Below are your weekly updates and reminders from the Georgia Department of Education. Here are your links to the District Deadlines and To-Dos Dashboard and the Digest Archive.
Reminder: Submit Your Count of First-Year Teachers by July 6
For the second year, GaDOE plans to send a small welcome package to each first-year teacher in your district as part of the Teach in the Peach initiative. These packages will be mailed directly to you for local distribution and are intentionally light and easy to store.
To help us plan, please share a rough estimate of how many teachers in your district will be in their first year teaching in any district this school year. An exact count is not necessary – a general estimate will be sufficient. Please respond by July 6, 2026.
Thank you for helping us welcome and celebrate the newest members of Georgia’s education family!
- Additional Information: Submit Your Estimate
- Contact: Selena Blankenship, selena.blankenship@doe.k12.ga.us
Reminder: TKES/LKES in GaConnects Staff
As part of our continued efforts to strengthen and modernize educator evaluation systems across Georgia, GaDOE will transition access to the TKES and LKES platform to GaConnects Staff beginning July 2026.
This transition builds on the pilot work that began earlier this year and reflects our commitment to providing a more streamlined and consistent user experience for educators statewide.
What This Means for LEAs:
- Starting July 2026, all users will access the TKES/LKES platform through GaConnects Staff
- The TKES/LKES platform itself is not changing – only the access point will shift
- MyGaInsights/SLDS access will be sunset on August 1, 2026
- Additional Information: GaConnects Staff Guide
- Contact: Dustin Allen, dustin.allen@doe.k12.ga.us
Reminder: Celebrate Georgia’s Educators with the Atlanta Dream
The Georgia Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year Program is partnering with the Atlanta Dream to offer discounted tickets for educators, families, and supporters this summer. The 2027 Georgia Teacher of the Year finalists will be recognized during the final home game on September 19. We invite you to share this opportunity with your schools and communities.
- Additional Information: Purchase Tickets
Have a great week and Happy Fourth of July!