Civil Municipal Magazine - Nov 2023

216 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 11 under Georgia’s Accelerated Career Diploma program. Jones explains, “This institution will feature six career pathways, allowing students to earn certifications, making them work-ready sooner than traditional schooling paths.” Jones-Huff pivots the discussion to the operational side, highlighting a substantial investment for the district. “We’re deep into our five-year capital plan,” she reports, mentioning its impressive $1.2 billion budget. A significant chunk of this budget, around $648 million, is earmarked for the facility master plan. “Under this plan, we’re not just replacing three schools, but also exploring the consolidation or merging of two middle schools,” she adds. Jones-Huff unveils a pioneering academic initiative: “For the first time in Fulton County Schools, we’re considering a kindergarten through eighth grade school, a fresh approach that’s part of our plan.” This emphasis on refurbishing and expanding facilities signifies a bright future for the district’s operations. PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Layer 3 Communications, LLC layer3com.com Layer 3 Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of MGT Consulting, specializing in local and wide area networking.  Our areas of expertise include network design, complex infrastructure engagements, IT assessments and strategic planning, professional IT staffing, cloud & managed solutions, and both managed network and cyber security solutions (NOC & SOC). n American Facility Services, Inc. americanfacilityservices.com n FireSide firesidenaturalgas.com n Perimeter Office Products www.perimeteroffice.com