Superintendent details system-wide needs plan, attendance gains and mental-health funding push

Superintendent Dr. Fatima Fulmore used her March report to highlight student-support data, survey results and the district’s Round 3 system-wide needs proposal, and she sought the board’s direction on funding priorities.

Fulmore presented Panorama survey findings from Leah Chase School showing strong adult–student relationships but notable student-to-student behavior and safety concerns. "Students feel supported by adults, but not consistently safe among peers," Fulmore said, and she pointed to plans emphasizing consistent behavior expectations, equitable discipline and stronger teacher supports.

On chronic absenteeism, Fulmore outlined a coordinated system-level approach launched for 2025–26: the Everyday Counts campaign, an attendance hearing office and a reconnection program. She said the attendance office had received 183 referrals as of March 10; 54 conferences produced an average post-conference attendance gain of 4.3 days for previously low-attending students; and 77 students were reconnected through outreach. Fulmore said more than $1,000,000 in grants had been awarded across 59 schools to support attendance work.

Turning to budget priorities, Fulmore described the draft Round 3 system-wide needs plan organized around "grow, achieve, thrive." She said about $2,000,000 from prior rounds and roughly $14,000,000 in anticipated annual revenue would bring a draft total near $16,000,000 for Round 3 programs, with board approvals and implementation steps scheduled between July and September 2026.

On mental-health services, the board considered Resolution 07-26 to leverage $1.5 million to expand school-based mental-health services. Vice President Olin Parker and Mister Marshall argued that the district should seize matching-fund opportunities to scale services, while Miss Griffin urged caution about routing a large match to a single program (Thrive Kids) without clearer assurances that that would match system-wide priorities. Fulmore clarified that other funding sources (for example, Harris funds) could also support programming and that school leaders helped prioritize how pots of money would be used.

After discussion and clarifications about funding sources and program priorities, the board adopted the mental-health funding resolution. Fulmore said implementation details and allocations would be coordinated with school leaders and tied to the system-wide needs framework.