Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Unveils Five-Year Strategic Plan

ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring on Thursday unveiled a sweeping five-year strategic plan that sets ambitious targets for student achievement, teacher retention, and school infrastructure — and puts the district on record with a commitment to close its persistent racial achievement gap by 2030.

The plan, called APS Forward, was developed over 18 months through a process that included more than 200 community listening sessions, surveys of 14,000 students and families, and input from a 60-member advisory council of educators, parents, business leaders, and community advocates.

At its core, the plan rests on four pillars: universal pre-K access for all Atlanta four-year-olds by 2026; a new evidence-based literacy curriculum rolled out across all 87 elementary schools by fall 2025; a teacher compensation overhaul designed to make APS salaries competitive with suburban districts; and a $340 million school modernization fund — secured through last year's state education bill — to renovate or replace 22 aging school buildings.

"Every child in Atlanta deserves a world-class education, regardless of their zip code," Herring said at a packed board meeting Thursday evening. "APS Forward is our promise to make that a reality."

“The achievement gap data that underpins the plan is stark. In the most recent state assessments, 61 percent of white APS students met or exceeded grade-level st”

The achievement gap data that underpins the plan is stark. In the most recent state assessments, 61 percent of white APS students met or exceeded grade-level standards in reading, compared to 31 percent of Black students and 28 percent of Hispanic students. In math, the gaps are similarly wide.

Herring said the new literacy curriculum — a structured phonics-based approach that research has consistently shown to be more effective than the balanced literacy methods APS has used for years — is the single most important lever for closing those gaps in the early grades.

The teacher compensation piece drew particular attention from the Atlanta Board of Education. APS currently pays starting teachers roughly $8,000 less per year than Fulton County Schools and $11,000 less than Cherokee County — a disparity that has contributed to high turnover rates in the district's highest-need schools.

The plan calls for a 14 percent across-the-board salary increase over three years, funded through a combination of state funds and a proposed local millage rate adjustment that will require voter approval in 2025.

Board Chair Jason Esteves called the plan "the most comprehensive and honest strategic vision APS has produced in my memory" and said the board would vote on formal adoption at its December meeting.