Clayton County board approves easement with Georgia Power, personnel reelections and Fountain Elementary RFP; adopts policy updates

The Clayton County Board of Education on April 13 approved a recommendation to grant an easement to Georgia Power for property at 137 Spring Street in Jonesboro and took several personnel and procurement votes, while a board member abstained from the financial report vote citing questions about the district's fund balance.

The board approved the easement after the superintendent said the item had been recommended for action. The motion to approve the easement with Georgia Power was made and seconded and passed 8'yeas, 1 abstention; Doctor Dehaney was recorded as the abstention.

On personnel matters the board considered the 2026'27 coordinator-and-above reelection list (including one assistant-principal addition). Members agreed to accept the list with several items pulled for separate consideration (nos. 23, 73, 96 and 118). Each pulled item was then voted on individually and approved, with the board recording one or more abstentions and a single "no" vote on at least one pulled item during roll-call votes.

The consent agenda ' which included budget amendments, SPLOST revenue and construction reports, purchasing reports, a corrected local facility plan resolution, and personnel changes ' was approved unanimously. The board then voted to approve the RFP for Fountain Elementary (item g); the motion carried with eight affirmative votes and one no.

When the board took up the financial report, one member abstained, saying she did not yet have a clear understanding of the district's financial stability or projections and citing approximately $3,000,000 paid to the convocation center and an additional $3,000,000 in state supplement funds that appeared to come from fund balance. The member said she wanted more clarity before voting to accept the report.

During the business agenda the board discussed updates to policy series J. District staff explained the review process, noted the policy had been loaded to eBoard and opened for public input, and said departments and the board had been included in review iterations. The board voted to adopt the J policies as presented; two members abstained.

Separately, the board voted to restore student performance start times to the regular 6:00 p.m. board meeting time (with a time limit for performances). Members who opposed the earlier 4:30 p.m. start said the earlier time prevented full board participation and made it harder for working parents to attend; the motion passed with seven votes in favor and two abstentions.

The meeting adjourned at 7:23 p.m.

Votes at a glance

- Easement with Georgia Power (137 Spring Street, Jonesboro): approved, 8 yeas, 1 abstention (Doctor Dehaney). - Coordinator-and-above reelection list: approved with specified items removed for individual vote; pulled items 23, 96, 118, 73 each later approved in separate roll-call votes. - Consent agenda (budget amendments; SPLOST reports; purchasing; corrected local facility plan; personnel changes): approved unanimously. - Financial report: accepted; one abstention (member requested more clarity on fund-balance impacts and payments). - RFP for Fountain Elementary (item g): approved, 8 affirmative, 1 no. - Policy series J updates: adopted; 2 abstentions. - Student performance scheduling: motion to move showcases to 6:00 p.m. passed (7 yes, 2 abstentions).

What this means

The board completed multiple routine and substantive actions affecting district operations, facilities procurement, personnel reappointments, and meeting logistics. The lone abstention on the financial report signals at least one board member seeks clearer documentation of recent large payments and the fund-balance implications before endorsing the district's financial posture.