were candidates that were sharing information with the public, to lobby people to support them for the position.”

Charter school denied

The board also voted Monday 7-2 to again deny the five-year start-up charter petition for Tapestry Public Charter School Atlanta.

Tapestry, a DeKalb County school focused on students with special needs such as autism and learning disabilities, attempted to open a new school in the APS system last fall, but was stymied by the board.

“In line with its governance role, the vote taken by the board tonight affirms the administration’s rationale for denial of this charter petition, including concerns about the proposed school’s capacity to address the range of needs for Atlanta Public Schools students most in need of special education services and the potential impact of opening this new school on district operations,” said a written statement from the school board.

Tapestry issued a statement following the vote:

We are extremely disappointed by the Atlanta Public Schools Board’s decision to deny our petition for replication into the APS district. After following their guidance from last year’s process and meeting the expectations set forth by the Board members, we had hoped that they would revisit their previous decision.

This outcome will be devastating to the many families that supported the creation of Tapestry within the APS community, and we are saddened that too many Atlanta families are being denied the opportunity to experience the inclusive, individualized, and innovative programs that Tapestry has to offer for so many students in need.

We will continue to serve neurodiverse students in a manner best befitting their educational needs, as is our mission, and we truly believe and have shown that there is a need for our program in the APS school district.  Our success has been recognized at both the State and National level. The Tapestry Board remains committed to replicate the Tapestry model, and we will take some time to determine our next steps as we continue to consider other interested partners in the metro-Atlanta area.