District says schools ready for Day 1; board presses staff on Church Street construction and summer program attendance

District leaders told the Clayton County Board of Education on July 28 that classrooms, schedules and key operational systems are prepared for the upcoming school year, while board members pressed staff about an ongoing renovation at Church Street and summer program attendance shortfalls.

Superintendent Anthony Smith introduced a leadership-retreat recap and instructional-readiness briefing that district staff said prioritized literacy, lesson planning and collaborative professional learning. Dr. Colbert and Dr. Young (presenters identified in the meeting) reviewed summer-school operations, summer-bridge plans for rising sixth and ninth graders, and a new K–1 instructional model trained in Orton-Gillingham (OG) methods for early literacy.

Summer school and enrollment Staff reported 14 summer-school sites this year and said summer learning cost the district approximately $1,600,000 (figure provided by staff during the presentation). District presenters said enrollment often exceeded daily attendance;…