With back-to-school preparation behind them, the members of the Fulton County Board of Education took time at their meeting today to recognize some of the most important stakeholders in the Fulton public school system.

For the third consecutive year, the system has the most Georgia Master Teachers — 27 out of 74 educators — in a program created by the state Legislature in 2005.

“The program identifies and recognizes educators who have positively influenced student achievement in the classroom and consistently demonstrate excellence,” Deputy Superintendent of Academics Scott Muri said at the meeting at Dunwoody Springs Elementary School in Sandy Springs. “With 92 Master Teachers in our ranks, Fulton County has one of the highest numbers of all Georgia school systems.”

The 2012 Master Teachers are from Webb Bridge, Autry Mill, Haynes Bridge, Taylor Road, Hopewell, River Trail and Crabapple middle schools, Ridgeview Charter School and Dolvin Elementary School.

“Master Teachers are selected each year by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission through a rigorous application process,” Muri said about student achievement and other verifiable benchmarks. “They now receive a Master Teacher designation on their teaching certificates for a period of seven years and are eligible for automatic renewal as long as they continue to qualify.”

In its consent agenda, the board continued its ongoing updating of policies and procedures, green-lighted electrical power feeds to the new Banneker and Cambridge high schools in College Park and Milton, respectively, and allowed the Atlanta Public Schools System to conduct general equivalency degree classes at McClarin High School in College Park.

In its discussion item votes, the board approved 4-0 the use of the playing field at Shakerag Elementary School in Johns Creek for Georgia Express Football Club, for which the system will earn the equivalent of $55,000 in annual benefits over a five-year contract term.

It okayed 4-0 the expenditures of $570,000 for in-depth school analyses from Westwood, Mass.-based Cambridge Education and $116,000 to replace heating equipment at Taylor Road Middle School in Johns Creek.

District 7 board member Julia Bernath said during the commentary section she heard from parents who work in other school systems where spring break has recently been moved out of sync with Fulton’s April 1 through 5 vacation.

“Not everybody who lives in Fulton works in Fulton,” she said. “We are aware of this situation and trying to see what we can do.”