• Local School Council

    The A+ Education Reform Act of 2000 established school councils in Georgia to “bring communities and schools closer together in a spirit of cooperation to achieve the following:

    • solve difficult education problems
    • improve academic achievement
    • provide support for teachers and administrators
    • bring parents into the school-based decision-making process

    School councils provide advice, recommendations, and assistance to principals and local boards of education. The law details the composition of the council, its responsibilities, and procedures for conducting business.

    The 2004 General Assembly in HB 1190 provided flexibility in membership, chairmanship, meetings, elections and trainings for school councils. The changes also provided clarity that school councils are to focus on student achievement and school improvement.

    The 2007 General Assembly changed the composition of school councils, requiring that a majority of members be parents (or guardians) and that at least two parents be businesspersons. At a minimum, a School Council is composed of seven members, indcluding the following:

    • The Principal
    • Two certificated teachers elected by the teachers
    • Four parents (or guardians) elected by the parents (please list as “Parent”); two of the parents must be businesspersons
    • The school council may, within its bylaws, increase the number of members, as long as the parents remain the majority.

    Hopkins Elementary School Council Members:

    Gabriel Zaragoza, Principal

    Jackie Graham, Assistant Principal         

    Joe Sanfilippo, Assistant Principal

    Jewlana Smith-Hunter, Assistant Principal

    Lisa Bevens, Assistant Principal

    Tesha Soto, Schoo Counselor

    Maria Miller, Parent Center Coordinator

    Ingrid Abarca, Parent Center Coordinator

    Derek Farnsworth, Business Partner                                

    Joana Turner, Parent                                                          

    Maria Martell, Parent                                             

    Farhad Lokhandwala, Parent                                          

    Esmeralda Perez, Parent                                     

    Wendy Delbrune, Parent                                  

    Rosa Arango, Parent

     

    2020-2021 Local School Council Meeting Dates:  September 26, November 6, January 29, and March 19