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Recognizing the fundamental importance of mathematics in students’ educations and future careers, the Georgia Department of Education is recognizing schools with exceptional achievement or growth in mathematics as Math Leaders.

Schools were recognized for achievement or growth in the percentage of students scoring at the Proficient Learner level or above in mathematics. The criteria for the 2023-2024 Math Leader Awards recognize the crucial importance of numeracy skills in fifth and eighth grades, and require higher growth from schools with lower achievement levels.

Awards were given at the elementary and middle-school levels, and at the high-school level based on the Algebra: Concepts and Connections EOC, which is the state test for mathematics in high school.

A total of 624 schools met the qualifications to be recognized as Math Leaders.

“Congratulations to our first-ever Math Leader schools!” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “The skill of numeracy is an essential one, both as students progress through their K-12 education and in their futures. These schools and their educators, students, families, and communities have worked hard to implement the new K-12 Mathematics Standards and prepare all students for life. I commend them on their outstanding work.”

Throughout the fall, Superintendent Woods will visit schools identified as Math Leaders to recognize and congratulate them.

“What a great opportunity to celebrate and recognize the outstanding accomplishments of students and educators in the state of Georgia,” said Dr. April Aldridge, GaDOE Deputy Superintendent of Teaching & Learning. “Georgia’s new K-12 Mathematics Standards have been implemented with intentionality and a commitment to expand opportunities for students. We applaud the hard work that has resulted in the accomplishments recognized by the Math Leader designation.”

Math Leader qualifications are based on students achieving the Proficient Learner level or above on the Georgia Milestones mathematics assessments.

Early Success for Georgia’s New K-12 Mathematics Standards

Georgia’s new K-12 Mathematics Standards were adopted in 2021 and first implemented in classrooms during the 2023-24 school year. Drafted by Georgia math teachers with input from educational leaders, parents, students, and business and industry leaders, the new standards are designed to be clear, understandable, and age- and developmentally appropriate. They aim to present a reasonable amount of content in each year – so students can truly master concepts, rather than simply being quickly exposed to them.

The results of the 2024-24 Georgia Milestones assessments were an early indicator of the success of the new standards. Students showed strong improvement in mathematics, with scores increasing on six of the seven tests. Several assessments saw particularly high growth, including eight-point increases in eighth-grade math and high-school Algebra.

Southern Company Gas today announced that Myra Bierria has been named senior vice president and chief administrative officer, effective Oct. 26. A member of the company’s Management Council, Bierria will report directly to Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer James Y. (Jim) Kerr II and serve as Kerr’s chief of staff, with responsibility for the Corporate Communications, Corporate Impact and Facilities organizations.

“We are excited to have Myra return to our Southern Company Gas family,” said Kerr. “Her depth of experience from within the Southern Company system and the natural gas industry, as well as her extensive legal background and demonstrated commitment to the communities where we live and serve, will help continue to strategically position Southern Company Gas as a premier energy provider both now and into the future.”

Bierria currently serves as vice president and corporate secretary for Southern Company. She previously served as vice president and corporate secretary for Southern Company Gas (formerly AGL Resources) after joining the company in 2002 as corporate governance and securities counsel. In these roles, Bierria provided counsel to senior management and the board of directors on corporate governance, securities law compliance and other corporate matters, and served as an officer of the AGL Resources Private Foundation for more than 14 years.

Prior to joining Southern Company Gas, Bierria was an associate attorney at a New York law firm, where she specialized in securities offerings, venture capital transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. She also served as a staff attorney for FedEx Corporation.

Bierria was elected in 2023 as a fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel. She is a 2023-2024 fellow of the International Women’s Forum and a member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2012. Bierria has also held a number of leadership roles on the boards of various professional and local nonprofit organizations.

Bierria received her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She is admitted to the New York bar.

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Georgia has faced significant challenges in its healthcare workforce for years, particularly in the number of physicians per capita. However, a remarkable transformation is underway, bringing renewed hope and optimism to the state’s medical landscape.

James has been at the forefront of covering this evolving story, documenting the shift from a bleak outlook to a promising future. Over the past six months, we’ve witnessed an unprecedented level of cooperation and collaboration among key stakeholders in addressing Georgia’s physician shortage

The Department of Community Health, University System of Georgia, Georgia Hospital Association and, crucially, the state’s executive and legislative branches are now working in concert to expand Graduate Medical Education (GME) opportunities. This united front marks a significant turning point in Georgia’s approach to healthcare workforce development.

A key focus of this collaborative effort is strategic leveraging of federal dollars through Medicaid— the second most significant source of GME funding nationwide. Georgia has identified a golden opportunity to maximize these resources, potentially achieving a 2:1 match (or better) for invested funds, like other Southern states.

The implications of this approach are profound:

• Increased residency positions are likely to result in more physicians choosing to practice in Georgia.

• Improved quality of residency programs could encourage Georgia medical school graduates to remain in-state.

• The state stands to significantly enhance its position in leveraging crucial federal dollars for healthcare education.

To fully capitalize on these opportunities, prominent experts recommend a four-pronged strategy:

• Secure requisite funding.

• Modify medical school admission strategies to best serve Georgians.

• Implement contracts, scholarships, and other mechanisms to ensure Georgia’s medical students have seamless pathways to practice in the state.

• Transform the culture in Georgia medical schools to improve GME and retain undergraduate students.

This approach is immediately implementable and allows for annual measurement of progress.

The collaborative spirit extends beyond just funding. Stakeholders are coming together to “grow the pie,” ensuring enough opportunity for all involved parties. This approach, coupled with productive discussions on resource allocation, sets the stage for a thriving healthcare ecosystem in Georgia.

So, the outlook for Georgia’s physician workforce is brighter than ever. With continued dedication and cooperation, the state is well-positioned to overcome its historical challenges and emerge as a leader in healthcare workforce development. James remains committed to reporting on this exciting progress, keeping Georgians informed as we enter this new era of focus, mechanisms and measurements of Peach State healthcare strategies.

Phil Kent is the CEO & Publisher of James & James Magazine Online.

Q2 Fiscal Year 2025 Highlights

• Net income attributable to our common shareholder of $128 million, down 18% YoY; Net income attributable to our common shareholder excluding special items was $179 million, down 1% YoY

• Adjusted EBITDA of $462 million, down 5% YoY; up 1% excluding negative $25 million net impact from Sierre flooding

• Rolled product shipments of 945 kilotonnes, up 1% YoY

• Adjusted EBITDA per tonne shipped of $489, down 6% YoY

• Restarted production at Sierre, Switzerland, plant following severe flooding in June 2024

Novelis Inc., a leading sustainable aluminum solutions provider and the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today reported results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025.

“Our global footprint allowed us to achieve record beverage packaging shipments in the quarter and also mitigate the impact to customers from the flooding-related outage at Sierre,” said Steve Fisher, president and CEO, Novelis Inc. “We also remain committed to sustainability and our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Our recently released fiscal year 2024 sustainability report highlighted the progress against this target and the 63% average recycled content rate in our products – a leading figure for the industry. Our success in these areas is the result of innovative approaches and technologies, and strong relationships with our customers who increasingly demand high-recycled content, lower-carbon aluminum products.”

Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Highlights

Net sales for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 increased 5% versus the prior year period to $4.3 billion, mainly driven by higher average aluminum prices and a 1% increase in total flat rolled product shipments to 945 kilotonnes. Strong demand for beverage packaging sheet was mostly offset by lower shipments to some specialty end markets as well as lower automotive shipments due primarily to the impact from the flooding-related production interruption at our Sierre, Switzerland, plant during the second quarter this year.

Net income attributable to our common shareholder decreased 18% versus the prior year to $128 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025. The current year period includes $61 million in charges associated with the production interruptions at Sierre, as well as higher restructuring and impairment expense and lower operating performance, partially offset by a favorable change in metal price lag and unrealized derivatives year-over-year. Net income attributable to our common shareholder, excluding special items, was down 1% year-over-year to $179 million. Adjusted EBITDA decreased 5% versus the prior year to $462 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, primarily driven by less favorable metal benefit due to a relatively rapid increase in aluminum scrap prices, unfavorable product mix, and a $25 million impact at Sierre as a result of the flood. These factors were partially offset by higher beverage packaging shipments. Adjusted EBITDA per tonne was down 6% year-over-year to $489.

Net cash flow provided by operating activities was $374 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2025 compared to $290 million in the prior fiscal year period, primarily due to favorable changes in working capital. Adjusted free cash flow was an outflow of $345 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2025, higher than the prior year period outflow of $300 million due to higher capital expenditures and partially offset by higher cash flow from operating activities. Total capital expenditures were $717 million for the first six months of fiscal year 2025, a 16% increase versus the prior year period, primarily attributed to strategic investments in new rolling and recycling capacity under construction, most notably in the U.S. for Bay Minette. The company had a net leverage ratio (Adjusted Net Debt / trailing twelve months (TTM) Adjusted EBITDA) of 2.5x at September 30, 2024.

“We are more focused than ever on diligently managing the balance sheet as we continue to progress the growth investments we have underway and navigate shifting market dynamics,” said Devinder Ahuja, executive vice president and CFO, Novelis Inc.

The company had a total liquidity position of $2.1 billion, consisting of $1.1 billion in cash and cash equivalents and $1.0 billion in availability under committed credit facilities, as of September 30, 2024.

Sierre Flood Update

On June 30, 2024, our plant located in Sierre, Switzerland, was impacted by exceptional flooding caused by unprecedented heavy rainfall. All employees were safely evacuated; however, water entered the plant premises and plant operations were halted. During the six months ended September 30, 2024, the Company recognized charges of $101 million resulting from this event, including fixed asset and inventory charges, idle fixed costs, repairs and clean-up costs, and excess costs to fulfill customer contracts. The plant is insured for property damage and business interruption losses related to such events, subject to deductibles and policy limits. We will record an insurance receivable based on the anticipated insurance proceeds when they can be reliably estimated. Production at the facility has been partially restored at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2025 and is expected to return to normal production capability in the third quarter of fiscal 2025. We continue to estimate the total net cash impact from this event, after insurance, to be $80 million. The net impact to Adjusted EBITDA is estimated to be $30 million, of which $25 million is estimated to have occurred in the second quarter.

Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Earnings Conference Call

Novelis will discuss its second quarter fiscal year 2025 results via a live webcast and conference call for investors at 7:00 a.m. EST/5:30 p.m. IST on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. The webcast link, presentation materials and access information can also be found at novelis.com/investors. To view slides and listen to the live webcast, visit: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=w4QE2UFd. To participate by telephone, participants are requested to register at: https://services.incommconferencing.com/DiamondPassRegistration/register?confirmationNumber=13749754&linkSecurityString=1d8acccfb8.

Realtors: How To Convert More Leads

Solving the Challenge of Converting Leads to Sales In every business sector, in real estate, travel, or SaaS software, visitors abandon their shopping carts for many reasons. So let’s use that as our metaphor for losing leads — abandonment. Because if they don’t become qualified prospects in your pool — you were abandoned. At any…