Clayton County schools foundation outlines convocation center plan as board presses for audit and oversight

The Clayton County Public Schools Foundation on Sept. 29 presented a progress report on the district’s Convocation Center, donor commitments and operations planning while several board members pressed the foundation and the superintendent for clearer financial reporting and stronger governance.

Hailam Tedesi, chair of the foundation, described the organization’s mission and recent progress, saying the foundation “exists as a philanthropic organization fostering the sustainable growth, development, and academic achievement of students in Clayton.” He outlined a financing and sponsorship pipeline that includes a $5,000,000 Delta commitment for the Junior Achievement Learning Center and said the foundation’s reported total assets were about $7.1 million and that revenue and donations have grown year-over-year.

Why it matters: the Convocation Center is a multimillion-dollar venue intended to host graduations, job fairs, concerts and regional sporting events. The foundation and district say it could reduce the system’s spend on offsite graduations and create new earned revenue. Board members…