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Bradberry hails unity in first State of the City address By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Dozens of residents gathered at Mount Pisgah Christian School Feb. 22 for the annual State of the City address in Johns Creek. It was Mayor John Bradberry’s first address. Smattered with jokes, the speech reinforced many of the priorities the City Council established during their retreat in January: the town center, legacy center for the arts, Cauley Creek Park and economic development. Bradberry also touched on public safety, stormwater and his campaign promise to help the city become a better community. The mayor also lauded the unity of the current City Council. Each of the five newly elected members ran together on a single ticket and there has been a marked decrease in in-council fighting on the dais during meetings and events this term. Two challenges Bradberry said face Johns Creek today are limited unassigned financial reserves he estimated to total around $3 million and the growing national inflation rate. Both he said, hinder the city’s ability to launch new programs and fund larger projects. But Bradberry also said they can both be managed, reporting that the financial state of the city, “remains extremely strong.” Bradberry went on to acknowledge the many strengths he sees in Johns Creek, which he called “the sizzle,” as compared to the city’s fundamentals which he called, “the steak.” “Now, we are known as a premier bedroom community, and although we will always have that at our core, we are so much more than this,” Bradberry said. “We are a premier arts and culture community; we are a premier health and
Georgia Milestones return to classrooms after two-year hiatus State reimplements exams used to decide placement By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com
SYDNEY DANGREMOND/APPEN MEDIA
Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry delivers his first State of the City address Feb. 22 at Mount Pisgah Christian School. The speech reinforced many of the priorities the City Council established during their retreat in January: the town center, legacy center for the arts, Cauley Creek Park and economic development. wellness community; we are a premier sports and recreation community, and we are also a community of great patriotism and veterans.” But public safety, he said, is the foundation of everything else. In preparation for his first budget proposal this summer, Bradberry said he has been working with City Manager Ed Densmore to determine proper staffing levels for the Police Department and praised the work of the department under new Police Chief Mark Mitchell citing increased citizen engagement and increased transparency. “The other big priority is building
greater community,” Bradberry said. “For too long we have been seen as a collection of nice neighborhoods but lacking that cohesive sense of identity, a sense of place and a sense of community. This dynamic is going to change.” Bradberry shared plans for making the city more physically connected through trails and improving existing and new park space through the city’s upcoming strategic parks plan update. “This process will shape how we complete the build out of our park lands and other programming,” Bradberry
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ATLANTA — High stakes testing returns to the classroom this spring after two years of COVID-19 disruption meant few penalties for low performance and participation. That won’t be the case this year. “[Georgia] Milestones tests will proceed and they will count,” said Chief Academic Officer Cliff Jones during the February meeting of the Fulton County Board of Education. The federally-mandated Georgia Milestones assessments were waived in spring 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, assessments returned, but testing was optional and scores could only help – not hurt – a student’s final grade. This year, the Georgia Department of Education is again requesting some flexibility from the U.S. Department of Education for the Milestones assessments. A spokeswoman for the GDOE said the state was allowed to cancel Georgia Milestones in 2020 and make
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