J u l y 7 , 2 0 2 2 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 2 6 , N o . 2 7
Schools pursue closing chasm COVID created in classrooms By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com
SCREENSHOT/JAKE DRUKMAN/APPEN MEDIA
The Development Authority of Fulton County livestreams its June 28 meeting, in which it approved a $75 million tax break for a new Boston Scientific location to come to Johns Creek.
Global firm plans site in Johns Creek By JAKE DRUKMAN jake@appenmedia.com FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Massachusetts-based medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific is expanding into Johns Creek. The company produces, designs and develops medical devices and procedures for specialized health care providers. It has facilities and headquarters across the U.S., Europe, Central America, Asia and South Africa. The Development Authority of Fulton County gave final approval June 28
to a $75 million revenue bond for the facility that will provide the company a 10-year property tax abatement on its new plant. Until Tuesday, the Development Authority referred to the Boston Scientific development under the codename “Project Lemon Lime.” Boston Scientific already has a presence in Alpharetta, and its new Johns Creek facility will be at the former State Farm campus on Johns Creek Parkway, adjacent to a newly planned mixed-use development headed by Avalon developer Mark Toro’s company.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s office announced the new facility Tuesday afternoon, saying it represents a $62.5 million investment from the company and will bring about 340 new jobs to Fulton County. “As home to some of the leading universities and technical colleges in the country, Georgia produces top talent for growing fields like the life sciences industry,” Kemp stated. “I look forward to seeing the impact of this
See EXPANSION, Page 7
ATLANTA —Fulton County Schools is one year into an ambitious threeyear program to get students back on academic track after the COVID-19 pandemic. With reams of research showing student achievement lagged during the nearly two-year span of the pandemic, district officials are confident the gap can close by 2024. “While there are some successes, we have a lot of work to close the achievement gap which has widened,” said Fulton Schools’ Chief Information Officer Brian Noyes. “Our continued implementation of [academic interventions] aim to support all students in the district and initiate new programs to close these gaps in the future.” Last spring, Fulton Schools launched the “Bridge to Success”
See BRIDGE, Page 19