The heavens have opened up. Rays of light are piercing through the clouds, and the days ahead look so much brighter. Of course, the BOE has made the right decision. Now they must stay the course, and hire someone with not only the right qualifications, but the right attitude as well. Someone that knows their place on the org-chart. Way to go, BOE!
I’d rather they just go ahead and pay him than for him to file another lawsuit against the school system. He did have a contract and the system was required to pay him regardless of whether we continued to take advantage of his “services” or not. Just give him the money and wash our hands clean of the remnants of the previous BOE’s debacle.
Kudos to the board for de-feathering this peacock. A salary worth nearly half a million if you factor in all the perks, living in Lake Spivey. This man had it made. Now no favors to old board members or current elected officials. A big door has been shut behind us and now we have a bigger door of opportunity ahead of us.
Of course most people, willing dupes that they are, are too busy praising the BOE for something Elgart told them to do, that they don’t even realize the BOE literally scratched Thompson’s back all the way out the door.
When did the SACS report go out? The 13th, and with Thompson’s signature on it. When did the BOE fire him? The 14th. So the BOE practically hands Thompson a golden parachute, allowing him to add taking full credit for restoring accreditation to his snake oil collection.
And seriously, who cares if Elgart advised the board to get rid of him or not. Elgart is the person who determines whether we get back accreditation so if he did advise them on the issue, then the BOE is doing what they are supposed to be doing.
The right thing…probably. The right time … NO!
It doesnt make any sense to fire someone before their contract is over
and have to hire someone else and pay them also. This just sounds like the typical petty stupid crap that will keep Clayton County from getting their accreditation back
There is no if, Concerned Parent. This BOE could do the Jonesboro Dance routine down at the Pink Pony, put it on YouTube, and make a DVD called BOE Gone Wild, and Clayton would still get accreditation back.
Do you really, really think there’s a snowball’s chance in you know where that Elgart and Sonny are going to let the sons and daughters of their politically connected friends graduate from an unaccredited school system?
Did you not notice that they didn’t take accreditation away until after last year’s seniors graduated? And the same politics dictates that’s exactly why it will be restored before this year’s seniors graduate.
You are wrong. We were accredited through the 2008 school year. Regardless of when the decision to revoke accreditation came down, the 2008 graduates still would have graduated with an accredited diploma. That kinda pokes holes in your conspiracy theory. Point blank, we had a “disfunctional board”. Have you actually ever attended a board meeting? It’s like night and day compared to the way business was handled by the old board. Now, I’m not saying that the new board does not have it’s problems, but they definitely are an upgrade from the old one.
WE NEED TO STOP BLAMING OTHERS (PERDUE, ELGART) AND START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN ACTIONS (WHO WE ELECT SERVE). AND BE AN “ACTIVE” PARTICIPANT IN WHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY AND SCHOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Concerned Parent thank you for making my point. ClayCo was accredited through the 2008 school year and Elgart did nothing to change that, even though it was totally within his power to do so. My guess is you are one of the willing dupes who will congratulate the BOE for restoring accreditation, even though people have pointed out, before this board even started serving, that this was politics and accreditation will be restored before this year’s seniors graduate.
Do you really, really, think Concerned Parent that Elgart and SACS are going to let the sons and daughters of politically connected ClayCo citizens graduate from an unaccredited system? You can possibly be that naive, can you?
You make the common mistake that so many on here make. You think because the last board acted foolish and ignorant, that everyone else, Elgart included, has acted totally above board. You probably even think that ClayCo will become a quality school system once accreditation is bestowed by King Elgart.
You might want to consider one thing. Other than Clayton, what do the other 20 lowest performing systems in Georgia all have in common? The are all SACS accredited. I guess performance isn’t a mandate.
I think Clayton County is too big a mess to even hope for. They must have lots of money down there for something besides the education of their kids. Any possible respect for them will hinge on whether they get a competent superintendent. I don’t know how good their search team is. Let’s pray for them. It is about a whole lot more than SACS accreditation!
Nobody is saying Elgart is above board and anyone with sense knows that taking accred. away was a political move. If they didn’t take it away, would those last four boe members have EVER left? Probably not and they needed to go! Do you expect CCPS or Clayton to take on SACS and Elgart now? Why bother, we need to keep cleaning our own house and try to stay out of SACS range so we don’t ever have to deal with this again.
I don’t care how the decision was made, I’m just happy CCPS seems to be getting on track for the kids’ sake. They really didn’t need to have worry about accreditation on top of all the other stuff going on in public schools today. Letting Thompson go was the best decision, he never should’ve been hired, really.
It’s not even that people are saying great things about Elgart. It that it doesn’t even occur to them to pose the question. They simply don’t think past the headlines in the AJC, so they think the only reason the school system is bad is that the board acted ignorant and Clayton lost accreditation. In their mind, they actually think this board is accomplishing something to restore accreditation, when the reality is each board member-male and female alike-could use school funds to impregnate themselves with octuplets and Elgart would still give CCPS accreditation.
As they all collectively worship the god of SACS, no one even thinks for example, just what does accreditation mean as far as a quality school system, when you consider each and every one of the twenty lowest performing school systems outside of CCPS are accredited by SACS?
If the majority of people do have some sense, they’ll think about these questions and demand some accountability and tangible action from the BOE on issues that affect day to day teaching. But most likely, most people, compliant sheep that they are, will go back to sleep, all the while the system will continue to rot from within, as nothing is done to address the core issues that affect teaching and learning in the classroom.
And that’s the problem Black Woman in ClayCo; no one cares how the decisions are made, thus no one understands why the decisions are made. They are made for politics, not for the sake of your children. None of this has been for the sake of your children; it’s been for the sake of politics.
If SACS was really investigating CCPS for the sake of the children, they’d ask questions as to why there is an open gang presence in the schools, and there is an institutional history of not addressing discipline problems, and worse, why laws concerning policies such as tribunal hearings for cases of threats and assaults are routinely ignored.
But trust me, the actual learning environment of your child’s class is not, and will not, ever reach the level of a mandate. It’s just not that important, compared to bidness and politikin’
When I first heard this news I was a little perplexed but after some thinking it might just work out. Now if some other individuals could be moved out and yes that means paying out their contract it would be a good thing. I wonder how many other central office staff members will be exploring their options?
Why does one get the feeling that the same people who actually believe their favorite professional wrestler “wins” the WWE title, are going to be the same ones praising the BOE when it “earns” accreditation back?
Both are scripted. The only difference is one makes a mockery of athletic competition, and one makes a mockery of the education process.
Kim I love your new format and it is good to know that it will be monitored. We should be able to have some good intellectual exchange in Clayton County on your blog.
Friday night’s episode is not for adults only. Teenagers should sign on as well for an evening of enlightenment with J. Tom Morgan, author, “Ignorance Is No Defense: The Teenagers Guide to Georgia Law.” J. Tom is a former Dekalb County District Attorney. He is committed to using his expertise to educate teenagers about Georgia Law. Adults and teenagers need to hear what Attorney Morgan has to say. Turn off the TV and go online.
Ignorance of the law is causing our teenagers to lose eligibility for financing of higher education, loss of job opportunities and the right to vote. Education, Employment and Enfranchisement (right to vote) are necessary for our youth to become contributing citizens in American society. These are rights that are being taken away as a result of lack of knowledge. We must educate ourselves and our teenagers about Georgia Law.
See you online http://www.newroadsvideo.com Friday night at 8pm. Remember the show is interactive and your questions and comments are welcome. SynamonSays!..What do you say?
Thompson’s contract included many paid vacation days plus days when he could be working for someone else. How many actual work days were left between now and contract expiration? The board gave up very little and gained much. The chain of command is less likely to be muddled with the boss out of town all the time. And potential superintendent candidates now see a clear field, with no internal candidate who is the odds-on favorite to get the job. That will attract more candidates, probably improving the pool. The board has been handicapped because Thompson has controlled so much of the board’s information flow, including the board’s access to legal counsel. Now the board may actually get some independent advice. In short, this looks like a good move, as long as the board’s actions were consistent with legal requirements.
The Board handled all nine mandates at once, by getting rid of Thompson. Now to pleasure the pallid the board must to bring in an ivory superintendent to replace him, two Ex-Clayton supers are their only choices. That’s all you get for 7000 bucks.
What a sad day that the board felt so diminished in the presence of such greatness, that the only way they could compensate is to remove that greatness from the county.
And talk about stabbing someone in the back. The very day after they submit the SACS report that shows how Thompson, true to his word, led the charge to get accreditation back, they dismiss him, so they can take the all the credit for his accomplishments.
Has there ever been a more selfless leader than Thompson in Clayton? He single handedly saved the college chances of thousands of graduates last year, with his decision to shred the diplomas. What unbelieveable courage Thompson showed; he knew he would get blasted in the media, but he put all that aside for the children, so they would have a valid diploma with his name on it.
One could say so much more about this great, great man. You have to feel so sorry for the teachers, so many of them who must be emotionally devasted to lose the man who restored morale to the system, who backed his teachers one hundred percent by letting the students know the old days of misbehavior were over.
You have to feel sorry for the students as well, who many say revered Thompson as if though he were their personal Obama.
Though is tenure was brief, Thompson will go down in history as the one who single handedly led Clayton though its darkest days, and through whose courage and leadership, restored accreditation and gave Clayton hope.
Thank you John Thompson, Clayton is forever in your debt.
It looks like that the Sam King train is winding down the track. All of my buddies who are still in Clayco or who worked with Sam in Clayco say that he is a jem. They say that he is the closest thing to a modern day Earnest Stroud with a little more diplomacy. Actually, a lot more diplomacy. I hope that the school board will not all of a sudden nut up by going on a missiah search. The odds now on Abe’s and Eli’s gambling card is 80% to 20% that Sam King is the next superintendent. It’s 1% to 99% that Bob Hartley becomes his Special Assistant. Lieka, you are Westside Fab! You, Go Girl! Actually, you pleasantly surprised me. You showed mettle in taking out that Pimp-dressing Thompson. I told his boys that they didn’t process the grievance filed by a teacher against Ben Moore, Principal at the Clayton Alternative School, with all due alarcrity. Process the grievances according to State Statute or your a– will be terminated. Yes, Thompson the Terminated. Thanks, Alieka Anderson. You and Pam Adamson are the greatest! Uh oh, the Mrs. is calling me. She says that Abe, Eli, and I are in love with Lieka! We are the original Lieka Likers!
Regardless of how you feel about the new school board, things are getting done to improve the school system. If the new board falls into the same cycle as previous boards, hopefully the public will now be more aware and can take preventitive action. So even if this has all been political (and I think we all can agree that it has) then good can come of it. Despite voter turnout at election time, the issue has brought our community together and strengthened it.
Since Thompson in his short time was able to restore credibility to the system, restore integrity to the system, and most importantly lead Clayton back to accreditation, shouldn’t one of the news schools being built be named after him, to honor all that he has done?
What exactly has John Thompson done and/or accomplished that he deserves to be honored in any way, shape, form or fashion? He got paid over a quarter million dollars for less than one year’s work and that doesn’t even include all the benefits and perks he received. I think Clayton has given him more than his fair share and more than he deserved. Good riddance is exactly right, don’t let the doorknob hit ya on the way out Thompson.
I see no reason to Praise John Thompson.He is leaving Clayton County Public Schools the same way he has left every Superintendent job he has been in. FIRED! And Clayton County is left the same as every other place he has been employed. BROKE! HE puts the EGO in egomaniac. In baseball terms the man is batting zero. He has managed to almost totally destroy every school system that he has worked for. Where is the need for praise in that? But I think that Clayton County might be the place that finally drives the stake into this blood sucking Vampire for good. One can only hope I am correct.
Since Thompson in his short time was able to restore credibility to the system, restore integrity to the system, and most importantly lead Clayton back to accreditation, shouldn’t one of the news schools being built be named after him, to honor all that he has done?
Is Clayton not well on its way back to accreditation, thanks to John Thompson? Has the discipline situation ever been better, thanks to his strong presence? Even the board waiting until the report to SACS was sent off before firing him, because they knew how rock solid his reputation was.
Clayton was truly on its way to being a world class school system. You could tell it as soon as you walked into a school, so orderly you thought you were in an exclusive private school. Who knows if Clayton will ever have that opportunity again.
Look at the Demographics, according to School District Spokesperson the Clayton’s school system’s current data show the ethnic breakdown of the student population to be 77.54 percent black; 14.74 percent Hispanic; 4.36 percent Asian or Pacific Islander; 4.19 percent white; 2.75 percent multi-racial, and 0.09 percent American Indian or Alaska Native.
Why do we care so much about this school system? I know!! $$$$$$$$$
When is Sam King going to arrive? Rev. Bourbon called me this morning inviting me to a breakfast for Sam at the 138 IHOP on Saturday with the ministers at the Monthly Ministerial Meeting (MMM). Our guest speaker will be Bishop Buck Haralson. Rev. Seymour Butts and his wife Ophelia Butts are responsible for the program. Sam will be escorted to the restaurant by Bob Hartley and Victor Hill. We will be auctioning off some of the wardrobe that Thompson wore in his short tenure in Clayco. “Clayton County…A Graveyard for Superintendents” will be theme for the meeting. We have to have a good superintendent who will leave happily on his or her own after a prosperous and fulfilled term of service. The last ten superintendents (literally) have left under duress (or defeated when they used to be elected for the job). We deserve a decent superintendent, and that why Rev. Bourbon says that he is pushing for Dr. Sam King for the job. What’s going to happen to Julie Lewis? Glenn Brock will use every trick in the book to become the next school board attorney. Not.
Praise John Thompson must be Thompson praising himself, or his wife praising him. Name a school after him, that has to be a joke. Raised the morale of teachers, that must be another joke. Backed the teachers – which teachers. The joker has been fired. Let him take his $85,000 and go back to where he came from… bye bye.
Praise John Thompson, either you are just writing that nonsense to incite the bloggers or you are delusional. Maybe you are in fact John Thompson himself showing your delusions of grandeur. If that is the case, you got paid handsomely now go away.
Slick….you are slick! LOL. I guess most are glad to see Mr Thompson go. On the other hand, we’re paying him for nothing now. Also, could his firing be considered “micro-manangement”? One of the reasons we lost accreditation. What’s to stop them from hiring another super, let him/her serve a year or two and fire em again? Do we need a strong super or a strong BOE?
If this is to be monitored – can we at least not see the juvenile comments from the likes of J. Trotter with the coments using names as Seymour Butts and Ophelia Butts – Is this guy not a grown man – or is this just his own little Fantasy Island.
Even if it was all Elgart, this is still a good thing. We can’t stop backdoor politics from happening and you’re right I don’t care if it IS happening as long as constituents don’t get screwed in the process (which usually happens eventually no matter what.
For those who don’t think it matters what’s behind the dog and pony show to get accreditation back. You need to remember that Elgart has no problem at all with accrediting substandard school systems-after all the twenty lowest scoring systems outside of Clayton are all accredited-if it suits the political purpose.
However, your child’s education should be more important than politics. What good is it to have an accredited school system when you have gang violence in the schools and the BOE’s response is to put up a wall of silence?
It might be accredited, but that doesn’t make it quality; unfortunately too many people in Clayton fail to see the difference.
To: Clayton Resident- Constituents did get screwed those that took 3500 kids out of CCPS behind a fake Accreditation Debalce. That act uprooted all those families and lowered your property value for NOTHING! The new BOE haven’t done ANYTHING, but we’ll have accreditation back in whole or in part in less than 30 days. That’s a GIVEN!
To: Concerned Parent and Homeowner,Concerned Parent and Homeowner You said,”What does the demographic breakdown have to do with “why we care”?
Think about it, since when have we cared about 50,000 children minorities 90% on Free to Reduced Lunch, parents don’t attend meetings, parents don’t vote, older kids are gangster thug! Come on, Concerned Parent and Homeowner you know its the same reason the state want to take Hartfield ATL airport from Atlanta! MONEY!!! Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and I can see it, too bad you’re BLIND.
Why it matters, Perhaps the twenty lowest scoring school systems have never attracted the attention of SACS by board members reporting each other right and left as the previous board did. Remember Clayton lost accreditation because of findings on the standard of “Governance and Leadership” not “Teaching and Learning.” In the grand scheme of things – no, it really doesn’t matter.
A side note..so the BOC has stopped plans onthis Aerotropilis…this is the talk evry year..give it up..you bums areb’t capable of doing anything productive…Ibet you’ll discuss it just in time for the next election. Do something ALREADY…..get rid of those trailer parks and redevelop Tara Blvd………Eldrin bellis 100 years old…he wil be long out of office by time that Aerotropalis talk ever comes to fruition.
What the heck is so hard about landscaping and cleaning up a county…start buy tear down the signs for those massage parlors that have been out of business for over a year……DAMN…do you have no shame BOC…how can you meet every week and have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to show..NOTHING. DAMN!!!!!!!!!!! JUST FREAKIN QUIT already!!!!!!! DAMN!!!!!
Joe politico is VERy RIGHT. Accreditation is good but its a basic requirement…if the education is substandard you’ll still be graduating unprepared kids. I can think of tons of school in Fulton and Dekalb that are TERRIBLE but they are accredited.
Once we get accreditation back…all the people need to PUSH for education reform…zero tolerence for violence, gang, disruptive behavior etc. And have a standard…AP courses, science and math programs…career paths etc. Thats the move. A good school system will mean more value on your homes and better educated and prepared kids.
KICK OUT ALL of the thugs and rif rafs……DON”T turn these school into a remake of the movie LEAN ON ME!!!!
Here we go again believing what Massa Elgart says. Dr. Valya Lee is doing no different than Thompson, she can in and moved a bunch of people around with the boards approval. Or maybe not with the boards approval, uh didn’t the board just vote that no personnel changes could be made without their prior approval? Opps, did I say that? And why make all these changes if supposedly you will only be in place for 3 months? Huh? So what happens if and when the board hires a new superintendent? Do all these people get to go back to their old jobs or are they just out of luck?
Jesse Goree is really happy, the next thing we will be hearing is how she is new “Rod Johnson” and micro-managing the system.
I hope and I say hope we get our accreditation back, but if we don’t – they will have no one to blame but themselves.
Joe Politco:
Don’t apologize for me, I see very well. And I also know that my children “ARE” minorities, not on free or reduced lunch, I attend all PTA, Parent/Teacher conferences, festivals, school board meetings,etc. So the “WE” you are talking about does not include me. I care because I have a vested interest in the education of my kids.
You’re not too bright. SACS has nothing to do with accreditation based upon what happens in the classroom. Obvioulsy you don’t know what SACS does or what their accrediation is based upon.
Dee you’re embarrassing yourself. To come on here and tell someone they aren’t too bright because SACS doesn’t accredit school systems based on what happens in the classroom kind of covers the brightness of your post with a think, opaque film when that was exactly the point why it matters was making.
And that point, which should be transparent to anyone with even a modicum of thinking skill, is that if you think SACS accreditation means anything when it comes to the quality of instruction in the classroom, and the respect by CCPS administrators for the sanctity of the learning environment you are sadly mistaken.
Of course given the lack of critical thinking exhibited by so many, why wouldn’t Elgart, CCPS, and the rest of the status quo feel empowered to substitute a dog and pony show for quality education when so many can’t seem to tell the difference?
Thank goodness Thompson is gone! I don’t care who the board was listening to. I have worked for CCPS for over 20 years. Never has this system been in this kind of trouble. Thompson was a terrible example of a leader! If it were not for the economy and no jobs out there CCPS would not have enough employees to keep the doors open. Happy days are here again!
I think that is should be known that it was well within the right for the new board to begin a new search for a Superintendent as well as removing Dr. Thompson if they (the board) found cause to remove him. However, I honestly feel that any actions that Dr. Thompson had made or were planning to make were prompted by the actions of a couple of the new board members. One particular board member who used a “rhyme” in her campaign last year often challenged Dr. Thompson on every move he made. I am in her district and although I voted for her, the actions I have witnessed from this board member are completely embarrassing. This board member is well in tune with our district, and often shares some things that should not be shared. The inability to separate her personal relationships when making business decisions for our entire school system is very evident, and this is what often surfaced during her questioning of the intentions of Dr. Thompson.
Now this board member has gotten what she wants, the removal of Dr. Thompson, who was following the correct interview procedures, and hiring individuals who were qualified. These individuals submitted their resumes, interviewed before a committee, and the recommendations were carried before the board.
Now we have these same individuals being ousted from their positions simply because they were hired and recommended by Dr. Thompson.
What you are witnessing is a coup which was orchestrated by a “planted board member” who has previous ties with a lot of the old/current administration, and her primary goal was to go in and use the power of her position to influence major decisions by using the “GOOD OLE BOY SYSTEM”, where people are placed in positions (as indicated by actions of the new superintendent this week) based on friendships and not experience.
Yes, Dr. Thompson may have been planning some major moves before his departure, but his actions were provoked by ONE major individual who was leading a pack to control the entire school administration, including every decision that the Superintendent made.
Thompson was hand picked by former board members and on their payroll. He only cared about keeping his large salary and perks. He was a “cancer” indeed and thankfully this board saw that early on. good riddance Thompson, enjoy your well funded life on Clayton’s dime.
If you are looking for initials that caused Clayton to lose accreditation try RJ-Rod Johnson for going to SACS for personal gain, and ED-Ericka Davis for her constant micromanaging to make sure the deed was done.
Maybe that’s why Mark Elgart of SACS had Davis as his guest in his office on a regular basis during his investigation; maybe he was just trying to keep his ED under control.
CCPS will continue to reprise until we get a Superintendent, like Elgart said, “one that knows how to conduct business in Georgia.” We all know that CCBOE has to approve any purchases/contracts over $25,000 and the Superintendent can autonomously approve purchases/contracts up to $24,999. We need a Superintendent that knows how to conduct business like this. Like when the Commish or the Chamber comes to CCPS and say we need $200,000 commitment from you for widgets and we know your board will not approve it. We need a Superintendent can act on this commitment by going ahead making ten (10) each individual purchases for $24,999. That will keep the commitment off the CCBOE radar because they only review/approve purchases of $25,000 or greater. What a clever way to purchase 10 police cars huh. I had an old red wig wearing Superintendent do it for me once. In government, it’s called splitting a requirement. Some in government call it illegal; I called it conducting business in Georgia.
It really doesn’t matter who the super of Clayco school is. It could be Marva Collins or Ron Clark and the results would be the same. It’s the demographics stupid. My child will continue to attend private school as long as this school system is overrun and ultimately controlled by throwaway kids and indifferent parents. She will probably be in college by the time the ultracheap land in this county is bought by investors, and the county is completely gentrified.
Most Clayton county schools are subpar. There will not be AP courses offered in most of the schools because very few kids are qualifed to take an AP course and an AP instructor won’t waste their talents in this school system. The children of immigrant families seem to suceed in this school system. This is evident when winners of spelling bees and other academic contests are announced. This is due to the fact that most immigrant families place a high value on educational achievement. Unfortunately a stellar Clayton county student will probably find that their 4.0 GPA really translates into a 2.0 GPA when they are required to compete against conterparts who were challenged in an orderly educational environment with little behavioral disruptions and 100% parental participation.
What deeply concerns me about Clayton County Schools and the community are several things.
First, perhaps it was time for John Thompson to go. In my only meeting with him, I found him surprisingly arrogant and even hostile to those who disagreed with him. He dismissed people who did not have children in the school system, without understanding that despite having no children in Clayton schools, it is homeowners who paid his exorbitant salarly through their taxes. If I am going to have school administrators and central office staff be rude to me when I ask a question, maybe I should be relieved of paying their salaries by having school taxes taken from my tax bill. Particularly since MOST of these staff members live in Fayette and Henry counties and therefore don’t even contribute to their own salaries.
Secondly, why is that there was no outcry over Clayton’s EOCT scores? There were students who failed the End of Course test but got A’s from teachers in the course? I keep hearing teachers and administrators say Clayton was placed on probation because of the board’s actions, but maybe it should be because of the dismal academic performance. Students in Clayton performed worst that students in the some of the poorest counties in the state, yet the district has a half billion dollar budget. So, I would respectfully request that many of those “tenured” teachers who were fired who now are being evaluated by Superintendent Lee also be scrutinized for performance. Teachers and admnistrators can’t keep screaming that Clayton children are poor, therefore they can not learn. Poor children across this country are outperforming children in Clayton. POOR CHILDREN CAN LEARN, but not from a poorly-trained teacher who has low expectations for his/her students. If SACS is not reviewing Clayton’s accreditation because of student performance, then the gentleman who blogs that the whole matter is all about money and contracts is absolutely right. I will be watching, particularly with the new administrative appointments. And taxpayers should be watching too. No other community would allow their children to attend schools where there is clearly very little learning going on. If you want to know why the outside world thinks so little of people who live in Clayton, it is because we think so little of ourselves, especially our children. Remember, just because your kid gets an “A” doesn’t mean he’s learning. Just go back and review students’ performance on the End of Course Test. Folks should go to jail behind those results, in my opinion.
Finally, the Clayton County School Board needs to hire a superintendent who has a proven track record of improving student performance in an urban school district. Race/ethnicity should not matter; it should be about performance. That would mean nobody who currently works for the district qualifies. That superintendent should clean house and place in schools people who want to lead. That would likely mean the removal of most of the school principals, beginning with Jonesboro High, where the school leaders can’t even effectively monitor a high school dance routine. How well do you think they are doing at monitoring student performance? If we want results, the community will have to force our Board to make difficult decisions. It may very well mean that well-intentioned, well-connected and well-liked people are fired. But for the sake of this community and for the sake of our children, the folks who are supposedly trained in pedagogy and who are very well paid to supposedly lead the district need to be held accountable — TODAY!!!!
Its official.No intelligent residents left in Clayton County. Everybody wants a laid back government job where they can draw an easy paycheck. They snip at each others heels here, and on all the blogs with bogus names, hoping they will get a shot at what they think is easy money. No body wants to work for a living, they want a government job. Pathetic loosers.
If there is any initial confusion over who was initailly responsible for Clayton losing accreditation let the record show that any speculation about Elgart keeping his ED under control is strictly a reference to the number of times Ericka Davis was alleged to have been welcomed into the SACS office during the SACS investigation and the seeming desire to leave certain troubling aspects of board members’ actions out of the final report.
Any other intrepretation is completely unintentional, and purely coincidential.
The key to all of this is if the “right” kinds of business will come to Clayton County in that if the upscale high-end businesses, stores, and places to shop and purchase high quality, upscale merchandise will come to Clayton County.
I do not think these businesses will come to Clayton County because of the filth, nastiness, trashy looking, low class, low end, ghetto, gangster, and criminal looking look that this county has and the ghetto looking, thuggish looking and dressing people that now live in Clayton County that you see each and every day on Tara Boulevard, Mount Zion Road, at Southlake Mall, Upper Riverdale Road, Flint River Road, Old Dixie Highway, Garden Walk Boulevard, State Roads 139 and 138, and all of the trailor home and mobile home parks that are all throughout Tara Boulevard located behind the low end, low class, dirty, nasty, filthy businesses that you see when you Exit off of I-75 South to Tara Boulevard at Exit 235 and immediately see these ghetto businesses.
Tf you’re going to wait until high-end stores and business come to Clayton County, I hope you have a comfortable chair to sit in for your very, very long wait. In this economy who in their right mind would invest in an area that’s wrought with crime and bad press? Just riding through the area makes you want to lock your doors and have a gun on the seat beside you. Reality check folks, reality check.
Clayton County is attracting the low end to “not so low end” businesses such as the ones that the blog master Ms. Kimberly Allen mentioned in her blog topic of the week.
Unfortunately, these businesses in my opinion are not the high end luxurious, attractive, appealing, and well stocked businesses that you see in the major malls of the Metropolitian Atlanta, Georgia area such as the Lenox Square Mall, Phipps Plaza Mall, the Fayette Pavillion Mall, Stonecrest Mall in Dekalb County, the North Pointe Mall in Alpharetta, etc.
Clayton County’s only mall which is the Southlake Mall is now a low-end mall with second and third rate businesses and continues to go down each and every day.
Until Clayton County is cleaned up of all of its trash, clutter, nastiness, filthiness, and the Section 8 low class ghetto people who have dirtied up this county and have essentially destroyed this county from the inside out and have caused the high crime rate and the negative way this county is looked upon by its neighboring counties, Clayton County will never attract high end, upscale, luxurious businesses and will only get second rate and low end businesses like check cashing places, automotive stores, automobile “rim” stores, beauty shops, car wash places, “rib” joints, payday lending places, “jackleg” automotive repair places, etc.
Commentor I have respected your opinion for quite some time and have to respectfully disagree with you. Unlike yourself which is viewing things through pessimistic lenses I view things through optimistic lenses.
I think businesses will come to Clayton and I agree they have to be the right type of business. Think about this for a moment. If you live near the Panhandle area of Clayton how many times have you traveled over to the Fayetteville Pavillion to shop and think of whats there and why can’t Clayton have that. The answer to that question will take you back to the old board and all the personal land grabs that they did. On the flip side I do think that you can bring great businesses in the County but it would have to be strategically placed to get the most bang for the buck for the county and the businesses opening up here.
Well the only low end business listed in this article is The Dancing Pig, but I’d still say that’s better than no business opening here at all.
Clayton is at a disadvantage right now & has to start somewhere. We can’t expect Dillars & Saks to open here anytime soon but Clayton could be a breeding ground for small businesses to help our economy. When I moved to the Lovejoy area years ago it was all woods now look at it. They may not be high end retail, but I shop there all the time.
Will anybody travel to Clayton for “Da Dancing Pig?” Probably not. But at least I don’t have to travel to Fulton, Fayette or Henry for BBQ like I do for so many other things (no I haven’t tried it yet, I’m just saying).
Let’s try to look at the positive here! That guy lives in Dekalb, he could have opened his business there but he brought it here. Imax could have gone ANYWHERE but Clayton county just based on the last year alone. If Imax brings people to Clayton it could get movie goers to eat in the restaurants in that area, shop at the big box stores over there & maybe, just maybe, even bring some other big box names into the area.
Southlake except for Macys, Bath & Body Works, JCP & Auntie Annie’s pretzels is a bust for me. But the last thing Clayton needs is another empty monstrostiy/structure sitting empty in Clayton. Think about that.
Businesses will not come to Clayton if they listen to the Commentor. Tara Blvd is a main entrance into the county but we have great areas for businesses and residents in the county other than Tara.
It’s nice for you to point out everything wrong with CC. I like to know what can you do to help? You keep posting the same stuff. Why don’t you run for commissioner?
Any time you live near a shopping area in another county you will shop there. In lovejoy you see lots of Henry Co. car tags. Like Fayette see plenty of Clayton tags (Riverdale and Panhandle) at the Pavillion. In the last year I’ve heard so many negative comments from our neighbors, so I shop less in Mcdonough and Fayetteville.
I am writing to state that even though I respect your views, opinions, and viewpoints on the comments you posted at 12:08 P.M., I must respectfully disagree with your comments.
I am a realist about the problems on Clayton County and the way Clayton County is right now.
I do not share your optimistic views about Clayton County and feel very strongly that this county cannot turn around for the better until you clean up this county from the inside out and get all of the Section 8 people out of this county that have come here from the ghetto housing projects from the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
Again, I see Clayton County from a REALIST LENS and what I see is a dirty, nasty, filthy county with low class ghetto looking, criminal looking, gangster and ghetto acting people that walk all up and down Tara Boulevard, Upper Riverdale Road, Mount Zion Boulevard living in the numerous nasty apartment homes, trailor and mobile home parks, and extended stay hotels and motels that line and are all up and down Tara Boulevard.
No respectable high end upscale business would ever locate here in Clayton County because if the elected officials did the impossible and cleaned up Clayton County, you still have a county that is a majority renters population who cannot afford their products.
The sad, direct, blunt, and in-your-face truth is that the only businesses that Clayton County is attracting in great numbers are the check cashing places, rent-to-own businesses, beauty shops, automotive stores, cell phone stores, “bling-bling” stores, payday lending places, etc. that always follow and set up their stores where low income people go like they have come to in Clayton County.
Clayton County School Board has put on their Agenda to Vote of School Board Michael B. King tonite, as I know all citizens is going to see if they do or not and also what School Board Members that votes to keep her/him on the School Board, because the ones that votes for him to stay will have a very very short time as a School Board Member in the next Election or maybe before it.
Let us pray for the commentor he seems tormented. But we can not wait for Tara Blvd to be cleaned up before we reach out to upscale businesses. We have other areas is Clayton. There is a market here for more specialty shops. Everybody does not go to Walmart.
If your comment that you wrote stating Realism without action is apathy is related to the postings that I have made on the blog topic of the week, you are sadly mistaken and flat out wrong.
I regularly attend the Clayton County Board Of Commissioners monthly business meetings and have made comments during the Public Comment Section on this and many other problems in Clayton County so I have already put my words into actions.
I feel that you do not attend the Clayton County Board Of Commissioners on a regular basis if not at all so you are part of the apathetic crowd that you so wrote about.
So, until you put actions behing your postings, you are not in a position to respond to anyone’s comments that they post on this blog.
Everything that I have commented in my postings is the absolute truth about what is going on in Clayton County right now.
If you do not believe what I have posted in this blog, just travel down Tara Boulevard, Upper Riverdale Road, Garden Walk Boulevard, Flint River Road, Mount Zion Road, Battlecreek Road, Flint River Road, State Roads 138, 139, 85 and 54 and not only will the filth, nastiness, dirt and trash filled apartment homes, mobile homes and trailor home parks, extended stay hotels and motels, but the ghetto and criminal looking people mostly wearing low riding pants exposing their undergarments, oversized hooded jackets and sweatshirts, bling bling jewelery and gold plated teeth, uncombed hair, walking in great numbers, watching and most likely planing their next crime or criminal activity.
You can be optimistic all you want and hope for the best for Clayton County, but as of right now at present, this is how Clayton County is and it will only get worse and worse.
Clayton County is now a third world ghetto looking, crime, drug, and gang filled county with thugs, low-lifes, gangsters, criminals, uneducated poor people who greatly outnumber the “good” people of this county who work hard, live right, are law-abiding citizens, and who want to come home in peace and calm and a county that is clean, appealing, and attractive and not to the trash pit of a county that it already is.
If you do not see this county as it is right now, then I state that it is you who do not see the truth about this county and whose opinions, thoughs, and viewpoints are off-based, in error, and flat out wrong.
Clayton County is not business friendly! The hoops one must jump thru just to open a business in this county often leads those business owners to go to other counties. Code enforcement will write you a court date before they explain why your new business can’t have a grand opening banner put up! It’s sad! I know many business owners who just decided to go somewhere else. Code Enforcement should not be there to generate revenue for the county. The “fire Inspection” is a joke then the county sends you a bill for $100 bucks. They spent all but about 20 seconds in my place of business. In fact, they did not go past the counter! I think many of the older inspectors resent the fact that some African American business owners are opening up in Clayton and they do what they can to make the experience as unpleasant as possible.
As far as the Section 8 families who receive the blunt of the criticisism for the county’s woes. GET REAL! This county is in the shape it’s in because the commissioners have no vision, plan or stategy to move Clayton forward. One can’t blame the working poor for the problems here just as one can’t say everyone who lives here is lowlife,thug, gansta etc. I know many hard working familes who call Clayton home. ALL URBAN AREAS ARE SUFFERING! Not just clayton. My question is this, instead of complaining on a blog about the trash on Tara Blve, Get some friends together and go clean it up. When you need to shop, don’t go outside the county, spend your money here and support those business that are struggling to stay open.
P.s. Commentator, Do YOU live in Clayton County and if so WHY?
Anybody out there been to Harlem, NYC? I lived there most of my life before coming to GA and Harlem was written off as a wasteland that would never ever be worthwhile. It’s best attributes according to some were the soul food restaurants and the Apollo Theater. Schools were bad, neighborhoods were worse, crime was rampant.
But guess what? Harlem is now one of the most lucrative areas in NYC. Why you ask? Because of its proximity to Manhattan. People with money took it back a few years ago and if you haven’t been to NYC in say 4-5 years, you literally would not recognize Harlem. A friend send me a video of a commercial actually advertising that people go to Harlem to shop and live! Never thought I’d see that in my lifetime and made me wish I bought a brownstown when the city was selling them for a dollar a decade ago!
There was a time when Harlem didn’t even have such luxuries as a REAL SUPERMARKET – yeah you read that right. You had to leave the area for food shopping or shop at a bodega (neighborhood corner store usually owned by hispanics & not a spot most people would eat out of). Now all types of businesses are all up and down 125th Street – shopping, restaurants, retail, you name it. I don’t think it’ll take as long for Clayton to bounce back as it did for Harlem.
I said all that to say that all hope is not lost for Clayton County, despite what some posters may want to believe. I get the impression that the Commentor was once a proud Clayton resident who has watched his area deteriorate so badly that now he’s scared to even hope it can turn around for the better.
Clayton can and it will turn around. We did a good job in the last election we just have to keep electing people who will do the right thing and stay on them. The decent Clayton residents also have to step up their game, get involved and let the riff raff know that we’re watching.
I’m from a tiny town in Texas, with no happens what so ever! I really love it here in Clayton County. Sounds like The Commenter need to pack up and leave Clayton. Immediately if not SOONER!!
Want to help speed up the rebuilding of Clayton County? Give up “the no snitch rule”. Report all illegal activity(Yes drug activity, and code violations too!).The harder you make it for criminals, and scum, the faster they will hit the road.
TO THE POSTER WHO POSTED ABOUT HARLEM, NEW YORK AS IT RELATES TO CLAYTON COUNTY
You are right in that it will take people with massive amount of money to come into Clayton County and change it for the better like you stated happen in Harlem, New York.
The sad, blunt, and direct truth is that one does not know when this will happen and how bad Clayton County will get before its eventual turnaround will occur.
I stand by my comments that Clayton County will continue to get far worse and will continue its fast moving downward spiral to an abyss of a county that is indeed a wasteland that is full of a population of people that are renters and not homeowners, criminal, gangster, and thuggish looking, dressing and acting youths, young adults, and teen-agers that it already is RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME and continues to worsen each and every day.
If you do not believe me, just go and look at the cities of Riverdale, College Park, Forest Park, and in the unincorporated areas of Clayton County located on Tara Boulevard, Upper Riverdale Road, Mount Zion Road, etc.
Because the city of Atlanta, Georgia is closing up all of its ghetto housing projects and sending all of the “BAD, UNLAWFUL, NONCARING low-life residents from these ghetto crime filled housing projects to Clayton County and because Clayton County is fast becoming the third world wasteland, trash dump, crime, gang, and drug filled county that it is RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME, and getting worse and worse each and every day, I personally feel that Clayton County eventual turnaround if it does occur will many, many, many years down the road and in no time in the foreseeable future.
I am doing my part in helping Clayton County by regularly attending the Clayton County Board Of Commissioners meeting and telling the Clayton County Board Of Commissioners during the Public Comment Section on the things they need to do as our elected officials to make Clayton County a better place for its citizens.
Because no one else speaks in support of a better Clayton County for its citizens during the Public Comment Section of the meeting, I have come to the conclusion that they really do not care about doing the hard, roll-up-your-sleeves work to make this county better for its citizens.
They do not seem to care as I think they should and because more Clayton County citizens like yourself do not go to these meetings and make your voice known and heard, they are not held accountable, answerable, and responsible for the decisions they make for Clayton County and they know that they can do pretty much as they please with no citizen or public outcry or outrage on any unpopular decision that they make.
No one Clayton County Board Of Commissioner can change Clayton County by themselves. It takes three Clayton County Board Of Commissioners voting together to enact, pass, and put into action any decision that they vote on.
I do not wish to run for a Clayton County Board Of Commissioner seat.
You should run for a Clayton County Board Of Commissioner seat.
Lastly, what I choose to write on this blog site is my business just as what you choose to write on this blog site is your business.
If I choose to emphasize certain of my opinions, viewpoints, and thoughts on a particular matter, it is my choice to do just as it is your choice to do the same.
If you do not like the comments that I have been making about the state of Clayton County, just don’t read them and go to the next poster.
If you think that I just post the same information, just bypass my posting and go to the next post and stop commenting on things that you cannot change like the comments that I make on this week’s blog topic by the blog master and controller Ms. Kimberly Allen.
You should pray for Clayton County and its quick, speedy, and rapid recovery to become the attractive, appealing, and livable county that it once was many, many, years ago.
East Lake, Harlem, Clayco…all in the life cycle. Clayco’s location and indomitable spirit assures us that it will rise again! Val Lee…Sam King…Sam Taylor…who will lead our school system into its resurgence? Rev. Bourbon told us recently that Clayco must first die (like a kernel or corn) before it rises again! I think Rev. Bourbon loves this corn metaphor because he likes corn whiskey. Superintendent Val Lee appears thus far to be doing a good job at the helm. She is a Clayco Girl. You go, Girl!
I have been saying for years that Tara Blvd is turning into the old Stewart Avenue. The only businesses that thrive these days are the pawn shops, title pawn, head & sex shops and strip clubs and when you even have a gym that advertises Pole dancing, that puts out a clear message that Clayton is becoming the new day Sodom and Gomorrah. Even the Christian book stores have closed down. Until we come together and rid our community of these degrading businesses like our good neighbours have we will continue to go downhill.
Before everyone climbs aboard the jump on “The Commentator” bandwagon let me say this in his defense. As he stated he does go to the Commissioner meetings and has made public comments. Some of you are right in stating that he has seen this county decline. The truth of the matter is that the old commissioners were completely out for self in this county. I remember driving down Tara Blvd before the Olympics and it for the most part it was nothing but trees.
What businesses did they allow eventually……massage parlors and used car lots. So some of you are right…..the OLD Board didn’t have vision and I’m talking Griswell, Bray, Gray, Rhodenizer. Check the books before the Olympics and see what the home building codes were. Every house in the county had to built on an acre of land. What did you see when the Olympics rolled around? Housing codes changed by the old board (most members owned land in the county & still do) which allowed homes to be built on 1/3 & 1/4 acre lots which meant more money in their pockets.
Now let me say I fully understand Commentators view. I will say this though even though I don’t fully trust the new board is that they have a vision for the county. I don’t trust Ralph (hear me loud and clear I DON’T TRUST HIM) but can at least say he’s got ideas and does have a 10 yr plan for the county. Some of you should check it out. He has some great ideas.
I digress. Strategic change can come to this county if we work hand in hand with law enforcement and I echo TC’s comments…….let’s start policing our communities and take ownership over them. Chief Turner is doing a great (always willing to meet with community heads) as is Kimbrough in working to get this trash out the county. We have a great new Solicitor General in Tasha Moseley who doesn’t play along with new DA Lawson-Graham. Let’s work with them to accelerate the trash removal in the county which in turn will speed the coming of new business.
P.S. Since I mentioned law enforcement, does anyone know what happened with the case with Lee Scott threatening to take out Donnie Hood during the election? You want change in this county? Get Scott convicted and run him out and you will overnight see systemic change since he won’t be around to bank roll a bunch of elected officials in the county that are corrupt.
Ahh but see Commentor that’s where you’re wrong! Harlem was not retaken by say a few people with massive amounts of money, but by a bunch of people with “some” money and those with a desire to live in close proximity to NY’s action. It also had leadership who although they lined their own pockets (keep it real what politician doesn’t) made moves to turn Harlem around. Agreed John Stuart – Wole is not to be trusted, he just isn’t the same person he was during his first run for office. But at least he’s got some kind of plan unlike the rest of the commissioners … now if that plan will only line the pockets of himself and other politicians who knows time will tell.
I believe those displaced from downtown Manhattan area after 9/11 went uptown because they didn’t want to leave the city. Location location location is the name of this game and is one of Clayco’s biggest assets that we (rather our elected officials) never seem to take full advantage of.
Harlem’s resurgence also took businesses willing to open in this area and no it didn’t start with high end, high quality, or big box businesses but with small businesses, some of which are still there.
Clayton is down but not out and we’re getting a little bit better as time goes on. Just like the economy Clayton didn’t decline overnight so it won’t be fixed overnight.
“Do you really, really, think Concerned Parent that Elgart and SACS are going to let the sons and daughters of politically connected ClayCo citizens graduate from an unaccredited system”
Politically connected? So what about the damage that’s being done now? Graduation isn’t the only concern. Property values are plummeting, people are moving, taking their tax dollars with them, which means fewer resources and higher taxes for the remaining residents. Accreditation goes far beyond just our students graduating in May 2009. If the “politically connected” has sons and daughters enrolled in CCPS, then surely they have homes here as well. So where’s the political clout you speak of?
I am not duped nor am I naive, I see very clearly. I’m not concerned about other school systems and their problems. And obviously they are not concerned about ours. This whole SACS debacle may have been politically motivated and I haven’t debated that. However, it was “OUR Board” (and apathetic parents) that provided the ammunition.
I have always been taught that regardless of another person’s (or group’s) ulterior motives are towards you, as long as you have your ducks in a row, it will be very difficult for them to prevail. REGARDLESS OF THE ALLEGED POLITICAL MOTIVATION OF SACS AND ELGART, WE DID NOT HAVE OUR HOUSE IN ORDER! I cannot believe at this point we are still having this debate. Why are you so concerned if the new school board gets the credit? Fine then, let’s give the credit to you. YEAH, “IF” saved Clayton County’s accreditation. Just out of curiosity, what has been your contribution? The blog postings don’t count.
You are indeed right that Clayton County was wrecked and now virtually destroyed by the actions of its past Chairman C. Crandle Bray, past Commissioners J. Charley Griswall, past Comissioner Gerald Matthews, and supported by its Georgia State Legistators in the Senate most notably former State Senator Terrell Starr and former House Of Representatives Bill Lee and Jimmy Benefield who held very powerful positions while they were long time elected officials.
Clayton County was hoodwinked and robbed as it relates to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in that over 80 PERCENT of the airport is in Clayton County but the city of Atlanta, Georgia gets virtually all of its revenue and monetary benefits.
Even now when you drive down I-75 South and pass the Forest Park Exit which is Exit 237 and as you look to your right side before you get to the Tara Boulevard Exit which is Exit 235, you will see RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME the vast, large dirt wasteland with no trees and essentially a large hole and possibly a trash pit where it was formed when dirt was taken from the area to build the fifth runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
I sincerely and truly hope that you and the others on this blog are right in that you see Clayton County’s positive turnaround for the better more sooner, quickly, and faster than I do.
I again do not share the optimistic view that Clayton County will turnaround no time soon in the foreseeable future because of its present majority population of people, this county having more renters than homeowners, massive and severe apathy, noncaring, looking the other way, and a accept everything and do-nothing attitute of its “good” citizens, widespread, corrupt, and crooked elected officials and politians both white and black, the income and socioeconomic status of the people coming to Clayton County, the city of Atlanta, Georgia sending, moving, and dumping all of its Section 8 Housing Project Ghetto People with their low-life criminal and destructive way of living to Clayton County, and the perception of many in the surrounding greater Metropolitian Atlanta, Georgia area that Clayton County is a third world, backwards, inept, low class, dirty, crime, gang, and drug infested, filled and overrun county that is dirty, unclean, unsanitary, nasty, filthy, messy, where virtually all of its elected officials and politians are “On-The-Take”, Lining Their Pockets For Themselves, Crooked, Corrupted, and only care about continuing to sell out Clayton County to only enriched and profit themselves and their politial contributors and supporters and work for the citizens of Clayton County who elected all of them to their politial office and trusted them to work on behalf of the citizens of Clayton County and make Clayton County a better place to live, work, play, have fun, and raise a family.
Concerned Homeowner, you keep saying my statements are dumb, yet with all your intelligence you don’t seem to be able to refute them. You say you see things clearly. Step into a classroom and walk the walk, and then you’ll really see things clearly.
But you are totally and completely correct about one thing. Not only did the board not have it’s ducks in a row, they weren’t even on the same plane. They gave SACS and their cohorts every opportunity and then some to excute their game plan. But if you think this board’s actions are really addressing issues that have a direct tangible effect on the day to day instruction in the classroom, you are sadly mistaken.
It doesn’t mean that they won’t eventually. But that’s only if the citizen empower themselves with the knowledge needed to hold them accountable.
As Obama’s redistribution policies kick in, and money is given to people in our society too lazy/stupid/incapable of earing it, you will see an influx if businesses opening in Clayton.
Look for Clayton to attract business that sell things like, Grills, dumb looking hats, and other accessories for people who just want to look stupid.
Of course, you will see the an influx of liquor stores, fried chicken joints, watermellon stands, resturants, tatoo parlors, and strip joints.
I imagine you will see some rim rental businesses too.
However, all these businesses will be Korean owned, and the money will be “redistributed” right back to the people earn it, and as business open, crime will increase, and eventually run these new business out of town, and Clayton will again be right were they are today.
Indeed there are several businesses opening in the county. I don’t characterize a small business as a “low-end business” (some exceptions apply however when it comes to socially decadent businesses ex. Starship & New York Video). The small business owner takes great pride and much personal risk in opening and running a small business and that I applaud.
What the focus should be is the density of various vertical markets within in the county, zones of economic and tax incented development areas, and strict enforcement of the new zoning codes. I am also no fan of taxes let alone higher taxes but this county has not kept pace with the property taxes. Expenditures for services now exceed income derived from property taxes. Taxes were kept intentionally low for years (and still are) to allow developers to build and sell lower cost homes. TAXES MUST BE RAISED AND SIGNIFICANTELY! (Sgt Rock has told this to the Commissioners many times…they get the message and they know the math and they know it must be done).
A good example of this is the Lake Spivey Gateway from I-75 along Georgia Route 138. Development and re-development was a joint venture between government, business and the local community and the end result is an enhanced and viable corridor leading into the county that will have a positive economic impact. A TAD (Tax Allocation District) was formed along with a special Zoning Overlay to allow for non-traditional Clayton County development. Medical facilities being built there is bring medical professionals into the area as well as bringing patients (customers).
Other zones of development are being planned as we speak but there are dark forces that are only interested in turning the quick buck. While Crandall Bray and Charlie Griswell are no longer on the forefront, rest assured that they are alive and well directing and navigating from behind the scenes with their minions of lawyers, developers, builders and sympathetic politico’s whose only interest is to line their pockets.
I begrudge no person a profit BUT that profit must be morale, ethical and in the best interest of the community. When Bray has knowledge of potential development (Lovejoy land lot that Wal-Mart currently sits atop) then purchases that land 2 years prior to Wal-Marts purchase, and him voting for the zoning request, I have a problem. He got away with it along with other scoundrels because WE THE PEOPLE allowed it to happen.
This county has potential, a lot of potential. There is an alignment of political power that has the ability, with a nudge (shove) from voters to turn Clayton County. BUT, it takes YOU…how you ask?
1. Read: Read the county code front to back. Understand zoning, the application and approval process. What you don’t understand the zoning office will explain to you.
2. Ask Questions: I have always asked the dumbest questions of County workers at all levels and have always received an intelligent answer. That doesn’t mean I roll over if the answer isn’t in the interest of the community but I will understand the mindset and philosophy enabling me to deconstruct it.
3. Visit: Show up for commission meetings, sign-up for public comment, visit commissioners and planners in their offices. They are open to conversation from regular people. You would be surprised how one visit from one person on one issue can change the direction of on thing. Imagine if just 50 voters showed up to an office…the message would be loud and clear.
4. Be Civil: In all of the above things, be civil. Civil conversation and discourse go a long way to understanding. It’s OK to disagree without being disagreeable. Leaders in Clayton County welcome discourse with voters that are engaged. Believe it or not, leaders are looking for solutions and through civil discussion YOU might be the one that brings them the answer or idea to do and “end around run” on a very complex problem.
Lastly, I read a lot about Section 8 Housing. It is illegal to discriminate against Section 8 or those that reside in Section 8 homes according to the Federal Fair Housing Act. I am repulsed personally by a form of discrimination and agree with the Act in this regard.
It is not illegal for a community to band together and place rental limitation in their community. Communities can and do place rental percentage restrictions within their neighborhoods to protect value. The standard limitation in the US is 15% but it could be lower, whatever a community decides. The reason for this limitation does not discriminate but has legitimate reasons. Once a community exceeds 25% rentals it is considered an “at-risk” community by mortgage and insurance companies. They consider them more unstable when compared to a primarily single family community. At-Risk communities must pay higher insurance premiums and higher interest rates compared to stable communities. Everyone in an at-risk community can have a FICO score of over 800 and they will still pay higher interest and insurance. When a homeowner goes to sell in an unstable community, the potential buyer must pay a higher interest rate to purchase the home. The potential buyer is attracted to other neighborhoods not at-risk.
Communities are often unwilling to limit the number of renters because of apathy. It requires civil engagement of neighbors, physical effort, organizing and finally taking action. All this must be done around family responsibilities and work. The real reason it isn’t done is that often we look for THEM to do it. If you want to get rid of Section 8 there is a legal recourse but you must be willing to take action. Anything less is a useless waste of breath.
Let’s talk about the redistribution of wealth foa minute. For every dollar metro Atlanta contributes in taxes, we get back .68 Cent! But when Grady Hospital, Metro School systems, Marta, etc, need financial assistance, The state is quick to turn their back on us. I am in favor of dividing Georgia into two seperate states. North Georgia and South Georgia. Then, N. Georgia would not have to support rural south Georgia just as they refuse to support
At least President Obama is talking about the problems facing us. Bush acted as if nothing was wrong. Redistribution of wealth? When 2% of the people control 75% of the money, it kind of blows your notion out the water that money will go to the poor. You Republican conservatives had a golden opportunity to prove your platform planks. Instead, you blew it! BIG TIME! Just like in the State of Georgia. Don’t you think the average hard working middle class family is feeling the betrayel? The only think to come from the capitol is a hedge loan..No strike that, An advance courtesy of the taxpayers who are now required to finance a nucler power plant with no price tag! They passed a bill to eliminate the ad valorem car tax BUT imposed a sales tax on cars valued under $5,000! That’s right, cars tha cost more than $5,000 are exempt! No here is where the real redistribution of wealth is. WHO buys cars under $5,000? The Poor, Middle class working people etc. They are more inclined to buy a used vehicle. So this is a classic tax redistribution card trick. Conservatives are in rebuilding mode. Blame the poor people, the section eight people all you want but keep this in mind. If it the middle class, established homeowners would not put their property on the section 8 program, there would be no section 8 tenants! It takes two to tango baby! Why would they put their property on section 8? Because they can’t sell or don’t want to sell!
The best thing to do is stop complaining on the blog and take action with positive outcomes. The poor people are not the reason America is in the shape she is in. If one watches the news with any regularity, One could easily surmise it’s the rich who have driven this country into the ground.
Mr. Charlie, you talk all this about Obama, but how soon we all forget about $4.00-$5.00 per gallon for gas, massive job loss, massive job outsourcing overseas and etc.! Mr. Charlie, your folks have driven the country in the GROUND! Now, somehow you can predict the FUTURE on today’s spending. Where were your FUTURE predictions over the LAST EIGHT YEARS!! Get a LIFE! Clayton will recover if we got rid of the GONE IN THE WIND theme!
TO: The Commentor,Sgt Rock, Reginald Stalworth Jr.& ESR
Please move to Alpharetta, John’s Creek or Helena. Oh, I forgot you’re not that financially savvy. Clayton County WILL NOT improve until certain people start acting ETHICALLY and MORALLY. While you’re the DIRTY ONES!!!
Keep in mind also. Section 8 was changed to Housing Choice. One of the requirements to receive Housing choice is that a family must be employed at least 25 Hrs Per Week or in school as a full time student. The verification is done every 90 days and every year for their annual certification. So everyone on the Section 8 (Housing Choice) program has a job or they are not on section 8! This is a HUD mandate for program participation.
You blog and post like the unintelligent, uneducated, and misinformed ignorant (THE WORD IGNORANT ONLY MEANS LACKING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT A FACT OR SUBJECT) person that you are on the subject matter present on the blog topic of the week.
If you are indeed knowledgable educated, and informed about the subject matter presented on the blog topic of the week, then your posting should reflect this by posting your own viewpoints, opinions, and thoughts on this blog topic and not commenting on the postings of others who posted in a very intelligent, orderly, knowledgeable, smart, educated, and detailed way making a very good and credible argument in support of their positions on the blog topic of the week.
Because your posting does not reflect this, it is safe to say that you are in no position to comment on anyone’s posting and that you have no credibility and do not know what you are talking about.
Stealth Patrol: My comments, while containing some opinion based upon experience mostly contain facts rather than conjecture.
Would you please expound on your comment “Clayton County WILL NOT improve until certain people start acting ETHICALLY and MORALLY”, specifically “who are certain people” and please define and describe in detail your allegation of unethical and immoral actions to which you refer.
Please define and describe to me in detail how I am one of the “DIRTY ONES” to which you refer.
I must refer to my previous post to emphasis the need for civil discourse rather than ostensible comment which garners either party or the third person no advantage to move forward. An element of conflict in any discussion is a very good thing. It shows everybody’s taking part, and nobody left out. I like that.
As someone who has lived in Fayette County, I can tell you that many people here wish that we didn’t have The Pavillion… perhaps Clayton might want to annex it in? I mean, really, it’s a strip mall, and there isn’t much that classy, upscale, high-end about it.
I agree with last night’s decision to not make the administrator who was suspended over the dance team controversy a scapegoat with the three day suspension. There is still accountability with the letter of reprimand.
I just hope if a teacher is ever in the same boat, they will use the same common sense discretion, and that this wasn’t just board members taking care of a administrator crony. Clayton has far too much of that.
Clayton County will recover! Just like America will recover. Look at the stock market making a comeback under Obama! You Go Boy! If anything has been learned it is that the conservative notion that economics “trickle” down is a lie and a failure. Money is hoarded by those at the top and when the people at the bottom of the totem pole demand a “their fair share” conservative hollar it’s an unfair redistribution of wealth. Give me a break!
I dont know how long most of you have been living in CC but I can attest having lived there for the past 34 yrs watching Mt. Zion Blvd go from having all those fine upscale stores and being the place to go for shopping before up and fled to Henry CO making it the fastest growing county a few years ago. Why in the world would folks want to move and sell there homes when they still could? Because they watched the Olymics come and the housing projects get tore down for the honor of the ATL hosting something so of course you can make your own assumptions. I just know that Morrow once was a great place to live now it sucks
You are the type of parent that will take your kid to a so called “good school” and because you are the outsider they will place your kid in the worst teacher’s classroom. Yes, please believe there are BAD teachers in good schools.
People like you will not complain when you get that BAD teacher in a so call good system.
Practical, you are probably uber defensive because you are a first year Clayton county teacher holding a provisional certificate, i.e. one of the main problems with the Clayton county school system. Your ignorant generalizations prove that you were most likely educated in poor schools yourself. The source of your rage could also be that your priorities are so screwed up that you’d drive your child to an unaccredited Clayton county school in a luxury car. Here’s some “Practical” advice: trade the car note and invest in your child’s future.
My husband and I are college educated with good jobs and we are very active, very visible, and well known in our child’s school where parental participation is mandatory. Parental participation is one of the hallmarks of a good school system as you well know. I am in 100% agreement with “Deeply Concerned Taxpayer/Parent’s” earlier post which states that Clayton County’s school system has fundamentally deeper problems than just a defective school board. I refuse to sacrifice my child to them and I will drink muddy water out of a Mason jar to keep my child out of a poorly performing school.
Now you run along and study smart for the Praxis II. Maybe you’ll pass it this time.
That was what you call an attempt to offer a rebuttal to KimWhit’s excellent post? That was even lamer than Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire, it was more like Liar, Liar, Your Mamma Took Your Clothes To The Drycleaner. It was that lame.
TO: The Commentor, Sgt Rock, Reginald Stalworth Jr. & ESR
You criticizers are worthless all you do is come on this Blog and complain. You are too impotent, inept and too incompetent, hopeless to run for Public Office to do anything about this county. All you do is play Monday morning politics/quarterback, hindsight is always 20/20. Look back over your own lives; you all were born with a silver spoon in your mouths. I can tell by your tones what color you are! Look at it like this with all the advantages you’ve had in lives in America, and you’re still in Clayton crying on this Blog. You are all failures, you’ve had over 160 years of land ownership which equals worth, however you all were too stupid to maintain your wealth, the wealth that was handed down to you by your forefathers and fathers. See now you’re broke you can’t move to Alpharetta with the others who were able to maintain their wealth. Come on now, make something of yourselves Run for office, commission, school board something = you said provide a viable solution; there you have it, run for office and make a difference!
It’s JMHO JMHO, but if you had ever seen some of the memos administrators send to teachers, you’d be requiring them to pass a diction, grammar, spelling, and composition test as well.
Of course God knows how many administrative staff you would lose if you did that; on the other hand, that might be the best thing ever to happen to CCPS.
Stealth Patrol: You’re argumentum ad hominem is a fallacious. I see you avoided answering any of my questions instead offering an incendiary comment concerning race, perceived wealth and status. The ad hominem position has been well documented for over 3000 years and is always the refuge of having a weak argumentative position.
I do not and have never have condoned, judged or alleged anything based upon the foundations of your inflammatory remarks. BTW, perhaps you need to re-read my posts…nowhere do I ask for anyone to “provide a viable solution”. Obviously Delusions of Reference.
“Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.”
Well Prof. Rock that is one way to intellectually dismiss someone. *amn!!! BTW I know Prof. Rock Ms. Stealth Patrol (the ms. is due to your *itchin’) and can say you are 200% off on him and I’m a black man telling you that.
You want change in this Clayton? Take heed to one of Ghandi’s quotes –
This is where we differ, I don’t think there is all that much wrong with our country. We are perfect? no, we are only the richest nation in the history of earth, but I guess we are a complete failure, huh?
It is like health care, we have the best doctors, best hospitals, and best medical schools in the world, but obviously something is wrong.
Where else to the “poor” with 400 pounds? Maybe we should model our country after Somalia, Zimbabwe, or even Mr. Obama’s homeland, Kenya. Those countries seem to be run well, maybe we should run our like that?
To quote Obama “America is the richest most powerful nation in the world, we need change”
You continue to show how uneducated, unintelligent, ignorant, and how uninformed you are on your lack of knowledege on the subject matter on the blog topic of the week.
Your stupidity and foolish thinking is showing in your nonsense, childish, and immature posting that you did yesterday evening at 9:27 P.M. in that you had nothing meaningful, intelligent, thought provoking, or thought engaging to say.
Your postings are idiotic, stupid, and juvenile and are the type and quality of postings that only an idiotic and a fool would post.
If you cannot post in an intelligent, informative, educated, and mature way and provide thought provoking, in depth, knowledgeable, detailed, and credible information in your postings like the the bloggers and posters you critized in your last two postings did, you should not continue to write postings on this blog topic of the week.
Sgt Rock. You ROCK!!!!! I agree with your points 100% If they can’t make a point here you can bet They will pull out the PC “I’M A VICTUM” card. I am sorry my family did NOT fight for the South. We only had a small vacation here in Georgia with Sherman. So they shouldn’t blame others for their mifortunes. After all The lord helps those who help themselves.
Your college education has not served you well. Your own generalizations about an entire system is why I find your argument substandard. I too have a formal education (several degrees), but what does that have to do with COMMON SENSE? My many years spent in a college classroom do not come close to the teachings of my mother and grandmother(who were both educated in poor schools).
I disagree that parental involvement is the hallmark of a good system. I believe good teaching is the hallmark. Parental involvement is a plus. I think that parental involvement must evolve from making copies at the school to actually supplementing what thier kid is learning. When my child (in a Clayton County school) studied Martin Luther King, I took him to the King Center. When my child studied the levels of government, I took him to the state capitol and a commissioners meeting. We will visit Fernbank Science Center over spring break and the space center in Huntsville, AL this summer.
DO NOT assume because your child is in a so call “good school” he/she is being expose to great teachers. Especially when the teachers know that it is easy to please the parents by telling them what they want to hear.
I assume your reference to my car note and you drinking muddy water from a mason jar indicates your choice for private school. I challenge you to check the certifications of the teachers at the private school. You may be surprised. I say invest in your child by you exposing him/her to learning outside the school day. This is real parental involvement.
P.S: You are correct. I drive a nice car but I have not had a car note in 7 years. Cars are a poor investment. I would rather spend the money taking my son to Washington, DC. for a historical inauguration.
Sgt. Rockhead,whatever,The Commentor Gomer Pyle vs. Ding-a-Ling,Mr. Punk Charlie and John Stewart
ROCK THIS!! After all this week’s topic and discussion on this Blog, you guys are still in denial about your own self worth! It’s a conundrum to me that seemingly intelligent people are so antithetical to pluralism in Clayton. You guys are so cohere in your own ways that you bulwark yourselves in front of your computer all day overdosing on your own dogma.
You guys profligate your days thinking about Clayton some 20, 30, 40 years ago. You guys are so stagnant and inert in your conservative thinking and that’s counterintuitive into what’s going on in 2009. You guys folks own all the major businesses in Clayton but you’re poorly represented in the county offices; therefore you suffer the same crisis some suffered in the 1700’s “taxation without representation”.
Although when you had your chances, you squandered them and turned the county into what we have today. The vast majority of Clayton population was subservience to assimilate with you and your ways but they found them perverse and vicious toward others. There is a paradox in what speak and how you conduct yourselves.
I gave you a viable solution to your woes with this county; when I said run for office-make a difference for yourselves, but you segue to torrential degradation when I provide didactic dialogue as such. However, we see the bottom line of your actions was formulaic by your progenitors with the sheets over their heads.
Practical, your rebuttal to my initial post effectively refutes your claim of being highly educated. On the other hand those online degrees are kind of easy to come by. You show poor judgment if you currently subject your child to an unaccredited school and you have the means to mitigate the situation. You show very poor judgment if you assume that attending the Inauguration or an occasional family vacation is a valid substitute for a challenging educational experience. I agree that those types of experiences are ideal for exposure but my child has daily Spanish emersion and is exposed to second grade math concepts in kindergarten. She can immediately move ahead to third grade math concepts if she masters her current curriculum or she can be remediated when appropriate. Will your child’s school offer him that opportunity? No, because they will subject him to the required canned government lesson plan “script” thereby limiting your child’s educational progress to that of the least intelligent child in his class. The proverbial “Jethro” will set the intellectual pace for your child’s class and the social worker/slash teacher will dumb the whole curriculum down to accommodate his self esteem.
Practical, please do not challenge me to “do the research” on my child’s school when you clearly haven’t one iota of research yourself. My husband and I obviously researched, and our child applied (and I stress APPLIED), to several independent schools, attended numerous open houses, met and interviewed with teachers and administrator and we ultimately CHOSE the school our daughter currently attends. I could continue ad nauseam about the time and attention we gave to this process. Practical, you COULDN’T have researched Clayton County’s school system because a cursory glance would have disclosed poor academic statistics, a majority of inexperienced/uncertified teachers, low academic expectations, LOW PARENTAL PARTICIPATION AS CONFIRMED BY THE DISMAL PARENTAL TURNOUT DURING THE ACCREDITATION HEARING/RALLIES and widespread disciplinary problems. Heck, a quick read of comments posted to this message board by Clayco teachers would have been the bit tip off! Yet you still send your child to the ZONED SCHOOL that THE COUNTY chose for you when you clearly have the means to do otherwise?
I want to stress that I am not being critical of the entire public school system. I am the daughter of two retired educators and a proud product of public schools. There are clearly some great public school systems and public school educators. Clayton’s public school system is just not one of them at this time.
Practical,
I agree. Most teachers in private schools are not certified. Also, I’m confused as to how KimWhit would know your occupation and what kind of car you drive, just by reading a post….weird.
So the new and improved BOE can’t wait for spring to come to ClayCo. They’ve got to take, in this economy, as little paid vacation to San Diego, offering the pathetic excuse that they may not get accreditation back if they don’t go.
Of course the status quo lackeys won’t complain about the literal thousands of dollars that are going to be spent right after teachers were laid off. Is SACS going to ask for an itemized bill for each and every meal ordered on the public dime like they did last time, or will any and every extravagance just be excused as bidness?
Like you, I also make enormous sacrifices for my child, including driving a 10-year-old car, to send him to private school. We tried public school, but after sitting in on classes and walking through the halls of the local high school — much to the dismay of the principal — I could not stomach what I witnessed. And you are right, the research is clear on parental involvement. What high performing schools have in common is significant involvement by parents, and not necessarily highly educated parents. But “Practical” is also correct. A child’s education MUST be supplemented by additional enrichment opportunties. For parents with money, that may very well be a trip to Washington D.C., and for others who don’t have much disposable income, it may mean trips to the public library where a child can check out books that expose them to other cultures, countries, etc.
Like both of you, I too am a college graduate. I have a child at one of the top universities in this country and another child who works extremely hard just to make B’s. I would never trust his education to anybody in Clayton schools. I have attended board meetings, have met many of the administators and Central Office staff and quite frankly, just can’t imagine how they received appointments to lead a school system. I also have experience working for a school district — a high performing one. So, I recognize quality instruction when I see it, and I just have not seen enough of it in Clayton, particularly at the high school level. There desperately needs to be a transformation at all of the high schools. There are schools across metro Atlanta that are 90-90-90 schools, where 90 percent of the children receive free or reduced lunch; 90 percent are minority; and 90 percent excel on the reading portion of state tests. With all the money we spend on children in Clayton, we should have many of those schools. And we don’t.
Anyway, while it appears the debate is heated, I think it is commendable that people are at least talking about schools and education with such passion. I think we all want what’s best for our children and are prepared to do what it takes to ensure that they are more than adequately educated. I commend you both KimWhit and Practical.
I also agree that parent involvement and enrichment opportunities are very important in the educational development of a child. I perhaps bring another perspective to the conversation. My kids are elementary aged. I moved them from a private school to a public charter school here in Clayton County. I know that this may seem crazy to most uninformed people reading this blog, but I did extensive research and this school offered everything I was looking for in a K-5 education for my kids. Consequently, my husband and I are very pleased with our decision. Both are doing very well and have been blessed with caring and qualified teachers who are dedicated to the kids and their profession. The school as a whole is doing great as well. We have strong support from the parents as well as the community. Our PTA meetings are always packed and active parental participation is the norm. For example, when the district failed to provide funding for elementary band/orchestra, our parents went out and solicited sponsors for instruments and supplies. We now are the only elementary school in the county with a band. The Hall County Public School district opened a similar charter school last year and used or school as a model. You wouldn’t believe it by reading the blogs or media reports, but there are some great schools in Clayton County. In fact, there has been a waiting list for admission to ours since it opened.
However, I do worry about when my kids move on to middle and high school. Unless things change drastically, I will have no other option but to send my children to private school or move to another district.
A superintendent is only as good as her or his help. Val needs to get her some help in the Human Resources Department. Ultimately, it is her responsibility. She needs adults in that department…adults who know how to follow the law.
Lil Stealth Patrol, still spewing vitrol I see. YAWN!
Wise up and get a clue! Continue to whine and race bait and see yourself left behind. Previous White, and now Black officials of ClayCo have led us to where we are now. You cannot blame race or point fingers when the county has been controlled by Blacks in over 90% of offices for the past years. Its SHOW TIME!
Black and Democrats are in power, but why is the county still in need? WHY? It’s because Clayco has little diversity. We need more ‘others’ by race, religion, class, and culture to improve the area, or it will continue to be a ghetto dumping place…..
Nobody disputes that there children from all backgrounds who learn, and learn exceedingly well, but there isn’t a single school is Georgia that is 90 percent or above free and reduced lunch, with 90 percent of the children scoring in the exceed range on the CRCT reading test. Not one. Not a single one.
It’s one thing to hold teachers accountable, it’s entirely another thing to scapegoat them by pretending they operate in a vacuum. Home matters.
Online degrees, muddy mason jars, car notes, provisional certificates… my mother said when you argue with a fool, two fools are arguing.
Choosing the right school for your child can never be debated. You assuming I have made the wrong choice for my child is where I take issue.
I encourage you to look outside your child’s school for opportunities to apply the information learned. You will then see reallearning taking place. There is no such thing as a perfect school or perfect parental support.
With the proper support, I am sure your child will receive a good education. I KNOW my child will receive a stellar education because it is important to me and my husband.
Minus the personal insults (unneccessary), I have enjoyed the exchange.
*** I wished online degrees were common during my matriculation. I had to complete my degrees the old fashioned way.***
I care and want our children to have a world class education here in Clayton. Sadly, this is not so for many students in our unaccrediated school system.
Stealth Patrol, you seem to just “know” all about me, but you don’t address the topics I bring up.
I guess attaching the messager is the only solution when one cannot intelligently debate their side of an issue. Unfortunatly your side cannot be supported by facts.
It seems you need jump off your high horse. It’s called Spanish “Immersion” and there are about 380 students in Clayton County Public Schools that receive it daily as well. I applaud you for sending our child to a school that you and your husband feel best fits his or her needs. However, it is so unnecessary to put others down and past judgment. You are not the only parent in the county that cares about the education (inside and outside the class) of his/her child.
Many people feel that ALL residents of Clayton County (regardless of where your kids attend school) are trash. They feel that parents are failures for remaining in the county. But you and I both know that’s not true. Your attacks on Practical seem to be in the same vain.
Stealth Patrol- I understood every word of your crap and didn’t even need a thesaurus you might want to replace subservience with subservient but I’m sure we can’t all be as smart as you think you are.
Reginald Stalworth Jr.,The Commentor, and Mr Charlie all of you “Idiots” need to READ this book titled, Black Wealth/White Wealth. Get yourselves some knowledge before you respond.
Concerned Parent and Homeowner: You obviously didn’t read Practical’s initial post where she slammed me with some pretty big generalizations. Emersion/immersion..I stand corrected but is that all you absorbed from my post? Do your research and you will find that many of my statements are completely factual. Sometimes the truth hurts. 380 out of thousands of students is a pretty small number and actually reinforces my point about the quality of our school system. I notice you had no comment about the math. By the way, the correct word is “vein”, not “vain”.
Sadly, a very good friend of mine who lived in district four ended up moving away because of the lack of selection. Of course, they had talked about moving for a while, but he might have stayed had the circumstances been better. Everyone remember to pray for district four.
I have two friends that had buisnesses in Clayton county for over 20yrs but in the last 10yrs they both told me that due to a increase in thefts they had to close down. One moved to mcdonough and started over and one gave it up completely. Both blame it on Marta coming to clayton County.
KimWhit,
I didn’t mention math because I don’t care to go “tit for tat” with you about what my children are learning versus yours. I just thought it was important to clarify that the correct term for what your child is being exposed to is called Spanish Immersion. Not many people know about this form of education, so I feel it’s important that the correct terminology is used. It may be hard for you to believe, but maybe some other parents in Clayton County would want to research it. As I said earlier, I applaud you. I think it is great that you have done your research and found a school that best fits your child’s needs. Who would argue with that? However, you shouldn’t assume that others haven’t done their own due diligence.
You are absolutely correct, 380 out of thousands is not a lot. But 380 out of 380 is 100% and that’s how many students at my children’s school are exposed to the immersion program. By the way, what’s even more staggering is there are only about 830 students in the entire public school system “statewide” that are exposed to a Spanish Immersion program and 46% of them are here in Clayton County….just one of the many “facts” I picked up while doing my research.
The key to this whole thing will be parental involvement!! If that is not achieved then it will have failed. I only say this because I have followed a school in Philly that Microsoft came in setup. All work was done on laptops.
The school was state of the art – solar panels for general and water heating, rain capture and purification system for bathroom water use, smart cards used to open lockers, etc (some great ideas that could be used in future school builds to school taxes down) Unfortunately after talking with some employees in the Philly district where the school is located it has been a bust. Why? Parental involvement was next to none.
If this school can enter into some type of agreement which states if a child is a behavioral problem and the parents aren’t involved to remedy the situation that the child will be returned to their original school in their district and school then this will succeed. These types of programs that this new school is offering are privileges not rights!!!
Kimberly you know this blog is going to bring Trotter and his Cybil type personalities. Cringe, Cringe!!
This school sounds good on paper but hope they are able to maintain standards. If they don’t, it’ll just be another CCPS project gone wrong and unfortuantely I don’t see them keeping the bar as high as they set it. Didn’t Sandra Scott come from district four too and King took over for her? That tells us a little something about the candidates over there. Let’s just hope that whoever gets elected is NOT a Trotter flunkie (District 4 residents had better do their homework to make sure or else we’ll end up with more of the same), wants what is best for the kids and doesn’t come onto the board ready to cause trouble and dissension.
Georgia State Board of Education need to come in and take over CCPS with this new state of the art school before Clayton run it into the ground. Help Please Sonny and Cox!!! Note: WTF No, District#4 old Board member was Ericka Davis, Michael King replaced her.
Those courageous foot soldiers at CCPS who are willing to stay on call during Spring Break; such courage hasn’t been seen since Omaha Beach. If a threat to accreditation rears its ugly head, they’ll be there to sacrifice life and limb for Mother ClayCo. It brings tears to the eyes to see such.
Never mind that, even if the BOE spends Spring Break drinking tequila shots and licking whip cream off the bellies of Britney Spears and Lil’ Wayne, Elgart is going to restore accreditation. He has absolutely no choice in the matter; politics dictates that this must be so, regardless of how hard the AJC tries to get you to believe the decision hasn’t been made.
That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised, if SACS asks CCPS something during Spring Break, just so that the AJC, in its role as accreditation spin doctor, can write a glowing story about how CCPS was available.
Thanks SOS but not much difference between Sandra Scott and Erica Davis except for a few pounds round the midsection. Either way District 4 needs to do their research and make sure whoever they put in there is not connected to Trotter
Please don’t tell us the master plan behind the BOE getting rid of Michael King is to bring back the master micromanager Ericka Davis, the person who was as responsible as anyone for costing Clayton its accreditation.
It matters a lot because Sandra Scott was a woman of high moral standards and values unlike the board members that didn’t realize that they were free and all they had to do was stand for what was right and not bowel down to the white man power and the other brought wanna be black/white power.
Yal people need to find something else to do with your time. This blog is full of lies and it is catered to the chamber of commerece and the little old white people of this ungrateful and sad county. You all should be tired of destroying and lying about Clayton County. You all have done enough when you destroyed the school system and left the county will businesses and people pulling up and out. Clayton County is hurting in more ways than one and you all still isn’t pleased. But, I guess you all wouldn’t be because all the SCHOOL BOARD money goes into the white flight of the old Clayton County pockets as well as the Commissioners money. Let the real truth be told about why Clayton County is on the verge of BANKRUPTCY… Have a great day and pray for the Children of this Forgotten County.
(((Sandra Scott was a woman of high moral standards)))
OMG you have got to be kidding! What a worthless board member she was. She couldn’t lead anything! Totally worthless,arrogant, unqualified, uneducated, and a looser.
I really hope that the new Superintendent that the Board is going to select, and the new Principal and Vice Principal of this high school are all ready to enter into a contract with every student who enters this school to do their best, act their best, respect themselves, their teachers, their peers, etc. because this is an incredible blessing and an incredible opportunity.
It is not money, not teachers, not equipment, or not the students that make great school systems, it is parents. If there is a book, and the parents instill dicipline and make the kids read it, they learn. That is why african american schools are so poor, lack of parent involvement.
Pawn Shop High? Or, John D. Stephens High? Eldrin, My Baited Breath, High School? Wade Starr of the the New Commission High School? Bishop Newton High School? Mandingo High School? I Streaked at UGA and now am I a Judge High?
I agree with John Stewart’s opinion. I would like to see a School -Parent – Student Contract such that standards of expectation are clearly defined by everyone involved and signatures put to paper.
Empty contracts have no room here. Standards need to be defined to the “n’th” degree. Impossible you say? Private schools do it every day across this country with harsh ramifications for breach of contract (Parenting Classes, suspension, expulsion).
Also, drug testing of students, parents, teachers, staff and involuntary “warrant-less and suspicion-less searches” of the above (and others entering Government School Property) needs to be enforced.
The Supreme Court has ruled on numerous occasions these types of searches are indeed constitutional and that there is no expectation of privacy and that these types of searches have a “negliblble intrusion” upon the persons as it is in the interest of all to foster a safe environment and that the State has a “substantial interest” in this type of policy.
The Honorable Justice Clarence Thomas in a Majority Opinion wrote “Even if there’s no problem, there may be a future problem”. He continues, “Indeed, it would make little sense to require a school district to wait for a substantial portion of its students to begin using drugs before it was allowed to institute a drug testing program designed to deter drug use”.
Random drug testing and warrant-less searches are done every day throughout the country. I am not advocating any different behavior than what is already done in all branches or the U.S Military to promote safety, health and overall welfare of those that serve our country. The same policy applies in that on a Government Facility (military base or government building) there is no expectation of privacy as it is not a private facility but indeed a government facility (this is evidenced in our own Clayton County Courthouse).
Policies, guidelines and training must be conducted to ensure all policies are carried out in a fair manner. This can be done.
People at all levels can cooperate once highly defined goals and standards are contractually agreed to and enforced. It’s only matter of the have the backbone to do it.
This requires will, inspiration, and tact. Something that may be lacking. Without a clear expectation of Standards, Charles R. Drew High School, I regret to say will quickly fall into a state of physical and spiritual disrepair as evidenced by the other schools within the County.
Dr. Charles R. Drew held himself and others to the highest of standards. His pioneering research and development of blood transfusions has saved countless lives over the years. Interestingly, he attended segregated Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. Dunbar High School was considered the pre-eminent schools for African American students in the first half of the 20th Century. We should all look to the heritage of this school and it’s Diaspora as an example from which we can learn valuable lessons to emulate in Clayton County!
I’m glad the school is named after such a man of excellence as Dr. Charles Drew. He, like B. Bannekar, are some of my historical heros who raised the bar and set examples of excellent! We can all be proud of their accomplishments.
And I bet Dunbar High isn’t so great now, lol. Check out the stats for most DC area schools – worse than Clayton any day! Another poster is right – It’s all about parenting (that makes the difference)!
Where else but Clayton County can a parapro have the title of site manager for the tutorial/remediation program? Where else but Clayton County can one elementary school have three assistant principals; one of them a parapro? Where else but Clayton County can the principal announce over the intercom that ALL will stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with your hand over your heart? Has he heard of Civil Rights violations? Where else but Clayton County can you get this kind of ridiculous activity? You have to love it.
The minority that run this county won’t be happy until the new superintendent is one one them. They cry about everything. Only reason their heard is because they own the media!
The minority that run this county won’t be happy until the new superintendent is one of them. They cry about everything. The only reason they’re heard is because they own the media!
They could name the school God High, that doesn’t mean it’s going to have high standards. And forget buzzword terms like high standards. If you really want to do something of value in ClayCo, have regular standards, and high enforcement of them. That would really raise the bar, not just talk about the bar from the cesspool below.
Sgt. Rock–I’m deeply troubled by your suggestion here:
“Random drug testing and warrant-less searches are done every day throughout the country. I am not advocating any different behavior than what is already done in all branches or the U.S Military to promote safety, health and overall welfare of those that serve our country. The same policy applies in that on a Government Facility (military base or government building) there is no expectation of privacy as it is not a private facility but indeed a government facility (this is evidenced in our own Clayton County Courthouse).”
There’s a significant difference between the military and the schools, tax dollars notwithstanding. In the military, one gives up the expectation of privacy; in essence, when one joins the armed forces, one is giving up a number of constitutional rights.
Students should not be required to give up constitutional rights–including the right to privacy–in order to get an education. Unfortunately, drug testing isn’t 100 percent perfect. Without cause, no one should be tested.
Conservatives should be all over this. Somebody call Bob Barr!
Hi, Shannon. I totally agree with you. Our country is not a military state, and I’m a republican-leaning independent before anyone makes the assumption I am a liberal. I believe in the rights established by our forefathers. Besides, believe it or not, unless you are caught driving there is no law against the consumption of narcotics. Although you can be charged with possession by consumption, it is usually only a charge that is attached to a long list of other charges because on its own it cannot be proven because the amount of time to metabolize various narcotics differs, and therefore, incredibly difficult to prove in a court of law. I guess, what I’m getting at here is, even if we drug test the students it would serve no purpose whatsoever unless they were caught in physical possession of the narcotics at the time. Random drug testing in schools would have little consequence other than maybe suspension or expulsion, and would only put the user on the street that much faster. The idea is a total waste of taxpayer money. The best way to keep kids off of drugs is through education and parental involvement. That is the only solution for that problem!
I recently read your article “500g of diesel oil found in garage!”. and I was appalled at the uninformed public officials that reside in your county.
I would fire your Fire Chief, Assistant Police Chief, and make sure the school board chairwoman does not reacquire a seat.
Why you ask?
Diesel fuel does not explode with a spark, a lit cigarette, or any other form of ignition. Diesel fuel only explodes when placed under extreme compression! Ala – diesel engines not having SPARK PLUGS! You could throw a rag on fire into a barrel of diesel and it would go out!
Of all public officials who should know about gas or chemical flash points, the Fire Chief should be well aware of this. After all, it is their job to know!
Your school board teacher is also very wrong about diesel emissions! They are not poisonous like the emissions of gasoline. Diesels produce carbon (the black smoke you see) which is relatively safe compared to your car idling in the driveway.
I would like to see how evil us people are in the northern states in their views. Many of the houses up here have 250g or larger tanks in our basements containing diesel oil #2 that we use for heating our homes. Yes, that is the same diesel this man had stored in his garage, albeit not as filtered. Are we sitting on a bomb? Uh, no it is 100 times more safe than propane tanks.
My wife and I strongly feel that the new high school should be named Millions Made High School. The nickname: The Swindlers! Go, Swindlers, go go go go go!
BOE firing administrators too. Hopefully these folks are taking these steps after serious considerations. Just hope this firing of Ms Lewis is not just a prelude to hiring Brock and Co as the outside lawyers. Talk about huge amounts of wasted money – wait till we see his billings.
Overwhelming proof that the accreditation heist was a hoax! New CCBOE held illegal meeting, unethical behavior, No-Bid contracts, all members of CCBOE went San Diego costing an untold amount, run Thompson with two months left costing over $100,000, run Julie off costing over $90,000. After all that, we will magically get accreditation back. The only losers were the 3500 children and parents who left the district and the 23 million it cost the district. This was a costly political whitewash move.
Wide Eyed, you forgot those 300-400 teachers and parapros whom lost their jobs because 3500 children left costing the district $23 million. Hard Luck all the way around.
Assimilation 1970 vs. Assimilation 2009. This is the title of my new book. In my book I illustrate the difficult or even the impossibility to amalgamate culture and regional ethnic differences in 2009. These differences are practically impossible to overcome in Clayton County more so than almost anywhere is America. Please listen to me people; especially those in power! This is the point: Atlanta is seen as the “Black Mecca of The South”. In that I’m saying, even though we have our MLK, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton’s fighting the power; there is a new power, and that is the power of the new wave “Hip-Hop Era”. Listen, old guys we have been overwhelmed, pretty much like “Hippie Hair, Afros and Belt Bottoms”. Old guys, if you 50 or over, our time have come and gone. Clayton County is the closest county to the “CITY” of “Atlanta” known as the “Capital of “the New Hip-Hop Capital of the South or the World.” Make Sure You get This: Trying to change these kids style and actions are a LOST CAUSE! Get over it! You’ll be DEAD&GONE and pants will be still sagging! Your only option is to Assimilate!
I agree with the previous posters…Nothing, not even Hulk Hogan, could keep that fakey Mark Elgart from forcing regional accreditation onto the Clayco School System. “Here, please take it,” Mark implores. It’s a fire sale on SACS Accreditation now. Hey, I think that I’ll start one of those private, money-making accreditations ventures myself (hey, Bob Hartley, want to join me; there’s money in this racket) and pick on a little urban (minority-run, I might add) school system every forty years to make it seem like we have standards which are enforced which is a joke. What a hoax played on the Clayton Taxpayers and Citizens. Reminds me of the Piltdown Man of China. What a hoax! Mark Elgart is a hoax himself. SACS is a sham and a farce! Yeehoooooooooo!
SACS is a fake. But, it sho’ did get the Clayco Board members acting like trained circus monkeys, though! Hey, Lieka, do you feel like a trained circus monkey? Jumping through hoops and standing on your head for a rotten banana peel! Ho ho ho! This is funny sight to watch! What drama! Superintendent Ed Edmonds would have told Mark Elgart and SACS to kiss his short, flat white behind!
After reading some of the post here it’s no wonder we have such a mess in Clayton County. White flight? Anyone with a half of a pea sized brain and a few bucks in the bank would run from that burning building. The ones stuck there are there because their credit scores, IQ and number of kids are all the same digits.
Elite Middle school..Drew High School, thats two top notch schools coming to the county….I’m happy!!!
My question is this: If you have such a great school built behind Southern Regional hospital, what are they going to do about the surrounding area….i.e the Chuck E Cheese plaza, The trailer park, Upper Riverdale Rd as a whole?
I think there is more reason now than ever to REDEVELOP that area of CC..it’s 2 minutes fromthe interstate…thats prime real estate if the right types of property get built.
Talk about the redistribution of wealth! The banks get taxpayer money to stay afloat. Then they lend us our money back with interest. Where is the Republican outcry?
The BOE can spend ten thousand in San Diego; for that matter, they can spend ten million, and they still won’t be able to purchase the thing they are lacking most. A backbone. Even the students who can’t tell the difference between a minute hand and an hour hand know what time it is when it comes to the lack of spine in CCPS. That’s why students routinely disobey, disrespect, curse and threaten, and even physically assault teachers.
And what has the BOE done to address this? Nothing. But y’all keep on heaping praise on the BOE, just like Elgart is doing. As long as it looks good on paper, and the proper sycophants are in place, what does he care? Not like his children actually have to attend CCPS now is it?
I want to thank my fellow men and women of the cloth (including fellow blogger Shannon) for elected me as the new President of the Clayco Ministerial Alliance (CMA). Reverends Butts and Bourbon led this august body through tumultuous times and did an laudable but unheralded work. Men of mettle. Clayco has been put through the ringer, but what does not kill us only makes us stronger. I like some of the moves being made by Valya Lee. She’s ain’t afraid to shoot dat ball — this we can readily see. I just hope the school board does not follow board of the past and seek to bring in a messiah (they are ALWAYS false messiahs who just get our money and leave us high and dry). We certainly do not need that Cobb County law firm…Brock and Clay. If you get them, then you will continue having Glenn and his boys (if you know what I mean) manipulating the Clayco School System. I don’t want any Cobb County lawyer running our school system. This will be a major mistake and will come back to haunt not just the school board but the whole Clayco Community. Hey, Bob, if what the blogger says is remotely true, give Rev. Bourbon a call. You know him and now he tries to help. Heck, I hear that his church’s accountants found out that one of his secretaries at the church apparently embezzled thousands from the church, and Rev. B. just wants to pray for her.
Lake Spivey is a great place to live. the kids are well-behaved, neighbors keep up their yards, and people respect each other. it is like a little middle class island in among muck.
I am sure Journalism 101 teaches that you have to grab the readers attention. But when it comes to articles on CLayton BOE and schools, please refrain from headlines with innuendo not brought forth in the facts of the article.
TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY DOLLARS A NIGHT for a hotel for each BOE member in San Diego? And SACS says NOTHING? Might as well name the new BOE Board of Entitlement.
I guess if you’re a SACS sycophant, taking a taxpayer paid vacation to sunny San Diego is a perfectly acceptable use of taxpayer money. What does Elgart care? It’s not like it’s coming out of his pockets.
Overwhelming evidence that the accreditation heist was a hoax! New CCBOE holds illegal meetings, unethical behaviors, No-Bid Contracts, all members of CCBOE went San Diego costing an 18,500, run Thompson out with two months left costing over $100,000, run Julie off costing over $90,000. After all that, we will magically get accreditation back. The only losers were the 3500 children and parents who left the district and 300-400 teachers lost jobs and the 23 million it cost the district. This was a costly political power move.
HLS:
Julie Lewis has been fired! Now, no one should be surprised when the new attorney firm is “Brock & Clay”. When you hire a search firm for $7500 that is a law firm, what is the trade off? You hire them as the school systems law firm! Then they charge you $250/hr for all the work. That means that every time Pam Adamson and Alieka Anderson call him to chat – cha ching!
To HLS – I agree! Ms. Lewis worked hard and cared about kids. Now, they have given the business to Brock who only cares abot making money at the expense of kids. This is a terrible thing for our county.
Clayton Public Schools’ problems go far beyond the lack of accreditation. Some of the children lack total self-discipline. They disrespect the teachers because they know that there will be no repercussions. As a matter of fact, some students ENJOY going to the office. The principals harass teachers instead of requiring students to obey the rules. There is an interim assistant principal at an elementary school in Riverdale who spends her day wielding her false power. She has caused the morale of the teachers in the school to fall like dominoes. What SACS needs to do is interview teachers so that they will find out the real truth about the schools. Noone is addressing discipline. Teachers are tired of being disrespected by students and parents. I don’t blame anyone who has the resources for leaving Clayton County. Just because accreditation is restored does not mean that the problems have been resolved.
There are senile administrators trying to run schools. What is disheartening is this particular administrator was a band director. He has never taught in an elementary school, yet he has the authority to evaluate a teacher who has been trained. This principal also thinks that his way is the only and the right way. He expects for teachers to walk down the hallway with clip boards to document disciplinary infractions because he has instructed teachers not to discipline children verbally in the presence of others. This same principal talks condescendingly to teachers over the intercom. The children hear him berate the teachers, but that is not a problem to the overpaid people sitting on their thrones on Main Street. As a matter of fact, the principals and the top administrators are like AIG executives. They all need to be fired and a new regime needs to take office. Don’t get excited when Clayton County suddenly regains its accreditation. It is a matter of politics, economics, and requests from realtors and the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce. The same poor discipline and administration continues to be rampant in the county.
Everything going on with the CCBOE is crazy and none of it should have never happen. Black people needs to learn how to come together for the good of all and not for themselves. It wasn’t about the last Board arguing or were in disagreement and it is not about this Board going to a conference that all school board members attend. It is all about the MONEY. The County is 95% black and it is only between 2-5% of black contractors in this county. The other 97% is to the old white regime and their constitutients. So, its not about a dysfunctional board it is about the board trying to get playing field right for all people to be able to get a piece of the $566 million dollars. Spend the money the correct way and that is on the Children. Let’s take care of the Children. Let’s put things in place for the Children. Let’s stop looking for deals and padding our pockets and take care the Children. Let’s make sure all of our Elementary Schools have Playgrounds. Let’s get band and orchestra programs in all our elementary and middle schools. Let’s get quality sports program so all children will be afforded the opportunity to receive scholarships for college. Lets continue to provide Academic Excellence to our students with new Innovative Programs. We have some of the best TEACHERS and had some outstanding programs so let us continue to put the children first. It should be about the Children and not about Contracts and Jobs for our Family and Friends. Our children deserves more and they deserves the best. So, CCBOE do the RIGHT thing and Start making your own Decisions and not Decisions from GAE, LOK, and your other Political Friends. Do the Right thing for the Children and Sleep Good at Night.
The CCBOE did an awful thing to get rid of Julie Lewis for Brock. They will see, once again the other surrounding counties are laughing at you all. Brock is working for the State and not CCBOE. I sure hope that they allow the New Superintendent to pick attorneys because I am sure they will not pick Brock. Any attorney that acted like Brock how could he or his company be trusted. I guess any way for this Board to get its accrediation they must do it. Again, CCBOE you are Free just do the Right thing and Believe in God and you all will be alright. Oh, I forgot people that do the right thing want last in Politics so, I do understand why you all must do what they tell you all to do. Be Smart CCBOE
To HLS and SD:
Well I guess that is how you get a “search firm” to only charge you $7500! LMAO! Him and Pam Adamson are laughing at Alieka all the way to the bank! Go Alieka!
I have lived in Clayton County my entire life. I shop at Southlake Mall only on the rare occasion now. It has nothing to do with teenagers rather the stores at the mall. Most of the stores in the mall do not meet my needs. I can go to the shops on Mt. Zion or the Fayette Pavillon and find what I need. When Southlake changes its shopping selection, then I may return.
I have shopped at Southlake and if there is something I need I might in the future. But, the big problem at Southlake is the lack of choice. There are areas to shop that more meet my needs.
Haven’t been there in years. Don’t feel safe in the parking lots, and and most of the decent stores have left. It will make a nice flea market soon, if they don’t do something to bring it back to life.
Kimberly no I do not shop at the stores inside Southlake Mall. I will shop in Macy’s (even the men’s dept is catering 70% to the younger crowd), Sears (Tools/Appliances) and JC Penny (not sure if they are still there) unfortunately Southlake will not enforce a curfew because 90% of the stores cater to the 13-21 crowd. Why would they implement something that would have a negative impact on their store owners?
I am of the mindset to say yes to the curfew and then maybe and more likely you can bring back higher end stores and those that will spend the money in them. Unfortunately I don’t think Southlake is forward enough in its thinking to do so. They don’t know how to capitalize on their location. They need to ask themselves why are people willing to go Locust Grove to Tangier Outlet Malls to shop or why are they willing to drive all the way to Lenox to Shop?
Nicole why don’t you invite some community leaders as well as commissioners in to have a round table/face to face to hear what the community would like and then make changes accordingly.
Southlake Mall should most definitely, without a doubt, and immediately institute a curfew like Stonecrest Mall does in Dekalb County that noone under the age of 18 will not be allowed in the mall after 4:00 P.M. on Fridays and Saturdays without the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.
The sad truth about this is that this will never happen at Southlake Mall because the mall is no longer the nice, upscale, clean, elegant, sophpisticated, high class mall that it used to be years ago that catered to the middle-to-high middle clientele residents and citizens of Clayton County and its surrounding counties like Fayette County, Henry County, and Spalding County.
Southlake Mall is RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME a second-to-low class that only caters to the teen-agers, young adults, youths, and people that are low class, do not respect the property of the mall, throw their trash and litter anywhere and everywhere, and are essentially the hang out of the subhuman Section 8, lowlife, gang bangers, thugs, punks, delinquents, vandals, hoodlums, and criminally minded and committing youths, young adults, teen-agers and their sorry, no good parents who cannot and will not control, supervise, or exert their parental authority over them.
It is extremely obvious as to why the General Manager of Southlake Mall Ms. Judy Pritchett does not and will not institute a curfew because the youths, young adults, teen-agers, and sorry low-class adults that this curfew would keep out are the very ones who patronize and buy from this mall because Southlake Mall only has low end businesses with its “bling bling” jewerly stores, ghetto clothing apparel stores that only sell “oversized, baggy, drooping, sagging, falling down pants with large, oversized, tee shirts, hooded jackets, and skull caps that only gangsters real and wantabees, thugs, hoodlums, punks, hoodlums, and barbaric acting and behaving youths, young adults, and teen-agers wear.
Also, Southlake Mall will not in no time soon attract the high-end stores and have the many shopping and merchandise choices that it used to have because as the demographics of Clayton County changed and the income demographics of Clayton County changed (for the worst) and the class and type of people in Clayton County changed, these stores left in high numbers and you only have stores that cater and sell to the current population of Clayton County today.
This is why all of Clayton County is not only full of, but it is overrun with CAR WASH PLACES, CELL PHONE STORES, CHECK CASHING PLACES, AUTOMOBILE LEASING PLACES, DIRTY LOW-CLASS AUTOMOBILE REPAIR PLACES, LOW-END RETAIL STRIP MALLS, BLING-BLING JEWELRY STORES, AUTOMOBILE RIM STORES, AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR PARTS STORES, PAWN SHOPS, LIQUOR AND PACKAGE STORES, NUMEROUS FAST-FOOD PLACES BOTH NAME BRAND AND FAMILY OWNED, LAUNDROMAT PLACES, ETC.
I have gone to Southlake Mall mainly for replacement batteries for my watch and to their Sears Store.
The trouble at Southlake Mall occurs during its evening and nighttime hours and especially on Friday and Saturday nights when the teen-agers, youths, young adults, and low-class adults that I have described in great detail travel in packs in great numbers cruising and traveling around the mall going from store to store with no security guard or guards in sight.
Lastly, if Southlake Mall’s General Manager Ms. Judy Pritchett desires, wants, and will continue to cater to the type of people mention in this posting, she should seriously consider doubling or even tripling the amount of security guards and patrols around and in her mall so the people who do not feel safe in her mall whether it is day, evening, or night will feel safe enough to patronize and buy from the very few good stores left at Southlake Mall.
I love Southlake Mall; they really have all the nice new clothing. There are plenty stores with all the latest “Urban Gear”, you know the ones; jeans with the design on the back pockets with the matching design on T-Shirts with matching design on baseball cap. Brands like Ed Hardy and Black Label and White Tag. The vendors that sell these type clothing and the latest “Rap CDs” are making Big Money at Southlake. There are plenty places like Sears, Macys, JC Penny’s that “Old Folk” and “Senior Citizens” can buy stuff. If you run us off you want have any clientele, us young folk have been keeping this mall “OPEN” for at least the last eight years. Thank you, General Manager, Judy Pritchett, you’re a Life Saver.
Should South Lake Mall have a Curfew? The young people make the mall and if you all are trying to keep young people/teenagers away from the mall it will become a flea market by 2010. We are the ones that bring in the revenue. We are the ones that keep the doors of the mall open. So I suggest that you all think smart and don’t let this be another County disaster. Put the Children First in Something in Clayton County since the School System has put them last.
I don’t know why anybody is afraid at Southlake Mall; they have plenty Security Guards and Morrow PD there. It’s a nice “Wholesome Urban Environment”. Please don’t paint all us young folk with a “Broad Brush”, most of us are shopping and mind our own business. However, you may have some “True Thugs” walking around every once in a while; the rest are Thug Lookalikes and harmless!!!
I still go to Southlake occassionally, sometimes even find something I like! I can count on one hand how many stores cater to my age group (let’s just say 35-45). The teens never bothered me, when I was in that age bracket sometimes my friends & I “roamed” the mall. You right there are much worst things they could be out here .
But some posters are right about it becoming a flea market. I was there at Christmas holiday it was practically empty. Wasn’t sure if that was the economy or lack of store choices or both! But for sure they need more store choices in there if they want to cater to anyone else but the young hip hop crowd.
Just Stating the Obvious do you even live in Clayton ? You sound so bitter.
Just stick to your comments, viewpoints, and opinions on the blog topic of the week and not add extra commentary that do not relate to the blog topic of the week like you did in the last sentence of your blog posting at 8:34 P.M. this evening.
Your last sentence in your posting was not necessary.
It is none of your business where I live or my postings on my comments, opinions, viewpoints, and observations about Southlake Mall, its retail stores and the class of people, youths, young adults, and teen-agers who patronize the mall.
For the record, I presently live in Clayton County and have lived in Clayton County for well over fourteen years.
If you do not like my postings, just bypass them and do not read them, let alone comment on them.
How I post and the comments, opinions, viewpoints, and observations that I write on about Southlake Mall is my business just as your comments, opinions, experiences, and viewpoints that you write about Southlake Mall is your business.
I strongly suggest that you just continue to and stick to posting and writing on your personal experiences, observations, opinions, and viewpoints about Southlake Mall and your visits and shopping there and stop commenting on others’ postings about Southlake Mall.
Some of the postings on this blog will be about their positive experiences at Southlake Mall and some of the postings on this blog will be about how negative they feel that the mall has become and their negative experiences at the mall.
Just stay out of other people’s postings and I am sure that they will stay out of your postings.
It was empty this past holiday season. But so was Lenox, Stonecrest and every other mall in America. The sales data confirm this fact. As far as the curfew, NO! let teens be teens. We hung out at the mall when we were young. When was the last time someone was shot at SL mall? Beat up, robbed etc? I haven’t heard of any public safety threats coming from the mall. As far as the nothion that everyone is a Sec.8 “lowlif” scum…That poster just needs prayer. The reason Clayton County is in the condition it is because the leaders failed in a major way and the voters refuse to hold them accountable on election day. The county is 9.5 Million in the hole. Of course this is the tip of the iceberg. IT WILL GET WORSE! Commissioners who we elected hang up on reporters as if they don’t owe those who elected them an explanation. What gives? The Tax Commisiioner says yes, The BOC says No WTF?
I have not been to Southlake in years. When I shop, it is Kohl’s, Belk, or Lenox Mall. I can remember when Southlake opened. Back then it was Davidson and they had terrible customer service. When Rich’s was bought, I stopped shopping there even though I have my original card number.
I’ve been to the new shopping area in Macon and recently, went to PTC which is a nice shopping town. I don’t need a Mall.
Also, my posting is not a “bitter” posting but a very factual, provable, seeable, and verifiable one if you or any blogger who reads my posting chooses to go to Southlake Mall starting this Wednesday April 8, 2009 and up to the end of the week when because of the warm spring-like weather which will start on Wednesday April 8, 2009 and continuing up to the end of this week and because of spring break of all of Clayton County students, you will all that I listed on my first posting especially during the evening and night hours at Southlake Mall on Friday and Saturday before your very disbelieving eyes and much more.
Just look, see, and observe as you do your shopping or browsing at Southlake Mall at the youths, young adults, and teen-agers, what they are wearing, how they are traveling with their friends, and if they are well behaved or rowdy, disruptive, disrespectful, or inconsiderate in their use of foul language, menacing, and threatening gestures, and if they have any adult supervision around them.
Also, note if you see any security guards in the mall, or better yet, if you see the security guards that are witnessing the behaviors and actions of the rowdy and disrespectful youths, young adults, and teen-agers, see, watch, and look if they will be proactive and assertive and stop this negative behavior and action or if they will only be reactive and only stop it if a concerned patron or shopper at the mall go to them and request that they stop it.
I will state and stand by my comments and on my own observations having purchased items at Southlake Mall and have seen and witnessed first hand a very passive, non assertive, and essentially do nothing security guard force that allow such disruptive, disrespectful, and inappropriate actions, behaviors, and conduct to continue by the youths, young adults, and teen-agers especially the gang members who frequent Southlake Mall especially on the weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) and only reactively stop this behavior when a patron or shopper complains when the security guard force should stop this immediately and proactively.
Lastly, if you do not believe that their is a crime problem at Southlake Mall, all you have to do is go to the Morrow Police Department Headquarters because Southlake Mall is in the city of Morrow in Clayton County and request to see crime statistics at Southlake Mall and its surrounding areas and compare them to years before and you will see the increase in crime areas such as car break-ins, robbery, burglary, etc. for yourself.
Again, if you choose to look at Southlake Mall as a mall that caters to your shopping needs and is an okay or even a good mall in your eyes, that is your opinion, experience, viewpoint, and opinion and you are entitled to it.
If I choose to see Southlake Mall in a very different light and see it AS IT REALLY IS RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME AND WHAT IT HAS NOW BECOME and write about it in this posting, this is my right, but more than that, all that I have written and as I have stated in this posting can be easily verified, proven, and confirmed if you will take the time to look, see, and observed directly for yourself and check out the crime statistics at and around Southlake Mall for yourself and compare them to years past to see if it is indeed a very safe, secure, and protected mall where all kinds of people can go to shop, browse, and look safely in peace, not being concerned with rowdy, disrespectful, and unruly youths, young adults, and teen-agers who not only do not respect adult and parental authority, but do not respect nor care about the security guards present there to protect the shoppers in the mall.
As the old saying goes … me thinks thou protests waaaayyyyy too much.
Crime has gone up EVERYWHERE, not just in Clayton county. NOTHING is the same as it was 10 or even 5 years ago ANYWHERE. If anybody thinks Clayton will again be that sleepy neighborhood it used to be you’re fooling yourself. These just are not the times we live in, but we can hope and pray for the community to come together to curb the problems because the chances of us getting rid of them completely are slim. By the way all teens that roam in groups in the mall or otherwise are not thugs or a threat to society, it’s called being a teenager and I never knew a perfect one.
This place is really scary sometimes and the ones committing crimes aren’t the only ones scaring me.
Unfortunately, Southlake Mall has already seen its best days as an upscale top notch mall with upscale dining resturants such as Ruby Tuesdays which was once located at one of the mall’s entrance.
Southlake Mall is now basically an ethnic mall that caters to the majority ethnic population in Clayton County and the income base of its majority population.
Southlake Mall general manager Ms. Judy Pritchett and the Director of Public Relations of Southlake Mall’s parent company General Growth Properties Inc. Ms. Nicole Spreck comments only confirm the direction that Southlake Mall has taken in that it is a mall that only wants the young hip-hop rap listening crowd patronizing and shopping in their mall.
Southlake Mall only mirrors what has already taken place in Clayton County in terms of the businesses that have come into the county.
Until the county’s demographics change, the income level of the population of the citizens of Clayton County increases, and the socioeconomic status of the majority population of Clayton County changes, and Clayton County gets more high income earners to move into the county, we can expect more of what we are already getting in Clayton County as it relates to this county being overrun with certain types of businesses that are not appealing, attractive, and are not high end or upscale in quality.
I have only been in Southlake Mall once or twice in the past year or so. I used to take my Grandksid there to see Santa Clause and do some Christmas shopping, but, no more. Prices are outlandish, the crowds are uncontrolled, and the overall experience was a real downer.
While the roving groups of teenagers are worrysome, most are just trying to have some fun with their friends. The few who can be truly described as thugs, or gangbangers need to be dealt with before it becomes necessary to ban all teens from being there.
A little more proactive security, and doing away with the bus stop at the mall would go a long way to improve the atmosphere and experience of being at Southlake. It would also allow higher end stores to feel more comfortable bringing their inventory to the area. This would also limit the crowds somewhat to those customers who can actually afford to be shopping there. After all, if the customers have to take a bus instead of their own vehicle, they can’t afford to be shopping at any Mall.
That is just the think – Brock’s search will consist of looking no further than his own rolodex and putting in place one of his puppets/buddies. They could have paid him $1.00 to make a phone call and the rest is a charade like everything else this board does to pretend like they are actually on the up-and-up.
And as far as Pam Adamson and Alieka Anderson laughing to the bank, they won’t be laughing for long. Just wait until Brock’s legal bills start rolling in. We will all have to start paying more in taxes to cover those!
You do not hear of problems at the mall and never have–ever due to the city of Morrow’s attitude of reporting information to the press. Ask for police records…you can even go back 15-20 years. It has never been a pretty picture. Most malls are not!
Southlake Mall has turned into Greenbriar or South DeKalb Mall. They have security, but you would never know it. Security is definitely out numbered by the teens there. I don’t mind teenagers being at the mall. There aren’t that many places for them to hang around. What I do mind is the gang like atmosphere that the mall has taken on over the past few years. The stores do not cater to the crowds they once did and that is what keeps most people away. I won’t shop there any longer. Too many other choices out there for people and if Southlake doesn’t take control over what is happening, they will end up having to close their doors.
I don’t quite understand what the blogger means by customers who have to take a bus to the mall, they can’t afford to shop there. There are all sorts of reasons why someone cannot drive and need to take a bus. You are lumping a whole group of people into the same category as malls are doing with the teenagers. I can drive myself to a mall or a store and not necessarily have the money to purchase anything, I enjoy window shopping, getting out of the house, etc.
To: Just Stating The Obvious And Verifiable Truth,
I am shocked that you even leave your home at all. You are that same old “The Facts are the Facts Guy”. You are “Scare” of every thing in Clayton County. You sound like the old poet when he said “Having lived a long time, I have seen plenty troubles, most of them never happened” Every thing to you is low-end, low-class and Sec-8 and downtrodden.
You are “Broad Brush Painting” and that’s another so-called politically correct to say low to no tolerance of others. REMEMBER: Pluralism= the existence of groups with different ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds within one society. Go ahead and say it-if the demographics were more like 50/50 you’d feel some comfortable, no matter the age difference.
Come on, Just Stating the Obvious and Verifiable Truth, please leave Clayton County before you have a “Heart Attack or Stroke, sound like you are REALLY stressing the small stuff. Please leave the county before your folks are sitting around eating fried chicken and potatoes salad talking about how great you were!
This is 2009, “Get Over It”! As long as ATL is the Hip Hop Capital of the World the demographic of Clayton will never change. If you don’t like Southlake Mall try the other Malls say at Greenbriar Mall or South Dekalb Mall. Yea, Eastlake Mall demographic is 50/50.
Your posting and comments only reflect your idiotic, stupid, ignorant, and juvenile way of thinking that has no basis in truth or fact.
Be original and post your own opinions, viewpoints, observations, and experiences on the blog topic of the week and stop commenting on the postings of others.
I suggest that you use the limited and small amount of intelligence and brain power that you have and write a intelligent posting on the blog topic presented this week and stop commenting on things that you obviously have no control over which are the postings of others on this blog site.
What does riding a bus to the mall have to do with anything? Upscale Lenox Square mall has a bus AND train stopping there and ya’ll go there every chance you get apparently.
Now the greedy are talking about banning the Mall from the youth. They greedy have already took accreditation, now this. That only leave us one last option and that to walk around all the subdivisions in the county all day and all night. Now that sounds like trouble! I guess the old greedy won’t be happy until we all disappear off the face of the earth!
There seems to be an element of Clayton County’s Older Society that wants the majority of the youth population of this county to leave this county. Now, who would that be?
I’ll go to southlake for Macys, JCP, Bath & Body Works and Auntie Anne’s pretzels. Oh my kid likes Lids for hats. Even those stores sometimes carry the same hip hop like clothing as the rest of the stores in there. If one or too manhy of the stores I listed go they’ll lose this customer. I ignore the kids and do what I need to do and leave.
Having curfew would be stoopid!!! Deez little thugs would just leave the mall to exhibit a wide array of fool behavior throughout the nearby neighborhoods!!! If we keep deez fools in da mall we can hopefully contain deez fools.
Here are my responses to your questions for citizens’ thoughts, opinions, viewpoints, and observations on your blog topic for the week:
The C-Tran bus transit system was in my opinion a mistake and a money drainer and loser from its beginning under the previous Clayton County Board Of Commissioners leadership which was championed by former Commissioner Virginia Gray and supported by Chairman C.
Crandle Bray, and Commissioners J. Charley Griswall, Commissioner Gerald Matthews and Commissioner Carl Rhodenizer in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
C-Tran was not form properly, not budgeted correctly to provide minimal cost to the citizens of Clayton County and was designed to cost the county money on the “back end” and not cost money on the “front end” as it is doing now.
C-Tran is one of the main reasons for the decline of Clayton County as it is the main mode of transportation of many of the undesirables, unsavory, and criminal element of people living in Clayton County with many from the housing projects of the city of Atlanta, Georgia who have relocated to Clayton County, mainly because of the cheap housing and apartment homes and having a means of transportation such as the C-Tran bus system.
I do not ride the C-Tran Bus System, losing C-Tran would not affect my lifestyle at all, and they need to raise the fares to pay for improvements and added costs to run the C-Tran bus system.
It is my opinion that Clayton County Tax Commissioner Terry Baskin claims are valid in that there is no reason for Clayton County to have a deficit and I feel that any deficit that Clayton County has is due to the mismanagement, misuse, and imcompetence of the county financial officials handling the money and that they need to do a full, complete, and comprehensive Forensic Audit of all the counties’ finances to determine if indeed this has occured.
It is my opinion that the firing of KPMG, Clayton County’s accounting firm who discovered these accounting deficiencies such not have occured as KPMG is a very reputable, professional, and well-established firm who could have worked with the county to correct their accounting deficiences.
Lastly, the Clayton County Public School System will gain their accreditation back, although I personally feel that their will be some form of probationary status attached to it for a small length of time before full, complete, and total accreditation without any probationary status can be achieved.
I wouldn’t miss C-Tran at all. I have wondered in the past about the financial stability of C-Tran. I have NEVER seen a full bus. I agree with the cuts in service. You can’t keep beating a dead horse.
And in regards to the Tax Commissioner’s “claim that there’s no reason for the county to have a deficit since his office collected $3 million more than last year’s budget?” Obviously his office is collecting the money, but the crooks at the county commissioners office are mis-spending it.
I wouldn’t miss C-Tran at all. Don’t know anybody who rides it so I don’t even know anybody benefitting from it, if I did maybe I’d feel different.
Two words regarding Terry Baskin’s comments: FORENSIC AUDIT.
CCPS will get its accreditation back, its not perfect but definitely better than that last group of losers who call themselves a board. At least the graduating seniors will have one less thing to worry about.
C-Tran what can be said about it? Kill it, Cut it, Bury it!!!!
Another example of the bad planning of the former Commissioners that is now affecting us. If Eldrin is so concerned with ridership ask for some ridership reports from C-Tran to see what routes are the busiest. Trust me a lot of fat can be trimmed in this regards.
@ Black Woman in Clayco – I am with you 200%. FORENSIC AUDIT!!!!
@ The Commentor I agree with you the the firing of KPMG wasn’t right. You are exactly right about KPMG. This firm works with audits for Fortune 100 companies and you are going to tell me they were wrong in the accounting of the county?
2 words – FORENSIC AUDIT!!
Time to dig up the county skeletons and pull of the leeches.
The funding for the C-Train will almost surpass what rails from ATL to Hampton would cost in a few years. CAN the C-Train immediately; if not sooner! Of Course the district will get accreditation by in whole or in part. The issue have never been about education, the kids or mandates! It’s alway has been about MONEY,People and Politics. Of course those people who helped revoke accreditation has cost the county plenty jobs in CCPS over 400, lower property value, Higher taxes,run businesses out of town and cost CCPS well over 23 million dollars. Good job Clandestine Society! you couldn’t predict the future, could you!
Yes, I will miss C-Tran because I use it to go to another school. We all are going to need C-Tran when our County Officials raise our taxes because our County Elected Officials have not Paid their Taxes and the County is 9 million dollars in the Red. An audit needs to be done and then you all will see that the reason the County is 9 million dollars in the red is because the last CCBOE had put a halt on the Commissioners getting money and business from the CCBOE. Get a real/true Forensic Audit not a joke like the CCBOE had from Brock. So, we better keep C-Tran and we probably will need MARTA soon when they finish clearing out the Apartments.
Will CCBOE get its Accrediation back? Sure they will. They didn’t have anything to do but wait on time. Mark Elgart cannot or will not take Accrediation again because he knows that all Eyes are on him and he also understands that SACS is a Private Agency and they need to stay in existence. THE CCBOE will receive its accrediation because the Governor violated the voters of this County once which was truly Unconstitutional and they wouldn’t dare violate 9 districts voters rights. All of this has been a sham and a farce. It has really caused this County a lot of heart aches and pain but, I guess the Commissioner, Mr. Johnson, Eddie, and Erica really didn’t think it through when they mastered minded this great event. They didn’t think about the impact this would have on the county. They just wanted to get rid of a few board members and let business run as usual. So, CCBOE will receive it Accrediation because the old board is history and Thompson is out.
I agree with your post. It is not politically correct but it is the truth. Atlanta plans to close down 5 more housing projects. As Atlanta purge itself of its undesirable citizens, its school systems are winning awards, its Superintendent wins a national award. Unfortunately, Clayton, Dekalb and Soutn Fulton are paying the price for Atlanta’s awards.
Clayton needs a plan to counter the closing of these projects. Is someone willing to do the research concerning the crime statistics in the vacinity of these projects. Maybe our commissioners will see this as a public safety issue and protect the law abiding citizens that are here.
Allowing the transit system to go away is one way to counter the undesirables coming to Clayton. I think Clayton needs to follow suit with Gwinnett and petition the federal government for permission to deport illegals once they are jailed.
The one problem Clayton has to overcome is Eldrin Bell connections to Atlanta. He will never fight for Clayton in opposition to the “big wigs” in Atlanta.
Let me also add our commissioners are out of their league. Atlanta’s city council is more experience, more connected, has a long term vision for Atlanta and are professional politicians. I think about how they offered Clayton an olympic event in 1996 to distract the county as they moved its first wave of undesirables into the county. A genius move for Atlanta!
Kimberly, you want us to bow down to the God of Elgart, that he may give us accreditation back? That’s about as necessary as making an animal sacrifice to the Sun God, in the hopes the sun will come up tomorrow.
The political reality is, as sure as the sun will rise, Elgart WILL restore accreditation, even if someone on the board suddenly developed some backbone and told him to stick it where the sun don’t shine. Politically speaking, he has no choice but to.
Bow down to a false god if you want to, but it won’t do a single thing to help the actual teaching conditions in ClayCo. After all, what does every other disaster of school system that participates in SACS have in common? They are ALL accredited.
It’s not about the children with SACS. It’s about bidness.
Thank you for your positive comments and understanding and seeing what I posted on about Clayton County’s C-Tran Bus System.
Even though some of Clayton County’s citizens who are law abiding, good, and upstanding who need the bus system to get around the county and to work or school, unfortunately it is the main mode of transportation of the transcient, undesirable, unsavory, repugnant, and criminally inclined and the criminal element population of Clayton County, many of which who come from the now closed down ghetto housing projects of Atlanta, Georgia.
There have been numerous newspaper stories and articles written in The Atlanta Journal And Constitution, The Creative Loafing Weekly Newspapers, The Sunday Paper, etc. that also state that the main reason that the city of Atlanta, Georgia crime rate went down and that their school system is achieving is mainly because of the closure and tearing down of the over 20 ghetto housing projects and the building of nice, luxurious, spacious, and clean mixed use communities and upscale housing developments while the undesirables, unsavory, and criminal element population were given Section 8 housing vouchers and sent elsewhere to live, with many of them finding their way to Clayton County to live, especially in the areas of Riverdale, College Park, and various locations throughout Tara Boulevard.
It is not surprising that where these undesirable and unsavory people are located is the area where the Clayton County C-Tran Bus System serves and has bus stop locations.
I totally agree with your posting and only hope that Clayton County’s C-Tran Bus System will not “break” the county and that its costs can be contained and lessen so that the taxpaying citizens of Clayton County will not bear the burden of the massive cost of running this bus system that the majority of its citizens do not want.
The Perry Center- 137 Spring Street, Jonesboro, GA 30236
Georgia Law and Teenagers
Higher Education is Expected and Required
“Young men are losing opportunities for higher education, the right to vote and gainful employment because they do not know Georgia law. It is the responsibility of everyone (parents, students, school, churches, civic organizations, foundations, media and community leaders) to stop this atrocity. Young men must also be academically prepared for success and higher living in society. You are invited to be a part of a worthy initiative that we would like to replicate throughout metro America.”
For young men ages 10-17 accompanied by parent/guardian-Male adults age 18 and over also welcome
Megan gets the ball rolling, with a glowing report about how well the new board is doing. She’s already been a great help, pushing aside the story of the open gang violence at Jonesboro High, and the BOE’s non response to it, with her ad nauseum reporting about the the dance team.
I guess making sure a school system is free of open gang violence doesn’t meet the level of a mandate; I guess somehow you can be focused on the children, as this report claims the BOE is, yet still be silent when documented cases of open gang violence occur. Interesting.
I’m sure next will be a glowing report of how there are no more outside influences at work in CCPS, ignoring all the while the sweetheart deal between GAE and CCPS that allows Clayton GAE President Sid Chapman to earn years in the Teachers Retirement System without having to actually teach.
One might wonder how allowing a teacher to earn years in the Teachers Retirement System is a benefit to the children of Clayton when that teacher doesn’t actually teach any of Clayton’s children, but then that would require a newspaper to be more interested in real reporting, instead of pushing a political agenda.
First, there are people who live and work in Clayton County who rely on public transportation. The buses are full in Riverdale in the morning and in the evening. These are working people who have no other choice but to rely on public transportation. As always when you have a working vehicle and are not dependent on public transportation, you don’t see the need for it. But if your ecomonic situation suddenly changed, which is possible in this economy, and you did not have reliable transportation, all of suddent CTRAN would become important to you. To save gas I use it to get to the mall and to go to work downtown, even though I don’t have to. I wish it was more like MARTA and ran all the time.
I want to preface my comments with the following thought: I am not sure absent of the loss of accreditation we would have been able to rid the county of such an ignorant board of education. A majority of the board was ill equipped, corrupt, unprofessional, and simply an embarrassment.
I think that Mark Elgart seized an opportunity to piggy back on the ignorance of such a board to push his political agenda. Dr. Elgart understands first hand that stupid boards of education are not exclusive to Clayton County. He needed the public shenanigans of Clayton’s board to push his GEORGIA SCHOOL BOARD REFORM BILL. The bill would give the governor an opportunity to intervene when school boards go WILD!
The sad thing is even with the public dismantling of Clayton’s previous board, the school board reform bill FAILED in this year’s General Assembly. Dr. Elgart’s plan backfired!!! He thought that stripping Clayton’s of its accreditation would scare school districts to take preventive measures and support the school board reform bill (just call Clayton County “TOBY”).
Dr. Elgart grossly miscalculated the rest of the state! 1) He did not count on the rest of the state thinking they were better than Clayton County and 2) He did not count on local governments fighting to keep control and 3) He did not count on the rest of the state being suspicious of an outsider such as SACS delving too deeply in school operations.
We are now left to clean up the collateral damage of this political war. The collateral damage includes 3500 students leaving the county, job loss for teachers and administrators, and other staff members, and federal funds being decreased.
There is enough BLAME to go around starting with but not limited to the idiot board, the electorate, the special interest groups, and our county commissioners being in bed with developers as they over developed this county with low end homes.
To all that question the quality of instruction in Clayton County, you can not convince me that APS, south Fulton, Dekalb, south Cobb, Gwinnett, Meriwether County, Griffin-Spalding, Troup county, south Georgia schools, mountain schools to name a few have highly superior instructional techniques than Clayton County. Give me a break!
I must agree with the above poster who said we wouldn’t have gotten rid of the last board without Elgart’s “assistance” (using that term VERY loosely). Those last four board members absolutely refused to leave office even though it was obvious to everyone and their mama that their presence wasn’t helping, but hurting. Then they hired Thompson to put a final nail in CCPS coffin. I blame those four in particular for the accreditation loss. Had they just “woman-ed up” resigned and put their pride aside for the betterment of CCPS, we may not have lost accreditation, Sonny would not have had to remove them and the rest of the state would have one less thing to laugh at us about. Yeah we’d still and still do have plenty of problems to discuss in CCPS but accreditation would not be one of them.
As far as C-Tran goes, get rid of it. Those bus stops look like small junk yards most of the time garbage all around, shopping carts lingering nearby, God only knows why. I agree with Kim those Tara blvd. buses are 99.99% empty 99.99% of the time. If Riverdale’s buses are so full, keep those & let them all move there at least the rest of the county’ll have a shot at being a decent place and the rest of us will know where NOT to go.
I would say the commissioners should do a forensic audit but why bother? They’ll never agree to that it’d expose all the corrupt stuff going on aand keep them from lining their own pockets, Eldrin in particular. Whoever said that he will NEVER fully work on behalf of Clayton because of his ties to Atlanta was spot on. I hope you all remember that come the next time we vote for commission chair cuz Eldrin’s loyalties lie firmly with the CITY OF ATLANTA.
The Perry Center- 137 Spring Street, Jonesboro, GA 30236
Georgia Law and Teenagers
Higher Education is Expected and Required
“Young men are losing opportunities for higher education, the right to vote and gainful employment because they do not know Georgia law. It is the responsibility of everyone (parents, students, school, churches, civic organizations, foundations, media and community leaders) to stop this atrocity. Young men must also be academically prepared for success and higher living in society. You are invited to be a part of a worthy initiative that we would like to replicate throughout metro America.”
For young men ages 10-17 accompanied by parent/guardian-Male adults age 18 and over also welcome
I have been asked to share with you this quote from Terry Baskin in response to the above-referenced AJC article:
I submit this email response to the April 7 article in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. I felt that I was definitely misquoted in this article as stating “The money is there. So I’d like to know where the money went,” It continued by stating “The taxes I collected would cover the (annual) $168 million budget.” This is a gross misrepresentation of both my office and me. It is impossible to collect 92 percent of the 2008 digest and equate that with the budget at $168 million dollars. I wouldn’t make a statement in that fashion. I would like this information to be read in public and clearly understood that I am not in no form or fashion acquitting anyone of negligence or of any malfeasance.
Sincerely,
Terry L. Baskin
Tax Commissioner
Clayton County, Georgia
The Board acted responsibly last night, the only issue now is to distance themselves from attorneys Glenn Brock and Steve Fincher. In deciding on supplemental attorneys, Mary Baker should recuse herself if Fincher’s firm is being considered. She was one of his flunkies on the board. We cannot make mistakes now-we are too close to securing accreditation again. DO THE RIGHT THING,MARY BAKER!
Someone should do an open records’ request on Fincher’s firm to see how much money has to do with his love of our Clayton County children.
So Mr. Baskin,
What exactly are the facts? How much money has your office collected and when does your fiscal year end? I think that the commissioners should have a special meeting to explain this mess. It seems that
Eldrin doesn’t have a clue and the rest are silent.
Let’s see who will take a leadership role to address this issue.
You all don’t have a clue. All of this was done to protect the Finance Director’s butt! Even the so-called comments from Mr. Baskin. Wade and others have been protecting her for a very long time and I feel that its time they all came clean about it. Wade is married and so is she but you ought to know that something isn’t right with those two and she’s one of his puppets. A very close puppet I might add. Do the math people!
For the first time in who knows how long I looked to see how many people were riding the C-tran bus going down Tara around 6:30ish and the only person I saw on there was the bus driver!
You’re one of three people in Georgia and America to beleive that last four board member are the reason for accreditation boy! everybody and their mama in our community which is (90%) of Clayton County knows this issue is and has been all about whites and money! This new board errored the same or more than the old board. However, Elgart’s hands are tied, He MUST reinstate or ELSE. The only reason Clayton will get accreditation is because a certain percentage of CCPS money has been GIVEN to that Clayton’s Klandestine Society. While some kids in CCPS stil done have TEXT BOOKS! You and your people have the power of the MEDIA, but we still won’t vote for you!
If you don’t believe there was a radical Clandestine Society behind the ridding the Clayton’s Final Four former CCBOE members, “You won’t believe there’s radical Klandestine Society exploring and plotting an effort against President Obama! Many Recall Efforts were taken against Final Four former CCBOE members, All Failed! This act was correct and legal; however, a governor’s removal was/is unconstitutional! These actions by the Governor, “Disenfranchised”
Voters of those districts-no matter how short the time, voters were “disenfranchised,” which resulted in a majority/minority disenfranchised unaccredited community of people in Clayton. This was all organized and sponsored by the same people; you know who they are!
You really are blind! LOL! I’m a female not a male and I’m black not white. Sorry to disappoint. I stand by my original post and concede that a whole lot of this going back to the Final Four and the last board in general as well as accreditation loss and getting it back is all about whites and money. I haven’t seen any where near the same mistakes made by this board as the last but guess if we give them enough time that’ll happen.
I hear a lot of Wade Starr. Is he is charge of the county and the mess that it is now in? Is he the person who is protecting the mess in the Finance Department?
to – the wise one – Dr Glenn DoWell, it has been a while – you still mad about that 8%. Still attacking – making up accusations with no proof. Why? Cause you can. After looking into this little diatribe – there simply is no connection there. Hey – how is JT – have not hear from him lately either.
wade is very competent. the most competent person in county government in clayton county. mark, don’t listen to all the rumors on wade or on anyone. people are jealous by nature. haters.
Why get rid of C-tran it gets people around. and for the people that see the Tara Blvd bus empty on tara blvd thats because that is the end of the line and that means that the bus has dropped most people off. If you ever go to the airport you will see that, that bus is packed 15 out of its 19 trips a day, and did you guys read about the board meeting where the buses were packed all times of the day?
If the county is losing money on C-Tran, how can you justify keeping it. I think the citizen should have voted on C-tran coming to this county. I don’t use c-tran so I don’t want to pay for it.
Well if what you say is right, then let the bus line stop wherever the most people get off because it’s obvious a bus is not needed going down Tara Blvd. Don’t think I”ve ever seen more than 5 people on it at at time including the driver. What’s said at the board meeting and what actually happens are different things and based on what I see that bus costs more to run than its makes.
All the clayco racial BS aside, Why would anyone consider removing C Tran? Gridlock is at capacity, The clowns at the Gold Dome can’t /fix the traffic problem and as the economy continue to recover after 8 years of being ambushed, the road will only hold more traffic! Look long term and start planning now. Public transportation is responsible, good by the environment and eventually cost effective.
Hey, Guys, I’m in Ecuador and trying to found out if Mark Elgart has descended yet from Mt. Alpharetta (ala Zeus) and granted the peasants of Clayton County the crumbs of accreditation (probationary status). Please keep me informed on this site.
Let the Elgart “Charade” begins, accreditation will magically reappear! I wonder if Elgart can magically restore the lost property value, high foreclosure rate, 3500 families that left, 300-400 teachers who loss jobs and over 23 million dollars of lost revenue for the county? However, he’s not worried about he’s at the Capital Tax Tea Party with the rest of the rich folk making over $250,000 crying about taxes!
I personally will not miss C-Tran. I am currently in Brazil for a while, but when I am in Clayton County, I have a car. Personally, my thoughts on Terry Baskins is that he is honest and a good man. I like him.
Of Course, the schools will get accreditation back! Overwhelming evidence that the accreditation heist was a hoax! New CCBOE held illegal meetings, unethical behaviors, No-Bid Contracts, all members of CCBOE went San Diego costing an 18,500,all reported in the local paper. Run Thompson off with two months left costing over $100,000, run Julie Lewis off costing over $90,000. After all that, we will magically get accreditation back. The only losers were the 3500 children and parents who left the district and 300-400 teachers lost jobs and the 23 million it cost the district. We’ll only receive partial accreditation; full will be reinstated after we hire a white superintendent!
I truly enjoyed reading the comments posted. Some are fill with fear, prejudice and ignorance. But it is their truth (the person who is commenting). I do not shop or go to South Lake Mall. Unfortunately, it does not cater to me, therefore, why patronize a place that does not offer the stores that I enjoy shopping in. But as for a curfew, why stop at the mall? Why not put a curfew county-wide?
Most of the world does not even know that there exist a Clayton County or an arrogant Mark Elgart. But, below the Equator, we are pulling for our heroin, Sister Alieka! Give’em h_ll, Alieka, give’em h_ll! And the tan lines get better and better down here in Brasillllllllllllll.
Gwinnett County made national news about its Mexican drug trade and crime. It is surprising I do NOT read the fear of going into Gwinnett county Do you still think Clayton is the worst county in the metro area? Give me a break!
I read this blog regularly as I have a vested interest in the success of CCPS and ClayCo. This is my first time commenting. I assume that the vast majority of us live in Clayton County and hopefully we are some of the people who care enough to follow the news and stay involved. It seems, though, that many of you want to see CCPS get its accreditation back so you can feel smug about your conspiracy theories. I’m not even saying that you are necessarily wrong about some of what you say, but the anger that you say it with is too much. It is important to approach things with a HEALTHY suspicion, but if you want something to succeed (like CCPS and its BOE) YOU have to work at it, support it, and put effort into it. So, if you’re a parent – volunteer, etc., a student – study, behave, etc., a teacher – stay up-to-date, in touch with parents, etc., and so on.
Also, I do believe that it was absolutely unethical for Dr. Elgart to use his power and use Clayton County as a scapegoat to help pass his School Board Reform Bill, and I believe that the bill did not pass because the bill included not only the right of the State Board to oversee local boards, but also the violation of many personal rights. The bill was ridiculous and shouldn’t have passed and revoking our accreditation was a lame hail-Mary pass that didn’t have anything to do with race or money, but only politics and personal gain for Dr. Elgart and Sonny Perdue.
To CLayton’s Black Politicians
Addressing the root causes of racism in and of itself is controversial, and it cannot be done without offending someone’s sensibilities. Whether its ugly shadow of the past cast upon the beneficiaries of injustice or the need of history’s victims to accept the responsibility “to see the light and to walk therein”, both must show the courage to discuss painful realities head-on and without preconditions.
Internalized yet false beliefs of Black inferiority, which in turn fuel false assumption of White superiority, inflict a damaging self-perception of inherent failure and mediocrity upon its adherents. As the “arrogance of power” feeds upon the ignorance of self-nullification, the resulting product is a society where truth becomes falsehood, vision becomes blindness and strength becomes weakness.
At their worse the symbiosis between hubris and nihilism becomes the catalyst of Clayton County’s undoing and as such, the foundation of the community and its institutions are comprised.
As with President Barack Obama rising to become leader of the so-called “Free World” people of color defeat the stereotype of racial inferiority through the exercise of personal excellence. Through study, growth and application, the myth of white superiority is shattered as obstacles to overcome, low expectations become high and contributions are made toward the onward march toward equality.
For Black folk in particular, now is the time to start listening to those in our midst who have proven their record of success. Those who have established systematic methods toward the instilling of pride, the “knowledge of self” and self-worth, have truly shown the world another side of the Black man and woman.
It’s too late in the game to allow the mind of black inferiority to undermine our progress. For the sake of our children and our future generations, it is time to rise, shake off the dust and display the excellence that has been locked inside us for far too long.
I appreciate clayton absorbing all the section-8 ex-ghetto dwellers during the early 2000’s..it kept them out of other suburban areas..sucks for you guys, but thanks none the less
Listen, no one cares! Stop the violence, clean your neighborhoods, stop the abuse of controlled substances, stop the thuggery, stop the illegitimacy and one can become a success! Certain people fail due to POOR PERSONAL CHOICES that have nothing (zilch, nada!) to due with so-called racism.
P.S. Leave Obama alone! Just follow his example (education, career, marriage, parenting)….LOL! Personal responsibility=achievement.
I have a hard time feeling sorry for these kids. Most of them know what they do is wrong and just don’t care because it’s cooler to do wrong then right. Sounds like this should be a required text in juvenille detention centers although it may already be too late by then or in middle schools so kids can get a heads up before they do something stupid.
and “sexting”? Are kids really doing this? Thank God my kids are grown and I don’t have to deal with that mess.
Good job young guy! I bet you are successful in life. You’re right – no one should have to tell you that brazen felonies are just plain WRONG!
Why is this even a topic? Oh yeah, some of our people just want any excuse to rail against society, the ’system’, racism, ‘da man’, the prison industrial complex, yada, yada, yada, LOL! Hmm, I’ve never spent any time in jail or with the judicial system. Now, why is that? Oh yeah, I lead a MORAL life and WORK for things I want/need! NO EXCUSES!
LOL! JTM needs to talk about being a good parent instead! It’s a PARENT’S JOB to instill a moral education in a child. Off and away to jail for those who commit heinous acts… NO EXCUSES!
Clayton County lost a great community leader this week end. Terrell Starr made his mark on Clayton County. He will be sadly missed by the county. He was a State Senator and ended his career as President Pro Tem of the Senate.
Speaking of ignorance, can you believe there are still people questioning whether or not SACS yanking accreditation was political? That there are still people who think that SACS is in it stricly “for the children” despite the fact that SACS has accredited every other system in their domain, now matter how much they completely and totally fail to educate the students in those systems.
Just how many people are that politically naive, that ignorant and uneducated when it comes to how “bidness” works in education?
I guess ignorance has its blessings; these people will be genuinely surprised, and overjoyed when the BOE “earns” accreditation back.
I guess they will be equally surprised when SACS accredits the Sun as being in the center of the solar system.
I am glad that my children are grown because the environment for young people in Clayton County is very hostile. The parents, schools, churches and communities have failed our children miserably and continue everyday. I know people say oh it is happening everywhere, but here in Clayton County we have done a great job of destroying our students confidence and self-esteem. Just reading your blog Kim the anger and hatred comes out toward young people.
Hmm, young people need a $15 book to tell them that murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and armed robbery with a firearm are all crimes (i.e. W-R-O-N-G)?
I think the book is a good idea. Too many kids think that they can commit heinous crimes and get off with a “slap on the wrist” because they’re a minor. They may be more likely to think twice about what they’re about to do if they know they can be sentenced just as an 18 year old can.
You mentioned Genarlow Wilson’s case, as in any case in Georgia. Georgia laws are made to imprison blacks; whites will never go to jail for these type crimes. Black kids will be the only folk jailed for sexting! Facts are facts, check the statistics. Just like it was absolutely unethical for Dr. Elgart to use his power and use Clayton County School System as a scapegoat to help pass his School Board Reform Bill; that failed. Whites will superimpose themselves upon all blacks, if the blacks are weak just like Clayton County’s Delegation that sold accreditation to Sonny for a nickel. Then all of them got busted out on TV for unethical tax delinquency. What Losers! They don’t know their free yet!
Where is the AJC when it comes to asking Mark Elgart why SACS has accredited every other school system in their domain, regardless of how poor its performance? Where is the AJC to ask how much SACS makes per year accrediting school systems, system that other than Clayton, get the SACS seal of approval no matter how dreadful their performance?
Where is the AJC when it comes to asking SACS, if they are so concerned about outside influences, why haven’t they commented on the sweetheart deal that allows a union head to earn years in the Teachers Retirement System without having to actually teach? Should a union figure head who doesn’t teach a single day be earning the same retirement as a teacher on the front lines each and every day?
The answer of course is they are nowhere to be found, because they are more interested in agenda than journalism. That’s why you already know the editorial board will praise the BOE for “earning” accreditation back, even when from the very beginning, any one with any willingness to look at the issue honestly and with any common sense would tell you accreditation will be restored.
But despite the fact that Clayton has been told from the beginning, there are still people out there who chose to be ignorant, and actually think the BOE won’t “earn” accreditation.
Given that they chose to be willfully ignorant, one can say they get the school system they deserve; and given that the AJC chooses to put aside real reporting for corporate cheerleading, one can say that the AJC is truly, truly, getting the drop in revenue they deserve.
Sounds like a lot of self-righteous proclamations from people who obviously never made mistakes and had children who were also perfect. Not many people realize that young adults can be labeled sex offenders for life, by required listing on a public registry, and spend grossly exaggerated sentences in jail for “crimes” like consensually talking on the internet with an almost 16 year old about sex — even if they never meet, never do anything about it. In many cases, the sentence is longer than it would be for assault. The young person’s life is ruined for their mistaken ignorance, regardless if they have lived a model life before, and life a model life after their crime. Is that what you are advocating? You cannot lump everyone who breaks the law into one large “stick them in jail and forget about them” category. The money would be much better spent on education.
Caveats before you’re beset with stimuli that will over produce dopamine about accreditation restoration. Remember these are the same individuals that produced your distress when they practiced anti-pluralistic tendencies with your children livelihoods, disrupted your children continuity with displaced friends, belittled community, lowered your property value, skyrocketed property taxes, took your school’s certification, pilfered over $23 million educational dollars, caused 300-400 teacher job losses.
All this in the name of white power, total intolerance and greed over the downtrodden darker folk! What did you as a county “Gain”? More Cost! Three more additional bills one for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission and now an overpriced law firm.
That’s three bills you didn’t have before! Aleika, “Fiscal Responsibility” Dictates that the County “rid itself” of this “Wasteful Spending”, look at it this way! No other 158 counties in Georgia have them, get it? Oh, I forget! You’re a “Puppet” I see that hand up your back! Let me talk to someone with “Brain connected to their spine. Hey, Jesse!
Some people must be extremely careful! Did you know, you can be jailed in Georgia for (DWB) driving while black, which leads to unlawful search and seizure, its called racial profiling! Clayton County as in most urban counties in America fails itself. Schools that fail to educate Black children are the prevailing reality in Black, poor and working class neighborhoods, creating a pipeline to an exploding prison-jail industrial complex where the dominant complexion of the prisoners is black and brown. That these debilitating conditions persist for large numbers of Blacks in the 21st Century clearly indicates that the “colorline” of institutional/structural racism remains a roadblock to “freedom” particularly for black working class and poor people.
You’re right! “Ignorance Is No Defense, A Guide to Georgia Law” Ellipsis! I hope you students of the laws learned how crooks of Georgia Law took your accreditation to serve political purposes, in an effort to try to chance a community’s way of voting and choosing party affiliations. They didn’t care about your feeling or education. However, they’ll all be standing around next week patting themselves on the back for accreditation inrestatement. What Losers!
Shouldn’t the remarks about Terry Baskin be removed, since an editor called him back about the comments and Terry explained to him what was actually said, not what was reported. Their is no logical explanation for the alleged quote, and I know Terry enought to know he would have not have said anything that was obviously illogical. Tax collections percentages do not have anything to do with the CCBOC being over budget or not having a handle on budget issues.
Bare Bones Budget! Huh,CCBOE! Aleika, “Fiscal Responsibility” Dictates that the County “rid itself” of this “Wasteful Spending”, look at it this way! No other 158 counties in Georgia have this waste! Unload all that “Wasteful Spending” for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission and now an overpriced law firm. That MONEY that could be well spent on the Children, instead of white over inflated egoes! Come on, the “Public’s Watching”!!!!
It is very sad what our children are going through these days. There are more children been tossed to the corrupted system than ever!!! Who can we blame? Most of you all would say PARENTS! Yes, they have a responsibility. However, I think it would be SOCIETY! If you look on tv and everywhere else, you would see that society places a big part in shaping our children future. You can’t even see descent things on tv not even in the news. The news are worst than talk shows (GOSSIP). They never show anything positive!!! If a child breaks a law, we simply throw him in jail instead of getting that child some serious help. Those people who are prosecuting these children do not know the development stage of children and adolscents. You may have a 13 year who looked mature, but underneath all of that he may sit be mentally the age of a 6 years old. A six year old child will only mimic what they see on tv, in the news, in their neighborhood, what they hear, and etc (rather good or bad). Guess who are been labeled as criminals at that age? OUR YOUNG BLACK MALES!! They are the target especially in a predominant white neighborhoods because for some reason the fear all black men even young boys. They are the target!!! My son! Your son! This is sad! Take a look at the youth detention centers and prisons and see how many young males (Black/hispanic) are locked away for 20 years for simple crime. After while, there will be no black men. Therefore, the black race will become extinct. That is the way they want it to be? They look at a third grade test scores to determnine how many jails and detention centered need to be built (selfulling prophency) Who to blame? Yes, some on poor parenting, but most society. Parents are working two jobs just to keep food on the top. I think they want to do more, but inowadays paying the rent/mortgage ,keeping the lights on,and providing food on the table are the most important thing! We as a whole need to step back and ask ourselves what did we do different back in the days before chilren strated commiting such terrible crimes/killing themselves like now? Is it society? parenting? schools? policemen? judicial system? media (exposing crime of minor on tv)? What is it?
If one is not prepared to be a PARENT (a FULL-TIME JOB) one should NOT CHOOSE to have children. Until a child is 18-21 years of age, the PARENTS are RESPONSIBLE. No, it doesn’t take a village or society to raise the young, it takes TWO PARENTS committed to put their children first, in that they monitor, prepare, feed, clothe, educate, and manage their child/ren!
If one is not prepared to be fully engaged in their child’s life, until adulthood – DO NOT HAVE KIDS!!! EVERBODY HAS A CHOICE TO BE A PARENT OR NOT (unless one is a crime victim, taken advanged of, etc), so be smart and choose wisely. Parenting is not for the week, irreponsible, or uninvolved! It takes a strong MAN and WOMAN to be a PARENT! Choose wisely!
AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN INFORMATION AND FACT SHEET 2009
Ironically, even as an African American man holds the highest office in the country, African Americans remain twice as likely as whites to be unemployed, three times more likely to live in poverty and more than six times as likely to be incarcerated.
There are more Black men in prisons and jails in the United States (about 1.1 million) than there are incarcerated in the rest of the world combined. This criminalization process now starts in elementary schools with Black male children as young as six and seven years old being arrested in staggering numbers according to a 2005 report, Education on Lockdown by the Advancement Project.
In a strange and perverse way, the Black community, itself has started to wage a kind of war against young Black men and has become a part of this destructive process.
Sadly, the Black Church, the only institution in the black community where Black people truly lead, remains silent and some church leaders have unwittingly formed unhealthy alliances with those who seek to demonize and incarcerate our youth for profit.
The school to prison pipeline via the church and community is thriving and dooming many young black men to a life of incarceration. Voting rights, gainful employment and educational opportunities become overwhelming challenges after incarceration. As a result the black community suffers spiritually, economically and socially.
Research has shown that imprisonment the most severe sanction along the justice continuum (arrest, conviction and incarceration) is an expensive and ineffective strategy to address nonviolent drug offenders. A number of states have saved resources after developing alternative sentencing options.
Data also show that African American children, who are 16 percent of the youth population, experience a cumulative disadvantage as they permeate the criminal justice continuum.
• 28% of juvenile arrests
• 30% of referrals to juvenile court
• 37% of the detained population
• 34% of youth formally processed by the juvenile court
• 30% of adjudicated youth
• 35% of youth judicially waived to adult criminal court
• 38% of youth in residential placement
• 58% of youth admitted to stat adult prison
Solutions
Short Term
1. Teach all Black boys to read at grade level by the third grade and to embrace education
2. Provide positive role models for Black boys
3. Create a stable home environment for Black boys that include contact with their fathers.
4. Ensure that Black boys have a strong spiritual base.
5. Control the negative media influences on Black boys.
6. Teach Black boys to respect all girls and women.
Solutions
Long Term
1. Invest as much money in educating Black boys as in locking up Black men.
2. Help connect Black boys to a positive vision of themselves in the future.
3. Create high expectations and help Black boys live into those high influences.
4. Build a positive peer culture for Black boys.
5. Teach Black boys self-discipline, culture and history.
6. Teach Black boys and the communities in which they live to embrace education and lifelong learning.
7. Teach Black boys that going to jail or prison is not a rites of passage or band of honor.
Parental Involvement
The lack of parental involvement is the main reason the educational system is allowed to be in such disarray. The significance of neighborhood activism and parental involvement with the education of youths cannot be emphasized enough. Many parents say that they do not have time but whether they know it or not, they will pay for it one way or another.
Sources –
An NAACP White Paper – Year One: Toward Safe Communities, Good Schools and a Fair Chance for all Americans – 2009
National Urban League – The State of Black America: Message to the President 2009
The Black Star Project – America has lost a generation of Black boys: It is not that we lack solutions as much as it is that we lack the will to implement these solutions.
The Atlanta Voice – School To Prison Pipeline – April 10-16, 2009
Document compiled by Twenty Women Dialogue – April 18, 2009
The $25 million in federal stimulus money “Over The Next Two Years”, U.S. Rep. David Scott announced for the Clayton’s School System will not cover the $23 million the School System will loss “Every Year”. These additional funds Scott announced would have been a great addition to existing funds had Elgart and Clayton’s Rich had not revoked accreditation. This still lets the district $21 million short over the “Two Year Period”. Wow! This surely was a costly white political power move for the ailing black district!
C-Tran is not needed in Clayton County. It has contributed to the decline of the county. The city of Atlanta should have built new apartments for their citizens instead of sending them to Clayton County to destroy the suburban towns. Ten years ago, the CCPS system was still a decent system. Now teachers serve as prison guards minus protection. The principals are afraid of the children and the parents. Teachers are not supported, yet administrators wear you down with threats of what will happen if your class does not do well on the test. Well, what accountability and standards are principals held to? Do they receive merit pay for the hard work that teachers do? Principals in Clayton are good for one thing- giving directives and doing absolutely nothing. Teachers can run the schools better than the so-called principals.
This is Great! However the jobs are probably a result of Obama’s Stimilus Package. I hope the crooks handling this money are on the straight and narrow or they will suffer the conquenses! Clayton’s Greedy won’t give the children anything!
Happy Holiday, Cinco De Mayo will be “Accreditation Restoration”! That’s a given! Like they are giving the black children something!!! Where’s the $23 million and the 300-400 teacher jobs, lower property value, skyrocketing propery taxes, you cost the School district?
Did you know that a baby could have a stroke? My son had a stroke before he was born with no known reason why. Please visit http://www.firstgiving.com/diananicholson to view his story and make a tax deductible contribution. We are trying to increase doctor’s knowledge regarding this condition. Thank you for you help.
Teens working are an important part of growing into adulthood. Be it working with Hearts to Nourish Hope, the local fast food restaurant, being a lifeguard, working with the elderly or starting a lawn care business mowing grass in the neighborhood, work provides many important life lessons. All teens should be encouraged to seek work.
Work basics become lifelong lessons. That includes showing up on time, providing an honest days work for an honest days pay, entrepreneurial spirit and call to action, learning or teaching a new skill set, or being a mentor or protégé’ to others. All these valuable skills teach a set of habits that provide a fulfilling and rewarding life and lifestyle that should be applauded.
It does no child any good to be coddled. Being indulgent to a child teaches sloth, laziness and indolence. The struggle for work provides value, self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment and self-worth that promotes responsibility to self and community. Even a young child can do simple household chores that lead to participating in the family and in a small way, allow them to feel a valued member of the family team through their contribution.
A great program offered and should be considered is Americorps. Details found a http://www.americorps.gov allows teens, adults and seniors the opportunity to serve community all the while being compensated in various ways be it banking college tuition, hourly wages, assistance with Student Loans or learning valuable life skills such as teamwork, communications and responsibility.
Maybe some members of the mock trial team could be hired to teach the BOE how to follow Robert’s Rules of Order, so they would no longer need an $80,000 a year babysitter to tell them when to say please and thank you.
WHAT: Summer Enrichment Program for high school students
(9th- 12th grades)*
WHEN: June 1st – July 10th (Currently offering three sessions)
WHERE: Emory University Campus
WHY: The Summer Science Academy was created in order to provide high school students the opportunity to develop a better understanding and appreciation of science. Students are exposed to an educational environment that nurturing, motivating, challenging and fun!
If you need additional information please contact the
Emory University School of Medicine, Office of Multicultural Medical Student Affairs at 404-727-0016
*Students are registered on a first come, first serve basis.
The jobs are a godspend! Please save MONEY! Lee received a one-year, $187,000 contract from the school board to lead the school system until a permanent school chief is hired, said board Chairperson Alieka. “We’re trying to be “frugal said Alieka. CCBOE, frugal means prudent, thrifty, economical, penny-wise. parsimonious stingy, penny-pinching. “Fiscal Responsibility” Dictates that the CCBOE “rid itself” of this “Wasteful Spending”, No other 158 counties in Georgia have this kind of waste! Unload all that “Wasteful Spending” for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission, the Forty-Niners and now an overpriced law firm. That MONEY that could be well spent on the Children, instead of white over inflated egos! Come on, the “Public’s Watching”!!!!
US Rep david Scott’s announcement was nothing but a black political power move. He is kept in power by uneducated blacks, whom he courts with health fairs, etc. He was named the most crooked politician in congress a couple years ago. Who would vote for a crook?
I told you earlier! Happy Holiday, Cinco De Mayo (May 1) will be “Accreditation Restoration”! That’s a given! Like the whites are giving the black children something!!! Accreditation was only stolen goods, noone had to work for anything especially the BOE! Political Hogwash! Where’s the $23 million and the 300-400 teacher jobs, lower property value, skyrocketing propery taxes, you cost the School district? Now the whole voting public have witnessed this Bigotry!
We will hopefully, regain accreditation by tomorrow. History will show that residents were “snowballed” concerning the loss of accreditation. It is amazing to me that we will be thankful for regaining something that we never should have lost in the first place.
I thought this was about our children and getting jobs for them. Save your comments for the proper blog please. It is amazing how Peggy, lawyer, melanie lee and wtf? always seem to spew venom about everything in Clayton County and everyone Black in Clayton County. Read there blogs and you can see the hatred and racism flowing throughout.
Oldtimer I am glad you moved too. I wish you could come back and take the white and black haters with you.
Do we have problems, yes, can we resolve them yes, through intelligent discussion with each other. All the nasty stereotypical lumping whites in one group and blacks in another has to stop.
Our children are the ones being harmed the most. Then again maybe theyCan teach us something about racial tolerance.
This is Clayton County. Pretty much all one group don’t you think? Try raising the expectations for people in the county and you may see some progress. Stereotypes exist for a reason – they’re true 99% of the time. It’s simple. If people don’t like it, change them.
Something is very wrong with a population that has need for programs that encourage their kids to keep communities safe and explore and develop their potential for good.
Let me preface this by saying this is not a jab at Kimberly, but the reality is her blog topic only changes once a week. More importantly, given the abundance of political spin put forth under the guise of reporting, and the scarcity of quality investigative reporting given the lack of real investigative reporting, I don’t blame anyone for using the blog to discuss issues the AJC refuses to acknowledge exists.
This isn’t an endorsement of anyone’s particular post mind you, just a simple explanation that nature abhors a vaccum, and the AJC’s coverage is a Hoover, Eureka, and Kirby all rolled up into one. In other words, it really sucks.
Poor Megan, she follows the story for two years, carrying the AJC’s water by ignoring all the inconsistancies in the SACS report in the name of pushing the AJC’s political agenda, and then when the big news breaks they let another reporter write the story.
Now, they the whites want you to think its all about the kids. They saved the kid! They didn’t give a damn when they stole accreditation to frighten the blacks and threaten the kids. In an effort about politics, white folks and money! This CCBOE could have made an X-Rated DVD, “Board Members Going Wild” and we would still gotten accreditation back! Overwhelming evidence that the accreditation theft was a jock! New CCBOE holds illegal meetings, unethical behaviors, No-Bid Contracts, all members of CCBOE went San Diego costing an 18,500, run Thompson out with two months left costing over $100,000, run Julie off costing over $90,000. Now a CCBOE member was arrested! After all that, we magically received accreditation back on Friday. This was a Political Effort that “Disenfranchised” the darker voters.
New blood is on the way, and he is not white race baiters, so take your “poor old downtrodden black man” stories somewhere else. I hear Dekalb County is great for people of your moral character. Play time is over in Clayton County. Looks like we might just have a real Superintendent on the way finally.
The radical Klandestine Society in Clayton really wants a white superintendent; they “Setting this brother up for failure”. Especially if he done give the Klandestine Society the majority of the school systems money and provide the poor Lil black children a minimal education.
It too early in the accreditation debacle for the Klandestine Society to try to install a white man. The Public’s watching too closely. Once upon a time SACS’s Elgart, Bostic and Bryant said Clayton needed superintendent from Georgia, who knows how to conduct business in Georgia. What a difference a year makes!
There is one sure way to know if the candidate mention above is really serious when he says he wants what’s best for all children. Will he address discipline first and foremost? With 14 years active duty in the military, surely he knows its importance. One would think that with the number of current and former teachers on the board, they would know as well, but nothing they have done as of yet seems to indicate they have the guts to tackle the issue.
The question is, will the board consider Semper Fi, or will they remain always spineless?
Most of you are skirting the issue. And the issue is the fact that Clayton County changed from an all-white, middle to upper middle class suburban area, starting around 1990, to the all-negro, lower to very lower middle class suburban area that it is now. Look at the schools. They plummeted after people like Dan Colwell, David Gregory, et al left (or were elbowed out by that bossy lady on the school board who thought she was “all that and a bag of chips”) and now look at all the lovely stories in media over the past several years about the problems the schools and school board are having. Oh yeah, bring in some clown like Thompson to run the schools, and the first thing he does is order the senior’s diplomas to be redone because his (holy?) name wasn’t on them. Clayton County is an embarrassment to anyone who lives in the metro area. As for the mall, maybe it’s safe, maybe it isn’t. I won’t go there, I know that. In fact, the only time I enter that dreadful county is when I go to the airport, and thank God there’s adequate security THERE.
There only seems to be one or two posters who don’t have cranial/rectal inversion syndrome, and they’re being witch-hunted… called ‘racist’ or ‘prejudiced’ or whatever. The only reason they’re being called that is because the accuser has no defensible argument to put forth, so they resort to namecalling.
I’ll say what everyone is afraid to: The mall is and has been over-run by blacks; specifically the gang banger/thug type. Using euphamisms like ‘hip-hop’ or ‘lower class’ only confuses and clouds the truth.
And that truth is: Wherever blacks go in number, they destroy.
The mall used to be upscale and nice. This is code for: “Whites shopped there”. Some asshat started catering to the blacks, ie: selling thug clothing or (c)rap music CD’s, and the whites took off once the number of blacks reached a critical point.
Whites don’t mind a few blacks here or there, but once they arrive in great numbers, the whites go elsewhere. We just don’t want to put up with your idiocy, poor behavior, vile language and criminal acts. What civilised person WOULD want to put up with such nonsense?
Thank God above I don’t live there or go to that poor, destined-to-be-a-fleamarket mall…
Have fun yelling “Dat be’s rassims!” or whatever about what I have written here.
But you all know it for what it is: The stone cold truth.
The $25 million in federal stimulus money “Over The Next Two Years”, U.S. Rep. David Scott announced for the Clayton’s School System will not cover the $23 million the School System will loss “Every Year” over the two period. These additional funds Scott announced would have been a great addition to existing funds had Elgart and Clayton’s Rich had not revoked accreditation.
This still lets the district $21 million short over the “Two Year Period”. Wow! This surely was a costly white political power move for the ailing black district! Remember these are the same individuals (SACS) that produced your distress when they practiced anti-pluralistic tendencies with your children livelihoods, disrupted your children continuity with displaced friends, belittled community, lowered your property value, skyrocketed property taxes, took your school’s certification, pilfered over $23 million educational dollars, caused 300-400 teacher job losses. All this in the name of white power, total intolerance and greed over the downtrodden darker folk! What did you as a county “Gain”? More Cost!
Three more additional bills one for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission and now an overpriced law firm. That’s three bills you didn’t have before! Aleika, “Fiscal Responsibility” Dictates that the County “rid itself” of this “Wasteful Spending”, look at it this way! No other 158 counties in Georgia have them, get it? Oh, I forget! You’re a “Puppet” I see that hand up your back! Let me talk to someone with “Brain connected to their spine.
Subterfuge = deception. The $25 million in federal stimulus money “Over The Next Two (2) Years”, U.S. Rep. David Scott announced for the Clayton’s School System will not cover the $23 million the School System will loss “Every Year”. These additional funds Scott announced would have been a great addition to existing funds had Elgart and Clayton’s Rich had not revoked accreditation. This still lets the district $21 million short over the “Two Year Period”. Wow! This surely was a costly white political power move for the ailing black district!
Kimberly, you are indeed correct in that there was little coverage for this great news. It just goes to show that the old saying in the news business “if it bleeds, it leads” is alive and well. Without favorable treatment in the news, this mmilestone achievement will not be known by the general public.
I too received calls and emails from far away voicing shcok that a system could indeed loose accreditation. After a lot of hard work by many individuals and organizations the good news is that SACS recognizes we are on the right road after many years of dismal leadership from both our elected officials and a handful of poor administrators within the Clayton County Public School System.
This last election cycle corrected many of the issues by getting rid of the inept, replacing them with more community oriented leaders that by-in large care.
It was also encouraging to see that after the election Michael King was dealt with in quick fashion for his agregious and inappropriate business dealing that was certainly a conflict of interest. He should have had the morale fortitude to recognize the conflict and professioanlly put it aside but by not doing so he aid volumes to his true character.
I was concerned as well that the day of the announcement, it was reported that Board Member Trinia Garrett of District 7. Arrested and charged with battery she told an AJC reporter that it “was a private matter” and hung up the phone. Ms. Garrett should realize that it is a public matter when an elected official is arrested. Voters and constituents have a right to know. After all, when an employee of the school system is arrested they are placed on administrative leave. Should not Ms. Garrett be held to the same standard as paid employee’s of the system? I look forward to Chairman Andersons leadership in the Garrett Battery incident. Distrubing was the fact that antics like this, while occuring on 21 April, could have jeoperdized the SACS decision about conduct of the Board of Education. Apparently Ms. Garrett had so little concern that she is unable to control her behavior regardless of the circumstance. I certainly question her judgement on public policy when she can’t seemingly control herself in a private setting.
Regardless of the challanges, the citizens will need to continue to support forces of good in the School System while remaining vigilant to and opposing the forces of bad. History has shown us that a School District unchecked by the voter and media will presume they have open and free reign to do whatever they desire. The Board now and in the future should take heed not take the voter for granted and that vigilance will prevail and those that do a good job will be applauded.
I am so glad Clayton now is going in the right direction. Now, the real business of developing a more rigorous program in the schools.Parents need to be taught that students do have to do homework if you want good results. Students need to be given clear directions on how to behave and to dress in a place of business that the school is. Teachers need to be respected for the professionals that they are. The real work is just beginning.
I just hope the voters are playing attention. A day of reckoning is long over due. We will either have justice NOW or justice at the ballot box next year….
I hate to say I told you so, but you were told, MONTHS in advance that Clayton would get its accreditation back, in some form, so that this year’s seniors would get an accredited diploma.
If you jumped for joy at this, jump for joy that May followed April this year, because both were EQUALLY inevitable. The entire episode, as you were told from the beginning, had nothing to do with students and everything to do with adult politics.
Almost as inevitable, sadly, is the the real problems, the real dysfunctions of the system remain unaddressed. Most likely they will remain unaddressed into the forseeable future, as the public’s reation has basically told CCPS and SACS, we are gullible, easily manipulated, and generally uneducated about the bidness of education, and a charade will more than suffice, as long as you allow us to occasionally get drunk on self righteous indignation from time to time.
There are those who say the board couldn’t address these issues, because the focus was on accreditation. Fine. Now that excuse is gone. There are far too many current and former teachers on the board, who know what the issues are, and know what needs to be done to create policies that support the authority of the classroom teacher.
The question is, do they have the courage, the integrity, to expose the facade long enough to deal with the rot that lies beneath, in order to build a real educational foundation? Time will tell.
Congratulations to the Clayton County Public School System! We have the best teachers, the best kids, and some pretty good administrators too. Way to go!
If a teacher gave an A for 40 years to every child that entered his/her classroom, would one not question that teacher’s practices? Why are we not questioning SACS practices? I can not believe that EVERY school district that SACS accredits has been up to par. Come on, EVERY school district. Have you worked in other school districts besides Clayton? I have and there are other districts MUCH worse than Clayton.
I understand that an accredited diploma is more important for our children than winning a political battle. Our children will graduate with an accredited diploma this year, now is the time to question SACS treatment of Clayton County Schools.
EVERY school district for 40 years, that’s ridiculous!
I have worked in several, besides Clayton. They have, by far, the lowest expectations placed on students of any school system I have ever been a part of and have had so for the last 5-8 years. Now the real work begins.
Anyone who knows a thing or two about quality schools will tell you that acquiring accreditation from SACS is the lowest possible threshold for a successful school system. The fact that these last several years the BOE, community, politicians, etc. have looked to a SACS accreditation as their benchmark for success is truly sad and really provides quite a bit of insight into the state of mind of Clayton County. Truth be told, if people really cared about this school system, SACS accreditation would be an afterthought to what really happens in our school system.
Maybe revoking accrediation was a political move, maybe it wasn’t. But the fact still remains that they were invited to our party and given a backstage pass. If people are smart, they will learn from this and realize that a SACS accreditation is the minimum. Sorry folks, but that just isn’t good enough. So hooray for SACS accreditation but in reality… so what.
Those rich Claytonites spend “Big Money” for Media to “Denounce” the old BOE! The new board made the same errors or worst! This Accreditation Issue has never been about children and education. This whole Accreditation Issue was and still is about “The Land Deal Money”! Experience has taught me that there is one chief reason why some people succeed and others fail. The difference is not one of knowing, but of doing. The successful man or woman is not far superior in ability as in action. So far as success can be reduced to a formula, it consists of this: doing what you know you should do. That being said the bravest politicians in Clayton County’s recent history is the “Former Final Four CCBOE members. Now we as a people see how far the “Rich & Powerful would go to destroy a county. The “Rich & Powerful” strangled your children with accreditation threats!
Now that there’s a new superintendent, an ex-Marine who KNOWS FULL WELL what the single most important issue in Clayton is, will he address it?
In other words, will he finally address DISCIPLINE, and will he finally implement policies that restore the teacher’s AUTHORITY to maintain order?
If an ex-Marine is not willing to step up to the plate and address discipline FIRST and FOREMOST then, sad to say, we probably have another out of town snake oil salesman like Pulliam and Thompson.
Hopefully FOURTEEN YEARS OF ACTIVE DUTY in the Marines hasn’t been drummed out of him by a dysfunctional public education system, and he will do the one thing, ABOVE ALL ELSE, that needs to be done. Restore the discipline.
Too many current and former teachers on the board not to give him a total MANDATE to address this.
Poor Folk MUST be one of the “Former Final Four CCBOE members” because only they think they’re brave, most think they’re losers as a matter of fact that entire group on the last board were losers not just those 4. The final 4 should’ve stepped down, but no they gave SACS the ammunition needed to push this issue in the media and take away accreditation, if they so brave why’d they let Thompson lose in clayton pay him a fortune to put on his dog and pony show. I believe this a political move by Elgart and others like others do but had they stepped down and accreditation was still taken away a lot more people would believe politics were involved. but none of that matters that group is history thank God. Let’s move forward onward and upward HOPEFULLY!
Brave my arse, the legal method to remove elected officials is called a “RECALL” (the people put them in office the people take them out) that didn’t happen so they were unconstitutionally removed. Here’s something you’ll never hear about. Clayton and all of Georgia taxpayers for that matter, will pay them “Millions”; by way of the U.S Justice Department. Politics are touch, especially when are you illegal in your doings, ask Bush and Cheney Adminstration!
Poor Folk must be insane! What a laugh. The last board was a bunch of misfits that were chosen by misfits, and some votes paid for by we all know who. (Free rides in the limo, and $75 gift certificates at the mall).
I agree!!!!! The FINAL four CCBOE members were the most ignorant, power hungry, and unprofessional fools I have ever seen. Thank God for the small group of citizens that utilized the court system to have them removed!!!!! I will never defend the shenanigans of those idiots.
With that being said, I recognize the final four was a convenient catalyst to push SACS’ political agenda. My hope is that SACS’ political agenda is exposed. The answer is in Elgart’s failed attempt at the GA School Board Reform bill.
The real public in Clayton know this whole SACS thing was a joke. Those last four girl were braver than rest of Clayton’s Delegation whom are tax violator and unethical, and afraid of the pale power structure.
Yeah I know what a RECALL is because I signed one twice to get rid of my lousy school board member (who I didn’t vote for in the 1st place) and they didn’t work. Let’s not pretend like the reason those four didn’t get recalled is because voters wanted them to stay, it’s because unfortunately most of the voters in Clayton don’t care enough to come out for a recall or didn’t know any better. That is clear based on the fact that most of them got elected to begin with (Sandra Scott? come on now!) Thouse 4 were an embarassment. If those 4 get millions, then God bless, good night and good bye, they made out like bandits they should thank God for the windfall. I’m still grateful to those that took this to court and got them out because we’d still be stuck with those 4 losers AND Thompson and probably no accreditation. Now CCPS has a shot at turning things around, something we didn’t have when that whole last group was in office. of course there are still dirty politics going on but at least some of the losers are gone, that’s a few less than this time last year.
The Clayton County Board of Education invites you to attend a “Meet the Superintendent Candidate” session on Wednesday, May 6, 2009. The session will beheld at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Clayton County Public Schools Administrative Complex, 1058 Fifth Avenue, Jonesboro.
RE: Edmond Heatley, the proposed or already hired super.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
4/30/2009
CHINO – Some parents in the Chino Valley Unified School District hope Edmond Heatley gets a new job. They are parents of children whose schools are closing next year as part of budget cut recommendations made by Superintendent Heatley and approved by the school board earlier this year. Parents spoke out as they protested school closures with signs Wednesday morning in front of the school district headquarters.
Here are some of the comments for the article: “…Hmmm. Who will CVUSD get to clean up his mess?***If Georgia talks to the Chino Principals they may get a different view of his leadership.***Washoe County Be Happy …. if truth be known? We couldn’t wait for him to leave. He has made a mess of things here and…***Will the audit by Total School Solutions find unfavorable information regarding Heatley? Is he feeling the pressure put on by United Parents of Chino Valley? Or is he trying to distract the parents from the real issues at hand?***…don’t lose sight of the victimes here. Class size reduction has been compromised, 3 schools closing, 171 teachers laid-off, a District administration that continues to grow inspite of a State financial crisis, all the while, the programs cut and the students are the ones left behind to clean up this mess. Don’t forget, the Superintendent who created this is moving on.***If “transparency” is truly Heatley’s platform then how is it he allowed only 48 hours to transpire before closing 3 schools?***Hurry up and leave Heatley!. The only tool this guy has in his chest is a hammer. He tries to run CVUSD like the military. He creates positions which were never needed prior and does not listen to teachers or parents***…voted himself a 2% payraise, while laying off teachers…***Heatley has created a culture of deceit and secrecy…Whoever hires him will do so to their sorrow; the glowing recommendations he gets here – are they not designed to get some other suckers to take him off our hands?…”
We can only hope this doesn’t turn into another high-priced J.Thompson deal.
Thanks for the heads up on the BOE meeting. We need to have a large turnout!
RE: my post about Mr Heatley. There were a lot of negative comments in that newspaper article. However, they might represent just a disgruntled few. I’m just pointing out that we need to do our due diligence.
I have to also ask, why would someone in their right mind choose Clayco over Reno, NV? Why would someone in their right mind say they “want” to come to Clayco? These might be good questions to ask the “candidate”.
I like the guy and it appears he is no nonsense and bottom line. At this point we can’t afford to have anyone to come in and play games. We need someone that plays their position. I think those that are slacking in are in for a rude awakening.
@ Jborodawg – I hope you read other articles where Edmond Heatley was the front runner for the second largest school district in Nevada. I hope you are not just looking at one side of the coin.
“My first reaction is I think that the assessments of all the folks who interviewed him (in Nevada) are correct and he is an outstanding superintendent,” said trustee Fred Youngblood. “I think it would be a loss for the district.”
Sylvia Orozco, Chino Valley Unified school board president, agreed.
“In regards to Dr. Heatley possibly leaving, it would be a great loss to the district, but he’s composed a great team and I think our district would be left in great hands because of the team he’s developed, should he leave,” Orozco said.
Orozco said she was not disappointed in Heatley’s bid for a new job.
“He’s got great leadership capabilities,” she said. “It’s not surprising other districts would want to seek him out.”
“The Chino Valley Unified School District, which hired Heatley as superintendent in 2005, will be visited by officials from the Reno-based Washoe County School District within the week, according to Washoe County school board President Barbara Clark.
Heatley was in Reno last week for an interview and answered questions about his leadership style.
“Out of the (candidates), Dr. Heatley was at the forefront,” Clark said.
“He did a very good job while he was here. He showed he believes in collaboration, has accountability and did very well answering the questions, and the public and staff replied they thought he had the majority of people for him or he was ahead.”
The Washoe County district is “looking for a person that has experience in showing academic achievement as well as fiscal responsibility,” Clark said.
The Chino Valley and Washoe County school districts share similar student demographics and are facing a budget crisis. Washoe County school board member Dan Carne asked Heatley how he viewed the relationship and roles of the superintendent and school board members.
“To me, it’s pretty simple,” Heatley said.
“The board sets policy and provides direction. It’s my job to get the team together to accomplish the mission. Simply said, that’s the easy part. There will be times in closed session where we will fight like cats and dogs and when we come out, the board gives direction. That’s the end of discussion. So I don’t see an issue with who’s in charge.” http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_12250049?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com
and another article
“Heatley was apparently a top finalist for the superintendent position in Washoe County School District, the second largest school district in Nevada.
Washoe County school officials had been planning to visit the Chino Valley Unified School District this week.
Clark, who is helping lead the Washoe County district’s superintendent search, said her district is disappointed in the change of plan.
“Yes, we are certainly disappointed in this news and I think it speaks to the quality of Dr. Heatley’s candidacy that obviously he was a skilled and knowledgable candidate that is going to be pursued by other school districts,” Clark said. “I think all the top candidates for superintendent positions are probably being courted by more than one school district.” http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_12256682
SACS Elgart and Clayton’s Rich cost Clayton’s School System $23 million per year over the next two years the School System will loss “Every Year” by causing 3500 children and parents to leave the district. Wow! This surely was a costly white political power move for the ailing black district!
They also paid the Media millions to belittled county, lowered your property value, skyrocketed property taxes, revoking your school’s accreditation, businesses left. They pilfered over $23 million educational dollars, caused 300-400 teacher job losses.
What did you as a county “Gain”? More Cost! Three more additional bills one for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission and now an overpriced law firm. That’s three bills you didn’t have before! The only people that prohibited are the pale.
This new boy Heatley, the superintendent is being “SETUP”! Mark my word he’ll last ten months before the Lilly white in the administration building start screaming. Then those same folk will threaten accreditation again! Then those same folk will sneak a pale superintendent in the back door. It too early after the SACS debacle sneak him now! The majority of the public knews this!
One day Brave My Arse you will understand and I will pray for you and your children. I feel sorry for your kids because you definitely doesn’t care about them. I am truly glad that this farse is over for now but believe me it will be returning.
Danger! Trotter at work already trying to sabotage the new super.. Trotterites posting above! Don’t think the public will fall for his crap any longer.
It appears that AJC reporter Megan Mattecucci has resorted to out and out lies to push the AJC political agenda, at the expense of objective reporting.
Two examples in her latest report about the protest of the new superintendent. First is to say that SACS santioned MACE in last year’s report of the school board. Cite your source Megan, because when I read the twenty seven page report, I didn’t see the word MACE mentioned one time. And don’t say MACE was alluded to, or everyone knows that SACS was talking about MACE. If Elgart was talking about MACE, and he was legally allowed to call MACE by name, why didn’t he?
Second example. To describe MACE as representing only a handful of teachers in Clayton. Unlike GAE, MACE does not accept payroll deductions, which would allow CCPS administrators to know who is a member and engage in retaliation. GAE members of course don’t have to worry about being retaliated against by CCPS, because GAE isn’t going to stand up to abusive administrators in a way that MACE will.
How could they, when the head of GAE is himself a Clayton County administrator? Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse when it comes to an organization standing up for teachers.LOL
So Megan, if membership is strictly confidential, and MACE does not disclose its membership rolls, how is there any possible way you can accurately ascertain that MACE represents only a handful of teachers in Clayton?
There may be only be a small number of MACE members willing to go on the record, but many MACE members enjoy the confidentiality of their membership, and may choose not to disclose it, even in their schools with the ever present threat of retaliation.
You may disagree with MACE, although I’ve never seen anybody make an effective rebuttal of where they stand on their education philosophies. Or, you may dislike their style. But either way, if you are going to be honest, or even if you support the new superintendent, and thus you don’t MACE’s protest, you have to admit that Megan’s reporting on this matter, was anything but honest.
It was in fact, some of the shoddiest journalism I have ever seen, and that’s saying something when you consider the quality of the AJC’s reporting in Clayton.
Now if you want to disagree with this post, please provide the following.
The page number in the SACS report where you see the word MACE mentioned.
A MACE membership role that conclusively shows the exact number of Clayton teachers that are MACE members.
Bottom line, even if you don’t like MACE, have enough intellectual integrity to seperate that from the shoddy reporting that Megan and the AJC engaged in, and call it for what it is.
Before you have the knee-jerk reation the AJC wants you to have with their biased reporting on the MACE protest of the new superintendent choice, have the integrity and courage to ask yourself the following.
Did MACE not express concerns, before either one of them were even hired, about falling for the educational snake oil of out of town saviors the last two times when it came to Barbara Pulliam and John Thompson?
And was MACE not totally and completely vindicated when it came to those concerns?
I’m not saying MACE is right about the new superintendent, but since they were dead on about the last two out of town saviors, wouldn’t it be wise to scrutinize this candidate, rather than accept him on blind faith like the AJC apparently wants you to?
And remember, MACE voiced their concerns at the beginning, not when they were on the way out the door, after everybody else figured out what MACE already knew.
So why are people automatically rushing to call this guy a savior, after what happened with the last two out of town saviors? Granted, he may very well be a good candidate. But are you really willing to give this guy a free pass and a blank check, just because MACE has some concerns?
Are you really that incapable of having any independent thought outside of what the AJC wants you to think?
All you guys want to come on here and jump on the Heatley bandwagon without reservation, I just have one request. Can you point to one specific proposal or policy that Heatley put forth to empower teachers when it comes to discipline?
Since you’ve gone on at length about his being an ex-Marine, shouldn’t this be easy to do?
And if it’s too much to ask to quote a specific policy or proposal, can you give us at least one person, one source that will vouch for him specifically when it comes to empowering teachers in matters of discipline?
Surely, this is not too much to ask of an ex-Marine is it?
There I was watching my nightly news at bedtime as always and AHHH!!! I saw an ugly, old troll crying about something that has nothing to do with him yet again. I had nightmares all night!
Obviously you speak from a uninformed position. If you had taken the time yesterday to come to the meet and greet of Dr. Heatley you would have heard loud and clear his plans addressing discipline problems. Let me give you one specific since you are ignorant as to what said last night. In regards to a student assaulting a teacher, teacher assaulting a student or teacher assaulting another teacher he said clearly and concisely he has a ZERO tolerance policy.
If all these trotterites would have taken time to sit in on the meeting you would know; especially Trotter who only stuck his head in the meeting for all of 3 mins to obviously survey the room and not gain any information.
My only concern as it stands right now are the Trotter moles still left in the administration and the leaking of information for their benefit. I am also concerned with the comments by Chapman in the AJC article –
Sid Chapman, president of Clayton’s largest teachers union, said he was hoping for a superintendent with experience in Georgia.
“Since we have not had a good track record with superintendents from bargaining states, my initial concern is how will he cooperate with the union here and get acquainted with Georgia law,” said Chapman, who represents about 2,800 school employees.”
The choice of Heatley with his military and educational background was the best choice for the county. In my opinion we don’t need anyone that knows the Georgia more specifically the Clayton political game (contracts and favors). We need someone who will come in and assess everything and make changes where necessary and if that means some long time administrators who aren’t pulling their weight need to go then so be it. If that means some principals aren’t pulling their weight need to go then so be it. Heatley appears to be his own man and if he is a true Marine will operate with integrity.
It feels so good to see the grip of those that had a strangle hold on the School system slipping away.
I am so ready to see a board and Supt. function with synergy.
My name is John Stewart and I approve this message.
Trotter only needed to stick his head in cuz he had foot soldiers inside the board room already, taking notes and wreaking havoc.
Question to MACE fanatics can you point to one specific proposal or policy that Valya Lee OR Sam King have put forth to empower teachers when it comes to discipline? Based on research so far can’t find any policy put forth by Heatley. But what exactly qualifies Lee or Sam King either? From what I saw last night I’d rather take a chance on Heatley than your candidates.
Valya Lee being from Clayton isn’t and shouldn’t be enough to qualify her for superintendent. and who in the sam hill is Sam King? Must be a Mace fan too.
I think Heatley is an excellent choice. I had not been aware of the meet and greet, otherwise, I would have been there. But, I don’t need to be sold. I think he is a proven leader and a vast improvement on Dr. Thompson. I’ve spoken to at least one teacher who likes Valya Lee, but her reasoning didn’t seem to be anything more than she hasn’t rocked the boat these last couple of weeks. I just don’t see that as a good enough reason to give her the job permanently.
Dr. Heatley,
Do not buy a house on spivey lake, do not alienate the community, stay away from the local poiticians and simply raise the bar for our children and love them. That is the same advice given to two previous superintendents and they did not listen, both are gone. Could somebody pass this information on to him?
John Stewart descends from the night sky, firing the twin thunderbolts of “uninformed” and “ignorant” and protects our man Heatley from the dastardly plot of Stand and Deliver!
Not so fast.
OBVIOUSLY I speak from an uninformed position when it comes to Heatley on discipline. And? That’s why I POSED A QUESTION and didn’t make a STATEMENT about what he will or will not do. It’s called critical thinking skills.
Now do I think it’s a good thing that he said he wouldn’t tolerate discipline problems? Of course. But have I fallen hook, line, and sinker, for his claims just because he’s an ex-Marine? No. Again, critical thinking skills.
What a candidate will SAY and what a candidate has DONE are two different things. Which is why it’s necessary to ask what specific ACTIONS will he put in place to restore the teacher’s authority? What specific actions would he put in place to prevent RETALIATION against teachers who try to address disicpline which, if YOU were fully informed, and not ignorant, about the day to day realities of life in the classroom, would understand is a major ongoing concern. In fact, it’s as big a concern, when it comes to teacher morale and retention rates, as the discipline itself.
Mind you, I’m not in the camp that says he shouldn’t be the new super, just because he’s from out of town. But I recall that Pulliam SAID the right things, Thompson SAID the right things, and I’m not going on the Heatley bandwagon just because he SAID the right things, and certainly not on the bandwagon because the board of education SAID he was the right candidate.
I want to see evidence of WALKING THE WALK. Either policies or persons from his previous position that vouch not for words, but for ACTIONS.
Don’t get me wrong. I really DO want to see these things, and I’m hopeful that his years of Marine service have allowed him to not be brainwashed by an educational system that simply does not get it when it comes to discipline.
I just want to see people STOP and THINK, and want to make sure the words ex-Marine aren’t just the new and improved version of out of town snake oil to come to Clayton.
So again, the question does INDEED remain unanswered. Can we point to a specific policy he has put in place that restores the teacher’s authority to discipline, and if not, can we at least find individuals from his previous stop that will vouch for him on the specific issue of supporting the teacher’s authority in the classroom?
Why is this not a reasonable request John Stewart?
I fully understand your point and know that money talks and BS runs the Marathon. I still stand by my comments. It is one thing to read about a person and another thing to meet a person, look them in the eye and listen to what they say. A 95yr old blind from birth, wearing sun glasses and 2 broken hearing aids could see through and hear the BS that Trotter oops Freudian slip I meant Thompson was spewing out.
Let me address your comment and assumption about me being ignorant about what goes on in the classroom. My wife is a teacher in CCPS and I have several friends who are teachers in CCPS so I hear Firsthand what goes on in the classroom. So with that I will say I am far from ignorant on the subject.
Now you asked I could point to specific policies regarding discipline and his previous tenure. I am so glad you asked!!! Let’s do this. How about we go back to the Chino Valley school district and the board policies he was charged to uphold.
How about section BP 5144(a) on Discipline from the Chino Valley school district –
The Board of Education desires to prepare students for responsible citizenship by fostering self-discipline and personal responsibility. The board believes that high expectations for student behavior, effective classroom management, and parent involvement can minimize the need for discipline. Staff shall use preventative measures and positive conflict resolution techniques whenever possible.
(cf. 5020 – Parent Rights and Responsibilities)
(cf. 5137 – Positive School Climate)
(cf. 5145.3 – Nondiscrimination/harassment)
(cf. 5145.9 – Hate-motivated Behavior)
(cf. 6020 – Parent Involvement)
Board policies and regulations shall delineate acceptable student conduct and provide the basis for sound disciplinary practices. Each school shall develop disciplinary rules in accordance with law to meet the school’s individual needs.
(cf. 5131 – Conduct)
(cf. 5131.1 – Bus Conduct)
When misconduct occurs, staff shall implement appropriate discipline and attempt to identify and address the causes of the student’s behavior. Continually disruptive students may be assigned to alternative programs or removed from school in accordance with law, Board policy, and administrative regulation. At all times, the safety of students and staff and the maintenance of an orderly school environment shall be priorities in determining appropriate discipline.”
Isn’t it ironic that MACE talks so highly about being “right” re: past supers. but never bring up or apologize for the embarrassment, dysfunction, and carnage their members have left behind in our school system? Sorry Trotter, actions speak louder than words.
Yes, we need to properly vet Dr. Heatley and gather as much informaton about him as possible before forming an opinion. However, getting information on the blog and AJC is the not the most reliable source. With a click of a mouse and a little effort on your part, you could have gotten the same information John Stewart posted. Better yet, you could have come to the meeting last night and asked him yourself. Your inability (or reluctance) to obtain readily available information regarding the candidate is an example of being “ignorant” and “uniformed”.
Stand & Deliver (aka Bland & Shhiver) To further assist you in your “ignorance” and being “uninformed”…THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN “EX-MARINE”…You stand corrected.
Great job John Stewart for your informative comments!
Next thing you know, “Stand and Deliver” will try to debate that Heatley is incapable of discipline or leadership because he was a non-commissioned officer! Ridiculous.
You are correct in the fact that no one knows who MACE’s membership is. In fact since MACE is a private corporation no one knows anything about MACE. That is the way JT wants it. MACE is his personal cash cow and he does not want the members knowing about anything he does with their, excuse me His money.
First thing. John Stewart. The specific policies. They are there. Good work. But, let’s be real, they are there ON PAPER. Just like in Clayton. Now who wants to make the case that IN PRACTICE, Clayton does what it says on paper?
What I don’t see, even on paper, is the NEXT STEP. If your wife is a teacher in Clayton, John Stewart, surely she can tell you what’s on paper, in terms of supporting teachers in discipline, is not the same as what happens in REALITY.
Again, is what’s on paper what happens IN PRACTICE? I’d love to hear what some teachers IN THE CLASSROOM, in his district have to about discipline, and just as importantly, about RETALIATION against teachers who stand up for it.
Barbara Pulliman had policies AND a blue ribbon panel to address discipline. Need I say more?
Sgt. Rock. Does having served in the Marines AUTOMATICALLY mean that you are above reproach, and above question? Should we just say Siemper Fi and let every Marine who is currently incarcerated out, because after all, they are Marines? And organization can stand proud and tall, yet have individuals fall, can it not, Sgt. Rock?
Do we DARE not question Heatley because he was, or is, as you prefer, a Marine? If that were the case, why not replace every superintendent in the country with a Marine? Before YOU say it, I’ll say it. If you want me to be REALLY real, if someone gave me the power to replace every superintendent with a Marine, sight unseen, I’ll be the first to admit, I’d roll that dice in a heartbeat.
But we are just talking one position, and that’s Clayton. And no matter how much people want to steamroll this process without questions being raised, the fact is that recent history of out of towners is not good. Due diligence MUST be done. Let him answer some specifics.
For example, if a child curses a teacher, and the principal walks him back to class a few minutes later with no consequences, and the teacher refused to allow him back in, and the principal threatened the teacher with insubordination what would he do? Would he back DISCIPLINE and the teacher’s RIGHT to discipline, or would he back blind obedience to the chain of command?
Did anybody ask him THAT question, because that question goes to the heart of what’s wrong with CCPS. What comes first, supporting the teacher in DISCIPLINE, or unlimited, unchecked power of the principal, even when it undercuts the best efforts of the teacher?
John Stewart, take MACE out of the question for a moment and ask your wife what she thinks would happen if a teacher refused to allow a child who cursed her back in the classroom over the principal’s objections? And if you really ARE informed about life in the classroom, you MUST know that in CCPS this situations do occur FAR too often.
You think CCPS would come down on the side of supporting the teacher trying to enforce discipline, or come down on the side of the administrator trying not to rock the boat?
You met the man, John Stewart. Honestly, in the above scenario, which side would YOU fall on? And to the point, what’s your gut feeling on what side HEATLEY would fall on? If he actually had the guts to say that he’d back the teacher in that case, I’d say due dilegence is OVER, and gladly welcome him aboard.
I thought John Trotter and his nitwit followers were gone. Alas – they were just waiting to pounce. Seems, if they are against this nominee, then we should all welcome him wholeheartedly. John seems to hate anyone taller than him – which is most people. It was funny to see his paid protesters outside hiding behind sunglasses – during a cloudy evening. Welcome back JT. (NOT) Get ready to dance.
Why did Alieka Anderson, Chairperson of the Clayton County Board of Education and her “Spineless Crew” offer Valya Lee a $187,000 one year contract next week, then turn around and Hire the Broad Academy graduate a week later! There is only one viable answer! This BOE “IS NOT” I repeat, is not making any decisions on their own. They’re being led around by their noses by the powers that be in Clayton and elsewhere. They’re soooo sad!
BB since you claim that we should support Heatley because John Trotter opposes him, by your logic I’m sure you will come on here and tell us what a great guy John The Diploma Shredder Thompson was, and how ClayCo should have never let him go.
I guess you’ll be writing letters of recommmendation for Barbara Pulliam as well.
And I suppose you’ll work hard to convince Rod Johnson that he should run for the board again.
Since Trotter opposed them, I guess we should, as you say, wholeheartedly welcome them back right?
Seems fedup, if they were that upset about MACE being a private corporation, would be really upset with SACS being a private corporation, especially since, unlike MACE, SACS makes their money off your tax dollars.
“Spineless” Where did you get this information? Glen Brock is not the influence for this Board. Dr. Val Lee is an excellent persona nd the community has been impressed with her. Unfortunately, she does not possess the required experience and background that SACS stiputalated in their report was requried for a new supperintent. Does anyone remember reading that the person should have a mininmum of four years experience as a superintendent? That was made quite clear by SACS. Neither Dr. Lee or Dr. King fit that criteria. Having said that the choice made by the Board was the right choice. As in anything else time will tell. But it looks like we have a fresh start.
Trotter will do anything to derail the progress of CCPS. Always have, always will. At least we have a Super who is capable, and free of the local politcal machine. At least we have accreditation back. People need to work together for progress and stop all this Claton bashing
I must say, the fact that Mace, Trotter & company are so opposed to Heatley, makes me like Heatley even more! He must be doing something right and won’t be bought and paid for by Clayton politicians the day he takes office. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more from and about Heatley!
I agree, it does seem bizarre to give Valya Lee, unqualified to be a superintendent, a one-year $187,000 contract and then hire Heatly the very next week. Mind you, the board had to pay thousands upon thousands to buy out Thompson’s contract and put Lee in place (which Lee and Brock conspired to do, so Brock could become the school system’s attorney). How much do you think all of this is costing us as taxpayers!? This smells really bad!
Actually, the recent elections in Clayton County and the potential hiring of Dr. Heatley smells pretty good to me. It’s the first breath of fresh air in about five years.
There are no guarantees but if Dr. Heatley turns out to be as good as what other school districts (including his own) are saying and brings good fortune to what we’ve seen become a muddy hole caused by selfish, self-serving individuals, I have no problem paying out to Dr. Thompson or Ms. Lee. The percentage of those two contracts is very minimal to what we’ve already paid for during this nightmare. Time will tell but I have more hope now than I’ve had in long long time.
Why does everyone think Mr. Heatley is any good. Is it because he is being run out of California or because he got turned down for the Tulsa Job. Clayton County needs The Educator of the Year Dr. Sam King. Why not choose Sam King can anyone on here give me one good reason. Sam King was the obvious choice and they screwed it up again. SAM KING SAM KING.
Why wont the school board ever listen to Dr John Trotter. He has more sense than all the board members combined. Why dont the school boards in Clayton county ever listen to Dr. Trotter. They are always jealous and scared of him. This causes them to do stupid things. Hiring The California reject Mr Heatly was only the latest of their stupid actions. They could have hired Dr Val Lee or Dr. Sam King and everyone would have been happy.
Good luck to the new superintendant. I am glad to hear he is planning on keeping the current staff. Several are very good at what they do. Clayton County has lost enough wonderful staff members do to the board problems. Many retired and many just left. So all us old retired ones are looking forward to a high quality school system again. Just hope Trotter finds a new school system to bothr.
I asked this question yesterday and all of you (maybe only one of you are actually posting here) ignored it. Here goes again:
Can you point to one specific proposal or policy that Valya Lee OR Sam King have put forth to empower teachers when it comes to discipline?
Based on research so far I can’t find any policy put forth by Heatley, that’s true.
But what exactly qualifies Lee or Sam King either? From what I saw at that meeting, I’d rather take a chance on Heatley than your candidates.
Valya Lee being from Clayton isn’t and shouldn’t be enough to qualify her for superintendent. and who in the sam hill is Sam King?
IN ADDITION – I’ve done my own research on Edmond Heatley and just ran another search on your Tulsa accusation. I have seen nowhere else any indication that he got turned down (or ever applied for) any superintendent position in Tulsa. If you have proof of that allegation, please share with the rest of the class so we know you’re not just blowing smoke.
And Heatley is not being “run out of” California. I really hope you aren’t putting false information out here to try and confuse us and prop up Lee and King. Valya Lee couldn’t even make it to the final round of interviews and again, who is Sam King and why should any of us care? I’ve only read his name on this blog!
Heatley being ran out of California just after receiving Superintendent of the Year for his respective area (Riverside and San Bernardino counties)? Oh, I get it, MACE. Must be that administrator hang-up. A few parents are upset about some school closings resulting from budgetary cuts but that’s about it.
Let’s see,
Heatley brought together a committee of district and community members to develop his District’s first strategic plan which focuses on student achievement. Since 2005, the District has experienced significant growth in student achievement along with schools being recognized as a California Distinguished School, a National Blue Ribbon School, a California Business for Excellence/Just for Kids Honor Roll, a California Service-Learning Leader School Award, a National Network of Partnership Schools-Johns Hopkins University/Working Together for Student Success, a Golden Bell Award, an International Baccalaureate World School and two International Baccalaureate candidate schools.
He continued to teach at the university level, keeping him current with educational trends. Yes, MACE he’s still a teacher. Unbelievable!! An administrator and teacher at the same time?! Oh no! AND in 2008, he was awarded the California League of High Schools, Outstanding Administrator of the Year Recipient for Region 12.
When I saw John Trotter and Ms. Norrese Haynes on television with those stupid poster boards picketing the new superintendent, I knew then Heatley was the right person for the job. I am willing to bet money he has already put Trotter in his place and now Trotter is mad!!!!
Valya Lee and Sam King, need to denounce Trotter’s support just like Obama had to denounce Jeremiah Wright. Trotter’s support of Lee and King automatically makes me question their competency and many community members feel the same. Take a page from Obama’s play book and distance yourselves from this poster board carrying FOOL!!!!
Don’t allow Trotter and Ms. Norrese Haynes to cast a cloud over careers you all have worked so hard to build!!!!!!
Let’s just see what happens. Trotter was right about Hairston, Pulliam, Chavis, and Thompson. He will probably be right about Heatley. He does look to me to be heavy-handed. One thing about Trotter is he is consistent. He doesn’t come dancing up to the new superintendents with his hat in his hand. He lets them know up front what he thinks of them. He seemed to have given a pass to Duncan and Lee. I think he does indeed think that Lee and King would have been good choices. John Trotter is probably right, but the school boards always want to go “outside” for the latest educational gypsey. I really question why they would bring in this fellow. I understand that they conducted a “straw vote” about him. This is illegal as well as the board’s meeting with candidates in California at the San Diego meeting. I don’t think the school board really understands the concept of transparency. I too think that Glenn Brock is running the whole show down here in Clayton County. It’s a shame. I will be voting agains my representative, Pam Adamson.
Trotter and the other idiots at MACE know nothing about predicting the success of a superintendent. MACE works hard to plant the unintelligent and the uninformed on the board, then work to influence their vote, then MACE works to distance itself from members they placed on the board when things go wrong. This has been the predictable pattern for Trotter for sometime now!!!!!
Nedra Ware
Connie Kitchens
Noresse Haynes
Lois Bayne Hunter
Michelle Strong
Michael King
… just to name a few
Doesn’t it strike you odd that in your mind Trotter is so right and consistent about superintendents but yet his support of prospective and current board members has been a dismal failure and train wreck? Anything wrong to you about that picture? Only those who support Trotter try to throw around “illegal” or “legal” without really knowing the difference. To MACE, anything that promotes a non-supported MACE member becoming a board member or super. is considered illegal. Stop referring to the MACE handbook and become acquainted with real law.
For clarity, Dr. Lee was given her current contract because by law she had to be the highest paid employee in the school district. Please recall that Julie Lewis was the highest paid once Dr. Thompson was released. Her contract is for one year but can be voided with a 30 day notice. The attorney said that that was the proper way to formulate the contract.
You say Trotter knows nothing about predicting the success of superintendents.
Was he wrong about Pulliam?
Was he wrong about Thompson?
Let me say it before you do. Some on the old board who were affliated with MACE to some extent joined with GAE members on the board to bring about John Thompson. But that wasn’t Trotter; it was people who didn’t listen to Trotter.
So the question remains, was he wrong about Pulliam and Thompson?
And as far as MACE distancing itself, I don’t see MACE distancing itself from Norresse Haynes. As far as distancing themselves from the others when they themselves distanced themselves from the MACE philosophy of restoring the teacher’s authority in the classroom first, why would that be a bad thing?
Now if you want to say some have used MACE’s message to get elected, then turned around and acted in their own best interests, that’s a legitimate point. But it doesn’t mean MACE’s philosophy is wrong, and it sure doesn’t mean they were wrong about Pulliam and Thompson.
And if you’re the asute political commentator some of your other comments indicate you are, you should know that GAE has more than their own fair share of mistakes on the board, chief among them Rod Johnson and Ericka Davis.
And don’t forget it’s not a MACE official earning years of credit in the Teachers Retirement System without actually working in a classroom, it’s a GAE official.
SO WHAT WHO CARES that Trotter was right about Pulliam and Thompson HE CAN GET IN LINE A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE PREDICTED PULLIAM AND THOMPSON WOULD NOT WORK OUT!!!
Trotter acts like he was the only one in Clayton who knew ahead of time that Pulliam and Thompson would crash and burn and just because they did, doesn’t mean this guy will.
I’d like to read an answer to the question asked above that none of these MACE people want to answer. What has Lee or Sam King done about policy in Clayton.
I know the answer – ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Any candidate supported by MACE is not one I want running anything with my tax dollars.
We have fourteen days to ask Heatley THE one essential question that will tell you ALL you need to know.
A student is severely disruptive, defiant, directly insubordinate, so a teacher refers the student to the office. An administrator walks the student back down a few moments later, with absolutely no consequences, and demands the student be allowed back into class.
The teacher, having written up the child for violations that warrant consequences under board policy, and more importantly, wishing to protect the sanctity of the classroom learning environment, refuses to let the student in.
Who does Heatley support?
If he has says FOR THE RECORD that he has the guts to stand up to CCPS administrators and support the teacher, you may indeed have a good candidate who understands discipline.
Fourteen days. If you REALLY want to know, the question MUST be asked.
To those of you are obsessed with this Trotter person pro or con. Let it go the citizens of Clayton county do not give a damn about a Trotter one way ior another. Please stop using this blog and give the man a call yourself. We do not care to hear any more about him.
As for Heatley, Kudos to this board who obviously acted indepedently and made a sound choice based on their own research. I can not wait to see who was against him on the board. It will speak volumes.
District 3 – you’re wrong. Valya Lee is INTERIM superintendent, not superintendent, so laws don’t apply. Plus, Lewis was gone by the time her contract was approved by the Board, so she didn’t need $187,000 b/c Valya Lee and Brock had gotten rid of her so that Brock could take over as legal counsel (and, so that Lee could conveniently get a fat contract that wasn’t necessary).
Why does the following invoke so much VISCERAL FEAR that no one wants to deal with it?
“A student is severely disruptive, defiant, directly insubordinate, so a teacher refers the student to the office. An administrator walks the student back down a few moments later, with absolutely no consequences, and demands the student be allowed back into class.
The teacher, having written up the child for violations that warrant consequences under board policy, and more importantly, wishing to protect the sanctity of the classroom learning environment, refuses to let the student in.
Who does Heatley support?”
The question gets to the crux of what we need in a superintendent, yet not one of the current and former teachers on the board, to the best of my knowledge even THOUGHT to ask him, much less demand an answer.
Why so afraid? I would hope that as many citizens as possible will seek an answer to this, IF they are willing to make the candidate available.
They, having been in a classroom, know FIRST HAND the importance of the question. Why so afraid to ask it?
Before someone tries to respond by AVOIDING the question, or turning it into a partisan issue, I’m not saying that Sam King or Valya Lee would have a better answer that Heatley.
I’m saying that, if Heatley is the choice at this time, and you want to know if he is an advocate for REAL change, given what goes on in ClayCo’s classrooms today, the question MUST be asked, and it must be asked often, and by as many people possible.
ClayCo MUST have an answer to this question, to see if the candidate has the BACKBONE to take on the institutional dysfunction that currently does not support the teachers of CCPS.
It’s not a MACE question, a GAE question, a Lee question, a King question, or a Heatley question.
It’s a LONG OVERDUE question, and it’s high time someone ask the BOE why they haven’t asked it, and it’s time to ask it of ANY candidate, since the BOE apparently is too fearful to.
This is pretty sad. Most of these comments here appear to be from people who work for CCPS or have some sort of direct interest in it (various insiders). I don’t see that many posts from the average Clayton county homeowner who has children in the CCPS. Thanks to all these incompetents that the voters of Clayton county voted in, my modest house lost over 50% of its value within just 2 years or so. The bad economy had a small roll the devaluation of residential properties in Clayco; losing the SACS accreditation was the by far the largest culprit. Also because of all this, I have my young elementary-aged son enrolled in a local church private school. I live in a high rental area and most of the rental houses stand vacant; some houses have been empty over a year. No one wants to move here, the ones with school-aged children are desperate to leave. All the home break-ins and high crime deter many people from “Clayco.” The biggest financial mistake of my life was buying an older home in Clayco in 2002 and taking this depreciation of my house. What a basket case, between this and the former Sheriff, Victor Hill, Clayco couldn’t get much worse, but I suspect it will. I am very bitter and willing to take the loss on the house to get out of here, even if I have to take a big loan. Even so, I wish success to this new Clayco Superintendent and hope he can straighten things out, but I have severe doubts due to all the revelations in some of the obviously dysfunctional thoughts found in the posts here.
You are correct “A Regular Voter”. My husband and I are in the same boat with a house that we can’t give away and private school costs while paying county school taxes. Yes we can celebrate the regained accreditation but this county’s abysmal academic statistics, a majority of inexperienced/uncertified teachers, low academic expectations, low parental involvement and widespread disciplinary problems must be seriously admitted to and addressed before credibility is regained. The dysfunctional school board was only a small part of the problem. I hope that the new super will realistically address these problems even if feelings are hurt in the process. Policies such as mandatory school uniforms are useless window dressing if the polo shirts are worn like dresses and the khakis are still sagging (seen on Riverdale Road). Restored accreditation or not Clayton County schools still have a long way to go.
Amen KimWhit. Heatly is probably just what Clayton County needs, but the dysfunctional Clayton County people will preclude him from being successful. Same old song being replayed over and over again.
And to the person who keeps reposting the same hypothetical about not letting the student back in class, there is no one answer; it would be very fact dependent – what specifically did the student do? What policy did the student violate? What are the consequences for the student violating the policy? There is no one answer based on your very vague hypothetical. Quit beating that drum! You are just looking for a reason not to support someone you don’t think you can control!
If a student has caused a severe enough disruption to warrant being removed from class, then there is one clear answer when an administrator tries to walk him right back to class with ZERO consequences.
Why are you in such MORTAL FEAR of having this addressed?
It’s already been said the question should be asked of ANY candidate, so it has NOTHING to do with THIS candidate. Nice try to, as I suspected, AVOID the question.
Stop Worrying, The ONLY question, Stand and deliver, Two questions for Political Spectator, Essential Question, Why so afraid?, Yes there is one answer….apparently the same person. It’s disingenuous to post with so many usernames. For consistency and clarity in our bantering, please pick one and stay with it. Thx!
For those of you still wanting Ms Lee and “Dr King”, read once again “…Advice for Dr. Heatley;… SACS stiputalated…that the person should have a mininmum of four years experience as a superintendent…”
John Stewart: You make some very valid and reasoned points. Dr Heatley does seem quite qualified. But, I still have to also ask, why would someone in their right mind choose Clayco over Reno, NV? Why would someone in their right mind say they “want” to come to Clayco (leave Calif)?
So much mis-information by Trotter supporters and the woefully under-informed. Suffice to say that the times that different Supers were in jeopordy – it was MACE and Trotter in the mix. When the super was pushed out by Nedra and the 4 (Trotter led MACE members) horsewomen of the Apocolyspe. There was MACE. Chavis was nothing but a puppet for the afore mentioned Nedra and when he found his Backbone – he was gone too. Again there was MACE. When the election cycle came around the Trotterites were defeated. We had 2 years of relative peace. Ms. Pulliam was brought in. Only after MACE CEO (what a joke) Noreese Haynes was voted in with sympathyzers Baines-Hunter and Sandra Scott, did we have the personal agenda group raise their ugly heads. Again – there was MACE. Hunter and Scott – were among those who brought in Dr. Thompson. Of course JT wants a local black for the job – He thinks he can flim-flam them the way he has many others and convinced to become MACE. The worst thing for JT – is to have a educated strong black man who is not stuck inside the “victim mentality” as so many in the South have become.
I’ve been to Jim Huie before and its nice but get more out of LA Fitness at Southlake mall. They’ve got more equipment (that works)it’s worth paying for. I use the pool at Jim Huie and that’s real nice much better than LA Fitness.
Why so afraid of a simple question? If a teacher removed a serevely disruptive student, and an administrator tried to immediately return him to class with zero consequences, who would you support?
Why are people so resistant to asking this question?
Why is this question being spun as an attack on Heatley, when no one has claimed that King, Lee, or anyone else mentioned would have a better answer?
For that matter, why is it being spun as an attack on Heatley, when it very well could give him a chance to shine, and set a tone that would allow him to be welcomed with open arms?
Lastly, with the number of current and former teachers on the board who know first hand the legitimacy of the question, why aren’t the voters demanding not only that it be answered, but it be asked?
Will this be another case of citizens refusing to address an issue head on that leads to them getting what they fully and richly deserve?
Jborodawg,
I was at the “Meet the Candidate” forum last week. Someone asked Dr. Heatley why he chose Clayton over Reno. He gave several reasons, but one was that he wanted to move to the East coast to be closer to his (and his wife’s) family. He also stated that he has received extensive training to oversee an urban school district. The Chino Valley School district is not urban.
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catlady
March 14th, 2009
12:05 pm
Clayton Co Schools must have a LOT of money to be able to pay 2 supts.
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Reginald Stalworth Jr.
March 16th, 2009
9:12 am
HOORAY! Finally, a new day for Clayton Public Schools! Good job BOE!
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Oh please
March 16th, 2009
9:12 am
The heavens have opened up. Rays of light are piercing through the clouds, and the days ahead look so much brighter. Of course, the BOE has made the right decision. Now they must stay the course, and hire someone with not only the right qualifications, but the right attitude as well. Someone that knows their place on the org-chart. Way to go, BOE!
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kevin
March 16th, 2009
9:18 am
out with the old clown in with the new.nothing will change
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WTF?
March 16th, 2009
10:47 am
For the first time in a very long time, I’m proud of my BOE! Good step in the right direction.
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ESR
March 16th, 2009
10:53 am
Had they fired him earlier perhaps they could have saved the $85,000. He is not worth 85 cents. The saga will continue.
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Nice move
March 16th, 2009
11:09 am
Nice move by Mark Elgart of SACS to get rid of the snake oil salesman Thompson. What, you thought the board acted independently? HA HA HA HA HA!
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Oh please
March 16th, 2009
11:18 am
I’d rather they just go ahead and pay him than for him to file another lawsuit against the school system. He did have a contract and the system was required to pay him regardless of whether we continued to take advantage of his “services” or not. Just give him the money and wash our hands clean of the remnants of the previous BOE’s debacle.
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John Stewart
March 16th, 2009
12:03 pm
Kudos to the board for de-feathering this peacock. A salary worth nearly half a million if you factor in all the perks, living in Lake Spivey. This man had it made. Now no favors to old board members or current elected officials. A big door has been shut behind us and now we have a bigger door of opportunity ahead of us.
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It's all about timing
March 16th, 2009
1:08 pm
Of course most people, willing dupes that they are, are too busy praising the BOE for something Elgart told them to do, that they don’t even realize the BOE literally scratched Thompson’s back all the way out the door.
When did the SACS report go out? The 13th, and with Thompson’s signature on it. When did the BOE fire him? The 14th. So the BOE practically hands Thompson a golden parachute, allowing him to add taking full credit for restoring accreditation to his snake oil collection.
Yep, there’s no politics with this new board.
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 16th, 2009
1:47 pm
To: “It’s all about timing”
If we get our accreditation back, I DON’T CARE WHO TAKES THE CREDIT!!!!!!!!
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Oh please
March 16th, 2009
2:15 pm
And seriously, who cares if Elgart advised the board to get rid of him or not. Elgart is the person who determines whether we get back accreditation so if he did advise them on the issue, then the BOE is doing what they are supposed to be doing.
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taylor
March 16th, 2009
2:38 pm
You are all missing the big picture here
The right thing…probably. The right time … NO!
It doesnt make any sense to fire someone before their contract is over
and have to hire someone else and pay them also. This just sounds like the typical petty stupid crap that will keep Clayton County from getting their accreditation back
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If?
March 16th, 2009
2:53 pm
There is no if, Concerned Parent. This BOE could do the Jonesboro Dance routine down at the Pink Pony, put it on YouTube, and make a DVD called BOE Gone Wild, and Clayton would still get accreditation back.
Do you really, really think there’s a snowball’s chance in you know where that Elgart and Sonny are going to let the sons and daughters of their politically connected friends graduate from an unaccredited school system?
Did you not notice that they didn’t take accreditation away until after last year’s seniors graduated? And the same politics dictates that’s exactly why it will be restored before this year’s seniors graduate.
Think people.
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Slick Elrod
March 16th, 2009
3:39 pm
Firing Thompson was a good first step.
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 16th, 2009
3:51 pm
IF?:
You are wrong. We were accredited through the 2008 school year. Regardless of when the decision to revoke accreditation came down, the 2008 graduates still would have graduated with an accredited diploma. That kinda pokes holes in your conspiracy theory. Point blank, we had a “disfunctional board”. Have you actually ever attended a board meeting? It’s like night and day compared to the way business was handled by the old board. Now, I’m not saying that the new board does not have it’s problems, but they definitely are an upgrade from the old one.
WE NEED TO STOP BLAMING OTHERS (PERDUE, ELGART) AND START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN ACTIONS (WHO WE ELECT SERVE). AND BE AN “ACTIVE” PARTICIPANT IN WHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY AND SCHOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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If?
March 16th, 2009
4:19 pm
Concerned Parent thank you for making my point. ClayCo was accredited through the 2008 school year and Elgart did nothing to change that, even though it was totally within his power to do so. My guess is you are one of the willing dupes who will congratulate the BOE for restoring accreditation, even though people have pointed out, before this board even started serving, that this was politics and accreditation will be restored before this year’s seniors graduate.
Do you really, really, think Concerned Parent that Elgart and SACS are going to let the sons and daughters of politically connected ClayCo citizens graduate from an unaccredited system? You can possibly be that naive, can you?
You make the common mistake that so many on here make. You think because the last board acted foolish and ignorant, that everyone else, Elgart included, has acted totally above board. You probably even think that ClayCo will become a quality school system once accreditation is bestowed by King Elgart.
You might want to consider one thing. Other than Clayton, what do the other 20 lowest performing systems in Georgia all have in common? The are all SACS accredited. I guess performance isn’t a mandate.
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catlady
March 16th, 2009
4:33 pm
I think Clayton County is too big a mess to even hope for. They must have lots of money down there for something besides the education of their kids. Any possible respect for them will hinge on whether they get a competent superintendent. I don’t know how good their search team is. Let’s pray for them. It is about a whole lot more than SACS accreditation!
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Huh?
March 16th, 2009
4:55 pm
Nobody is saying Elgart is above board and anyone with sense knows that taking accred. away was a political move. If they didn’t take it away, would those last four boe members have EVER left? Probably not and they needed to go! Do you expect CCPS or Clayton to take on SACS and Elgart now? Why bother, we need to keep cleaning our own house and try to stay out of SACS range so we don’t ever have to deal with this again.
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Black Woman in Clayco
March 16th, 2009
6:53 pm
I don’t care how the decision was made, I’m just happy CCPS seems to be getting on track for the kids’ sake. They really didn’t need to have worry about accreditation on top of all the other stuff going on in public schools today. Letting Thompson go was the best decision, he never should’ve been hired, really.
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If?
March 16th, 2009
8:10 pm
It’s not even that people are saying great things about Elgart. It that it doesn’t even occur to them to pose the question. They simply don’t think past the headlines in the AJC, so they think the only reason the school system is bad is that the board acted ignorant and Clayton lost accreditation. In their mind, they actually think this board is accomplishing something to restore accreditation, when the reality is each board member-male and female alike-could use school funds to impregnate themselves with octuplets and Elgart would still give CCPS accreditation.
As they all collectively worship the god of SACS, no one even thinks for example, just what does accreditation mean as far as a quality school system, when you consider each and every one of the twenty lowest performing school systems outside of CCPS are accredited by SACS?
If the majority of people do have some sense, they’ll think about these questions and demand some accountability and tangible action from the BOE on issues that affect day to day teaching. But most likely, most people, compliant sheep that they are, will go back to sleep, all the while the system will continue to rot from within, as nothing is done to address the core issues that affect teaching and learning in the classroom.
Sad really.
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Bud Light
March 16th, 2009
10:18 pm
This whole thing is a JOKE!!!!
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Bud Light
March 16th, 2009
10:22 pm
This is crazy!!!
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If?
March 16th, 2009
11:19 pm
And that’s the problem Black Woman in ClayCo; no one cares how the decisions are made, thus no one understands why the decisions are made. They are made for politics, not for the sake of your children. None of this has been for the sake of your children; it’s been for the sake of politics.
If SACS was really investigating CCPS for the sake of the children, they’d ask questions as to why there is an open gang presence in the schools, and there is an institutional history of not addressing discipline problems, and worse, why laws concerning policies such as tribunal hearings for cases of threats and assaults are routinely ignored.
But trust me, the actual learning environment of your child’s class is not, and will not, ever reach the level of a mandate. It’s just not that important, compared to bidness and politikin’
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Rev. Seymour Butts
March 17th, 2009
1:42 am
Val Lee is just warming the seat for Sam King.
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Thinking
March 17th, 2009
7:06 am
Nice format change on this blog host.
When I first heard this news I was a little perplexed but after some thinking it might just work out. Now if some other individuals could be moved out and yes that means paying out their contract it would be a good thing. I wonder how many other central office staff members will be exploring their options?
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Dim bulbs in the light factory
March 17th, 2009
12:40 pm
Why does one get the feeling that the same people who actually believe their favorite professional wrestler “wins” the WWE title, are going to be the same ones praising the BOE when it “earns” accreditation back?
Both are scripted. The only difference is one makes a mockery of athletic competition, and one makes a mockery of the education process.
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SynamonSays
March 17th, 2009
2:08 pm
Kim I love your new format and it is good to know that it will be monitored. We should be able to have some good intellectual exchange in Clayton County on your blog.
SynamonSays ….What do you say? http://www.newroadsvideo.com Friday@8PM
Friday night’s episode is not for adults only. Teenagers should sign on as well for an evening of enlightenment with J. Tom Morgan, author, “Ignorance Is No Defense: The Teenagers Guide to Georgia Law.” J. Tom is a former Dekalb County District Attorney. He is committed to using his expertise to educate teenagers about Georgia Law. Adults and teenagers need to hear what Attorney Morgan has to say. Turn off the TV and go online.
Ignorance of the law is causing our teenagers to lose eligibility for financing of higher education, loss of job opportunities and the right to vote. Education, Employment and Enfranchisement (right to vote) are necessary for our youth to become contributing citizens in American society. These are rights that are being taken away as a result of lack of knowledge. We must educate ourselves and our teenagers about Georgia Law.
See you online http://www.newroadsvideo.com Friday night at 8pm. Remember the show is interactive and your questions and comments are welcome. SynamonSays!..What do you say?
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Happy St. Pat's
March 17th, 2009
2:54 pm
Thompson’s contract included many paid vacation days plus days when he could be working for someone else. How many actual work days were left between now and contract expiration? The board gave up very little and gained much. The chain of command is less likely to be muddled with the boss out of town all the time. And potential superintendent candidates now see a clear field, with no internal candidate who is the odds-on favorite to get the job. That will attract more candidates, probably improving the pool. The board has been handicapped because Thompson has controlled so much of the board’s information flow, including the board’s access to legal counsel. Now the board may actually get some independent advice. In short, this looks like a good move, as long as the board’s actions were consistent with legal requirements.
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Bud Light
March 17th, 2009
9:32 pm
The Board handled all nine mandates at once, by getting rid of Thompson. Now to pleasure the pallid the board must to bring in an ivory superintendent to replace him, two Ex-Clayton supers are their only choices. That’s all you get for 7000 bucks.
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New day
March 17th, 2009
9:34 pm
Very good
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Omnibusman
March 17th, 2009
10:17 pm
Here comes a 30 day media silence on Clayton’s Schools until accreditation time!
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Bug
March 17th, 2009
10:18 pm
Do it
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Praise John Thompson
March 17th, 2009
11:43 pm
What a sad day that the board felt so diminished in the presence of such greatness, that the only way they could compensate is to remove that greatness from the county.
And talk about stabbing someone in the back. The very day after they submit the SACS report that shows how Thompson, true to his word, led the charge to get accreditation back, they dismiss him, so they can take the all the credit for his accomplishments.
Has there ever been a more selfless leader than Thompson in Clayton? He single handedly saved the college chances of thousands of graduates last year, with his decision to shred the diplomas. What unbelieveable courage Thompson showed; he knew he would get blasted in the media, but he put all that aside for the children, so they would have a valid diploma with his name on it.
One could say so much more about this great, great man. You have to feel so sorry for the teachers, so many of them who must be emotionally devasted to lose the man who restored morale to the system, who backed his teachers one hundred percent by letting the students know the old days of misbehavior were over.
You have to feel sorry for the students as well, who many say revered Thompson as if though he were their personal Obama.
Though is tenure was brief, Thompson will go down in history as the one who single handedly led Clayton though its darkest days, and through whose courage and leadership, restored accreditation and gave Clayton hope.
Thank you John Thompson, Clayton is forever in your debt.
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Earl of Ft. Liquordale
March 18th, 2009
1:53 am
It looks like that the Sam King train is winding down the track. All of my buddies who are still in Clayco or who worked with Sam in Clayco say that he is a jem. They say that he is the closest thing to a modern day Earnest Stroud with a little more diplomacy. Actually, a lot more diplomacy. I hope that the school board will not all of a sudden nut up by going on a missiah search. The odds now on Abe’s and Eli’s gambling card is 80% to 20% that Sam King is the next superintendent. It’s 1% to 99% that Bob Hartley becomes his Special Assistant. Lieka, you are Westside Fab! You, Go Girl! Actually, you pleasantly surprised me. You showed mettle in taking out that Pimp-dressing Thompson. I told his boys that they didn’t process the grievance filed by a teacher against Ben Moore, Principal at the Clayton Alternative School, with all due alarcrity. Process the grievances according to State Statute or your a– will be terminated. Yes, Thompson the Terminated. Thanks, Alieka Anderson. You and Pam Adamson are the greatest! Uh oh, the Mrs. is calling me. She says that Abe, Eli, and I are in love with Lieka! We are the original Lieka Likers!
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Oh please
March 18th, 2009
9:26 am
Regardless of how you feel about the new school board, things are getting done to improve the school system. If the new board falls into the same cycle as previous boards, hopefully the public will now be more aware and can take preventitive action. So even if this has all been political (and I think we all can agree that it has) then good can come of it. Despite voter turnout at election time, the issue has brought our community together and strengthened it.
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Praise John Thompson
March 18th, 2009
9:36 am
Since Thompson in his short time was able to restore credibility to the system, restore integrity to the system, and most importantly lead Clayton back to accreditation, shouldn’t one of the news schools being built be named after him, to honor all that he has done?
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Reginald Stalworth Jr.
March 18th, 2009
10:29 am
Good Riddance!
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Black Woman in Clayco
March 18th, 2009
10:50 am
What exactly has John Thompson done and/or accomplished that he deserves to be honored in any way, shape, form or fashion? He got paid over a quarter million dollars for less than one year’s work and that doesn’t even include all the benefits and perks he received. I think Clayton has given him more than his fair share and more than he deserved. Good riddance is exactly right, don’t let the doorknob hit ya on the way out Thompson.
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whatever
March 18th, 2009
11:27 am
I see no reason to Praise John Thompson.He is leaving Clayton County Public Schools the same way he has left every Superintendent job he has been in. FIRED! And Clayton County is left the same as every other place he has been employed. BROKE! HE puts the EGO in egomaniac. In baseball terms the man is batting zero. He has managed to almost totally destroy every school system that he has worked for. Where is the need for praise in that? But I think that Clayton County might be the place that finally drives the stake into this blood sucking Vampire for good. One can only hope I am correct.
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stanthefireman
March 18th, 2009
2:07 pm
Since Thompson in his short time was able to restore credibility to the system, restore integrity to the system, and most importantly lead Clayton back to accreditation, shouldn’t one of the news schools being built be named after him, to honor all that he has done?
OMG
You have to be kidding ??????
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stanthefireman
March 18th, 2009
2:19 pm
love the new format
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Praise John Thompson
March 18th, 2009
5:10 pm
Is Clayton not well on its way back to accreditation, thanks to John Thompson? Has the discipline situation ever been better, thanks to his strong presence? Even the board waiting until the report to SACS was sent off before firing him, because they knew how rock solid his reputation was.
Clayton was truly on its way to being a world class school system. You could tell it as soon as you walked into a school, so orderly you thought you were in an exclusive private school. Who knows if Clayton will ever have that opportunity again.
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Omnibusman
March 18th, 2009
7:00 pm
Now!!! Here comes a 30 day media silence about Clayton’s School system until the politically motivated accreditation restoration! In whole or in part!
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Joe the Politico
March 18th, 2009
7:12 pm
Look at the Demographics, according to School District Spokesperson the Clayton’s school system’s current data show the ethnic breakdown of the student population to be 77.54 percent black; 14.74 percent Hispanic; 4.36 percent Asian or Pacific Islander; 4.19 percent white; 2.75 percent multi-racial, and 0.09 percent American Indian or Alaska Native.
Why do we care so much about this school system? I know!! $$$$$$$$$
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Slick Elrod
March 18th, 2009
7:31 pm
When is Sam King going to arrive? Rev. Bourbon called me this morning inviting me to a breakfast for Sam at the 138 IHOP on Saturday with the ministers at the Monthly Ministerial Meeting (MMM). Our guest speaker will be Bishop Buck Haralson. Rev. Seymour Butts and his wife Ophelia Butts are responsible for the program. Sam will be escorted to the restaurant by Bob Hartley and Victor Hill. We will be auctioning off some of the wardrobe that Thompson wore in his short tenure in Clayco. “Clayton County…A Graveyard for Superintendents” will be theme for the meeting. We have to have a good superintendent who will leave happily on his or her own after a prosperous and fulfilled term of service. The last ten superintendents (literally) have left under duress (or defeated when they used to be elected for the job). We deserve a decent superintendent, and that why Rev. Bourbon says that he is pushing for Dr. Sam King for the job. What’s going to happen to Julie Lewis? Glenn Brock will use every trick in the book to become the next school board attorney. Not.
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Can'tBeForReal
March 18th, 2009
8:00 pm
Praise John Thompson must be Thompson praising himself, or his wife praising him. Name a school after him, that has to be a joke. Raised the morale of teachers, that must be another joke. Backed the teachers – which teachers. The joker has been fired. Let him take his $85,000 and go back to where he came from… bye bye.
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RU4Real
March 18th, 2009
8:24 pm
Praise John Thompson, either you are just writing that nonsense to incite the bloggers or you are delusional. Maybe you are in fact John Thompson himself showing your delusions of grandeur. If that is the case, you got paid handsomely now go away.
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raja
March 18th, 2009
11:19 pm
Praise John Thompson
You must Thompson momma.
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raja
March 18th, 2009
11:20 pm
Praise John Thompson
You must be Thompson momma. Only his mother could so highly of him.
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Jborodawg
March 19th, 2009
8:22 am
Slick….you are slick! LOL. I guess most are glad to see Mr Thompson go. On the other hand, we’re paying him for nothing now. Also, could his firing be considered “micro-manangement”? One of the reasons we lost accreditation. What’s to stop them from hiring another super, let him/her serve a year or two and fire em again? Do we need a strong super or a strong BOE?
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 19th, 2009
8:54 am
Joe the Politico,
What does the demographic breakdown have to do with “why we care”?
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HLS
March 19th, 2009
9:47 am
If this is to be monitored – can we at least not see the juvenile comments from the likes of J. Trotter with the coments using names as Seymour Butts and Ophelia Butts – Is this guy not a grown man – or is this just his own little Fantasy Island.
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Clayton Resident
March 19th, 2009
4:49 pm
Even if it was all Elgart, this is still a good thing. We can’t stop backdoor politics from happening and you’re right I don’t care if it IS happening as long as constituents don’t get screwed in the process (which usually happens eventually no matter what.
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Why it matters
March 19th, 2009
5:14 pm
For those who don’t think it matters what’s behind the dog and pony show to get accreditation back. You need to remember that Elgart has no problem at all with accrediting substandard school systems-after all the twenty lowest scoring systems outside of Clayton are all accredited-if it suits the political purpose.
However, your child’s education should be more important than politics. What good is it to have an accredited school system when you have gang violence in the schools and the BOE’s response is to put up a wall of silence?
It might be accredited, but that doesn’t make it quality; unfortunately too many people in Clayton fail to see the difference.
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Eyes Wide Open
March 19th, 2009
6:55 pm
To: Clayton Resident- Constituents did get screwed those that took 3500 kids out of CCPS behind a fake Accreditation Debalce. That act uprooted all those families and lowered your property value for NOTHING! The new BOE haven’t done ANYTHING, but we’ll have accreditation back in whole or in part in less than 30 days. That’s a GIVEN!
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Joe the Politico
March 19th, 2009
7:08 pm
To: Concerned Parent and Homeowner,Concerned Parent and Homeowner You said,”What does the demographic breakdown have to do with “why we care”?
Think about it, since when have we cared about 50,000 children minorities 90% on Free to Reduced Lunch, parents don’t attend meetings, parents don’t vote, older kids are gangster thug! Come on, Concerned Parent and Homeowner you know its the same reason the state want to take Hartfield ATL airport from Atlanta! MONEY!!! Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and I can see it, too bad you’re BLIND.
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RU4Real
March 19th, 2009
9:42 pm
Why it matters, Perhaps the twenty lowest scoring school systems have never attracted the attention of SACS by board members reporting each other right and left as the previous board did. Remember Clayton lost accreditation because of findings on the standard of “Governance and Leadership” not “Teaching and Learning.” In the grand scheme of things – no, it really doesn’t matter.
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Jonesboro
March 20th, 2009
9:13 am
A side note..so the BOC has stopped plans onthis Aerotropilis…this is the talk evry year..give it up..you bums areb’t capable of doing anything productive…Ibet you’ll discuss it just in time for the next election. Do something ALREADY…..get rid of those trailer parks and redevelop Tara Blvd………Eldrin bellis 100 years old…he wil be long out of office by time that Aerotropalis talk ever comes to fruition.
What the heck is so hard about landscaping and cleaning up a county…start buy tear down the signs for those massage parlors that have been out of business for over a year……DAMN…do you have no shame BOC…how can you meet every week and have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to show..NOTHING. DAMN!!!!!!!!!!! JUST FREAKIN QUIT already!!!!!!! DAMN!!!!!
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Jonesboro
March 20th, 2009
9:19 am
Joe politico is VERy RIGHT. Accreditation is good but its a basic requirement…if the education is substandard you’ll still be graduating unprepared kids. I can think of tons of school in Fulton and Dekalb that are TERRIBLE but they are accredited.
Once we get accreditation back…all the people need to PUSH for education reform…zero tolerence for violence, gang, disruptive behavior etc. And have a standard…AP courses, science and math programs…career paths etc. Thats the move. A good school system will mean more value on your homes and better educated and prepared kids.
KICK OUT ALL of the thugs and rif rafs……DON”T turn these school into a remake of the movie LEAN ON ME!!!!
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You Have Got to be Kidding
March 20th, 2009
9:49 am
Here we go again believing what Massa Elgart says. Dr. Valya Lee is doing no different than Thompson, she can in and moved a bunch of people around with the boards approval. Or maybe not with the boards approval, uh didn’t the board just vote that no personnel changes could be made without their prior approval? Opps, did I say that? And why make all these changes if supposedly you will only be in place for 3 months? Huh? So what happens if and when the board hires a new superintendent? Do all these people get to go back to their old jobs or are they just out of luck?
Jesse Goree is really happy, the next thing we will be hearing is how she is new “Rod Johnson” and micro-managing the system.
I hope and I say hope we get our accreditation back, but if we don’t – they will have no one to blame but themselves.
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 20th, 2009
12:27 pm
Joe Politco:
Don’t apologize for me, I see very well. And I also know that my children “ARE” minorities, not on free or reduced lunch, I attend all PTA, Parent/Teacher conferences, festivals, school board meetings,etc. So the “WE” you are talking about does not include me. I care because I have a vested interest in the education of my kids.
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Dee
March 20th, 2009
1:29 pm
Why it matters,
You’re not too bright. SACS has nothing to do with accreditation based upon what happens in the classroom. Obvioulsy you don’t know what SACS does or what their accrediation is based upon.
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Reginald Stalworth Jr.
March 20th, 2009
4:42 pm
Thank you Val for doing what needs to be done. YOU GO GIRL!!
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Try again Dee
March 20th, 2009
10:26 pm
Dee you’re embarrassing yourself. To come on here and tell someone they aren’t too bright because SACS doesn’t accredit school systems based on what happens in the classroom kind of covers the brightness of your post with a think, opaque film when that was exactly the point why it matters was making.
And that point, which should be transparent to anyone with even a modicum of thinking skill, is that if you think SACS accreditation means anything when it comes to the quality of instruction in the classroom, and the respect by CCPS administrators for the sanctity of the learning environment you are sadly mistaken.
Of course given the lack of critical thinking exhibited by so many, why wouldn’t Elgart, CCPS, and the rest of the status quo feel empowered to substitute a dog and pony show for quality education when so many can’t seem to tell the difference?
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Sam
March 20th, 2009
11:48 pm
Thank goodness Thompson is gone! I don’t care who the board was listening to. I have worked for CCPS for over 20 years. Never has this system been in this kind of trouble. Thompson was a terrible example of a leader! If it were not for the economy and no jobs out there CCPS would not have enough employees to keep the doors open. Happy days are here again!
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Look at the Big Picture
March 21st, 2009
8:21 am
I think that is should be known that it was well within the right for the new board to begin a new search for a Superintendent as well as removing Dr. Thompson if they (the board) found cause to remove him. However, I honestly feel that any actions that Dr. Thompson had made or were planning to make were prompted by the actions of a couple of the new board members. One particular board member who used a “rhyme” in her campaign last year often challenged Dr. Thompson on every move he made. I am in her district and although I voted for her, the actions I have witnessed from this board member are completely embarrassing. This board member is well in tune with our district, and often shares some things that should not be shared. The inability to separate her personal relationships when making business decisions for our entire school system is very evident, and this is what often surfaced during her questioning of the intentions of Dr. Thompson.
Now this board member has gotten what she wants, the removal of Dr. Thompson, who was following the correct interview procedures, and hiring individuals who were qualified. These individuals submitted their resumes, interviewed before a committee, and the recommendations were carried before the board.
Now we have these same individuals being ousted from their positions simply because they were hired and recommended by Dr. Thompson.
What you are witnessing is a coup which was orchestrated by a “planted board member” who has previous ties with a lot of the old/current administration, and her primary goal was to go in and use the power of her position to influence major decisions by using the “GOOD OLE BOY SYSTEM”, where people are placed in positions (as indicated by actions of the new superintendent this week) based on friendships and not experience.
Yes, Dr. Thompson may have been planning some major moves before his departure, but his actions were provoked by ONE major individual who was leading a pack to control the entire school administration, including every decision that the Superintendent made.
I apologize for voting for her.
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Melanie Lee
March 21st, 2009
8:26 am
Good bye and good riddance J.T. (John Thompson).
Hmm, who elese do we know that has cost us accrediation and shares those same initals…?
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Huh?
March 21st, 2009
10:02 am
Thompson was hand picked by former board members and on their payroll. He only cared about keeping his large salary and perks. He was a “cancer” indeed and thankfully this board saw that early on. good riddance Thompson, enjoy your well funded life on Clayton’s dime.
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Initial reaction
March 21st, 2009
6:00 pm
If you are looking for initials that caused Clayton to lose accreditation try RJ-Rod Johnson for going to SACS for personal gain, and ED-Ericka Davis for her constant micromanaging to make sure the deed was done.
Maybe that’s why Mark Elgart of SACS had Davis as his guest in his office on a regular basis during his investigation; maybe he was just trying to keep his ED under control.
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Ominbusman
March 21st, 2009
6:31 pm
CCPS will continue to reprise until we get a Superintendent, like Elgart said, “one that knows how to conduct business in Georgia.” We all know that CCBOE has to approve any purchases/contracts over $25,000 and the Superintendent can autonomously approve purchases/contracts up to $24,999. We need a Superintendent that knows how to conduct business like this. Like when the Commish or the Chamber comes to CCPS and say we need $200,000 commitment from you for widgets and we know your board will not approve it. We need a Superintendent can act on this commitment by going ahead making ten (10) each individual purchases for $24,999. That will keep the commitment off the CCBOE radar because they only review/approve purchases of $25,000 or greater. What a clever way to purchase 10 police cars huh. I had an old red wig wearing Superintendent do it for me once. In government, it’s called splitting a requirement. Some in government call it illegal; I called it conducting business in Georgia.
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KimWhit
March 22nd, 2009
11:03 am
It really doesn’t matter who the super of Clayco school is. It could be Marva Collins or Ron Clark and the results would be the same. It’s the demographics stupid. My child will continue to attend private school as long as this school system is overrun and ultimately controlled by throwaway kids and indifferent parents. She will probably be in college by the time the ultracheap land in this county is bought by investors, and the county is completely gentrified.
Most Clayton county schools are subpar. There will not be AP courses offered in most of the schools because very few kids are qualifed to take an AP course and an AP instructor won’t waste their talents in this school system. The children of immigrant families seem to suceed in this school system. This is evident when winners of spelling bees and other academic contests are announced. This is due to the fact that most immigrant families place a high value on educational achievement. Unfortunately a stellar Clayton county student will probably find that their 4.0 GPA really translates into a 2.0 GPA when they are required to compete against conterparts who were challenged in an orderly educational environment with little behavioral disruptions and 100% parental participation.
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Deeply Concerned Taxpayer/Parent
March 22nd, 2009
1:18 pm
What deeply concerns me about Clayton County Schools and the community are several things.
First, perhaps it was time for John Thompson to go. In my only meeting with him, I found him surprisingly arrogant and even hostile to those who disagreed with him. He dismissed people who did not have children in the school system, without understanding that despite having no children in Clayton schools, it is homeowners who paid his exorbitant salarly through their taxes. If I am going to have school administrators and central office staff be rude to me when I ask a question, maybe I should be relieved of paying their salaries by having school taxes taken from my tax bill. Particularly since MOST of these staff members live in Fayette and Henry counties and therefore don’t even contribute to their own salaries.
Secondly, why is that there was no outcry over Clayton’s EOCT scores? There were students who failed the End of Course test but got A’s from teachers in the course? I keep hearing teachers and administrators say Clayton was placed on probation because of the board’s actions, but maybe it should be because of the dismal academic performance. Students in Clayton performed worst that students in the some of the poorest counties in the state, yet the district has a half billion dollar budget. So, I would respectfully request that many of those “tenured” teachers who were fired who now are being evaluated by Superintendent Lee also be scrutinized for performance. Teachers and admnistrators can’t keep screaming that Clayton children are poor, therefore they can not learn. Poor children across this country are outperforming children in Clayton. POOR CHILDREN CAN LEARN, but not from a poorly-trained teacher who has low expectations for his/her students. If SACS is not reviewing Clayton’s accreditation because of student performance, then the gentleman who blogs that the whole matter is all about money and contracts is absolutely right. I will be watching, particularly with the new administrative appointments. And taxpayers should be watching too. No other community would allow their children to attend schools where there is clearly very little learning going on. If you want to know why the outside world thinks so little of people who live in Clayton, it is because we think so little of ourselves, especially our children. Remember, just because your kid gets an “A” doesn’t mean he’s learning. Just go back and review students’ performance on the End of Course Test. Folks should go to jail behind those results, in my opinion.
Finally, the Clayton County School Board needs to hire a superintendent who has a proven track record of improving student performance in an urban school district. Race/ethnicity should not matter; it should be about performance. That would mean nobody who currently works for the district qualifies. That superintendent should clean house and place in schools people who want to lead. That would likely mean the removal of most of the school principals, beginning with Jonesboro High, where the school leaders can’t even effectively monitor a high school dance routine. How well do you think they are doing at monitoring student performance? If we want results, the community will have to force our Board to make difficult decisions. It may very well mean that well-intentioned, well-connected and well-liked people are fired. But for the sake of this community and for the sake of our children, the folks who are supposedly trained in pedagogy and who are very well paid to supposedly lead the district need to be held accountable — TODAY!!!!
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TC
March 22nd, 2009
2:23 pm
Its official.No intelligent residents left in Clayton County. Everybody wants a laid back government job where they can draw an easy paycheck. They snip at each others heels here, and on all the blogs with bogus names, hoping they will get a shot at what they think is easy money. No body wants to work for a living, they want a government job. Pathetic loosers.
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Initial reaction
March 22nd, 2009
8:06 pm
If there is any initial confusion over who was initailly responsible for Clayton losing accreditation let the record show that any speculation about Elgart keeping his ED under control is strictly a reference to the number of times Ericka Davis was alleged to have been welcomed into the SACS office during the SACS investigation and the seeming desire to leave certain troubling aspects of board members’ actions out of the final report.
Any other intrepretation is completely unintentional, and purely coincidential.
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By the way TC
March 22nd, 2009
8:12 pm
If you’re going to call someone a pathetic loser, you might be well served to spell loser right. Just a litte bit of advice.
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Bit of advice TC
March 22nd, 2009
8:18 pm
TC if you’re going to call someone a pathetic loser, you might want to consider spelling loser correctly.
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SD
March 22nd, 2009
11:30 pm
WOW Deeply Concerned Taxpayer/Parent – it is about time someone wrote something thoughtful and meaningful on here – thank you.
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The Commentor
March 23rd, 2009
10:12 am
The key to all of this is if the “right” kinds of business will come to Clayton County in that if the upscale high-end businesses, stores, and places to shop and purchase high quality, upscale merchandise will come to Clayton County.
I do not think these businesses will come to Clayton County because of the filth, nastiness, trashy looking, low class, low end, ghetto, gangster, and criminal looking look that this county has and the ghetto looking, thuggish looking and dressing people that now live in Clayton County that you see each and every day on Tara Boulevard, Mount Zion Road, at Southlake Mall, Upper Riverdale Road, Flint River Road, Old Dixie Highway, Garden Walk Boulevard, State Roads 139 and 138, and all of the trailor home and mobile home parks that are all throughout Tara Boulevard located behind the low end, low class, dirty, nasty, filthy businesses that you see when you Exit off of I-75 South to Tara Boulevard at Exit 235 and immediately see these ghetto businesses.
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Dan Waldron
March 23rd, 2009
10:16 am
I’ve been reading along for a while now. I just wanted to drop you a comment to say keep up the good work.
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ESR
March 23rd, 2009
12:03 pm
Tf you’re going to wait until high-end stores and business come to Clayton County, I hope you have a comfortable chair to sit in for your very, very long wait. In this economy who in their right mind would invest in an area that’s wrought with crime and bad press? Just riding through the area makes you want to lock your doors and have a gun on the seat beside you. Reality check folks, reality check.
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The Commentor
March 23rd, 2009
12:06 pm
Clayton County is attracting the low end to “not so low end” businesses such as the ones that the blog master Ms. Kimberly Allen mentioned in her blog topic of the week.
Unfortunately, these businesses in my opinion are not the high end luxurious, attractive, appealing, and well stocked businesses that you see in the major malls of the Metropolitian Atlanta, Georgia area such as the Lenox Square Mall, Phipps Plaza Mall, the Fayette Pavillion Mall, Stonecrest Mall in Dekalb County, the North Pointe Mall in Alpharetta, etc.
Clayton County’s only mall which is the Southlake Mall is now a low-end mall with second and third rate businesses and continues to go down each and every day.
Until Clayton County is cleaned up of all of its trash, clutter, nastiness, filthiness, and the Section 8 low class ghetto people who have dirtied up this county and have essentially destroyed this county from the inside out and have caused the high crime rate and the negative way this county is looked upon by its neighboring counties, Clayton County will never attract high end, upscale, luxurious businesses and will only get second rate and low end businesses like check cashing places, automotive stores, automobile “rim” stores, beauty shops, car wash places, “rib” joints, payday lending places, “jackleg” automotive repair places, etc.
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View From Vidalia
March 23rd, 2009
12:07 pm
I hope that new businesses will not give up on Clayton County. Clayco will rise again!
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John Stewart
March 23rd, 2009
12:08 pm
Commentor I have respected your opinion for quite some time and have to respectfully disagree with you. Unlike yourself which is viewing things through pessimistic lenses I view things through optimistic lenses.
I think businesses will come to Clayton and I agree they have to be the right type of business. Think about this for a moment. If you live near the Panhandle area of Clayton how many times have you traveled over to the Fayetteville Pavillion to shop and think of whats there and why can’t Clayton have that. The answer to that question will take you back to the old board and all the personal land grabs that they did. On the flip side I do think that you can bring great businesses in the County but it would have to be strategically placed to get the most bang for the buck for the county and the businesses opening up here.
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Black Woman In Clayco
March 23rd, 2009
12:57 pm
Well the only low end business listed in this article is The Dancing Pig, but I’d still say that’s better than no business opening here at all.
Clayton is at a disadvantage right now & has to start somewhere. We can’t expect Dillars & Saks to open here anytime soon but Clayton could be a breeding ground for small businesses to help our economy. When I moved to the Lovejoy area years ago it was all woods now look at it. They may not be high end retail, but I shop there all the time.
Will anybody travel to Clayton for “Da Dancing Pig?” Probably not. But at least I don’t have to travel to Fulton, Fayette or Henry for BBQ like I do for so many other things (no I haven’t tried it yet, I’m just saying).
Let’s try to look at the positive here! That guy lives in Dekalb, he could have opened his business there but he brought it here. Imax could have gone ANYWHERE but Clayton county just based on the last year alone. If Imax brings people to Clayton it could get movie goers to eat in the restaurants in that area, shop at the big box stores over there & maybe, just maybe, even bring some other big box names into the area.
Southlake except for Macys, Bath & Body Works, JCP & Auntie Annie’s pretzels is a bust for me. But the last thing Clayton needs is another empty monstrostiy/structure sitting empty in Clayton. Think about that.
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Black Woman In Clayco
March 23rd, 2009
1:02 pm
Oh let me not forget Lane Bryant! Don’t want them to “disappear”
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Cleophus
March 23rd, 2009
1:04 pm
Businesses will not come to Clayton if they listen to the Commentor. Tara Blvd is a main entrance into the county but we have great areas for businesses and residents in the county other than Tara.
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raja
March 23rd, 2009
1:38 pm
The Commentor
It’s nice for you to point out everything wrong with CC. I like to know what can you do to help? You keep posting the same stuff. Why don’t you run for commissioner?
Any time you live near a shopping area in another county you will shop there. In lovejoy you see lots of Henry Co. car tags. Like Fayette see plenty of Clayton tags (Riverdale and Panhandle) at the Pavillion. In the last year I’ve heard so many negative comments from our neighbors, so I shop less in Mcdonough and Fayetteville.
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The Commentor
March 23rd, 2009
1:43 pm
TO JOHN STEWART
I am writing to state that even though I respect your views, opinions, and viewpoints on the comments you posted at 12:08 P.M., I must respectfully disagree with your comments.
I am a realist about the problems on Clayton County and the way Clayton County is right now.
I do not share your optimistic views about Clayton County and feel very strongly that this county cannot turn around for the better until you clean up this county from the inside out and get all of the Section 8 people out of this county that have come here from the ghetto housing projects from the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
Again, I see Clayton County from a REALIST LENS and what I see is a dirty, nasty, filthy county with low class ghetto looking, criminal looking, gangster and ghetto acting people that walk all up and down Tara Boulevard, Upper Riverdale Road, Mount Zion Boulevard living in the numerous nasty apartment homes, trailor and mobile home parks, and extended stay hotels and motels that line and are all up and down Tara Boulevard.
No respectable high end upscale business would ever locate here in Clayton County because if the elected officials did the impossible and cleaned up Clayton County, you still have a county that is a majority renters population who cannot afford their products.
The sad, direct, blunt, and in-your-face truth is that the only businesses that Clayton County is attracting in great numbers are the check cashing places, rent-to-own businesses, beauty shops, automotive stores, cell phone stores, “bling-bling” stores, payday lending places, etc. that always follow and set up their stores where low income people go like they have come to in Clayton County.
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Undercover Angel
March 23rd, 2009
2:41 pm
Clayton County School Board has put on their Agenda to Vote of School Board Michael B. King tonite, as I know all citizens is going to see if they do or not and also what School Board Members that votes to keep her/him on the School Board, because the ones that votes for him to stay will have a very very short time as a School Board Member in the next Election or maybe before it.
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Cleophus
March 23rd, 2009
2:42 pm
Let us pray for the commentor he seems tormented. But we can not wait for Tara Blvd to be cleaned up before we reach out to upscale businesses. We have other areas is Clayton. There is a market here for more specialty shops. Everybody does not go to Walmart.
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Oh please
March 23rd, 2009
2:49 pm
Realism without action leads to apathy.
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Reginald Stalworth Jr.
March 23rd, 2009
3:09 pm
The Commentor is harsh, but correct.
Clayton County = ghetto, criminally-minded, uncaring folk + crooked, inept, out-for-self politicians
So, until the trash is removed, the decent people of ClayCo will just have to wait….
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The Commentor
March 23rd, 2009
4:10 pm
TO OH PLEASE
If your comment that you wrote stating Realism without action is apathy is related to the postings that I have made on the blog topic of the week, you are sadly mistaken and flat out wrong.
I regularly attend the Clayton County Board Of Commissioners monthly business meetings and have made comments during the Public Comment Section on this and many other problems in Clayton County so I have already put my words into actions.
I feel that you do not attend the Clayton County Board Of Commissioners on a regular basis if not at all so you are part of the apathetic crowd that you so wrote about.
So, until you put actions behing your postings, you are not in a position to respond to anyone’s comments that they post on this blog.
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The Commentor
March 23rd, 2009
4:23 pm
TO CLEOPHUS
Everything that I have commented in my postings is the absolute truth about what is going on in Clayton County right now.
If you do not believe what I have posted in this blog, just travel down Tara Boulevard, Upper Riverdale Road, Garden Walk Boulevard, Flint River Road, Mount Zion Road, Battlecreek Road, Flint River Road, State Roads 138, 139, 85 and 54 and not only will the filth, nastiness, dirt and trash filled apartment homes, mobile homes and trailor home parks, extended stay hotels and motels, but the ghetto and criminal looking people mostly wearing low riding pants exposing their undergarments, oversized hooded jackets and sweatshirts, bling bling jewelery and gold plated teeth, uncombed hair, walking in great numbers, watching and most likely planing their next crime or criminal activity.
You can be optimistic all you want and hope for the best for Clayton County, but as of right now at present, this is how Clayton County is and it will only get worse and worse.
Clayton County is now a third world ghetto looking, crime, drug, and gang filled county with thugs, low-lifes, gangsters, criminals, uneducated poor people who greatly outnumber the “good” people of this county who work hard, live right, are law-abiding citizens, and who want to come home in peace and calm and a county that is clean, appealing, and attractive and not to the trash pit of a county that it already is.
If you do not see this county as it is right now, then I state that it is you who do not see the truth about this county and whose opinions, thoughs, and viewpoints are off-based, in error, and flat out wrong.
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BC...Fast Pain Relief
March 23rd, 2009
4:40 pm
Clayton County is not business friendly! The hoops one must jump thru just to open a business in this county often leads those business owners to go to other counties. Code enforcement will write you a court date before they explain why your new business can’t have a grand opening banner put up! It’s sad! I know many business owners who just decided to go somewhere else. Code Enforcement should not be there to generate revenue for the county. The “fire Inspection” is a joke then the county sends you a bill for $100 bucks. They spent all but about 20 seconds in my place of business. In fact, they did not go past the counter! I think many of the older inspectors resent the fact that some African American business owners are opening up in Clayton and they do what they can to make the experience as unpleasant as possible.
As far as the Section 8 families who receive the blunt of the criticisism for the county’s woes. GET REAL! This county is in the shape it’s in because the commissioners have no vision, plan or stategy to move Clayton forward. One can’t blame the working poor for the problems here just as one can’t say everyone who lives here is lowlife,thug, gansta etc. I know many hard working familes who call Clayton home. ALL URBAN AREAS ARE SUFFERING! Not just clayton. My question is this, instead of complaining on a blog about the trash on Tara Blve, Get some friends together and go clean it up. When you need to shop, don’t go outside the county, spend your money here and support those business that are struggling to stay open.
P.s. Commentator, Do YOU live in Clayton County and if so WHY?
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Queens in da House!
March 23rd, 2009
4:44 pm
Anybody out there been to Harlem, NYC? I lived there most of my life before coming to GA and Harlem was written off as a wasteland that would never ever be worthwhile. It’s best attributes according to some were the soul food restaurants and the Apollo Theater. Schools were bad, neighborhoods were worse, crime was rampant.
But guess what? Harlem is now one of the most lucrative areas in NYC. Why you ask? Because of its proximity to Manhattan. People with money took it back a few years ago and if you haven’t been to NYC in say 4-5 years, you literally would not recognize Harlem. A friend send me a video of a commercial actually advertising that people go to Harlem to shop and live! Never thought I’d see that in my lifetime and made me wish I bought a brownstown when the city was selling them for a dollar a decade ago!
There was a time when Harlem didn’t even have such luxuries as a REAL SUPERMARKET – yeah you read that right. You had to leave the area for food shopping or shop at a bodega (neighborhood corner store usually owned by hispanics & not a spot most people would eat out of). Now all types of businesses are all up and down 125th Street – shopping, restaurants, retail, you name it. I don’t think it’ll take as long for Clayton to bounce back as it did for Harlem.
I said all that to say that all hope is not lost for Clayton County, despite what some posters may want to believe. I get the impression that the Commentor was once a proud Clayton resident who has watched his area deteriorate so badly that now he’s scared to even hope it can turn around for the better.
Clayton can and it will turn around. We did a good job in the last election we just have to keep electing people who will do the right thing and stay on them. The decent Clayton residents also have to step up their game, get involved and let the riff raff know that we’re watching.
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Country Boe
March 23rd, 2009
6:27 pm
I’m from a tiny town in Texas, with no happens what so ever! I really love it here in Clayton County. Sounds like The Commenter need to pack up and leave Clayton. Immediately if not SOONER!!
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TC
March 23rd, 2009
8:02 pm
Want to help speed up the rebuilding of Clayton County? Give up “the no snitch rule”. Report all illegal activity(Yes drug activity, and code violations too!).The harder you make it for criminals, and scum, the faster they will hit the road.
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The Commentor
March 23rd, 2009
8:34 pm
TO THE POSTER WHO POSTED ABOUT HARLEM, NEW YORK AS IT RELATES TO CLAYTON COUNTY
You are right in that it will take people with massive amount of money to come into Clayton County and change it for the better like you stated happen in Harlem, New York.
The sad, blunt, and direct truth is that one does not know when this will happen and how bad Clayton County will get before its eventual turnaround will occur.
I stand by my comments that Clayton County will continue to get far worse and will continue its fast moving downward spiral to an abyss of a county that is indeed a wasteland that is full of a population of people that are renters and not homeowners, criminal, gangster, and thuggish looking, dressing and acting youths, young adults, and teen-agers that it already is RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME and continues to worsen each and every day.
If you do not believe me, just go and look at the cities of Riverdale, College Park, Forest Park, and in the unincorporated areas of Clayton County located on Tara Boulevard, Upper Riverdale Road, Mount Zion Road, etc.
Because the city of Atlanta, Georgia is closing up all of its ghetto housing projects and sending all of the “BAD, UNLAWFUL, NONCARING low-life residents from these ghetto crime filled housing projects to Clayton County and because Clayton County is fast becoming the third world wasteland, trash dump, crime, gang, and drug filled county that it is RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME, and getting worse and worse each and every day, I personally feel that Clayton County eventual turnaround if it does occur will many, many, many years down the road and in no time in the foreseeable future.
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The Commentor
March 23rd, 2009
8:51 pm
TO RAJA
I am doing my part in helping Clayton County by regularly attending the Clayton County Board Of Commissioners meeting and telling the Clayton County Board Of Commissioners during the Public Comment Section on the things they need to do as our elected officials to make Clayton County a better place for its citizens.
Because no one else speaks in support of a better Clayton County for its citizens during the Public Comment Section of the meeting, I have come to the conclusion that they really do not care about doing the hard, roll-up-your-sleeves work to make this county better for its citizens.
They do not seem to care as I think they should and because more Clayton County citizens like yourself do not go to these meetings and make your voice known and heard, they are not held accountable, answerable, and responsible for the decisions they make for Clayton County and they know that they can do pretty much as they please with no citizen or public outcry or outrage on any unpopular decision that they make.
No one Clayton County Board Of Commissioner can change Clayton County by themselves. It takes three Clayton County Board Of Commissioners voting together to enact, pass, and put into action any decision that they vote on.
I do not wish to run for a Clayton County Board Of Commissioner seat.
You should run for a Clayton County Board Of Commissioner seat.
Lastly, what I choose to write on this blog site is my business just as what you choose to write on this blog site is your business.
If I choose to emphasize certain of my opinions, viewpoints, and thoughts on a particular matter, it is my choice to do just as it is your choice to do the same.
If you do not like the comments that I have been making about the state of Clayton County, just don’t read them and go to the next poster.
If you think that I just post the same information, just bypass my posting and go to the next post and stop commenting on things that you cannot change like the comments that I make on this week’s blog topic by the blog master and controller Ms. Kimberly Allen.
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The Commentor
March 23rd, 2009
8:55 pm
TO CLEOPHUS
You should pray for Clayton County and its quick, speedy, and rapid recovery to become the attractive, appealing, and livable county that it once was many, many, years ago.
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View From Vidalia
March 24th, 2009
1:28 am
East Lake, Harlem, Clayco…all in the life cycle. Clayco’s location and indomitable spirit assures us that it will rise again! Val Lee…Sam King…Sam Taylor…who will lead our school system into its resurgence? Rev. Bourbon told us recently that Clayco must first die (like a kernel or corn) before it rises again! I think Rev. Bourbon loves this corn metaphor because he likes corn whiskey. Superintendent Val Lee appears thus far to be doing a good job at the helm. She is a Clayco Girl. You go, Girl!
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taylor
March 24th, 2009
7:19 am
I have been saying for years that Tara Blvd is turning into the old Stewart Avenue. The only businesses that thrive these days are the pawn shops, title pawn, head & sex shops and strip clubs and when you even have a gym that advertises Pole dancing, that puts out a clear message that Clayton is becoming the new day Sodom and Gomorrah. Even the Christian book stores have closed down. Until we come together and rid our community of these degrading businesses like our good neighbours have we will continue to go downhill.
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John Stewart
March 24th, 2009
7:39 am
Before everyone climbs aboard the jump on “The Commentator” bandwagon let me say this in his defense. As he stated he does go to the Commissioner meetings and has made public comments. Some of you are right in stating that he has seen this county decline. The truth of the matter is that the old commissioners were completely out for self in this county. I remember driving down Tara Blvd before the Olympics and it for the most part it was nothing but trees.
What businesses did they allow eventually……massage parlors and used car lots. So some of you are right…..the OLD Board didn’t have vision and I’m talking Griswell, Bray, Gray, Rhodenizer. Check the books before the Olympics and see what the home building codes were. Every house in the county had to built on an acre of land. What did you see when the Olympics rolled around? Housing codes changed by the old board (most members owned land in the county & still do) which allowed homes to be built on 1/3 & 1/4 acre lots which meant more money in their pockets.
Now let me say I fully understand Commentators view. I will say this though even though I don’t fully trust the new board is that they have a vision for the county. I don’t trust Ralph (hear me loud and clear I DON’T TRUST HIM) but can at least say he’s got ideas and does have a 10 yr plan for the county. Some of you should check it out. He has some great ideas.
I digress. Strategic change can come to this county if we work hand in hand with law enforcement and I echo TC’s comments…….let’s start policing our communities and take ownership over them. Chief Turner is doing a great (always willing to meet with community heads) as is Kimbrough in working to get this trash out the county. We have a great new Solicitor General in Tasha Moseley who doesn’t play along with new DA Lawson-Graham. Let’s work with them to accelerate the trash removal in the county which in turn will speed the coming of new business.
P.S. Since I mentioned law enforcement, does anyone know what happened with the case with Lee Scott threatening to take out Donnie Hood during the election? You want change in this county? Get Scott convicted and run him out and you will overnight see systemic change since he won’t be around to bank roll a bunch of elected officials in the county that are corrupt.
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Queens in da House!
March 24th, 2009
9:25 am
Ahh but see Commentor that’s where you’re wrong! Harlem was not retaken by say a few people with massive amounts of money, but by a bunch of people with “some” money and those with a desire to live in close proximity to NY’s action. It also had leadership who although they lined their own pockets (keep it real what politician doesn’t) made moves to turn Harlem around. Agreed John Stuart – Wole is not to be trusted, he just isn’t the same person he was during his first run for office. But at least he’s got some kind of plan unlike the rest of the commissioners … now if that plan will only line the pockets of himself and other politicians who knows time will tell.
I believe those displaced from downtown Manhattan area after 9/11 went uptown because they didn’t want to leave the city. Location location location is the name of this game and is one of Clayco’s biggest assets that we (rather our elected officials) never seem to take full advantage of.
Harlem’s resurgence also took businesses willing to open in this area and no it didn’t start with high end, high quality, or big box businesses but with small businesses, some of which are still there.
Clayton is down but not out and we’re getting a little bit better as time goes on. Just like the economy Clayton didn’t decline overnight so it won’t be fixed overnight.
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 24th, 2009
9:58 am
TO “IF?”
You keep making the dumb statement:
“Do you really, really, think Concerned Parent that Elgart and SACS are going to let the sons and daughters of politically connected ClayCo citizens graduate from an unaccredited system”
Politically connected? So what about the damage that’s being done now? Graduation isn’t the only concern. Property values are plummeting, people are moving, taking their tax dollars with them, which means fewer resources and higher taxes for the remaining residents. Accreditation goes far beyond just our students graduating in May 2009. If the “politically connected” has sons and daughters enrolled in CCPS, then surely they have homes here as well. So where’s the political clout you speak of?
I am not duped nor am I naive, I see very clearly. I’m not concerned about other school systems and their problems. And obviously they are not concerned about ours. This whole SACS debacle may have been politically motivated and I haven’t debated that. However, it was “OUR Board” (and apathetic parents) that provided the ammunition.
I have always been taught that regardless of another person’s (or group’s) ulterior motives are towards you, as long as you have your ducks in a row, it will be very difficult for them to prevail. REGARDLESS OF THE ALLEGED POLITICAL MOTIVATION OF SACS AND ELGART, WE DID NOT HAVE OUR HOUSE IN ORDER! I cannot believe at this point we are still having this debate. Why are you so concerned if the new school board gets the credit? Fine then, let’s give the credit to you. YEAH, “IF” saved Clayton County’s accreditation. Just out of curiosity, what has been your contribution? The blog postings don’t count.
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The Commentor
March 24th, 2009
10:22 am
TO JOHN STEWART
You are indeed right that Clayton County was wrecked and now virtually destroyed by the actions of its past Chairman C. Crandle Bray, past Commissioners J. Charley Griswall, past Comissioner Gerald Matthews, and supported by its Georgia State Legistators in the Senate most notably former State Senator Terrell Starr and former House Of Representatives Bill Lee and Jimmy Benefield who held very powerful positions while they were long time elected officials.
Clayton County was hoodwinked and robbed as it relates to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in that over 80 PERCENT of the airport is in Clayton County but the city of Atlanta, Georgia gets virtually all of its revenue and monetary benefits.
Even now when you drive down I-75 South and pass the Forest Park Exit which is Exit 237 and as you look to your right side before you get to the Tara Boulevard Exit which is Exit 235, you will see RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME the vast, large dirt wasteland with no trees and essentially a large hole and possibly a trash pit where it was formed when dirt was taken from the area to build the fifth runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
I sincerely and truly hope that you and the others on this blog are right in that you see Clayton County’s positive turnaround for the better more sooner, quickly, and faster than I do.
I again do not share the optimistic view that Clayton County will turnaround no time soon in the foreseeable future because of its present majority population of people, this county having more renters than homeowners, massive and severe apathy, noncaring, looking the other way, and a accept everything and do-nothing attitute of its “good” citizens, widespread, corrupt, and crooked elected officials and politians both white and black, the income and socioeconomic status of the people coming to Clayton County, the city of Atlanta, Georgia sending, moving, and dumping all of its Section 8 Housing Project Ghetto People with their low-life criminal and destructive way of living to Clayton County, and the perception of many in the surrounding greater Metropolitian Atlanta, Georgia area that Clayton County is a third world, backwards, inept, low class, dirty, crime, gang, and drug infested, filled and overrun county that is dirty, unclean, unsanitary, nasty, filthy, messy, where virtually all of its elected officials and politians are “On-The-Take”, Lining Their Pockets For Themselves, Crooked, Corrupted, and only care about continuing to sell out Clayton County to only enriched and profit themselves and their politial contributors and supporters and work for the citizens of Clayton County who elected all of them to their politial office and trusted them to work on behalf of the citizens of Clayton County and make Clayton County a better place to live, work, play, have fun, and raise a family.
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IF
March 24th, 2009
11:54 am
Concerned Homeowner, you keep saying my statements are dumb, yet with all your intelligence you don’t seem to be able to refute them. You say you see things clearly. Step into a classroom and walk the walk, and then you’ll really see things clearly.
But you are totally and completely correct about one thing. Not only did the board not have it’s ducks in a row, they weren’t even on the same plane. They gave SACS and their cohorts every opportunity and then some to excute their game plan. But if you think this board’s actions are really addressing issues that have a direct tangible effect on the day to day instruction in the classroom, you are sadly mistaken.
It doesn’t mean that they won’t eventually. But that’s only if the citizen empower themselves with the knowledge needed to hold them accountable.
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Mr Charlie
March 24th, 2009
11:59 am
As Obama’s redistribution policies kick in, and money is given to people in our society too lazy/stupid/incapable of earing it, you will see an influx if businesses opening in Clayton.
Look for Clayton to attract business that sell things like, Grills, dumb looking hats, and other accessories for people who just want to look stupid.
Of course, you will see the an influx of liquor stores, fried chicken joints, watermellon stands, resturants, tatoo parlors, and strip joints.
I imagine you will see some rim rental businesses too.
However, all these businesses will be Korean owned, and the money will be “redistributed” right back to the people earn it, and as business open, crime will increase, and eventually run these new business out of town, and Clayton will again be right were they are today.
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Reginald Stalworth Jr.
March 24th, 2009
12:11 pm
We need just 2 more election cycles to make change happen in Clayton. Please vote!
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Cleophus
March 24th, 2009
12:18 pm
Those who have no optimism and hope for the county should go.
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 24th, 2009
1:43 pm
IF:
Your last paragraph is exactly what I’ve been saying all along. Good to know we agree on something.
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Sgt Rock
March 24th, 2009
3:44 pm
Indeed there are several businesses opening in the county. I don’t characterize a small business as a “low-end business” (some exceptions apply however when it comes to socially decadent businesses ex. Starship & New York Video). The small business owner takes great pride and much personal risk in opening and running a small business and that I applaud.
What the focus should be is the density of various vertical markets within in the county, zones of economic and tax incented development areas, and strict enforcement of the new zoning codes. I am also no fan of taxes let alone higher taxes but this county has not kept pace with the property taxes. Expenditures for services now exceed income derived from property taxes. Taxes were kept intentionally low for years (and still are) to allow developers to build and sell lower cost homes. TAXES MUST BE RAISED AND SIGNIFICANTELY! (Sgt Rock has told this to the Commissioners many times…they get the message and they know the math and they know it must be done).
A good example of this is the Lake Spivey Gateway from I-75 along Georgia Route 138. Development and re-development was a joint venture between government, business and the local community and the end result is an enhanced and viable corridor leading into the county that will have a positive economic impact. A TAD (Tax Allocation District) was formed along with a special Zoning Overlay to allow for non-traditional Clayton County development. Medical facilities being built there is bring medical professionals into the area as well as bringing patients (customers).
Other zones of development are being planned as we speak but there are dark forces that are only interested in turning the quick buck. While Crandall Bray and Charlie Griswell are no longer on the forefront, rest assured that they are alive and well directing and navigating from behind the scenes with their minions of lawyers, developers, builders and sympathetic politico’s whose only interest is to line their pockets.
I begrudge no person a profit BUT that profit must be morale, ethical and in the best interest of the community. When Bray has knowledge of potential development (Lovejoy land lot that Wal-Mart currently sits atop) then purchases that land 2 years prior to Wal-Marts purchase, and him voting for the zoning request, I have a problem. He got away with it along with other scoundrels because WE THE PEOPLE allowed it to happen.
This county has potential, a lot of potential. There is an alignment of political power that has the ability, with a nudge (shove) from voters to turn Clayton County. BUT, it takes YOU…how you ask?
1. Read: Read the county code front to back. Understand zoning, the application and approval process. What you don’t understand the zoning office will explain to you.
2. Ask Questions: I have always asked the dumbest questions of County workers at all levels and have always received an intelligent answer. That doesn’t mean I roll over if the answer isn’t in the interest of the community but I will understand the mindset and philosophy enabling me to deconstruct it.
3. Visit: Show up for commission meetings, sign-up for public comment, visit commissioners and planners in their offices. They are open to conversation from regular people. You would be surprised how one visit from one person on one issue can change the direction of on thing. Imagine if just 50 voters showed up to an office…the message would be loud and clear.
4. Be Civil: In all of the above things, be civil. Civil conversation and discourse go a long way to understanding. It’s OK to disagree without being disagreeable. Leaders in Clayton County welcome discourse with voters that are engaged. Believe it or not, leaders are looking for solutions and through civil discussion YOU might be the one that brings them the answer or idea to do and “end around run” on a very complex problem.
Lastly, I read a lot about Section 8 Housing. It is illegal to discriminate against Section 8 or those that reside in Section 8 homes according to the Federal Fair Housing Act. I am repulsed personally by a form of discrimination and agree with the Act in this regard.
It is not illegal for a community to band together and place rental limitation in their community. Communities can and do place rental percentage restrictions within their neighborhoods to protect value. The standard limitation in the US is 15% but it could be lower, whatever a community decides. The reason for this limitation does not discriminate but has legitimate reasons. Once a community exceeds 25% rentals it is considered an “at-risk” community by mortgage and insurance companies. They consider them more unstable when compared to a primarily single family community. At-Risk communities must pay higher insurance premiums and higher interest rates compared to stable communities. Everyone in an at-risk community can have a FICO score of over 800 and they will still pay higher interest and insurance. When a homeowner goes to sell in an unstable community, the potential buyer must pay a higher interest rate to purchase the home. The potential buyer is attracted to other neighborhoods not at-risk.
Communities are often unwilling to limit the number of renters because of apathy. It requires civil engagement of neighbors, physical effort, organizing and finally taking action. All this must be done around family responsibilities and work. The real reason it isn’t done is that often we look for THEM to do it. If you want to get rid of Section 8 there is a legal recourse but you must be willing to take action. Anything less is a useless waste of breath.
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BC...Fast Pain Relief
March 24th, 2009
7:01 pm
Mr. Charlie
Let’s talk about the redistribution of wealth foa minute. For every dollar metro Atlanta contributes in taxes, we get back .68 Cent! But when Grady Hospital, Metro School systems, Marta, etc, need financial assistance, The state is quick to turn their back on us. I am in favor of dividing Georgia into two seperate states. North Georgia and South Georgia. Then, N. Georgia would not have to support rural south Georgia just as they refuse to support
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BC...Fast Pain Relief
March 24th, 2009
7:13 pm
At least President Obama is talking about the problems facing us. Bush acted as if nothing was wrong. Redistribution of wealth? When 2% of the people control 75% of the money, it kind of blows your notion out the water that money will go to the poor. You Republican conservatives had a golden opportunity to prove your platform planks. Instead, you blew it! BIG TIME! Just like in the State of Georgia. Don’t you think the average hard working middle class family is feeling the betrayel? The only think to come from the capitol is a hedge loan..No strike that, An advance courtesy of the taxpayers who are now required to finance a nucler power plant with no price tag! They passed a bill to eliminate the ad valorem car tax BUT imposed a sales tax on cars valued under $5,000! That’s right, cars tha cost more than $5,000 are exempt! No here is where the real redistribution of wealth is. WHO buys cars under $5,000? The Poor, Middle class working people etc. They are more inclined to buy a used vehicle. So this is a classic tax redistribution card trick. Conservatives are in rebuilding mode. Blame the poor people, the section eight people all you want but keep this in mind. If it the middle class, established homeowners would not put their property on the section 8 program, there would be no section 8 tenants! It takes two to tango baby! Why would they put their property on section 8? Because they can’t sell or don’t want to sell!
The best thing to do is stop complaining on the blog and take action with positive outcomes. The poor people are not the reason America is in the shape she is in. If one watches the news with any regularity, One could easily surmise it’s the rich who have driven this country into the ground.
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JMHO
March 24th, 2009
7:41 pm
Every applicant for a teaching job in CC should be required to pass with no less than 99.9% a diction, grammar, spelling, and composition course.
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TranformationGeek
March 24th, 2009
9:38 pm
Mr. Charlie, you talk all this about Obama, but how soon we all forget about $4.00-$5.00 per gallon for gas, massive job loss, massive job outsourcing overseas and etc.! Mr. Charlie, your folks have driven the country in the GROUND! Now, somehow you can predict the FUTURE on today’s spending. Where were your FUTURE predictions over the LAST EIGHT YEARS!! Get a LIFE! Clayton will recover if we got rid of the GONE IN THE WIND theme!
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TranformationGeek
March 24th, 2009
10:30 pm
Good Luck
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STEALTH PATROL
March 24th, 2009
10:51 pm
TO: The Commentor,Sgt Rock, Reginald Stalworth Jr.& ESR
Please move to Alpharetta, John’s Creek or Helena. Oh, I forgot you’re not that financially savvy. Clayton County WILL NOT improve until certain people start acting ETHICALLY and MORALLY. While you’re the DIRTY ONES!!!
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BC...Fast Pain Relief
March 24th, 2009
11:04 pm
Keep in mind also. Section 8 was changed to Housing Choice. One of the requirements to receive Housing choice is that a family must be employed at least 25 Hrs Per Week or in school as a full time student. The verification is done every 90 days and every year for their annual certification. So everyone on the Section 8 (Housing Choice) program has a job or they are not on section 8! This is a HUD mandate for program participation.
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The Commentor
March 24th, 2009
11:11 pm
TO STEALTH PATROL
You blog and post like the unintelligent, uneducated, and misinformed ignorant (THE WORD IGNORANT ONLY MEANS LACKING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT A FACT OR SUBJECT) person that you are on the subject matter present on the blog topic of the week.
If you are indeed knowledgable educated, and informed about the subject matter presented on the blog topic of the week, then your posting should reflect this by posting your own viewpoints, opinions, and thoughts on this blog topic and not commenting on the postings of others who posted in a very intelligent, orderly, knowledgeable, smart, educated, and detailed way making a very good and credible argument in support of their positions on the blog topic of the week.
Because your posting does not reflect this, it is safe to say that you are in no position to comment on anyone’s posting and that you have no credibility and do not know what you are talking about.
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Sgt Rock
March 25th, 2009
9:22 am
Stealth Patrol: My comments, while containing some opinion based upon experience mostly contain facts rather than conjecture.
Would you please expound on your comment “Clayton County WILL NOT improve until certain people start acting ETHICALLY and MORALLY”, specifically “who are certain people” and please define and describe in detail your allegation of unethical and immoral actions to which you refer.
Please define and describe to me in detail how I am one of the “DIRTY ONES” to which you refer.
I must refer to my previous post to emphasis the need for civil discourse rather than ostensible comment which garners either party or the third person no advantage to move forward. An element of conflict in any discussion is a very good thing. It shows everybody’s taking part, and nobody left out. I like that.
Written Most Sincerely and Thank you in advance.
~Sgt Franklin Rock
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posterchild
March 25th, 2009
10:20 am
John Stewart:
As someone who has lived in Fayette County, I can tell you that many people here wish that we didn’t have The Pavillion… perhaps Clayton might want to annex it in? I mean, really, it’s a strip mall, and there isn’t much that classy, upscale, high-end about it.
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Agreed
March 25th, 2009
11:46 am
I agree with last night’s decision to not make the administrator who was suspended over the dance team controversy a scapegoat with the three day suspension. There is still accountability with the letter of reprimand.
I just hope if a teacher is ever in the same boat, they will use the same common sense discretion, and that this wasn’t just board members taking care of a administrator crony. Clayton has far too much of that.
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Gomer Pyle vs. Sgt. Carter
March 25th, 2009
11:59 am
Clayton County will recover! Just like America will recover. Look at the stock market making a comeback under Obama! You Go Boy! If anything has been learned it is that the conservative notion that economics “trickle” down is a lie and a failure. Money is hoarded by those at the top and when the people at the bottom of the totem pole demand a “their fair share” conservative hollar it’s an unfair redistribution of wealth. Give me a break!
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SA
March 25th, 2009
12:10 pm
Posterchild,
How true! I stopped going to the Pavillion about 6 years ago and I live in Clayton County!
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hthrmrtn
March 25th, 2009
2:37 pm
I dont know how long most of you have been living in CC but I can attest having lived there for the past 34 yrs watching Mt. Zion Blvd go from having all those fine upscale stores and being the place to go for shopping before up and fled to Henry CO making it the fastest growing county a few years ago. Why in the world would folks want to move and sell there homes when they still could? Because they watched the Olymics come and the housing projects get tore down for the honor of the ATL hosting something so of course you can make your own assumptions. I just know that Morrow once was a great place to live now it sucks
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Practical
March 25th, 2009
6:35 pm
KimWhit,
You are the type of parent that will take your kid to a so called “good school” and because you are the outsider they will place your kid in the worst teacher’s classroom. Yes, please believe there are BAD teachers in good schools.
People like you will not complain when you get that BAD teacher in a so call good system.
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Melanie Lee
March 25th, 2009
7:22 pm
Clayton will recover, but only after the riff raff is run off!
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KimWhit
March 25th, 2009
8:10 pm
Practical, you are probably uber defensive because you are a first year Clayton county teacher holding a provisional certificate, i.e. one of the main problems with the Clayton county school system. Your ignorant generalizations prove that you were most likely educated in poor schools yourself. The source of your rage could also be that your priorities are so screwed up that you’d drive your child to an unaccredited Clayton county school in a luxury car. Here’s some “Practical” advice: trade the car note and invest in your child’s future.
My husband and I are college educated with good jobs and we are very active, very visible, and well known in our child’s school where parental participation is mandatory. Parental participation is one of the hallmarks of a good school system as you well know. I am in 100% agreement with “Deeply Concerned Taxpayer/Parent’s” earlier post which states that Clayton County’s school system has fundamentally deeper problems than just a defective school board. I refuse to sacrifice my child to them and I will drink muddy water out of a Mason jar to keep my child out of a poorly performing school.
Now you run along and study smart for the Praxis II. Maybe you’ll pass it this time.
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Impratical
March 25th, 2009
8:54 pm
That was what you call an attempt to offer a rebuttal to KimWhit’s excellent post? That was even lamer than Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire, it was more like Liar, Liar, Your Mamma Took Your Clothes To The Drycleaner. It was that lame.
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STEALTH PATROL
March 25th, 2009
9:27 pm
TO: The Commentor, Sgt Rock, Reginald Stalworth Jr. & ESR
You criticizers are worthless all you do is come on this Blog and complain. You are too impotent, inept and too incompetent, hopeless to run for Public Office to do anything about this county. All you do is play Monday morning politics/quarterback, hindsight is always 20/20. Look back over your own lives; you all were born with a silver spoon in your mouths. I can tell by your tones what color you are! Look at it like this with all the advantages you’ve had in lives in America, and you’re still in Clayton crying on this Blog. You are all failures, you’ve had over 160 years of land ownership which equals worth, however you all were too stupid to maintain your wealth, the wealth that was handed down to you by your forefathers and fathers. See now you’re broke you can’t move to Alpharetta with the others who were able to maintain their wealth. Come on now, make something of yourselves Run for office, commission, school board something = you said provide a viable solution; there you have it, run for office and make a difference!
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Gomer Pyle vs. Sgt. Carter
March 25th, 2009
10:06 pm
Why would anyone in their right mind run for any office in Clayton County? They would get shredded to bits on the blogs!
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JMHO JMHO
March 26th, 2009
12:59 am
It’s JMHO JMHO, but if you had ever seen some of the memos administrators send to teachers, you’d be requiring them to pass a diction, grammar, spelling, and composition test as well.
Of course God knows how many administrative staff you would lose if you did that; on the other hand, that might be the best thing ever to happen to CCPS.
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Sgt Rock
March 26th, 2009
6:07 am
Stealth Patrol: You’re argumentum ad hominem is a fallacious. I see you avoided answering any of my questions instead offering an incendiary comment concerning race, perceived wealth and status. The ad hominem position has been well documented for over 3000 years and is always the refuge of having a weak argumentative position.
I do not and have never have condoned, judged or alleged anything based upon the foundations of your inflammatory remarks. BTW, perhaps you need to re-read my posts…nowhere do I ask for anyone to “provide a viable solution”. Obviously Delusions of Reference.
“Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.”
Stealth Patrol: You’re Dismissed
~Sgt. Franklin Rock
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posterchild
March 26th, 2009
9:12 am
SA:
I’m almost afraid to say where I prefer to do my shopping on that side of town… feels like you can’t let the nice things out of the bag
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John Stewart
March 26th, 2009
9:23 am
Well Prof. Rock that is one way to intellectually dismiss someone. *amn!!! BTW I know Prof. Rock Ms. Stealth Patrol (the ms. is due to your *itchin’) and can say you are 200% off on him and I’m a black man telling you that.
You want change in this Clayton? Take heed to one of Ghandi’s quotes –
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
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Mr Charlie
March 26th, 2009
9:30 am
This is where we differ, I don’t think there is all that much wrong with our country. We are perfect? no, we are only the richest nation in the history of earth, but I guess we are a complete failure, huh?
It is like health care, we have the best doctors, best hospitals, and best medical schools in the world, but obviously something is wrong.
Where else to the “poor” with 400 pounds? Maybe we should model our country after Somalia, Zimbabwe, or even Mr. Obama’s homeland, Kenya. Those countries seem to be run well, maybe we should run our like that?
To quote Obama “America is the richest most powerful nation in the world, we need change”
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Gomer Pyle vs. Sgt. Carter
March 26th, 2009
10:15 am
Surprise, surprise, surprise!!!! Shazam!!!
Sgt. Rock did you study English? That sure was a nice way of telling him to “Shut up idiot and prove your point”
Semper Fi
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The Commentor
March 26th, 2009
10:20 am
STEALTH PATROL
You continue to show how uneducated, unintelligent, ignorant, and how uninformed you are on your lack of knowledege on the subject matter on the blog topic of the week.
Your stupidity and foolish thinking is showing in your nonsense, childish, and immature posting that you did yesterday evening at 9:27 P.M. in that you had nothing meaningful, intelligent, thought provoking, or thought engaging to say.
Your postings are idiotic, stupid, and juvenile and are the type and quality of postings that only an idiotic and a fool would post.
If you cannot post in an intelligent, informative, educated, and mature way and provide thought provoking, in depth, knowledgeable, detailed, and credible information in your postings like the the bloggers and posters you critized in your last two postings did, you should not continue to write postings on this blog topic of the week.
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whatever
March 26th, 2009
10:28 am
Sgt Rock. You ROCK!!!!! I agree with your points 100% If they can’t make a point here you can bet They will pull out the PC “I’M A VICTUM” card. I am sorry my family did NOT fight for the South. We only had a small vacation here in Georgia with Sherman. So they shouldn’t blame others for their mifortunes. After all The lord helps those who help themselves.
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Practical
March 26th, 2009
12:58 pm
KimWhit,
Your college education has not served you well. Your own generalizations about an entire system is why I find your argument substandard. I too have a formal education (several degrees), but what does that have to do with COMMON SENSE? My many years spent in a college classroom do not come close to the teachings of my mother and grandmother(who were both educated in poor schools).
I disagree that parental involvement is the hallmark of a good system. I believe good teaching is the hallmark. Parental involvement is a plus. I think that parental involvement must evolve from making copies at the school to actually supplementing what thier kid is learning. When my child (in a Clayton County school) studied Martin Luther King, I took him to the King Center. When my child studied the levels of government, I took him to the state capitol and a commissioners meeting. We will visit Fernbank Science Center over spring break and the space center in Huntsville, AL this summer.
DO NOT assume because your child is in a so call “good school” he/she is being expose to great teachers. Especially when the teachers know that it is easy to please the parents by telling them what they want to hear.
I assume your reference to my car note and you drinking muddy water from a mason jar indicates your choice for private school. I challenge you to check the certifications of the teachers at the private school. You may be surprised. I say invest in your child by you exposing him/her to learning outside the school day. This is real parental involvement.
P.S: You are correct. I drive a nice car but I have not had a car note in 7 years. Cars are a poor investment. I would rather spend the money taking my son to Washington, DC. for a historical inauguration.
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STEALTH PATROL
March 26th, 2009
6:37 pm
Sgt. Rockhead,whatever,The Commentor Gomer Pyle vs. Ding-a-Ling,Mr. Punk Charlie and John Stewart
ROCK THIS!! After all this week’s topic and discussion on this Blog, you guys are still in denial about your own self worth! It’s a conundrum to me that seemingly intelligent people are so antithetical to pluralism in Clayton. You guys are so cohere in your own ways that you bulwark yourselves in front of your computer all day overdosing on your own dogma.
You guys profligate your days thinking about Clayton some 20, 30, 40 years ago. You guys are so stagnant and inert in your conservative thinking and that’s counterintuitive into what’s going on in 2009. You guys folks own all the major businesses in Clayton but you’re poorly represented in the county offices; therefore you suffer the same crisis some suffered in the 1700’s “taxation without representation”.
Although when you had your chances, you squandered them and turned the county into what we have today. The vast majority of Clayton population was subservience to assimilate with you and your ways but they found them perverse and vicious toward others. There is a paradox in what speak and how you conduct yourselves.
I gave you a viable solution to your woes with this county; when I said run for office-make a difference for yourselves, but you segue to torrential degradation when I provide didactic dialogue as such. However, we see the bottom line of your actions was formulaic by your progenitors with the sheets over their heads.
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STEALTH PATROL
March 26th, 2009
6:44 pm
I know you “Idiots” need a “Thesaurus” to digest that!
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KimWhit
March 26th, 2009
8:42 pm
Practical, your rebuttal to my initial post effectively refutes your claim of being highly educated. On the other hand those online degrees are kind of easy to come by. You show poor judgment if you currently subject your child to an unaccredited school and you have the means to mitigate the situation. You show very poor judgment if you assume that attending the Inauguration or an occasional family vacation is a valid substitute for a challenging educational experience. I agree that those types of experiences are ideal for exposure but my child has daily Spanish emersion and is exposed to second grade math concepts in kindergarten. She can immediately move ahead to third grade math concepts if she masters her current curriculum or she can be remediated when appropriate. Will your child’s school offer him that opportunity? No, because they will subject him to the required canned government lesson plan “script” thereby limiting your child’s educational progress to that of the least intelligent child in his class. The proverbial “Jethro” will set the intellectual pace for your child’s class and the social worker/slash teacher will dumb the whole curriculum down to accommodate his self esteem.
Practical, please do not challenge me to “do the research” on my child’s school when you clearly haven’t one iota of research yourself. My husband and I obviously researched, and our child applied (and I stress APPLIED), to several independent schools, attended numerous open houses, met and interviewed with teachers and administrator and we ultimately CHOSE the school our daughter currently attends. I could continue ad nauseam about the time and attention we gave to this process. Practical, you COULDN’T have researched Clayton County’s school system because a cursory glance would have disclosed poor academic statistics, a majority of inexperienced/uncertified teachers, low academic expectations, LOW PARENTAL PARTICIPATION AS CONFIRMED BY THE DISMAL PARENTAL TURNOUT DURING THE ACCREDITATION HEARING/RALLIES and widespread disciplinary problems. Heck, a quick read of comments posted to this message board by Clayco teachers would have been the bit tip off! Yet you still send your child to the ZONED SCHOOL that THE COUNTY chose for you when you clearly have the means to do otherwise?
I want to stress that I am not being critical of the entire public school system. I am the daughter of two retired educators and a proud product of public schools. There are clearly some great public school systems and public school educators. Clayton’s public school system is just not one of them at this time.
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What?
March 26th, 2009
9:00 pm
Practical,
I agree. Most teachers in private schools are not certified. Also, I’m confused as to how KimWhit would know your occupation and what kind of car you drive, just by reading a post….weird.
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Living high on the hog
March 26th, 2009
9:19 pm
So the new and improved BOE can’t wait for spring to come to ClayCo. They’ve got to take, in this economy, as little paid vacation to San Diego, offering the pathetic excuse that they may not get accreditation back if they don’t go.
Of course the status quo lackeys won’t complain about the literal thousands of dollars that are going to be spent right after teachers were laid off. Is SACS going to ask for an itemized bill for each and every meal ordered on the public dime like they did last time, or will any and every extravagance just be excused as bidness?
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Deeply Concerned Taxpayer/Parent
March 26th, 2009
9:21 pm
KimWhit
Like you, I also make enormous sacrifices for my child, including driving a 10-year-old car, to send him to private school. We tried public school, but after sitting in on classes and walking through the halls of the local high school — much to the dismay of the principal — I could not stomach what I witnessed. And you are right, the research is clear on parental involvement. What high performing schools have in common is significant involvement by parents, and not necessarily highly educated parents. But “Practical” is also correct. A child’s education MUST be supplemented by additional enrichment opportunties. For parents with money, that may very well be a trip to Washington D.C., and for others who don’t have much disposable income, it may mean trips to the public library where a child can check out books that expose them to other cultures, countries, etc.
Like both of you, I too am a college graduate. I have a child at one of the top universities in this country and another child who works extremely hard just to make B’s. I would never trust his education to anybody in Clayton schools. I have attended board meetings, have met many of the administators and Central Office staff and quite frankly, just can’t imagine how they received appointments to lead a school system. I also have experience working for a school district — a high performing one. So, I recognize quality instruction when I see it, and I just have not seen enough of it in Clayton, particularly at the high school level. There desperately needs to be a transformation at all of the high schools. There are schools across metro Atlanta that are 90-90-90 schools, where 90 percent of the children receive free or reduced lunch; 90 percent are minority; and 90 percent excel on the reading portion of state tests. With all the money we spend on children in Clayton, we should have many of those schools. And we don’t.
Anyway, while it appears the debate is heated, I think it is commendable that people are at least talking about schools and education with such passion. I think we all want what’s best for our children and are prepared to do what it takes to ensure that they are more than adequately educated. I commend you both KimWhit and Practical.
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 27th, 2009
10:38 am
Very well said Deeply Concerned Taxpayer/Parent
I also agree that parent involvement and enrichment opportunities are very important in the educational development of a child. I perhaps bring another perspective to the conversation. My kids are elementary aged. I moved them from a private school to a public charter school here in Clayton County. I know that this may seem crazy to most uninformed people reading this blog, but I did extensive research and this school offered everything I was looking for in a K-5 education for my kids. Consequently, my husband and I are very pleased with our decision. Both are doing very well and have been blessed with caring and qualified teachers who are dedicated to the kids and their profession. The school as a whole is doing great as well. We have strong support from the parents as well as the community. Our PTA meetings are always packed and active parental participation is the norm. For example, when the district failed to provide funding for elementary band/orchestra, our parents went out and solicited sponsors for instruments and supplies. We now are the only elementary school in the county with a band. The Hall County Public School district opened a similar charter school last year and used or school as a model. You wouldn’t believe it by reading the blogs or media reports, but there are some great schools in Clayton County. In fact, there has been a waiting list for admission to ours since it opened.
However, I do worry about when my kids move on to middle and high school. Unless things change drastically, I will have no other option but to send my children to private school or move to another district.
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Rev. Jimmy Jack Bourbon
March 27th, 2009
10:57 am
A superintendent is only as good as her or his help. Val needs to get her some help in the Human Resources Department. Ultimately, it is her responsibility. She needs adults in that department…adults who know how to follow the law.
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Reginald Stalworth Jr.
March 27th, 2009
11:27 am
Lil Stealth Patrol, still spewing vitrol I see. YAWN!
Wise up and get a clue! Continue to whine and race bait and see yourself left behind. Previous White, and now Black officials of ClayCo have led us to where we are now. You cannot blame race or point fingers when the county has been controlled by Blacks in over 90% of offices for the past years. Its SHOW TIME!
Black and Democrats are in power, but why is the county still in need? WHY? It’s because Clayco has little diversity. We need more ‘others’ by race, religion, class, and culture to improve the area, or it will continue to be a ghetto dumping place…..
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Reality check
March 27th, 2009
11:50 am
Nobody disputes that there children from all backgrounds who learn, and learn exceedingly well, but there isn’t a single school is Georgia that is 90 percent or above free and reduced lunch, with 90 percent of the children scoring in the exceed range on the CRCT reading test. Not one. Not a single one.
It’s one thing to hold teachers accountable, it’s entirely another thing to scapegoat them by pretending they operate in a vacuum. Home matters.
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Practical
March 27th, 2009
12:30 pm
KimWhit,
Online degrees, muddy mason jars, car notes, provisional certificates… my mother said when you argue with a fool, two fools are arguing.
Choosing the right school for your child can never be debated. You assuming I have made the wrong choice for my child is where I take issue.
I encourage you to look outside your child’s school for opportunities to apply the information learned. You will then see reallearning taking place. There is no such thing as a perfect school or perfect parental support.
With the proper support, I am sure your child will receive a good education. I KNOW my child will receive a stellar education because it is important to me and my husband.
Minus the personal insults (unneccessary), I have enjoyed the exchange.
*** I wished online degrees were common during my matriculation. I had to complete my degrees the old fashioned way.***
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Peggy Sue Davis
March 27th, 2009
2:32 pm
I care and want our children to have a world class education here in Clayton. Sadly, this is not so for many students in our unaccrediated school system.
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Peggy Sue Davis
March 27th, 2009
2:53 pm
We need a completely new electorate.
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Mr Charlie
March 27th, 2009
3:51 pm
Stealth Patrol, you seem to just “know” all about me, but you don’t address the topics I bring up.
I guess attaching the messager is the only solution when one cannot intelligently debate their side of an issue. Unfortunatly your side cannot be supported by facts.
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 27th, 2009
4:56 pm
KimWhit,
It seems you need jump off your high horse. It’s called Spanish “Immersion” and there are about 380 students in Clayton County Public Schools that receive it daily as well. I applaud you for sending our child to a school that you and your husband feel best fits his or her needs. However, it is so unnecessary to put others down and past judgment. You are not the only parent in the county that cares about the education (inside and outside the class) of his/her child.
Many people feel that ALL residents of Clayton County (regardless of where your kids attend school) are trash. They feel that parents are failures for remaining in the county. But you and I both know that’s not true. Your attacks on Practical seem to be in the same vain.
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Thinking
March 27th, 2009
6:53 pm
Stealth Patrol- I understood every word of your crap and didn’t even need a thesaurus you might want to replace subservience with subservient but I’m sure we can’t all be as smart as you think you are.
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STEALTH PATROL
March 27th, 2009
7:19 pm
Reginald Stalworth Jr.,The Commentor, and Mr Charlie all of you “Idiots” need to READ this book titled, Black Wealth/White Wealth. Get yourselves some knowledge before you respond.
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KimWhit
March 27th, 2009
11:15 pm
Concerned Parent and Homeowner: You obviously didn’t read Practical’s initial post where she slammed me with some pretty big generalizations. Emersion/immersion..I stand corrected but is that all you absorbed from my post? Do your research and you will find that many of my statements are completely factual. Sometimes the truth hurts. 380 out of thousands of students is a pretty small number and actually reinforces my point about the quality of our school system. I notice you had no comment about the math. By the way, the correct word is “vein”, not “vain”.
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TC
March 28th, 2009
3:22 pm
Looks like we got another idiot to laugh at on here. STEALTH PATROL A real work of art! LOL
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Oh please
March 30th, 2009
9:05 am
Sadly, a very good friend of mine who lived in district four ended up moving away because of the lack of selection. Of course, they had talked about moving for a while, but he might have stayed had the circumstances been better. Everyone remember to pray for district four.
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taylor
March 30th, 2009
9:23 am
I have two friends that had buisnesses in Clayton county for over 20yrs but in the last 10yrs they both told me that due to a increase in thefts they had to close down. One moved to mcdonough and started over and one gave it up completely. Both blame it on Marta coming to clayton County.
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Concerned Parent and Homeowner
March 30th, 2009
10:18 am
KimWhit,
I didn’t mention math because I don’t care to go “tit for tat” with you about what my children are learning versus yours. I just thought it was important to clarify that the correct term for what your child is being exposed to is called Spanish Immersion. Not many people know about this form of education, so I feel it’s important that the correct terminology is used. It may be hard for you to believe, but maybe some other parents in Clayton County would want to research it. As I said earlier, I applaud you. I think it is great that you have done your research and found a school that best fits your child’s needs. Who would argue with that? However, you shouldn’t assume that others haven’t done their own due diligence.
You are absolutely correct, 380 out of thousands is not a lot. But 380 out of 380 is 100% and that’s how many students at my children’s school are exposed to the immersion program. By the way, what’s even more staggering is there are only about 830 students in the entire public school system “statewide” that are exposed to a Spanish Immersion program and 46% of them are here in Clayton County….just one of the many “facts” I picked up while doing my research.
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John Stewart
March 30th, 2009
10:23 am
The key to this whole thing will be parental involvement!! If that is not achieved then it will have failed. I only say this because I have followed a school in Philly that Microsoft came in setup. All work was done on laptops.
The school was state of the art – solar panels for general and water heating, rain capture and purification system for bathroom water use, smart cards used to open lockers, etc (some great ideas that could be used in future school builds to school taxes down) Unfortunately after talking with some employees in the Philly district where the school is located it has been a bust. Why? Parental involvement was next to none.
If this school can enter into some type of agreement which states if a child is a behavioral problem and the parents aren’t involved to remedy the situation that the child will be returned to their original school in their district and school then this will succeed. These types of programs that this new school is offering are privileges not rights!!!
Kimberly you know this blog is going to bring Trotter and his Cybil type personalities. Cringe, Cringe!!
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pam
March 30th, 2009
11:03 am
I hope this school is a roll model for those in Clayton County and attracts the best teachers.
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Peggy Sue Davis
March 30th, 2009
12:32 pm
I think this is a waste of money, especially for a school system that is unaccrediated. And why Riverdale?
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WTF?
March 30th, 2009
2:09 pm
This school sounds good on paper but hope they are able to maintain standards. If they don’t, it’ll just be another CCPS project gone wrong and unfortuantely I don’t see them keeping the bar as high as they set it. Didn’t Sandra Scott come from district four too and King took over for her? That tells us a little something about the candidates over there. Let’s just hope that whoever gets elected is NOT a Trotter flunkie (District 4 residents had better do their homework to make sure or else we’ll end up with more of the same), wants what is best for the kids and doesn’t come onto the board ready to cause trouble and dissension.
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SOS!
March 30th, 2009
6:44 pm
Georgia State Board of Education need to come in and take over CCPS with this new state of the art school before Clayton run it into the ground. Help Please Sonny and Cox!!! Note: WTF No, District#4 old Board member was Ericka Davis, Michael King replaced her.
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Courage
March 30th, 2009
6:48 pm
Those courageous foot soldiers at CCPS who are willing to stay on call during Spring Break; such courage hasn’t been seen since Omaha Beach. If a threat to accreditation rears its ugly head, they’ll be there to sacrifice life and limb for Mother ClayCo. It brings tears to the eyes to see such.
Never mind that, even if the BOE spends Spring Break drinking tequila shots and licking whip cream off the bellies of Britney Spears and Lil’ Wayne, Elgart is going to restore accreditation. He has absolutely no choice in the matter; politics dictates that this must be so, regardless of how hard the AJC tries to get you to believe the decision hasn’t been made.
That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised, if SACS asks CCPS something during Spring Break, just so that the AJC, in its role as accreditation spin doctor, can write a glowing story about how CCPS was available.
It’s all part of the charade.
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Judy
March 30th, 2009
7:35 pm
Should have named the school Land Deal High School.
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WTF?
March 30th, 2009
8:22 pm
Thanks SOS but not much difference between Sandra Scott and Erica Davis except for a few pounds round the midsection. Either way District 4 needs to do their research and make sure whoever they put in there is not connected to Trotter
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Stop this before it begins
March 30th, 2009
9:18 pm
Please don’t tell us the master plan behind the BOE getting rid of Michael King is to bring back the master micromanager Ericka Davis, the person who was as responsible as anyone for costing Clayton its accreditation.
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What's Next?
March 30th, 2009
9:39 pm
It matters a lot because Sandra Scott was a woman of high moral standards and values unlike the board members that didn’t realize that they were free and all they had to do was stand for what was right and not bowel down to the white man power and the other brought wanna be black/white power.
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Be Grateful
March 30th, 2009
9:46 pm
Yal people need to find something else to do with your time. This blog is full of lies and it is catered to the chamber of commerece and the little old white people of this ungrateful and sad county. You all should be tired of destroying and lying about Clayton County. You all have done enough when you destroyed the school system and left the county will businesses and people pulling up and out. Clayton County is hurting in more ways than one and you all still isn’t pleased. But, I guess you all wouldn’t be because all the SCHOOL BOARD money goes into the white flight of the old Clayton County pockets as well as the Commissioners money. Let the real truth be told about why Clayton County is on the verge of BANKRUPTCY… Have a great day and pray for the Children of this Forgotten County.
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tc
March 30th, 2009
10:04 pm
(((Sandra Scott was a woman of high moral standards)))
OMG you have got to be kidding! What a worthless board member she was. She couldn’t lead anything! Totally worthless,arrogant, unqualified, uneducated, and a looser.
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SD
March 30th, 2009
10:51 pm
I really hope that the new Superintendent that the Board is going to select, and the new Principal and Vice Principal of this high school are all ready to enter into a contract with every student who enters this school to do their best, act their best, respect themselves, their teachers, their peers, etc. because this is an incredible blessing and an incredible opportunity.
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Mr Charlie
March 31st, 2009
12:15 am
John Stewart,
It is not money, not teachers, not equipment, or not the students that make great school systems, it is parents. If there is a book, and the parents instill dicipline and make the kids read it, they learn. That is why african american schools are so poor, lack of parent involvement.
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Judy
March 31st, 2009
3:31 am
Pawn Shop High? Or, John D. Stephens High? Eldrin, My Baited Breath, High School? Wade Starr of the the New Commission High School? Bishop Newton High School? Mandingo High School? I Streaked at UGA and now am I a Judge High?
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Sgt Rock
March 31st, 2009
10:03 am
I agree with John Stewart’s opinion. I would like to see a School -Parent – Student Contract such that standards of expectation are clearly defined by everyone involved and signatures put to paper.
Empty contracts have no room here. Standards need to be defined to the “n’th” degree. Impossible you say? Private schools do it every day across this country with harsh ramifications for breach of contract (Parenting Classes, suspension, expulsion).
Also, drug testing of students, parents, teachers, staff and involuntary “warrant-less and suspicion-less searches” of the above (and others entering Government School Property) needs to be enforced.
The Supreme Court has ruled on numerous occasions these types of searches are indeed constitutional and that there is no expectation of privacy and that these types of searches have a “negliblble intrusion” upon the persons as it is in the interest of all to foster a safe environment and that the State has a “substantial interest” in this type of policy.
The Honorable Justice Clarence Thomas in a Majority Opinion wrote “Even if there’s no problem, there may be a future problem”. He continues, “Indeed, it would make little sense to require a school district to wait for a substantial portion of its students to begin using drugs before it was allowed to institute a drug testing program designed to deter drug use”.
Random drug testing and warrant-less searches are done every day throughout the country. I am not advocating any different behavior than what is already done in all branches or the U.S Military to promote safety, health and overall welfare of those that serve our country. The same policy applies in that on a Government Facility (military base or government building) there is no expectation of privacy as it is not a private facility but indeed a government facility (this is evidenced in our own Clayton County Courthouse).
Policies, guidelines and training must be conducted to ensure all policies are carried out in a fair manner. This can be done.
People at all levels can cooperate once highly defined goals and standards are contractually agreed to and enforced. It’s only matter of the have the backbone to do it.
This requires will, inspiration, and tact. Something that may be lacking. Without a clear expectation of Standards, Charles R. Drew High School, I regret to say will quickly fall into a state of physical and spiritual disrepair as evidenced by the other schools within the County.
Dr. Charles R. Drew held himself and others to the highest of standards. His pioneering research and development of blood transfusions has saved countless lives over the years. Interestingly, he attended segregated Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. Dunbar High School was considered the pre-eminent schools for African American students in the first half of the 20th Century. We should all look to the heritage of this school and it’s Diaspora as an example from which we can learn valuable lessons to emulate in Clayton County!
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Peggy Sue Davis
March 31st, 2009
10:55 am
I’m glad the school is named after such a man of excellence as Dr. Charles Drew. He, like B. Bannekar, are some of my historical heros who raised the bar and set examples of excellent! We can all be proud of their accomplishments.
And I bet Dunbar High isn’t so great now, lol. Check out the stats for most DC area schools – worse than Clayton any day! Another poster is right – It’s all about parenting (that makes the difference)!
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Rocsi
March 31st, 2009
3:24 pm
Where else but Clayton County can a parapro have the title of site manager for the tutorial/remediation program? Where else but Clayton County can one elementary school have three assistant principals; one of them a parapro? Where else but Clayton County can the principal announce over the intercom that ALL will stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with your hand over your heart? Has he heard of Civil Rights violations? Where else but Clayton County can you get this kind of ridiculous activity? You have to love it.
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Strange Fruit
March 31st, 2009
7:03 pm
The minority that run this county won’t be happy until the new superintendent is one one them. They cry about everything. Only reason their heard is because they own the media!
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Strange Fruit
March 31st, 2009
7:06 pm
The minority that run this county won’t be happy until the new superintendent is one of them. They cry about everything. The only reason they’re heard is because they own the media!
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What's in a name?
March 31st, 2009
9:35 pm
They could name the school God High, that doesn’t mean it’s going to have high standards. And forget buzzword terms like high standards. If you really want to do something of value in ClayCo, have regular standards, and high enforcement of them. That would really raise the bar, not just talk about the bar from the cesspool below.
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tc
March 31st, 2009
10:15 pm
Good to see one of the old race baiters around Strange Fruit! They are a dying breed around here. They are fun to laugh at!
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Shannon, M.Div.
April 1st, 2009
12:28 am
Sgt. Rock–I’m deeply troubled by your suggestion here:
“Random drug testing and warrant-less searches are done every day throughout the country. I am not advocating any different behavior than what is already done in all branches or the U.S Military to promote safety, health and overall welfare of those that serve our country. The same policy applies in that on a Government Facility (military base or government building) there is no expectation of privacy as it is not a private facility but indeed a government facility (this is evidenced in our own Clayton County Courthouse).”
There’s a significant difference between the military and the schools, tax dollars notwithstanding. In the military, one gives up the expectation of privacy; in essence, when one joins the armed forces, one is giving up a number of constitutional rights.
Students should not be required to give up constitutional rights–including the right to privacy–in order to get an education. Unfortunately, drug testing isn’t 100 percent perfect. Without cause, no one should be tested.
Conservatives should be all over this. Somebody call Bob Barr!
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Oh please
April 1st, 2009
9:00 am
Hi, Shannon. I totally agree with you. Our country is not a military state, and I’m a republican-leaning independent before anyone makes the assumption I am a liberal. I believe in the rights established by our forefathers. Besides, believe it or not, unless you are caught driving there is no law against the consumption of narcotics. Although you can be charged with possession by consumption, it is usually only a charge that is attached to a long list of other charges because on its own it cannot be proven because the amount of time to metabolize various narcotics differs, and therefore, incredibly difficult to prove in a court of law. I guess, what I’m getting at here is, even if we drug test the students it would serve no purpose whatsoever unless they were caught in physical possession of the narcotics at the time. Random drug testing in schools would have little consequence other than maybe suspension or expulsion, and would only put the user on the street that much faster. The idea is a total waste of taxpayer money. The best way to keep kids off of drugs is through education and parental involvement. That is the only solution for that problem!
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Uneducated
April 1st, 2009
9:09 am
I recently read your article “500g of diesel oil found in garage!”. and I was appalled at the uninformed public officials that reside in your county.
I would fire your Fire Chief, Assistant Police Chief, and make sure the school board chairwoman does not reacquire a seat.
Why you ask?
Diesel fuel does not explode with a spark, a lit cigarette, or any other form of ignition. Diesel fuel only explodes when placed under extreme compression! Ala – diesel engines not having SPARK PLUGS! You could throw a rag on fire into a barrel of diesel and it would go out!
Of all public officials who should know about gas or chemical flash points, the Fire Chief should be well aware of this. After all, it is their job to know!
Your school board teacher is also very wrong about diesel emissions! They are not poisonous like the emissions of gasoline. Diesels produce carbon (the black smoke you see) which is relatively safe compared to your car idling in the driveway.
I would like to see how evil us people are in the northern states in their views. Many of the houses up here have 250g or larger tanks in our basements containing diesel oil #2 that we use for heating our homes. Yes, that is the same diesel this man had stored in his garage, albeit not as filtered. Are we sitting on a bomb? Uh, no it is 100 times more safe than propane tanks.
My advice, get some educated public officials!
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Butts, ThD
April 1st, 2009
9:55 am
My wife and I strongly feel that the new high school should be named Millions Made High School. The nickname: The Swindlers! Go, Swindlers, go go go go go!
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party pooper
April 1st, 2009
11:51 am
a dying breed? race baiters? your fun to laugh at
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Dat right
April 1st, 2009
12:08 pm
Deez thug students will set the bar low.
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HLS
April 1st, 2009
12:56 pm
BOE firing administrators too. Hopefully these folks are taking these steps after serious considerations. Just hope this firing of Ms Lewis is not just a prelude to hiring Brock and Co as the outside lawyers. Talk about huge amounts of wasted money – wait till we see his billings.
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Peggy Sue Davis
April 1st, 2009
4:50 pm
Bye Julie….
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WIDE EYED
April 1st, 2009
6:44 pm
Overwhelming proof that the accreditation heist was a hoax! New CCBOE held illegal meeting, unethical behavior, No-Bid contracts, all members of CCBOE went San Diego costing an untold amount, run Thompson with two months left costing over $100,000, run Julie off costing over $90,000. After all that, we will magically get accreditation back. The only losers were the 3500 children and parents who left the district and the 23 million it cost the district. This was a costly political whitewash move.
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Dat right
April 1st, 2009
6:54 pm
Wide Eyed, you forgot those 300-400 teachers and parapros whom lost their jobs because 3500 children left costing the district $23 million. Hard Luck all the way around.
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Yahaw
April 1st, 2009
9:47 pm
This SACS Debacle + Sonny’s 1.5 Billion Deficit + Bush Multi-Trillion Dollar = Clayton Republican Disaster
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Future Shock
April 1st, 2009
10:00 pm
Assimilation 1970 vs. Assimilation 2009. This is the title of my new book. In my book I illustrate the difficult or even the impossibility to amalgamate culture and regional ethnic differences in 2009. These differences are practically impossible to overcome in Clayton County more so than almost anywhere is America. Please listen to me people; especially those in power! This is the point: Atlanta is seen as the “Black Mecca of The South”. In that I’m saying, even though we have our MLK, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton’s fighting the power; there is a new power, and that is the power of the new wave “Hip-Hop Era”. Listen, old guys we have been overwhelmed, pretty much like “Hippie Hair, Afros and Belt Bottoms”. Old guys, if you 50 or over, our time have come and gone. Clayton County is the closest county to the “CITY” of “Atlanta” known as the “Capital of “the New Hip-Hop Capital of the South or the World.” Make Sure You get This: Trying to change these kids style and actions are a LOST CAUSE! Get over it! You’ll be DEAD&GONE and pants will be still sagging! Your only option is to Assimilate!
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Jimmy Loose Shoes, MDiv
April 1st, 2009
11:04 pm
I agree with the previous posters…Nothing, not even Hulk Hogan, could keep that fakey Mark Elgart from forcing regional accreditation onto the Clayco School System. “Here, please take it,” Mark implores. It’s a fire sale on SACS Accreditation now. Hey, I think that I’ll start one of those private, money-making accreditations ventures myself (hey, Bob Hartley, want to join me; there’s money in this racket) and pick on a little urban (minority-run, I might add) school system every forty years to make it seem like we have standards which are enforced which is a joke. What a hoax played on the Clayton Taxpayers and Citizens. Reminds me of the Piltdown Man of China. What a hoax! Mark Elgart is a hoax himself. SACS is a sham and a farce! Yeehoooooooooo!
SACS is a fake. But, it sho’ did get the Clayco Board members acting like trained circus monkeys, though! Hey, Lieka, do you feel like a trained circus monkey? Jumping through hoops and standing on your head for a rotten banana peel! Ho ho ho! This is funny sight to watch! What drama! Superintendent Ed Edmonds would have told Mark Elgart and SACS to kiss his short, flat white behind!
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SAR
April 2nd, 2009
12:06 pm
After reading some of the post here it’s no wonder we have such a mess in Clayton County. White flight? Anyone with a half of a pea sized brain and a few bucks in the bank would run from that burning building. The ones stuck there are there because their credit scores, IQ and number of kids are all the same digits.
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Love Joy
April 2nd, 2009
12:32 pm
Elite Middle school..Drew High School, thats two top notch schools coming to the county….I’m happy!!!
My question is this: If you have such a great school built behind Southern Regional hospital, what are they going to do about the surrounding area….i.e the Chuck E Cheese plaza, The trailer park, Upper Riverdale Rd as a whole?
I think there is more reason now than ever to REDEVELOP that area of CC..it’s 2 minutes fromthe interstate…thats prime real estate if the right types of property get built.
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Love Joy
April 2nd, 2009
12:34 pm
@ SAR why do the peopel livign in Lake Spivey, in 2 million dollar homes stay in CC? Why don’t they move to another county? their homes are paid for
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Love Joy
April 2nd, 2009
12:38 pm
We need zero tolerance on rif rafs…don’t let them into that school at all. Clayton county is good for screwing up a good thing so lets not do that.
Parental contracts, zero tolerance, high standards, uniforms..Wonderful!!! I can’t wait.
Now get rid of Eldrin, get some new businesses ex…HOUSTON’s restaraunt
REDEVELOPMENT and landscaping and CC will be good.
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Gomer Pyle vs. Sgt. Carter
April 2nd, 2009
6:43 pm
Talk about the redistribution of wealth! The banks get taxpayer money to stay afloat. Then they lend us our money back with interest. Where is the Republican outcry?
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What money can't buy
April 2nd, 2009
9:30 pm
The BOE can spend ten thousand in San Diego; for that matter, they can spend ten million, and they still won’t be able to purchase the thing they are lacking most. A backbone. Even the students who can’t tell the difference between a minute hand and an hour hand know what time it is when it comes to the lack of spine in CCPS. That’s why students routinely disobey, disrespect, curse and threaten, and even physically assault teachers.
And what has the BOE done to address this? Nothing. But y’all keep on heaping praise on the BOE, just like Elgart is doing. As long as it looks good on paper, and the proper sycophants are in place, what does he care? Not like his children actually have to attend CCPS now is it?
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Bishop Earnest T. Bass
April 3rd, 2009
10:21 am
I want to thank my fellow men and women of the cloth (including fellow blogger Shannon) for elected me as the new President of the Clayco Ministerial Alliance (CMA). Reverends Butts and Bourbon led this august body through tumultuous times and did an laudable but unheralded work. Men of mettle. Clayco has been put through the ringer, but what does not kill us only makes us stronger. I like some of the moves being made by Valya Lee. She’s ain’t afraid to shoot dat ball — this we can readily see. I just hope the school board does not follow board of the past and seek to bring in a messiah (they are ALWAYS false messiahs who just get our money and leave us high and dry). We certainly do not need that Cobb County law firm…Brock and Clay. If you get them, then you will continue having Glenn and his boys (if you know what I mean) manipulating the Clayco School System. I don’t want any Cobb County lawyer running our school system. This will be a major mistake and will come back to haunt not just the school board but the whole Clayco Community. Hey, Bob, if what the blogger says is remotely true, give Rev. Bourbon a call. You know him and now he tries to help. Heck, I hear that his church’s accountants found out that one of his secretaries at the church apparently embezzled thousands from the church, and Rev. B. just wants to pray for her.
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oldtimer
April 3rd, 2009
1:19 pm
Lake Spivey is a great place to live. the kids are well-behaved, neighbors keep up their yards, and people respect each other. it is like a little middle class island in among muck.
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BB
April 3rd, 2009
4:15 pm
MEGAN
I am sure Journalism 101 teaches that you have to grab the readers attention. But when it comes to articles on CLayton BOE and schools, please refrain from headlines with innuendo not brought forth in the facts of the article.
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Board of Entitlement
April 3rd, 2009
11:31 pm
TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY DOLLARS A NIGHT for a hotel for each BOE member in San Diego? And SACS says NOTHING? Might as well name the new BOE Board of Entitlement.
I guess if you’re a SACS sycophant, taking a taxpayer paid vacation to sunny San Diego is a perfectly acceptable use of taxpayer money. What does Elgart care? It’s not like it’s coming out of his pockets.
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External Investigation Needed
April 4th, 2009
3:25 pm
Overwhelming evidence that the accreditation heist was a hoax! New CCBOE holds illegal meetings, unethical behaviors, No-Bid Contracts, all members of CCBOE went San Diego costing an 18,500, run Thompson out with two months left costing over $100,000, run Julie off costing over $90,000. After all that, we will magically get accreditation back. The only losers were the 3500 children and parents who left the district and 300-400 teachers lost jobs and the 23 million it cost the district. This was a costly political power move.
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Another Parents View
April 4th, 2009
6:30 pm
HLS:
Julie Lewis has been fired! Now, no one should be surprised when the new attorney firm is “Brock & Clay”. When you hire a search firm for $7500 that is a law firm, what is the trade off? You hire them as the school systems law firm! Then they charge you $250/hr for all the work. That means that every time Pam Adamson and Alieka Anderson call him to chat – cha ching!
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SD
April 4th, 2009
9:17 pm
To HLS – I agree! Ms. Lewis worked hard and cared about kids. Now, they have given the business to Brock who only cares abot making money at the expense of kids. This is a terrible thing for our county.
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Rocsi
April 5th, 2009
9:53 am
Clayton Public Schools’ problems go far beyond the lack of accreditation. Some of the children lack total self-discipline. They disrespect the teachers because they know that there will be no repercussions. As a matter of fact, some students ENJOY going to the office. The principals harass teachers instead of requiring students to obey the rules. There is an interim assistant principal at an elementary school in Riverdale who spends her day wielding her false power. She has caused the morale of the teachers in the school to fall like dominoes. What SACS needs to do is interview teachers so that they will find out the real truth about the schools. Noone is addressing discipline. Teachers are tired of being disrespected by students and parents. I don’t blame anyone who has the resources for leaving Clayton County. Just because accreditation is restored does not mean that the problems have been resolved.
There are senile administrators trying to run schools. What is disheartening is this particular administrator was a band director. He has never taught in an elementary school, yet he has the authority to evaluate a teacher who has been trained. This principal also thinks that his way is the only and the right way. He expects for teachers to walk down the hallway with clip boards to document disciplinary infractions because he has instructed teachers not to discipline children verbally in the presence of others. This same principal talks condescendingly to teachers over the intercom. The children hear him berate the teachers, but that is not a problem to the overpaid people sitting on their thrones on Main Street. As a matter of fact, the principals and the top administrators are like AIG executives. They all need to be fired and a new regime needs to take office. Don’t get excited when Clayton County suddenly regains its accreditation. It is a matter of politics, economics, and requests from realtors and the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce. The same poor discipline and administration continues to be rampant in the county.
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Practical
April 6th, 2009
1:47 pm
Rocsi,
In what other school districts have you taught?
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Love It or Live It
April 6th, 2009
3:27 pm
Everything going on with the CCBOE is crazy and none of it should have never happen. Black people needs to learn how to come together for the good of all and not for themselves. It wasn’t about the last Board arguing or were in disagreement and it is not about this Board going to a conference that all school board members attend. It is all about the MONEY. The County is 95% black and it is only between 2-5% of black contractors in this county. The other 97% is to the old white regime and their constitutients. So, its not about a dysfunctional board it is about the board trying to get playing field right for all people to be able to get a piece of the $566 million dollars. Spend the money the correct way and that is on the Children. Let’s take care of the Children. Let’s put things in place for the Children. Let’s stop looking for deals and padding our pockets and take care the Children. Let’s make sure all of our Elementary Schools have Playgrounds. Let’s get band and orchestra programs in all our elementary and middle schools. Let’s get quality sports program so all children will be afforded the opportunity to receive scholarships for college. Lets continue to provide Academic Excellence to our students with new Innovative Programs. We have some of the best TEACHERS and had some outstanding programs so let us continue to put the children first. It should be about the Children and not about Contracts and Jobs for our Family and Friends. Our children deserves more and they deserves the best. So, CCBOE do the RIGHT thing and Start making your own Decisions and not Decisions from GAE, LOK, and your other Political Friends. Do the Right thing for the Children and Sleep Good at Night.
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Decision Maker
April 6th, 2009
3:32 pm
The CCBOE did an awful thing to get rid of Julie Lewis for Brock. They will see, once again the other surrounding counties are laughing at you all. Brock is working for the State and not CCBOE. I sure hope that they allow the New Superintendent to pick attorneys because I am sure they will not pick Brock. Any attorney that acted like Brock how could he or his company be trusted. I guess any way for this Board to get its accrediation they must do it. Again, CCBOE you are Free just do the Right thing and Believe in God and you all will be alright. Oh, I forgot people that do the right thing want last in Politics so, I do understand why you all must do what they tell you all to do. Be Smart CCBOE
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You Have Got to be Kidding
April 6th, 2009
3:43 pm
To HLS and SD:
Well I guess that is how you get a “search firm” to only charge you $7500! LMAO! Him and Pam Adamson are laughing at Alieka all the way to the bank! Go Alieka!
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Long time county resident
April 6th, 2009
4:39 pm
I have lived in Clayton County my entire life. I shop at Southlake Mall only on the rare occasion now. It has nothing to do with teenagers rather the stores at the mall. Most of the stores in the mall do not meet my needs. I can go to the shops on Mt. Zion or the Fayette Pavillon and find what I need. When Southlake changes its shopping selection, then I may return.
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oldtimer
April 6th, 2009
4:47 pm
I have shopped at Southlake and if there is something I need I might in the future. But, the big problem at Southlake is the lack of choice. There are areas to shop that more meet my needs.
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TC
April 6th, 2009
4:47 pm
Haven’t been there in years. Don’t feel safe in the parking lots, and and most of the decent stores have left. It will make a nice flea market soon, if they don’t do something to bring it back to life.
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John Stewart
April 6th, 2009
4:47 pm
Kimberly no I do not shop at the stores inside Southlake Mall. I will shop in Macy’s (even the men’s dept is catering 70% to the younger crowd), Sears (Tools/Appliances) and JC Penny (not sure if they are still there) unfortunately Southlake will not enforce a curfew because 90% of the stores cater to the 13-21 crowd. Why would they implement something that would have a negative impact on their store owners?
I am of the mindset to say yes to the curfew and then maybe and more likely you can bring back higher end stores and those that will spend the money in them. Unfortunately I don’t think Southlake is forward enough in its thinking to do so. They don’t know how to capitalize on their location. They need to ask themselves why are people willing to go Locust Grove to Tangier Outlet Malls to shop or why are they willing to drive all the way to Lenox to Shop?
Nicole why don’t you invite some community leaders as well as commissioners in to have a round table/face to face to hear what the community would like and then make changes accordingly.
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Just Stating The Obvious And Verifiable Truth
April 6th, 2009
6:27 pm
Southlake Mall should most definitely, without a doubt, and immediately institute a curfew like Stonecrest Mall does in Dekalb County that noone under the age of 18 will not be allowed in the mall after 4:00 P.M. on Fridays and Saturdays without the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.
The sad truth about this is that this will never happen at Southlake Mall because the mall is no longer the nice, upscale, clean, elegant, sophpisticated, high class mall that it used to be years ago that catered to the middle-to-high middle clientele residents and citizens of Clayton County and its surrounding counties like Fayette County, Henry County, and Spalding County.
Southlake Mall is RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME a second-to-low class that only caters to the teen-agers, young adults, youths, and people that are low class, do not respect the property of the mall, throw their trash and litter anywhere and everywhere, and are essentially the hang out of the subhuman Section 8, lowlife, gang bangers, thugs, punks, delinquents, vandals, hoodlums, and criminally minded and committing youths, young adults, teen-agers and their sorry, no good parents who cannot and will not control, supervise, or exert their parental authority over them.
It is extremely obvious as to why the General Manager of Southlake Mall Ms. Judy Pritchett does not and will not institute a curfew because the youths, young adults, teen-agers, and sorry low-class adults that this curfew would keep out are the very ones who patronize and buy from this mall because Southlake Mall only has low end businesses with its “bling bling” jewerly stores, ghetto clothing apparel stores that only sell “oversized, baggy, drooping, sagging, falling down pants with large, oversized, tee shirts, hooded jackets, and skull caps that only gangsters real and wantabees, thugs, hoodlums, punks, hoodlums, and barbaric acting and behaving youths, young adults, and teen-agers wear.
Also, Southlake Mall will not in no time soon attract the high-end stores and have the many shopping and merchandise choices that it used to have because as the demographics of Clayton County changed and the income demographics of Clayton County changed (for the worst) and the class and type of people in Clayton County changed, these stores left in high numbers and you only have stores that cater and sell to the current population of Clayton County today.
This is why all of Clayton County is not only full of, but it is overrun with CAR WASH PLACES, CELL PHONE STORES, CHECK CASHING PLACES, AUTOMOBILE LEASING PLACES, DIRTY LOW-CLASS AUTOMOBILE REPAIR PLACES, LOW-END RETAIL STRIP MALLS, BLING-BLING JEWELRY STORES, AUTOMOBILE RIM STORES, AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR PARTS STORES, PAWN SHOPS, LIQUOR AND PACKAGE STORES, NUMEROUS FAST-FOOD PLACES BOTH NAME BRAND AND FAMILY OWNED, LAUNDROMAT PLACES, ETC.
I have gone to Southlake Mall mainly for replacement batteries for my watch and to their Sears Store.
The trouble at Southlake Mall occurs during its evening and nighttime hours and especially on Friday and Saturday nights when the teen-agers, youths, young adults, and low-class adults that I have described in great detail travel in packs in great numbers cruising and traveling around the mall going from store to store with no security guard or guards in sight.
Lastly, if Southlake Mall’s General Manager Ms. Judy Pritchett desires, wants, and will continue to cater to the type of people mention in this posting, she should seriously consider doubling or even tripling the amount of security guards and patrols around and in her mall so the people who do not feel safe in her mall whether it is day, evening, or night will feel safe enough to patronize and buy from the very few good stores left at Southlake Mall.
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Dedicated Young Customer
April 6th, 2009
6:47 pm
I love Southlake Mall; they really have all the nice new clothing. There are plenty stores with all the latest “Urban Gear”, you know the ones; jeans with the design on the back pockets with the matching design on T-Shirts with matching design on baseball cap. Brands like Ed Hardy and Black Label and White Tag. The vendors that sell these type clothing and the latest “Rap CDs” are making Big Money at Southlake. There are plenty places like Sears, Macys, JC Penny’s that “Old Folk” and “Senior Citizens” can buy stuff. If you run us off you want have any clientele, us young folk have been keeping this mall “OPEN” for at least the last eight years. Thank you, General Manager, Judy Pritchett, you’re a Life Saver.
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Chilli
April 6th, 2009
6:54 pm
Should South Lake Mall have a Curfew? The young people make the mall and if you all are trying to keep young people/teenagers away from the mall it will become a flea market by 2010. We are the ones that bring in the revenue. We are the ones that keep the doors of the mall open. So I suggest that you all think smart and don’t let this be another County disaster. Put the Children First in Something in Clayton County since the School System has put them last.
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Student Alliance
April 6th, 2009
7:09 pm
I don’t know why anybody is afraid at Southlake Mall; they have plenty Security Guards and Morrow PD there. It’s a nice “Wholesome Urban Environment”. Please don’t paint all us young folk with a “Broad Brush”, most of us are shopping and mind our own business. However, you may have some “True Thugs” walking around every once in a while; the rest are Thug Lookalikes and harmless!!!
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Black Woman In Clayco
April 6th, 2009
8:34 pm
I still go to Southlake occassionally, sometimes even find something I like! I can count on one hand how many stores cater to my age group (let’s just say 35-45). The teens never bothered me, when I was in that age bracket sometimes my friends & I “roamed” the mall. You right there are much worst things they could be out here .
But some posters are right about it becoming a flea market. I was there at Christmas holiday it was practically empty. Wasn’t sure if that was the economy or lack of store choices or both! But for sure they need more store choices in there if they want to cater to anyone else but the young hip hop crowd.
Just Stating the Obvious do you even live in Clayton ? You sound so bitter.
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Just Stating The Obvious And Verifiable Truth
April 6th, 2009
10:57 pm
TO BLACK WOMAN IN CLAYCO
Just stick to your comments, viewpoints, and opinions on the blog topic of the week and not add extra commentary that do not relate to the blog topic of the week like you did in the last sentence of your blog posting at 8:34 P.M. this evening.
Your last sentence in your posting was not necessary.
It is none of your business where I live or my postings on my comments, opinions, viewpoints, and observations about Southlake Mall, its retail stores and the class of people, youths, young adults, and teen-agers who patronize the mall.
For the record, I presently live in Clayton County and have lived in Clayton County for well over fourteen years.
If you do not like my postings, just bypass them and do not read them, let alone comment on them.
How I post and the comments, opinions, viewpoints, and observations that I write on about Southlake Mall is my business just as your comments, opinions, experiences, and viewpoints that you write about Southlake Mall is your business.
I strongly suggest that you just continue to and stick to posting and writing on your personal experiences, observations, opinions, and viewpoints about Southlake Mall and your visits and shopping there and stop commenting on others’ postings about Southlake Mall.
Some of the postings on this blog will be about their positive experiences at Southlake Mall and some of the postings on this blog will be about how negative they feel that the mall has become and their negative experiences at the mall.
Just stay out of other people’s postings and I am sure that they will stay out of your postings.
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Gomer Pyle vs. Sgt. Carter
April 6th, 2009
11:24 pm
It was empty this past holiday season. But so was Lenox, Stonecrest and every other mall in America. The sales data confirm this fact. As far as the curfew, NO! let teens be teens. We hung out at the mall when we were young. When was the last time someone was shot at SL mall? Beat up, robbed etc? I haven’t heard of any public safety threats coming from the mall. As far as the nothion that everyone is a Sec.8 “lowlif” scum…That poster just needs prayer. The reason Clayton County is in the condition it is because the leaders failed in a major way and the voters refuse to hold them accountable on election day. The county is 9.5 Million in the hole. Of course this is the tip of the iceberg. IT WILL GET WORSE! Commissioners who we elected hang up on reporters as if they don’t owe those who elected them an explanation. What gives? The Tax Commisiioner says yes, The BOC says No WTF?
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HSTeacher
April 6th, 2009
11:45 pm
I have not been to Southlake in years. When I shop, it is Kohl’s, Belk, or Lenox Mall. I can remember when Southlake opened. Back then it was Davidson and they had terrible customer service. When Rich’s was bought, I stopped shopping there even though I have my original card number.
I’ve been to the new shopping area in Macon and recently, went to PTC which is a nice shopping town. I don’t need a Mall.
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Just Stating The Obvious And Verifiable Truth
April 7th, 2009
12:08 am
TO BLACK WOMAN IN CLAYCO
Also, my posting is not a “bitter” posting but a very factual, provable, seeable, and verifiable one if you or any blogger who reads my posting chooses to go to Southlake Mall starting this Wednesday April 8, 2009 and up to the end of the week when because of the warm spring-like weather which will start on Wednesday April 8, 2009 and continuing up to the end of this week and because of spring break of all of Clayton County students, you will all that I listed on my first posting especially during the evening and night hours at Southlake Mall on Friday and Saturday before your very disbelieving eyes and much more.
Just look, see, and observe as you do your shopping or browsing at Southlake Mall at the youths, young adults, and teen-agers, what they are wearing, how they are traveling with their friends, and if they are well behaved or rowdy, disruptive, disrespectful, or inconsiderate in their use of foul language, menacing, and threatening gestures, and if they have any adult supervision around them.
Also, note if you see any security guards in the mall, or better yet, if you see the security guards that are witnessing the behaviors and actions of the rowdy and disrespectful youths, young adults, and teen-agers, see, watch, and look if they will be proactive and assertive and stop this negative behavior and action or if they will only be reactive and only stop it if a concerned patron or shopper at the mall go to them and request that they stop it.
I will state and stand by my comments and on my own observations having purchased items at Southlake Mall and have seen and witnessed first hand a very passive, non assertive, and essentially do nothing security guard force that allow such disruptive, disrespectful, and inappropriate actions, behaviors, and conduct to continue by the youths, young adults, and teen-agers especially the gang members who frequent Southlake Mall especially on the weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) and only reactively stop this behavior when a patron or shopper complains when the security guard force should stop this immediately and proactively.
Lastly, if you do not believe that their is a crime problem at Southlake Mall, all you have to do is go to the Morrow Police Department Headquarters because Southlake Mall is in the city of Morrow in Clayton County and request to see crime statistics at Southlake Mall and its surrounding areas and compare them to years before and you will see the increase in crime areas such as car break-ins, robbery, burglary, etc. for yourself.
Again, if you choose to look at Southlake Mall as a mall that caters to your shopping needs and is an okay or even a good mall in your eyes, that is your opinion, experience, viewpoint, and opinion and you are entitled to it.
If I choose to see Southlake Mall in a very different light and see it AS IT REALLY IS RIGHT NOW AT THIS PRESENT TIME AND WHAT IT HAS NOW BECOME and write about it in this posting, this is my right, but more than that, all that I have written and as I have stated in this posting can be easily verified, proven, and confirmed if you will take the time to look, see, and observed directly for yourself and check out the crime statistics at and around Southlake Mall for yourself and compare them to years past to see if it is indeed a very safe, secure, and protected mall where all kinds of people can go to shop, browse, and look safely in peace, not being concerned with rowdy, disrespectful, and unruly youths, young adults, and teen-agers who not only do not respect adult and parental authority, but do not respect nor care about the security guards present there to protect the shoppers in the mall.
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Black Woman in Clayco
April 7th, 2009
8:36 am
As the old saying goes … me thinks thou protests waaaayyyyy too much.
Crime has gone up EVERYWHERE, not just in Clayton county. NOTHING is the same as it was 10 or even 5 years ago ANYWHERE. If anybody thinks Clayton will again be that sleepy neighborhood it used to be you’re fooling yourself. These just are not the times we live in, but we can hope and pray for the community to come together to curb the problems because the chances of us getting rid of them completely are slim. By the way all teens that roam in groups in the mall or otherwise are not thugs or a threat to society, it’s called being a teenager and I never knew a perfect one.
This place is really scary sometimes and the ones committing crimes aren’t the only ones scaring me.
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The Observer
April 7th, 2009
9:49 am
Unfortunately, Southlake Mall has already seen its best days as an upscale top notch mall with upscale dining resturants such as Ruby Tuesdays which was once located at one of the mall’s entrance.
Southlake Mall is now basically an ethnic mall that caters to the majority ethnic population in Clayton County and the income base of its majority population.
Southlake Mall general manager Ms. Judy Pritchett and the Director of Public Relations of Southlake Mall’s parent company General Growth Properties Inc. Ms. Nicole Spreck comments only confirm the direction that Southlake Mall has taken in that it is a mall that only wants the young hip-hop rap listening crowd patronizing and shopping in their mall.
Southlake Mall only mirrors what has already taken place in Clayton County in terms of the businesses that have come into the county.
Until the county’s demographics change, the income level of the population of the citizens of Clayton County increases, and the socioeconomic status of the majority population of Clayton County changes, and Clayton County gets more high income earners to move into the county, we can expect more of what we are already getting in Clayton County as it relates to this county being overrun with certain types of businesses that are not appealing, attractive, and are not high end or upscale in quality.
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Michael
April 7th, 2009
11:02 am
I have only been in Southlake Mall once or twice in the past year or so. I used to take my Grandksid there to see Santa Clause and do some Christmas shopping, but, no more. Prices are outlandish, the crowds are uncontrolled, and the overall experience was a real downer.
While the roving groups of teenagers are worrysome, most are just trying to have some fun with their friends. The few who can be truly described as thugs, or gangbangers need to be dealt with before it becomes necessary to ban all teens from being there.
A little more proactive security, and doing away with the bus stop at the mall would go a long way to improve the atmosphere and experience of being at Southlake. It would also allow higher end stores to feel more comfortable bringing their inventory to the area. This would also limit the crowds somewhat to those customers who can actually afford to be shopping there. After all, if the customers have to take a bus instead of their own vehicle, they can’t afford to be shopping at any Mall.
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SD
April 7th, 2009
11:12 am
That is just the think – Brock’s search will consist of looking no further than his own rolodex and putting in place one of his puppets/buddies. They could have paid him $1.00 to make a phone call and the rest is a charade like everything else this board does to pretend like they are actually on the up-and-up.
And as far as Pam Adamson and Alieka Anderson laughing to the bank, they won’t be laughing for long. Just wait until Brock’s legal bills start rolling in. We will all have to start paying more in taxes to cover those!
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oldtimer
April 7th, 2009
1:56 pm
You do not hear of problems at the mall and never have–ever due to the city of Morrow’s attitude of reporting information to the press. Ask for police records…you can even go back 15-20 years. It has never been a pretty picture. Most malls are not!
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Marinemom
April 7th, 2009
2:00 pm
Southlake Mall has turned into Greenbriar or South DeKalb Mall. They have security, but you would never know it. Security is definitely out numbered by the teens there. I don’t mind teenagers being at the mall. There aren’t that many places for them to hang around. What I do mind is the gang like atmosphere that the mall has taken on over the past few years. The stores do not cater to the crowds they once did and that is what keeps most people away. I won’t shop there any longer. Too many other choices out there for people and if Southlake doesn’t take control over what is happening, they will end up having to close their doors.
I don’t quite understand what the blogger means by customers who have to take a bus to the mall, they can’t afford to shop there. There are all sorts of reasons why someone cannot drive and need to take a bus. You are lumping a whole group of people into the same category as malls are doing with the teenagers. I can drive myself to a mall or a store and not necessarily have the money to purchase anything, I enjoy window shopping, getting out of the house, etc.
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Time Don't Stop
April 7th, 2009
7:51 pm
To: Just Stating The Obvious And Verifiable Truth,
I am shocked that you even leave your home at all. You are that same old “The Facts are the Facts Guy”. You are “Scare” of every thing in Clayton County. You sound like the old poet when he said “Having lived a long time, I have seen plenty troubles, most of them never happened” Every thing to you is low-end, low-class and Sec-8 and downtrodden.
You are “Broad Brush Painting” and that’s another so-called politically correct to say low to no tolerance of others. REMEMBER: Pluralism= the existence of groups with different ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds within one society. Go ahead and say it-if the demographics were more like 50/50 you’d feel some comfortable, no matter the age difference.
Come on, Just Stating the Obvious and Verifiable Truth, please leave Clayton County before you have a “Heart Attack or Stroke, sound like you are REALLY stressing the small stuff. Please leave the county before your folks are sitting around eating fried chicken and potatoes salad talking about how great you were!
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Provocateur
April 7th, 2009
8:05 pm
This is 2009, “Get Over It”! As long as ATL is the Hip Hop Capital of the World the demographic of Clayton will never change. If you don’t like Southlake Mall try the other Malls say at Greenbriar Mall or South Dekalb Mall. Yea, Eastlake Mall demographic is 50/50.
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Just Stating The Obvious And Verifiable Truth
April 7th, 2009
11:12 pm
TO TIME DON’T STOP
Your posting and comments only reflect your idiotic, stupid, ignorant, and juvenile way of thinking that has no basis in truth or fact.
Be original and post your own opinions, viewpoints, observations, and experiences on the blog topic of the week and stop commenting on the postings of others.
I suggest that you use the limited and small amount of intelligence and brain power that you have and write a intelligent posting on the blog topic presented this week and stop commenting on things that you obviously have no control over which are the postings of others on this blog site.
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WTF?
April 8th, 2009
9:07 am
What does riding a bus to the mall have to do with anything? Upscale Lenox Square mall has a bus AND train stopping there and ya’ll go there every chance you get apparently.
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Peggy Sue Davis
April 8th, 2009
11:22 am
Until the demographics change, this county will continue to have BOE, BOC, and CED problems……Typical!
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Richard
April 8th, 2009
4:57 pm
CODE ENFORCEMENT
STOP RUNNING THE GOOD BUSINESS OUT OF THE COUNTY!!!!!
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Young Buck
April 8th, 2009
6:58 pm
Now the greedy are talking about banning the Mall from the youth. They greedy have already took accreditation, now this. That only leave us one last option and that to walk around all the subdivisions in the county all day and all night. Now that sounds like trouble! I guess the old greedy won’t be happy until we all disappear off the face of the earth!
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New Reader
April 8th, 2009
7:12 pm
There seems to be an element of Clayton County’s Older Society that wants the majority of the youth population of this county to leave this county. Now, who would that be?
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Clayton Resident
April 8th, 2009
8:02 pm
I’ll go to southlake for Macys, JCP, Bath & Body Works and Auntie Anne’s pretzels. Oh my kid likes Lids for hats. Even those stores sometimes carry the same hip hop like clothing as the rest of the stores in there. If one or too manhy of the stores I listed go they’ll lose this customer. I ignore the kids and do what I need to do and leave.
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Dat right
April 12th, 2009
8:49 am
Having curfew would be stoopid!!! Deez little thugs would just leave the mall to exhibit a wide array of fool behavior throughout the nearby neighborhoods!!! If we keep deez fools in da mall we can hopefully contain deez fools.
No curfool!!!!
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The Commentor
April 13th, 2009
3:43 pm
Here are my responses to your questions for citizens’ thoughts, opinions, viewpoints, and observations on your blog topic for the week:
The C-Tran bus transit system was in my opinion a mistake and a money drainer and loser from its beginning under the previous Clayton County Board Of Commissioners leadership which was championed by former Commissioner Virginia Gray and supported by Chairman C.
Crandle Bray, and Commissioners J. Charley Griswall, Commissioner Gerald Matthews and Commissioner Carl Rhodenizer in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
C-Tran was not form properly, not budgeted correctly to provide minimal cost to the citizens of Clayton County and was designed to cost the county money on the “back end” and not cost money on the “front end” as it is doing now.
C-Tran is one of the main reasons for the decline of Clayton County as it is the main mode of transportation of many of the undesirables, unsavory, and criminal element of people living in Clayton County with many from the housing projects of the city of Atlanta, Georgia who have relocated to Clayton County, mainly because of the cheap housing and apartment homes and having a means of transportation such as the C-Tran bus system.
I do not ride the C-Tran Bus System, losing C-Tran would not affect my lifestyle at all, and they need to raise the fares to pay for improvements and added costs to run the C-Tran bus system.
It is my opinion that Clayton County Tax Commissioner Terry Baskin claims are valid in that there is no reason for Clayton County to have a deficit and I feel that any deficit that Clayton County has is due to the mismanagement, misuse, and imcompetence of the county financial officials handling the money and that they need to do a full, complete, and comprehensive Forensic Audit of all the counties’ finances to determine if indeed this has occured.
It is my opinion that the firing of KPMG, Clayton County’s accounting firm who discovered these accounting deficiencies such not have occured as KPMG is a very reputable, professional, and well-established firm who could have worked with the county to correct their accounting deficiences.
Lastly, the Clayton County Public School System will gain their accreditation back, although I personally feel that their will be some form of probationary status attached to it for a small length of time before full, complete, and total accreditation without any probationary status can be achieved.
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Long time county resident
April 13th, 2009
3:46 pm
I wouldn’t miss C-Tran at all. I have wondered in the past about the financial stability of C-Tran. I have NEVER seen a full bus. I agree with the cuts in service. You can’t keep beating a dead horse.
And in regards to the Tax Commissioner’s “claim that there’s no reason for the county to have a deficit since his office collected $3 million more than last year’s budget?” Obviously his office is collecting the money, but the crooks at the county commissioners office are mis-spending it.
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Black Woman In Clayco
April 13th, 2009
3:53 pm
I wouldn’t miss C-Tran at all. Don’t know anybody who rides it so I don’t even know anybody benefitting from it, if I did maybe I’d feel different.
Two words regarding Terry Baskin’s comments: FORENSIC AUDIT.
CCPS will get its accreditation back, its not perfect but definitely better than that last group of losers who call themselves a board. At least the graduating seniors will have one less thing to worry about.
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John Stewart
April 13th, 2009
5:14 pm
C-Tran what can be said about it? Kill it, Cut it, Bury it!!!!
Another example of the bad planning of the former Commissioners that is now affecting us. If Eldrin is so concerned with ridership ask for some ridership reports from C-Tran to see what routes are the busiest. Trust me a lot of fat can be trimmed in this regards.
@ Black Woman in Clayco – I am with you 200%. FORENSIC AUDIT!!!!
@ The Commentor I agree with you the the firing of KPMG wasn’t right. You are exactly right about KPMG. This firm works with audits for Fortune 100 companies and you are going to tell me they were wrong in the accounting of the county?
2 words – FORENSIC AUDIT!!
Time to dig up the county skeletons and pull of the leeches.
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Tax Paying Non-Rider
April 13th, 2009
6:40 pm
Wholeheartedly agree that an audit is in order. It is about accountability.
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Future Shock
April 13th, 2009
7:11 pm
The funding for the C-Train will almost surpass what rails from ATL to Hampton would cost in a few years. CAN the C-Train immediately; if not sooner! Of Course the district will get accreditation by in whole or in part. The issue have never been about education, the kids or mandates! It’s alway has been about MONEY,People and Politics. Of course those people who helped revoke accreditation has cost the county plenty jobs in CCPS over 400, lower property value, Higher taxes,run businesses out of town and cost CCPS well over 23 million dollars. Good job Clandestine Society! you couldn’t predict the future, could you!
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Love Me or Leave Me
April 13th, 2009
7:20 pm
Yes, I will miss C-Tran because I use it to go to another school. We all are going to need C-Tran when our County Officials raise our taxes because our County Elected Officials have not Paid their Taxes and the County is 9 million dollars in the Red. An audit needs to be done and then you all will see that the reason the County is 9 million dollars in the red is because the last CCBOE had put a halt on the Commissioners getting money and business from the CCBOE. Get a real/true Forensic Audit not a joke like the CCBOE had from Brock. So, we better keep C-Tran and we probably will need MARTA soon when they finish clearing out the Apartments.
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Get Real or Get Back
April 13th, 2009
7:28 pm
Will CCBOE get its Accrediation back? Sure they will. They didn’t have anything to do but wait on time. Mark Elgart cannot or will not take Accrediation again because he knows that all Eyes are on him and he also understands that SACS is a Private Agency and they need to stay in existence. THE CCBOE will receive its accrediation because the Governor violated the voters of this County once which was truly Unconstitutional and they wouldn’t dare violate 9 districts voters rights. All of this has been a sham and a farce. It has really caused this County a lot of heart aches and pain but, I guess the Commissioner, Mr. Johnson, Eddie, and Erica really didn’t think it through when they mastered minded this great event. They didn’t think about the impact this would have on the county. They just wanted to get rid of a few board members and let business run as usual. So, CCBOE will receive it Accrediation because the old board is history and Thompson is out.
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Politically incorrect!
April 13th, 2009
8:16 pm
Commentor,
I agree with your post. It is not politically correct but it is the truth. Atlanta plans to close down 5 more housing projects. As Atlanta purge itself of its undesirable citizens, its school systems are winning awards, its Superintendent wins a national award. Unfortunately, Clayton, Dekalb and Soutn Fulton are paying the price for Atlanta’s awards.
Clayton needs a plan to counter the closing of these projects. Is someone willing to do the research concerning the crime statistics in the vacinity of these projects. Maybe our commissioners will see this as a public safety issue and protect the law abiding citizens that are here.
Allowing the transit system to go away is one way to counter the undesirables coming to Clayton. I think Clayton needs to follow suit with Gwinnett and petition the federal government for permission to deport illegals once they are jailed.
The one problem Clayton has to overcome is Eldrin Bell connections to Atlanta. He will never fight for Clayton in opposition to the “big wigs” in Atlanta.
Let me also add our commissioners are out of their league. Atlanta’s city council is more experience, more connected, has a long term vision for Atlanta and are professional politicians. I think about how they offered Clayton an olympic event in 1996 to distract the county as they moved its first wave of undesirables into the county. A genius move for Atlanta!
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Kimberly, Kimberly, Kimberly
April 13th, 2009
8:16 pm
Kimberly, you want us to bow down to the God of Elgart, that he may give us accreditation back? That’s about as necessary as making an animal sacrifice to the Sun God, in the hopes the sun will come up tomorrow.
The political reality is, as sure as the sun will rise, Elgart WILL restore accreditation, even if someone on the board suddenly developed some backbone and told him to stick it where the sun don’t shine. Politically speaking, he has no choice but to.
Bow down to a false god if you want to, but it won’t do a single thing to help the actual teaching conditions in ClayCo. After all, what does every other disaster of school system that participates in SACS have in common? They are ALL accredited.
It’s not about the children with SACS. It’s about bidness.
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TC
April 13th, 2009
8:28 pm
Get rid of it. We don’t need it.
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The Commentor
April 13th, 2009
11:02 pm
TO POLITICALLY INCORRECT
Thank you for your positive comments and understanding and seeing what I posted on about Clayton County’s C-Tran Bus System.
Even though some of Clayton County’s citizens who are law abiding, good, and upstanding who need the bus system to get around the county and to work or school, unfortunately it is the main mode of transportation of the transcient, undesirable, unsavory, repugnant, and criminally inclined and the criminal element population of Clayton County, many of which who come from the now closed down ghetto housing projects of Atlanta, Georgia.
There have been numerous newspaper stories and articles written in The Atlanta Journal And Constitution, The Creative Loafing Weekly Newspapers, The Sunday Paper, etc. that also state that the main reason that the city of Atlanta, Georgia crime rate went down and that their school system is achieving is mainly because of the closure and tearing down of the over 20 ghetto housing projects and the building of nice, luxurious, spacious, and clean mixed use communities and upscale housing developments while the undesirables, unsavory, and criminal element population were given Section 8 housing vouchers and sent elsewhere to live, with many of them finding their way to Clayton County to live, especially in the areas of Riverdale, College Park, and various locations throughout Tara Boulevard.
It is not surprising that where these undesirable and unsavory people are located is the area where the Clayton County C-Tran Bus System serves and has bus stop locations.
I totally agree with your posting and only hope that Clayton County’s C-Tran Bus System will not “break” the county and that its costs can be contained and lessen so that the taxpaying citizens of Clayton County will not bear the burden of the massive cost of running this bus system that the majority of its citizens do not want.
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Equipping Young Men
April 13th, 2009
11:45 pm
“Equipping Young Men for Higher Education
And Responsible Living”
Saturday, April 18, 2009 – 11:00 AM
The Perry Center- 137 Spring Street, Jonesboro, GA 30236
Georgia Law and Teenagers
Higher Education is Expected and Required
“Young men are losing opportunities for higher education, the right to vote and gainful employment because they do not know Georgia law. It is the responsibility of everyone (parents, students, school, churches, civic organizations, foundations, media and community leaders) to stop this atrocity. Young men must also be academically prepared for success and higher living in society. You are invited to be a part of a worthy initiative that we would like to replicate throughout metro America.”
For young men ages 10-17 accompanied by parent/guardian-Male adults age 18 and over also welcome
Registration is required
Call 404.396.2706 or email TwentyWomen@aol.com
Whayne Clarke, Joshua Byrd and Dabouze Antoine
CO-Chairmen
Convened by Twenty Women Dialog
Hosted by Gentlemen’s Society of the Perry Center
Sponsors
Sheriff Kem Kimbrough, Clayton County Sheriff Office
Lovejoy Middle School PTSA & Lovejoy High School PTSA
Clayton County Wide Homeowners, INC
Youth Initiative Committee and Public Safety Committee
Judge Steve Teske, Clayton County Juvenile Court
Young receive 2nd edition copy of “Ignorance Is No Defense: A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law”
Refreshments will be served
$5 Donation
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The charade begins anew
April 14th, 2009
12:41 am
Megan gets the ball rolling, with a glowing report about how well the new board is doing. She’s already been a great help, pushing aside the story of the open gang violence at Jonesboro High, and the BOE’s non response to it, with her ad nauseum reporting about the the dance team.
I guess making sure a school system is free of open gang violence doesn’t meet the level of a mandate; I guess somehow you can be focused on the children, as this report claims the BOE is, yet still be silent when documented cases of open gang violence occur. Interesting.
I’m sure next will be a glowing report of how there are no more outside influences at work in CCPS, ignoring all the while the sweetheart deal between GAE and CCPS that allows Clayton GAE President Sid Chapman to earn years in the Teachers Retirement System without having to actually teach.
One might wonder how allowing a teacher to earn years in the Teachers Retirement System is a benefit to the children of Clayton when that teacher doesn’t actually teach any of Clayton’s children, but then that would require a newspaper to be more interested in real reporting, instead of pushing a political agenda.
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R U Kidding?
April 14th, 2009
6:22 am
First, there are people who live and work in Clayton County who rely on public transportation. The buses are full in Riverdale in the morning and in the evening. These are working people who have no other choice but to rely on public transportation. As always when you have a working vehicle and are not dependent on public transportation, you don’t see the need for it. But if your ecomonic situation suddenly changed, which is possible in this economy, and you did not have reliable transportation, all of suddent CTRAN would become important to you. To save gas I use it to get to the mall and to go to work downtown, even though I don’t have to. I wish it was more like MARTA and ran all the time.
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Political Spectator
April 14th, 2009
9:04 am
I want to preface my comments with the following thought: I am not sure absent of the loss of accreditation we would have been able to rid the county of such an ignorant board of education. A majority of the board was ill equipped, corrupt, unprofessional, and simply an embarrassment.
I think that Mark Elgart seized an opportunity to piggy back on the ignorance of such a board to push his political agenda. Dr. Elgart understands first hand that stupid boards of education are not exclusive to Clayton County. He needed the public shenanigans of Clayton’s board to push his GEORGIA SCHOOL BOARD REFORM BILL. The bill would give the governor an opportunity to intervene when school boards go WILD!
The sad thing is even with the public dismantling of Clayton’s previous board, the school board reform bill FAILED in this year’s General Assembly. Dr. Elgart’s plan backfired!!! He thought that stripping Clayton’s of its accreditation would scare school districts to take preventive measures and support the school board reform bill (just call Clayton County “TOBY”).
Dr. Elgart grossly miscalculated the rest of the state! 1) He did not count on the rest of the state thinking they were better than Clayton County and 2) He did not count on local governments fighting to keep control and 3) He did not count on the rest of the state being suspicious of an outsider such as SACS delving too deeply in school operations.
We are now left to clean up the collateral damage of this political war. The collateral damage includes 3500 students leaving the county, job loss for teachers and administrators, and other staff members, and federal funds being decreased.
There is enough BLAME to go around starting with but not limited to the idiot board, the electorate, the special interest groups, and our county commissioners being in bed with developers as they over developed this county with low end homes.
To all that question the quality of instruction in Clayton County, you can not convince me that APS, south Fulton, Dekalb, south Cobb, Gwinnett, Meriwether County, Griffin-Spalding, Troup county, south Georgia schools, mountain schools to name a few have highly superior instructional techniques than Clayton County. Give me a break!
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WTF?
April 14th, 2009
9:29 am
I must agree with the above poster who said we wouldn’t have gotten rid of the last board without Elgart’s “assistance” (using that term VERY loosely). Those last four board members absolutely refused to leave office even though it was obvious to everyone and their mama that their presence wasn’t helping, but hurting. Then they hired Thompson to put a final nail in CCPS coffin. I blame those four in particular for the accreditation loss. Had they just “woman-ed up” resigned and put their pride aside for the betterment of CCPS, we may not have lost accreditation, Sonny would not have had to remove them and the rest of the state would have one less thing to laugh at us about. Yeah we’d still and still do have plenty of problems to discuss in CCPS but accreditation would not be one of them.
As far as C-Tran goes, get rid of it. Those bus stops look like small junk yards most of the time garbage all around, shopping carts lingering nearby, God only knows why. I agree with Kim those Tara blvd. buses are 99.99% empty 99.99% of the time. If Riverdale’s buses are so full, keep those & let them all move there at least the rest of the county’ll have a shot at being a decent place and the rest of us will know where NOT to go.
I would say the commissioners should do a forensic audit but why bother? They’ll never agree to that it’d expose all the corrupt stuff going on aand keep them from lining their own pockets, Eldrin in particular. Whoever said that he will NEVER fully work on behalf of Clayton because of his ties to Atlanta was spot on. I hope you all remember that come the next time we vote for commission chair cuz Eldrin’s loyalties lie firmly with the CITY OF ATLANTA.
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Equipping Young Men
April 14th, 2009
10:29 am
“Equipping Young Men for Higher Education
And Responsible Living”
Saturday, April 18, 2009 – 11:00 AM
The Perry Center- 137 Spring Street, Jonesboro, GA 30236
Georgia Law and Teenagers
Higher Education is Expected and Required
“Young men are losing opportunities for higher education, the right to vote and gainful employment because they do not know Georgia law. It is the responsibility of everyone (parents, students, school, churches, civic organizations, foundations, media and community leaders) to stop this atrocity. Young men must also be academically prepared for success and higher living in society. You are invited to be a part of a worthy initiative that we would like to replicate throughout metro America.”
For young men ages 10-17 accompanied by parent/guardian-Male adults age 18 and over also welcome
Registration is required
Call 404.396.2706 or email TwentyWomen@aol.com
Whayne Clarke, Joshua Byrd and Dabouze Antoine
CO-Chairmen
Convened by Twenty Women Dialog
Hosted by Gentlemen’s Society of the Perry Center
Sponsors
Sheriff Kem Kimbrough, Clayton County Sheriff Office
Lovejoy Middle School PTSA & Lovejoy High School PTSA
Clayton County Wide Homeowners, INC
Youth Initiative Committee and Public Safety Committee
Judge Steve Teske, Clayton County Juvenile Court
Young receive 2nd edition copy of “Ignorance Is No Defense: A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law”
Refreshments will be served
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kallen
April 14th, 2009
10:37 am
I have been asked to share with you this quote from Terry Baskin in response to the above-referenced AJC article:
I submit this email response to the April 7 article in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. I felt that I was definitely misquoted in this article as stating “The money is there. So I’d like to know where the money went,” It continued by stating “The taxes I collected would cover the (annual) $168 million budget.” This is a gross misrepresentation of both my office and me. It is impossible to collect 92 percent of the 2008 digest and equate that with the budget at $168 million dollars. I wouldn’t make a statement in that fashion. I would like this information to be read in public and clearly understood that I am not in no form or fashion acquitting anyone of negligence or of any malfeasance.
Sincerely,
Terry L. Baskin
Tax Commissioner
Clayton County, Georgia
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The Wise One
April 14th, 2009
11:10 am
The Board acted responsibly last night, the only issue now is to distance themselves from attorneys Glenn Brock and Steve Fincher. In deciding on supplemental attorneys, Mary Baker should recuse herself if Fincher’s firm is being considered. She was one of his flunkies on the board. We cannot make mistakes now-we are too close to securing accreditation again. DO THE RIGHT THING,MARY BAKER!
Someone should do an open records’ request on Fincher’s firm to see how much money has to do with his love of our Clayton County children.
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Melanie Lee
April 14th, 2009
12:23 pm
FORENSIC AUDIT!
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Sunshine
April 14th, 2009
1:01 pm
So Mr. Baskin,
What exactly are the facts? How much money has your office collected and when does your fiscal year end? I think that the commissioners should have a special meeting to explain this mess. It seems that
Eldrin doesn’t have a clue and the rest are silent.
Let’s see who will take a leadership role to address this issue.
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I'm Tired of it!
April 14th, 2009
3:50 pm
You all don’t have a clue. All of this was done to protect the Finance Director’s butt! Even the so-called comments from Mr. Baskin. Wade and others have been protecting her for a very long time and I feel that its time they all came clean about it. Wade is married and so is she but you ought to know that something isn’t right with those two and she’s one of his puppets. A very close puppet I might add. Do the math people!
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Clayton Resident
April 14th, 2009
7:39 pm
For the first time in who knows how long I looked to see how many people were riding the C-tran bus going down Tara around 6:30ish and the only person I saw on there was the bus driver!
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Stevie Wonder
April 14th, 2009
9:54 pm
To: WTF,
You’re one of three people in Georgia and America to beleive that last four board member are the reason for accreditation boy! everybody and their mama in our community which is (90%) of Clayton County knows this issue is and has been all about whites and money! This new board errored the same or more than the old board. However, Elgart’s hands are tied, He MUST reinstate or ELSE. The only reason Clayton will get accreditation is because a certain percentage of CCPS money has been GIVEN to that Clayton’s Klandestine Society. While some kids in CCPS stil done have TEXT BOOKS! You and your people have the power of the MEDIA, but we still won’t vote for you!
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ThirdEye Blindfond
April 14th, 2009
11:47 pm
If you don’t believe there was a radical Clandestine Society behind the ridding the Clayton’s Final Four former CCBOE members, “You won’t believe there’s radical Klandestine Society exploring and plotting an effort against President Obama! Many Recall Efforts were taken against Final Four former CCBOE members, All Failed! This act was correct and legal; however, a governor’s removal was/is unconstitutional! These actions by the Governor, “Disenfranchised”
Voters of those districts-no matter how short the time, voters were “disenfranchised,” which resulted in a majority/minority disenfranchised unaccredited community of people in Clayton. This was all organized and sponsored by the same people; you know who they are!
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WTF?
April 15th, 2009
9:12 am
To Stevie Wonder
You really are blind! LOL! I’m a female not a male and I’m black not white. Sorry to disappoint. I stand by my original post and concede that a whole lot of this going back to the Final Four and the last board in general as well as accreditation loss and getting it back is all about whites and money. I haven’t seen any where near the same mistakes made by this board as the last but guess if we give them enough time that’ll happen.
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Lovejoy resident
April 15th, 2009
9:43 am
I will say a prayer for CCPS and the kids. Prayer changes things.
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Mark
April 15th, 2009
11:19 am
I hear a lot of Wade Starr. Is he is charge of the county and the mess that it is now in? Is he the person who is protecting the mess in the Finance Department?
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BB
April 15th, 2009
11:33 am
to – the wise one – Dr Glenn DoWell, it has been a while – you still mad about that 8%. Still attacking – making up accusations with no proof. Why? Cause you can. After looking into this little diatribe – there simply is no connection there. Hey – how is JT – have not hear from him lately either.
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bell
April 15th, 2009
11:49 am
wade is very competent. the most competent person in county government in clayton county. mark, don’t listen to all the rumors on wade or on anyone. people are jealous by nature. haters.
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Just a Young Guy riding the Bus
April 15th, 2009
12:10 pm
Why get rid of C-tran it gets people around. and for the people that see the Tara Blvd bus empty on tara blvd thats because that is the end of the line and that means that the bus has dropped most people off. If you ever go to the airport you will see that, that bus is packed 15 out of its 19 trips a day, and did you guys read about the board meeting where the buses were packed all times of the day?
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raja
April 15th, 2009
12:34 pm
Just a Young Guy riding the Bus
If the county is losing money on C-Tran, how can you justify keeping it. I think the citizen should have voted on C-tran coming to this county. I don’t use c-tran so I don’t want to pay for it.
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Lovejoy resident
April 15th, 2009
4:28 pm
Well if what you say is right, then let the bus line stop wherever the most people get off because it’s obvious a bus is not needed going down Tara Blvd. Don’t think I”ve ever seen more than 5 people on it at at time including the driver. What’s said at the board meeting and what actually happens are different things and based on what I see that bus costs more to run than its makes.
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Mr. Magoo
April 15th, 2009
4:33 pm
All the clayco racial BS aside, Why would anyone consider removing C Tran? Gridlock is at capacity, The clowns at the Gold Dome can’t /fix the traffic problem and as the economy continue to recover after 8 years of being ambushed, the road will only hold more traffic! Look long term and start planning now. Public transportation is responsible, good by the environment and eventually cost effective.
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RubricInEcuador
April 15th, 2009
6:04 pm
Hey, Guys, I’m in Ecuador and trying to found out if Mark Elgart has descended yet from Mt. Alpharetta (ala Zeus) and granted the peasants of Clayton County the crumbs of accreditation (probationary status). Please keep me informed on this site.
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TAX TIME
April 15th, 2009
6:47 pm
Let the Elgart “Charade” begins, accreditation will magically reappear! I wonder if Elgart can magically restore the lost property value, high foreclosure rate, 3500 families that left, 300-400 teachers who loss jobs and over 23 million dollars of lost revenue for the county? However, he’s not worried about he’s at the Capital Tax Tea Party with the rest of the rich folk making over $250,000 crying about taxes!
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Claudio
April 15th, 2009
9:02 pm
I personally will not miss C-Tran. I am currently in Brazil for a while, but when I am in Clayton County, I have a car. Personally, my thoughts on Terry Baskins is that he is honest and a good man. I like him.
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Space Case
April 15th, 2009
9:53 pm
Accreditation loss is only a tool used by the Rich Klandestine Society to “Disenfranchised” the poor uneducated darker working class folk
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Mind Reader
April 15th, 2009
10:12 pm
Of Course, the schools will get accreditation back! Overwhelming evidence that the accreditation heist was a hoax! New CCBOE held illegal meetings, unethical behaviors, No-Bid Contracts, all members of CCBOE went San Diego costing an 18,500,all reported in the local paper. Run Thompson off with two months left costing over $100,000, run Julie Lewis off costing over $90,000. After all that, we will magically get accreditation back. The only losers were the 3500 children and parents who left the district and 300-400 teachers lost jobs and the 23 million it cost the district. We’ll only receive partial accreditation; full will be reinstated after we hire a white superintendent!
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Getting the heck out of clayton
April 16th, 2009
12:03 am
I truly enjoyed reading the comments posted. Some are fill with fear, prejudice and ignorance. But it is their truth (the person who is commenting). I do not shop or go to South Lake Mall. Unfortunately, it does not cater to me, therefore, why patronize a place that does not offer the stores that I enjoy shopping in. But as for a curfew, why stop at the mall? Why not put a curfew county-wide?
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Osvaldo
April 17th, 2009
12:25 am
Most of the world does not even know that there exist a Clayton County or an arrogant Mark Elgart. But, below the Equator, we are pulling for our heroin, Sister Alieka! Give’em h_ll, Alieka, give’em h_ll! And the tan lines get better and better down here in Brasillllllllllllll.
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Peggy Sue Davis
April 17th, 2009
1:52 pm
Show me the money!!!
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Politically incorrect!
April 17th, 2009
7:54 pm
Gwinnett County made national news about its Mexican drug trade and crime. It is surprising I do NOT read the fear of going into Gwinnett county Do you still think Clayton is the worst county in the metro area? Give me a break!
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I'll Pray, Kimberly
April 17th, 2009
8:35 pm
I read this blog regularly as I have a vested interest in the success of CCPS and ClayCo. This is my first time commenting. I assume that the vast majority of us live in Clayton County and hopefully we are some of the people who care enough to follow the news and stay involved. It seems, though, that many of you want to see CCPS get its accreditation back so you can feel smug about your conspiracy theories. I’m not even saying that you are necessarily wrong about some of what you say, but the anger that you say it with is too much. It is important to approach things with a HEALTHY suspicion, but if you want something to succeed (like CCPS and its BOE) YOU have to work at it, support it, and put effort into it. So, if you’re a parent – volunteer, etc., a student – study, behave, etc., a teacher – stay up-to-date, in touch with parents, etc., and so on.
Also, I do believe that it was absolutely unethical for Dr. Elgart to use his power and use Clayton County as a scapegoat to help pass his School Board Reform Bill, and I believe that the bill did not pass because the bill included not only the right of the State Board to oversee local boards, but also the violation of many personal rights. The bill was ridiculous and shouldn’t have passed and revoking our accreditation was a lame hail-Mary pass that didn’t have anything to do with race or money, but only politics and personal gain for Dr. Elgart and Sonny Perdue.
But that’s just my $.02.
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Ain't that sumthin!
April 18th, 2009
12:42 pm
Since they’re going bankrupt they can’t AFFORD to do anything about the problems at Southlake mall! No wonder the general manager don’t care!
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2009/04/16/gengrowth_0417.html%3Fimw%3DY
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CRISIS POINT
April 18th, 2009
1:00 pm
To CLayton’s Black Politicians
Addressing the root causes of racism in and of itself is controversial, and it cannot be done without offending someone’s sensibilities. Whether its ugly shadow of the past cast upon the beneficiaries of injustice or the need of history’s victims to accept the responsibility “to see the light and to walk therein”, both must show the courage to discuss painful realities head-on and without preconditions.
Internalized yet false beliefs of Black inferiority, which in turn fuel false assumption of White superiority, inflict a damaging self-perception of inherent failure and mediocrity upon its adherents. As the “arrogance of power” feeds upon the ignorance of self-nullification, the resulting product is a society where truth becomes falsehood, vision becomes blindness and strength becomes weakness.
At their worse the symbiosis between hubris and nihilism becomes the catalyst of Clayton County’s undoing and as such, the foundation of the community and its institutions are comprised.
As with President Barack Obama rising to become leader of the so-called “Free World” people of color defeat the stereotype of racial inferiority through the exercise of personal excellence. Through study, growth and application, the myth of white superiority is shattered as obstacles to overcome, low expectations become high and contributions are made toward the onward march toward equality.
For Black folk in particular, now is the time to start listening to those in our midst who have proven their record of success. Those who have established systematic methods toward the instilling of pride, the “knowledge of self” and self-worth, have truly shown the world another side of the Black man and woman.
It’s too late in the game to allow the mind of black inferiority to undermine our progress. For the sake of our children and our future generations, it is time to rise, shake off the dust and display the excellence that has been locked inside us for far too long.
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TUESDAY VANDY GIRL
April 19th, 2009
3:56 am
I appreciate clayton absorbing all the section-8 ex-ghetto dwellers during the early 2000’s..it kept them out of other suburban areas..sucks for you guys, but thanks none the less
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Melanie Lee
April 19th, 2009
7:02 pm
LOL, more bull from CP….
Listen, no one cares! Stop the violence, clean your neighborhoods, stop the abuse of controlled substances, stop the thuggery, stop the illegitimacy and one can become a success! Certain people fail due to POOR PERSONAL CHOICES that have nothing (zilch, nada!) to due with so-called racism.
P.S. Leave Obama alone! Just follow his example (education, career, marriage, parenting)….LOL! Personal responsibility=achievement.
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Just a Young Guy riding the Bus
April 20th, 2009
10:17 am
Ignorance of the Law is no defense is so true. Thats why I choose not to break laws
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Clayton Resident
April 20th, 2009
11:35 am
I have a hard time feeling sorry for these kids. Most of them know what they do is wrong and just don’t care because it’s cooler to do wrong then right. Sounds like this should be a required text in juvenille detention centers although it may already be too late by then or in middle schools so kids can get a heads up before they do something stupid.
and “sexting”? Are kids really doing this? Thank God my kids are grown and I don’t have to deal with that mess.
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Peggy Sue Davis
April 20th, 2009
11:57 am
Good job young guy! I bet you are successful in life. You’re right – no one should have to tell you that brazen felonies are just plain WRONG!
Why is this even a topic? Oh yeah, some of our people just want any excuse to rail against society, the ’system’, racism, ‘da man’, the prison industrial complex, yada, yada, yada, LOL! Hmm, I’ve never spent any time in jail or with the judicial system. Now, why is that? Oh yeah, I lead a MORAL life and WORK for things I want/need! NO EXCUSES!
LOL! JTM needs to talk about being a good parent instead! It’s a PARENT’S JOB to instill a moral education in a child. Off and away to jail for those who commit heinous acts… NO EXCUSES!
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The Wise One
April 20th, 2009
1:22 pm
Clayton County lost a great community leader this week end. Terrell Starr made his mark on Clayton County. He will be sadly missed by the county. He was a State Senator and ended his career as President Pro Tem of the Senate.
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Ignorance abounds
April 20th, 2009
5:59 pm
Speaking of ignorance, can you believe there are still people questioning whether or not SACS yanking accreditation was political? That there are still people who think that SACS is in it stricly “for the children” despite the fact that SACS has accredited every other system in their domain, now matter how much they completely and totally fail to educate the students in those systems.
Just how many people are that politically naive, that ignorant and uneducated when it comes to how “bidness” works in education?
I guess ignorance has its blessings; these people will be genuinely surprised, and overjoyed when the BOE “earns” accreditation back.
I guess they will be equally surprised when SACS accredits the Sun as being in the center of the solar system.
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Mean, angry, hateful adults
April 20th, 2009
7:08 pm
I am glad that my children are grown because the environment for young people in Clayton County is very hostile. The parents, schools, churches and communities have failed our children miserably and continue everyday. I know people say oh it is happening everywhere, but here in Clayton County we have done a great job of destroying our students confidence and self-esteem. Just reading your blog Kim the anger and hatred comes out toward young people.
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Melanie Lee
April 20th, 2009
8:41 pm
Hmm, young people need a $15 book to tell them that murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and armed robbery with a firearm are all crimes (i.e. W-R-O-N-G)?
LOL!
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Hoopmom
April 20th, 2009
11:20 pm
I think the book is a good idea. Too many kids think that they can commit heinous crimes and get off with a “slap on the wrist” because they’re a minor. They may be more likely to think twice about what they’re about to do if they know they can be sentenced just as an 18 year old can.
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Real Is Real In GA
April 21st, 2009
5:48 pm
You mentioned Genarlow Wilson’s case, as in any case in Georgia. Georgia laws are made to imprison blacks; whites will never go to jail for these type crimes. Black kids will be the only folk jailed for sexting! Facts are facts, check the statistics. Just like it was absolutely unethical for Dr. Elgart to use his power and use Clayton County School System as a scapegoat to help pass his School Board Reform Bill; that failed. Whites will superimpose themselves upon all blacks, if the blacks are weak just like Clayton County’s Delegation that sold accreditation to Sonny for a nickel. Then all of them got busted out on TV for unethical tax delinquency. What Losers! They don’t know their free yet!
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Media Play
April 21st, 2009
5:49 pm
OK, here comes those days of media silence before that glorious day of accreditation reinstatement! OK, Hooray, ahead of time!
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Where is the AJC?
April 21st, 2009
8:05 pm
Where is the AJC when it comes to asking Mark Elgart why SACS has accredited every other school system in their domain, regardless of how poor its performance? Where is the AJC to ask how much SACS makes per year accrediting school systems, system that other than Clayton, get the SACS seal of approval no matter how dreadful their performance?
Where is the AJC when it comes to asking SACS, if they are so concerned about outside influences, why haven’t they commented on the sweetheart deal that allows a union head to earn years in the Teachers Retirement System without having to actually teach? Should a union figure head who doesn’t teach a single day be earning the same retirement as a teacher on the front lines each and every day?
The answer of course is they are nowhere to be found, because they are more interested in agenda than journalism. That’s why you already know the editorial board will praise the BOE for “earning” accreditation back, even when from the very beginning, any one with any willingness to look at the issue honestly and with any common sense would tell you accreditation will be restored.
But despite the fact that Clayton has been told from the beginning, there are still people out there who chose to be ignorant, and actually think the BOE won’t “earn” accreditation.
Given that they chose to be willfully ignorant, one can say they get the school system they deserve; and given that the AJC chooses to put aside real reporting for corporate cheerleading, one can say that the AJC is truly, truly, getting the drop in revenue they deserve.
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kevin
April 22nd, 2009
8:11 am
real, sounds like you see white hoods around every corner
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another point of view
April 22nd, 2009
9:07 am
Sounds like a lot of self-righteous proclamations from people who obviously never made mistakes and had children who were also perfect. Not many people realize that young adults can be labeled sex offenders for life, by required listing on a public registry, and spend grossly exaggerated sentences in jail for “crimes” like consensually talking on the internet with an almost 16 year old about sex — even if they never meet, never do anything about it. In many cases, the sentence is longer than it would be for assault. The young person’s life is ruined for their mistaken ignorance, regardless if they have lived a model life before, and life a model life after their crime. Is that what you are advocating? You cannot lump everyone who breaks the law into one large “stick them in jail and forget about them” category. The money would be much better spent on education.
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Mean, angry, hateful adults
April 22nd, 2009
4:38 pm
Thank you and ditto to another point o f view.
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Clandestine Neuroscientist
April 22nd, 2009
6:02 pm
Caveats before you’re beset with stimuli that will over produce dopamine about accreditation restoration. Remember these are the same individuals that produced your distress when they practiced anti-pluralistic tendencies with your children livelihoods, disrupted your children continuity with displaced friends, belittled community, lowered your property value, skyrocketed property taxes, took your school’s certification, pilfered over $23 million educational dollars, caused 300-400 teacher job losses.
All this in the name of white power, total intolerance and greed over the downtrodden darker folk! What did you as a county “Gain”? More Cost! Three more additional bills one for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission and now an overpriced law firm.
That’s three bills you didn’t have before! Aleika, “Fiscal Responsibility” Dictates that the County “rid itself” of this “Wasteful Spending”, look at it this way! No other 158 counties in Georgia have them, get it? Oh, I forget! You’re a “Puppet” I see that hand up your back! Let me talk to someone with “Brain connected to their spine. Hey, Jesse!
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Optimistic
April 22nd, 2009
10:26 pm
Some people must be extremely careful! Did you know, you can be jailed in Georgia for (DWB) driving while black, which leads to unlawful search and seizure, its called racial profiling! Clayton County as in most urban counties in America fails itself. Schools that fail to educate Black children are the prevailing reality in Black, poor and working class neighborhoods, creating a pipeline to an exploding prison-jail industrial complex where the dominant complexion of the prisoners is black and brown. That these debilitating conditions persist for large numbers of Blacks in the 21st Century clearly indicates that the “colorline” of institutional/structural racism remains a roadblock to “freedom” particularly for black working class and poor people.
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Shay
April 23rd, 2009
10:40 am
AMEN Optimistic!!!
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Total Nonsense
April 24th, 2009
10:51 am
You’re right! “Ignorance Is No Defense, A Guide to Georgia Law” Ellipsis! I hope you students of the laws learned how crooks of Georgia Law took your accreditation to serve political purposes, in an effort to try to chance a community’s way of voting and choosing party affiliations. They didn’t care about your feeling or education. However, they’ll all be standing around next week patting themselves on the back for accreditation inrestatement. What Losers!
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Mike
April 24th, 2009
12:31 pm
Shouldn’t the remarks about Terry Baskin be removed, since an editor called him back about the comments and Terry explained to him what was actually said, not what was reported. Their is no logical explanation for the alleged quote, and I know Terry enought to know he would have not have said anything that was obviously illogical. Tax collections percentages do not have anything to do with the CCBOC being over budget or not having a handle on budget issues.
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Fiscal Discipline & Sound Decison
April 24th, 2009
12:53 pm
Bare Bones Budget! Huh,CCBOE! Aleika, “Fiscal Responsibility” Dictates that the County “rid itself” of this “Wasteful Spending”, look at it this way! No other 158 counties in Georgia have this waste! Unload all that “Wasteful Spending” for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission and now an overpriced law firm. That MONEY that could be well spent on the Children, instead of white over inflated egoes! Come on, the “Public’s Watching”!!!!
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tameela
April 25th, 2009
5:25 pm
It is very sad what our children are going through these days. There are more children been tossed to the corrupted system than ever!!! Who can we blame? Most of you all would say PARENTS! Yes, they have a responsibility. However, I think it would be SOCIETY! If you look on tv and everywhere else, you would see that society places a big part in shaping our children future. You can’t even see descent things on tv not even in the news. The news are worst than talk shows (GOSSIP). They never show anything positive!!! If a child breaks a law, we simply throw him in jail instead of getting that child some serious help. Those people who are prosecuting these children do not know the development stage of children and adolscents. You may have a 13 year who looked mature, but underneath all of that he may sit be mentally the age of a 6 years old. A six year old child will only mimic what they see on tv, in the news, in their neighborhood, what they hear, and etc (rather good or bad). Guess who are been labeled as criminals at that age? OUR YOUNG BLACK MALES!! They are the target especially in a predominant white neighborhoods because for some reason the fear all black men even young boys. They are the target!!! My son! Your son! This is sad! Take a look at the youth detention centers and prisons and see how many young males (Black/hispanic) are locked away for 20 years for simple crime. After while, there will be no black men. Therefore, the black race will become extinct. That is the way they want it to be? They look at a third grade test scores to determnine how many jails and detention centered need to be built (selfulling prophency) Who to blame? Yes, some on poor parenting, but most society. Parents are working two jobs just to keep food on the top. I think they want to do more, but inowadays paying the rent/mortgage ,keeping the lights on,and providing food on the table are the most important thing! We as a whole need to step back and ask ourselves what did we do different back in the days before chilren strated commiting such terrible crimes/killing themselves like now? Is it society? parenting? schools? policemen? judicial system? media (exposing crime of minor on tv)? What is it?
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Melanie Lee
April 25th, 2009
7:20 pm
If one is not prepared to be a PARENT (a FULL-TIME JOB) one should NOT CHOOSE to have children. Until a child is 18-21 years of age, the PARENTS are RESPONSIBLE. No, it doesn’t take a village or society to raise the young, it takes TWO PARENTS committed to put their children first, in that they monitor, prepare, feed, clothe, educate, and manage their child/ren!
If one is not prepared to be fully engaged in their child’s life, until adulthood – DO NOT HAVE KIDS!!! EVERBODY HAS A CHOICE TO BE A PARENT OR NOT (unless one is a crime victim, taken advanged of, etc), so be smart and choose wisely. Parenting is not for the week, irreponsible, or uninvolved! It takes a strong MAN and WOMAN to be a PARENT! Choose wisely!
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TC
April 25th, 2009
8:47 pm
Blame whitey for everything, and you will remain poor and uneducated for the rest of your worthless lives.
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Words
April 26th, 2009
12:25 am
AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN INFORMATION AND FACT SHEET 2009
Ironically, even as an African American man holds the highest office in the country, African Americans remain twice as likely as whites to be unemployed, three times more likely to live in poverty and more than six times as likely to be incarcerated.
There are more Black men in prisons and jails in the United States (about 1.1 million) than there are incarcerated in the rest of the world combined. This criminalization process now starts in elementary schools with Black male children as young as six and seven years old being arrested in staggering numbers according to a 2005 report, Education on Lockdown by the Advancement Project.
In a strange and perverse way, the Black community, itself has started to wage a kind of war against young Black men and has become a part of this destructive process.
Sadly, the Black Church, the only institution in the black community where Black people truly lead, remains silent and some church leaders have unwittingly formed unhealthy alliances with those who seek to demonize and incarcerate our youth for profit.
The school to prison pipeline via the church and community is thriving and dooming many young black men to a life of incarceration. Voting rights, gainful employment and educational opportunities become overwhelming challenges after incarceration. As a result the black community suffers spiritually, economically and socially.
Research has shown that imprisonment the most severe sanction along the justice continuum (arrest, conviction and incarceration) is an expensive and ineffective strategy to address nonviolent drug offenders. A number of states have saved resources after developing alternative sentencing options.
Data also show that African American children, who are 16 percent of the youth population, experience a cumulative disadvantage as they permeate the criminal justice continuum.
• 28% of juvenile arrests
• 30% of referrals to juvenile court
• 37% of the detained population
• 34% of youth formally processed by the juvenile court
• 30% of adjudicated youth
• 35% of youth judicially waived to adult criminal court
• 38% of youth in residential placement
• 58% of youth admitted to stat adult prison
Solutions
Short Term
1. Teach all Black boys to read at grade level by the third grade and to embrace education
2. Provide positive role models for Black boys
3. Create a stable home environment for Black boys that include contact with their fathers.
4. Ensure that Black boys have a strong spiritual base.
5. Control the negative media influences on Black boys.
6. Teach Black boys to respect all girls and women.
Solutions
Long Term
1. Invest as much money in educating Black boys as in locking up Black men.
2. Help connect Black boys to a positive vision of themselves in the future.
3. Create high expectations and help Black boys live into those high influences.
4. Build a positive peer culture for Black boys.
5. Teach Black boys self-discipline, culture and history.
6. Teach Black boys and the communities in which they live to embrace education and lifelong learning.
7. Teach Black boys that going to jail or prison is not a rites of passage or band of honor.
Parental Involvement
The lack of parental involvement is the main reason the educational system is allowed to be in such disarray. The significance of neighborhood activism and parental involvement with the education of youths cannot be emphasized enough. Many parents say that they do not have time but whether they know it or not, they will pay for it one way or another.
Sources –
An NAACP White Paper – Year One: Toward Safe Communities, Good Schools and a Fair Chance for all Americans – 2009
National Urban League – The State of Black America: Message to the President 2009
The Black Star Project – America has lost a generation of Black boys: It is not that we lack solutions as much as it is that we lack the will to implement these solutions.
The Atlanta Voice – School To Prison Pipeline – April 10-16, 2009
Document compiled by Twenty Women Dialogue – April 18, 2009
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Fiscal Responsibility
April 26th, 2009
12:24 pm
The $25 million in federal stimulus money “Over The Next Two Years”, U.S. Rep. David Scott announced for the Clayton’s School System will not cover the $23 million the School System will loss “Every Year”. These additional funds Scott announced would have been a great addition to existing funds had Elgart and Clayton’s Rich had not revoked accreditation. This still lets the district $21 million short over the “Two Year Period”. Wow! This surely was a costly white political power move for the ailing black district!
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Rocsi
April 27th, 2009
6:03 pm
C-Tran is not needed in Clayton County. It has contributed to the decline of the county. The city of Atlanta should have built new apartments for their citizens instead of sending them to Clayton County to destroy the suburban towns. Ten years ago, the CCPS system was still a decent system. Now teachers serve as prison guards minus protection. The principals are afraid of the children and the parents. Teachers are not supported, yet administrators wear you down with threats of what will happen if your class does not do well on the test. Well, what accountability and standards are principals held to? Do they receive merit pay for the hard work that teachers do? Principals in Clayton are good for one thing- giving directives and doing absolutely nothing. Teachers can run the schools better than the so-called principals.
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This is Great
April 27th, 2009
9:29 pm
This is Great! However the jobs are probably a result of Obama’s Stimilus Package. I hope the crooks handling this money are on the straight and narrow or they will suffer the conquenses! Clayton’s Greedy won’t give the children anything!
Happy Holiday, Cinco De Mayo will be “Accreditation Restoration”! That’s a given! Like they are giving the black children something!!! Where’s the $23 million and the 300-400 teacher jobs, lower property value, skyrocketing propery taxes, you cost the School district?
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Mom of Stroke survivor
April 28th, 2009
6:32 am
Did you know that a baby could have a stroke? My son had a stroke before he was born with no known reason why. Please visit http://www.firstgiving.com/diananicholson to view his story and make a tax deductible contribution. We are trying to increase doctor’s knowledge regarding this condition. Thank you for you help.
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Sgt Rock
April 28th, 2009
9:56 am
Teens working are an important part of growing into adulthood. Be it working with Hearts to Nourish Hope, the local fast food restaurant, being a lifeguard, working with the elderly or starting a lawn care business mowing grass in the neighborhood, work provides many important life lessons. All teens should be encouraged to seek work.
Work basics become lifelong lessons. That includes showing up on time, providing an honest days work for an honest days pay, entrepreneurial spirit and call to action, learning or teaching a new skill set, or being a mentor or protégé’ to others. All these valuable skills teach a set of habits that provide a fulfilling and rewarding life and lifestyle that should be applauded.
It does no child any good to be coddled. Being indulgent to a child teaches sloth, laziness and indolence. The struggle for work provides value, self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment and self-worth that promotes responsibility to self and community. Even a young child can do simple household chores that lead to participating in the family and in a small way, allow them to feel a valued member of the family team through their contribution.
A great program offered and should be considered is Americorps. Details found a http://www.americorps.gov allows teens, adults and seniors the opportunity to serve community all the while being compensated in various ways be it banking college tuition, hourly wages, assistance with Student Loans or learning valuable life skills such as teamwork, communications and responsibility.
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Win Win
April 28th, 2009
10:37 am
Maybe some members of the mock trial team could be hired to teach the BOE how to follow Robert’s Rules of Order, so they would no longer need an $80,000 a year babysitter to tell them when to say please and thank you.
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Summer Learning Opportunity
April 28th, 2009
2:17 pm
SUMMER SCIENCE ACADEMY 2009
WHAT: Summer Enrichment Program for high school students
(9th- 12th grades)*
WHEN: June 1st – July 10th (Currently offering three sessions)
WHERE: Emory University Campus
WHY: The Summer Science Academy was created in order to provide high school students the opportunity to develop a better understanding and appreciation of science. Students are exposed to an educational environment that nurturing, motivating, challenging and fun!
For more information and to obtain registration materials, please log onto our website at
http://www.med.emory.edu/summercamps
If you need additional information please contact the
Emory University School of Medicine, Office of Multicultural Medical Student Affairs at 404-727-0016
*Students are registered on a first come, first serve basis.
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Economically Thinking
April 28th, 2009
7:02 pm
The jobs are a godspend! Please save MONEY! Lee received a one-year, $187,000 contract from the school board to lead the school system until a permanent school chief is hired, said board Chairperson Alieka. “We’re trying to be “frugal said Alieka. CCBOE, frugal means prudent, thrifty, economical, penny-wise. parsimonious stingy, penny-pinching. “Fiscal Responsibility” Dictates that the CCBOE “rid itself” of this “Wasteful Spending”, No other 158 counties in Georgia have this kind of waste! Unload all that “Wasteful Spending” for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission, the Forty-Niners and now an overpriced law firm. That MONEY that could be well spent on the Children, instead of white over inflated egos! Come on, the “Public’s Watching”!!!!
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junior
April 28th, 2009
8:44 pm
US Rep david Scott’s announcement was nothing but a black political power move. He is kept in power by uneducated blacks, whom he courts with health fairs, etc. He was named the most crooked politician in congress a couple years ago. Who would vote for a crook?
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Clayton Resident
April 29th, 2009
9:01 am
This is great for our kids, thanks for letting us know!
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Politically Thinking
April 29th, 2009
11:14 pm
I told you earlier! Happy Holiday, Cinco De Mayo (May 1) will be “Accreditation Restoration”! That’s a given! Like the whites are giving the black children something!!! Accreditation was only stolen goods, noone had to work for anything especially the BOE! Political Hogwash! Where’s the $23 million and the 300-400 teacher jobs, lower property value, skyrocketing propery taxes, you cost the School district? Now the whole voting public have witnessed this Bigotry!
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Peggy Sue Davis
April 30th, 2009
9:42 am
Who cares?
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The Wise One
April 30th, 2009
10:00 am
We will hopefully, regain accreditation by tomorrow. History will show that residents were “snowballed” concerning the loss of accreditation. It is amazing to me that we will be thankful for regaining something that we never should have lost in the first place.
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Words
April 30th, 2009
1:35 pm
I care.
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Our Youth, Our Future, Our Responsibility
April 30th, 2009
3:29 pm
Clayton County Residents
Summer Jobs for youth ages 14-24.
Applications and Interviews for summer jobs
Where- Morrow City Hall- Community Room 1500 Morrow Road, Morrow GA 30260
When – Thursday, May 7, 2009 – 3pm-8pm
Who – Sponsored by Clayton County Wide Homeowners, Inc. 404.396.2706.
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Peggy Sue Davis
April 30th, 2009
3:54 pm
Clayton BOE member charged with battery the day before SCAS verdict.
How low can we go….?
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WTF?
April 30th, 2009
5:45 pm
This board member should step down or be recalled! What an embarrasment! Is it me or is it always something?
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lawyer
April 30th, 2009
9:44 pm
The board member is just another “average” county resident. What more could you ask for from the current stock?
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Melanie Lee
April 30th, 2009
10:02 pm
RECALL TRINA G. NOW!!!
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Focus on our children!
May 1st, 2009
12:40 am
I thought this was about our children and getting jobs for them. Save your comments for the proper blog please. It is amazing how Peggy, lawyer, melanie lee and wtf? always seem to spew venom about everything in Clayton County and everyone Black in Clayton County. Read there blogs and you can see the hatred and racism flowing throughout.
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Sgt Rock
May 1st, 2009
7:07 am
Politically Thinking: Cinco de Mayo is 5 May (get it? Cinco?). This faux pax mirrors your baiting comments that you always post…
“Fear always springs from ignorance” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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lawyer
May 1st, 2009
11:33 am
Focus on our children!
Apparently you cannot read to well. I have posted twice here. Guess we know who the race baiter really is spewing venom here. Busted!
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oldtimer
May 1st, 2009
4:40 pm
The racism goes both ways and it is obvious. I am glad I moved. I used to believe we could all get along, but we don’t always seem to do a good job.
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Focus on our children!
May 1st, 2009
5:09 pm
Lawyer, yes we do and its you for one.
Oldtimer I am glad you moved too. I wish you could come back and take the white and black haters with you.
Do we have problems, yes, can we resolve them yes, through intelligent discussion with each other. All the nasty stereotypical lumping whites in one group and blacks in another has to stop.
Our children are the ones being harmed the most. Then again maybe theyCan teach us something about racial tolerance.
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JT
May 1st, 2009
5:25 pm
Focus on our Children,
This is Clayton County. Pretty much all one group don’t you think? Try raising the expectations for people in the county and you may see some progress. Stereotypes exist for a reason – they’re true 99% of the time. It’s simple. If people don’t like it, change them.
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SA
May 1st, 2009
5:35 pm
Something is very wrong with a population that has need for programs that encourage their kids to keep communities safe and explore and develop their potential for good.
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Changing blog topics a necessity
May 1st, 2009
9:36 pm
Let me preface this by saying this is not a jab at Kimberly, but the reality is her blog topic only changes once a week. More importantly, given the abundance of political spin put forth under the guise of reporting, and the scarcity of quality investigative reporting given the lack of real investigative reporting, I don’t blame anyone for using the blog to discuss issues the AJC refuses to acknowledge exists.
This isn’t an endorsement of anyone’s particular post mind you, just a simple explanation that nature abhors a vaccum, and the AJC’s coverage is a Hoover, Eureka, and Kirby all rolled up into one. In other words, it really sucks.
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Poor Megan
May 1st, 2009
10:18 pm
Poor Megan, she follows the story for two years, carrying the AJC’s water by ignoring all the inconsistancies in the SACS report in the name of pushing the AJC’s political agenda, and then when the big news breaks they let another reporter write the story.
What gives?
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lawyer
May 1st, 2009
11:04 pm
People hide behind there children. JT is right. Just take a look at who is in power here. They have to clean up there own mess. They made it.
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Dumbfounded
May 2nd, 2009
11:30 am
Now, they the whites want you to think its all about the kids. They saved the kid! They didn’t give a damn when they stole accreditation to frighten the blacks and threaten the kids. In an effort about politics, white folks and money! This CCBOE could have made an X-Rated DVD, “Board Members Going Wild” and we would still gotten accreditation back! Overwhelming evidence that the accreditation theft was a jock! New CCBOE holds illegal meetings, unethical behaviors, No-Bid Contracts, all members of CCBOE went San Diego costing an 18,500, run Thompson out with two months left costing over $100,000, run Julie off costing over $90,000. Now a CCBOE member was arrested! After all that, we magically received accreditation back on Friday. This was a Political Effort that “Disenfranchised” the darker voters.
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lawyer
May 2nd, 2009
6:53 pm
New blood is on the way, and he is not white race baiters, so take your “poor old downtrodden black man” stories somewhere else. I hear Dekalb County is great for people of your moral character. Play time is over in Clayton County. Looks like we might just have a real Superintendent on the way finally.
http://www.broadacademy.org/fellows/71_Edmond+Heatley.html
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Lawyer Hater
May 2nd, 2009
7:13 pm
The radical Klandestine Society in Clayton really wants a white superintendent; they “Setting this brother up for failure”. Especially if he done give the Klandestine Society the majority of the school systems money and provide the poor Lil black children a minimal education.
It too early in the accreditation debacle for the Klandestine Society to try to install a white man. The Public’s watching too closely. Once upon a time SACS’s Elgart, Bostic and Bryant said Clayton needed superintendent from Georgia, who knows how to conduct business in Georgia. What a difference a year makes!
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Bottom line
May 2nd, 2009
7:20 pm
There is one sure way to know if the candidate mention above is really serious when he says he wants what’s best for all children. Will he address discipline first and foremost? With 14 years active duty in the military, surely he knows its importance. One would think that with the number of current and former teachers on the board, they would know as well, but nothing they have done as of yet seems to indicate they have the guts to tackle the issue.
The question is, will the board consider Semper Fi, or will they remain always spineless?
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Gerald
May 2nd, 2009
11:42 pm
Most of you are skirting the issue. And the issue is the fact that Clayton County changed from an all-white, middle to upper middle class suburban area, starting around 1990, to the all-negro, lower to very lower middle class suburban area that it is now. Look at the schools. They plummeted after people like Dan Colwell, David Gregory, et al left (or were elbowed out by that bossy lady on the school board who thought she was “all that and a bag of chips”) and now look at all the lovely stories in media over the past several years about the problems the schools and school board are having. Oh yeah, bring in some clown like Thompson to run the schools, and the first thing he does is order the senior’s diplomas to be redone because his (holy?) name wasn’t on them. Clayton County is an embarrassment to anyone who lives in the metro area. As for the mall, maybe it’s safe, maybe it isn’t. I won’t go there, I know that. In fact, the only time I enter that dreadful county is when I go to the airport, and thank God there’s adequate security THERE.
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Antikythera
May 3rd, 2009
12:53 pm
This article and the comments are just hilarious!
There only seems to be one or two posters who don’t have cranial/rectal inversion syndrome, and they’re being witch-hunted… called ‘racist’ or ‘prejudiced’ or whatever. The only reason they’re being called that is because the accuser has no defensible argument to put forth, so they resort to namecalling.
I’ll say what everyone is afraid to: The mall is and has been over-run by blacks; specifically the gang banger/thug type. Using euphamisms like ‘hip-hop’ or ‘lower class’ only confuses and clouds the truth.
And that truth is: Wherever blacks go in number, they destroy.
The mall used to be upscale and nice. This is code for: “Whites shopped there”. Some asshat started catering to the blacks, ie: selling thug clothing or (c)rap music CD’s, and the whites took off once the number of blacks reached a critical point.
Whites don’t mind a few blacks here or there, but once they arrive in great numbers, the whites go elsewhere. We just don’t want to put up with your idiocy, poor behavior, vile language and criminal acts. What civilised person WOULD want to put up with such nonsense?
Thank God above I don’t live there or go to that poor, destined-to-be-a-fleamarket mall…
Have fun yelling “Dat be’s rassims!” or whatever about what I have written here.
But you all know it for what it is: The stone cold truth.
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23 Million Dollar Loss
May 3rd, 2009
9:13 pm
The $25 million in federal stimulus money “Over The Next Two Years”, U.S. Rep. David Scott announced for the Clayton’s School System will not cover the $23 million the School System will loss “Every Year” over the two period. These additional funds Scott announced would have been a great addition to existing funds had Elgart and Clayton’s Rich had not revoked accreditation.
This still lets the district $21 million short over the “Two Year Period”. Wow! This surely was a costly white political power move for the ailing black district! Remember these are the same individuals (SACS) that produced your distress when they practiced anti-pluralistic tendencies with your children livelihoods, disrupted your children continuity with displaced friends, belittled community, lowered your property value, skyrocketed property taxes, took your school’s certification, pilfered over $23 million educational dollars, caused 300-400 teacher job losses. All this in the name of white power, total intolerance and greed over the downtrodden darker folk! What did you as a county “Gain”? More Cost!
Three more additional bills one for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission and now an overpriced law firm. That’s three bills you didn’t have before! Aleika, “Fiscal Responsibility” Dictates that the County “rid itself” of this “Wasteful Spending”, look at it this way! No other 158 counties in Georgia have them, get it? Oh, I forget! You’re a “Puppet” I see that hand up your back! Let me talk to someone with “Brain connected to their spine.
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23 Million Dollar Loss
May 3rd, 2009
9:16 pm
Subterfuge = deception. The $25 million in federal stimulus money “Over The Next Two (2) Years”, U.S. Rep. David Scott announced for the Clayton’s School System will not cover the $23 million the School System will loss “Every Year”. These additional funds Scott announced would have been a great addition to existing funds had Elgart and Clayton’s Rich had not revoked accreditation. This still lets the district $21 million short over the “Two Year Period”. Wow! This surely was a costly white political power move for the ailing black district!
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Oh please
May 4th, 2009
10:23 am
Heatley for superintendent! I like this guy!
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Black Rain
May 4th, 2009
1:04 pm
Clayton lost acceditation – thanks to some of your old buddies, wise one. Go see if you can flim-flam a few more school districts.
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Clayton Resident
May 4th, 2009
1:21 pm
Okay Clayton, let’s not eff this up again please! We got it back, let’s keep it & vote the right people into office who can get the job done.
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Sgt Rock
May 4th, 2009
2:03 pm
Kimberly, you are indeed correct in that there was little coverage for this great news. It just goes to show that the old saying in the news business “if it bleeds, it leads” is alive and well. Without favorable treatment in the news, this mmilestone achievement will not be known by the general public.
I too received calls and emails from far away voicing shcok that a system could indeed loose accreditation. After a lot of hard work by many individuals and organizations the good news is that SACS recognizes we are on the right road after many years of dismal leadership from both our elected officials and a handful of poor administrators within the Clayton County Public School System.
This last election cycle corrected many of the issues by getting rid of the inept, replacing them with more community oriented leaders that by-in large care.
It was also encouraging to see that after the election Michael King was dealt with in quick fashion for his agregious and inappropriate business dealing that was certainly a conflict of interest. He should have had the morale fortitude to recognize the conflict and professioanlly put it aside but by not doing so he aid volumes to his true character.
I was concerned as well that the day of the announcement, it was reported that Board Member Trinia Garrett of District 7. Arrested and charged with battery she told an AJC reporter that it “was a private matter” and hung up the phone. Ms. Garrett should realize that it is a public matter when an elected official is arrested. Voters and constituents have a right to know. After all, when an employee of the school system is arrested they are placed on administrative leave. Should not Ms. Garrett be held to the same standard as paid employee’s of the system? I look forward to Chairman Andersons leadership in the Garrett Battery incident. Distrubing was the fact that antics like this, while occuring on 21 April, could have jeoperdized the SACS decision about conduct of the Board of Education. Apparently Ms. Garrett had so little concern that she is unable to control her behavior regardless of the circumstance. I certainly question her judgement on public policy when she can’t seemingly control herself in a private setting.
Regardless of the challanges, the citizens will need to continue to support forces of good in the School System while remaining vigilant to and opposing the forces of bad. History has shown us that a School District unchecked by the voter and media will presume they have open and free reign to do whatever they desire. The Board now and in the future should take heed not take the voter for granted and that vigilance will prevail and those that do a good job will be applauded.
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oldtimer
May 4th, 2009
4:29 pm
I am so glad Clayton now is going in the right direction. Now, the real business of developing a more rigorous program in the schools.Parents need to be taught that students do have to do homework if you want good results. Students need to be given clear directions on how to behave and to dress in a place of business that the school is. Teachers need to be respected for the professionals that they are. The real work is just beginning.
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Melanie Lee
May 4th, 2009
8:26 pm
I just hope the voters are playing attention. A day of reckoning is long over due. We will either have justice NOW or justice at the ballot box next year….
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Stop Worrying
May 4th, 2009
10:45 pm
I hate to say I told you so, but you were told, MONTHS in advance that Clayton would get its accreditation back, in some form, so that this year’s seniors would get an accredited diploma.
If you jumped for joy at this, jump for joy that May followed April this year, because both were EQUALLY inevitable. The entire episode, as you were told from the beginning, had nothing to do with students and everything to do with adult politics.
Almost as inevitable, sadly, is the the real problems, the real dysfunctions of the system remain unaddressed. Most likely they will remain unaddressed into the forseeable future, as the public’s reation has basically told CCPS and SACS, we are gullible, easily manipulated, and generally uneducated about the bidness of education, and a charade will more than suffice, as long as you allow us to occasionally get drunk on self righteous indignation from time to time.
There are those who say the board couldn’t address these issues, because the focus was on accreditation. Fine. Now that excuse is gone. There are far too many current and former teachers on the board, who know what the issues are, and know what needs to be done to create policies that support the authority of the classroom teacher.
The question is, do they have the courage, the integrity, to expose the facade long enough to deal with the rot that lies beneath, in order to build a real educational foundation? Time will tell.
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Oh please
May 5th, 2009
9:12 am
Congratulations to the Clayton County Public School System! We have the best teachers, the best kids, and some pretty good administrators too. Way to go!
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Political Spectator
May 5th, 2009
9:41 am
If a teacher gave an A for 40 years to every child that entered his/her classroom, would one not question that teacher’s practices? Why are we not questioning SACS practices? I can not believe that EVERY school district that SACS accredits has been up to par. Come on, EVERY school district. Have you worked in other school districts besides Clayton? I have and there are other districts MUCH worse than Clayton.
I understand that an accredited diploma is more important for our children than winning a political battle. Our children will graduate with an accredited diploma this year, now is the time to question SACS treatment of Clayton County Schools.
EVERY school district for 40 years, that’s ridiculous!
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Oh please
May 5th, 2009
12:14 pm
I do have to agree with political spectator on that point. I wondered that myself back when all this began.
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oldtimer
May 5th, 2009
1:03 pm
I have worked in several, besides Clayton. They have, by far, the lowest expectations placed on students of any school system I have ever been a part of and have had so for the last 5-8 years. Now the real work begins.
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SA
May 5th, 2009
1:45 pm
Anyone who knows a thing or two about quality schools will tell you that acquiring accreditation from SACS is the lowest possible threshold for a successful school system. The fact that these last several years the BOE, community, politicians, etc. have looked to a SACS accreditation as their benchmark for success is truly sad and really provides quite a bit of insight into the state of mind of Clayton County. Truth be told, if people really cared about this school system, SACS accreditation would be an afterthought to what really happens in our school system.
Maybe revoking accrediation was a political move, maybe it wasn’t. But the fact still remains that they were invited to our party and given a backstage pass. If people are smart, they will learn from this and realize that a SACS accreditation is the minimum. Sorry folks, but that just isn’t good enough. So hooray for SACS accreditation but in reality… so what.
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Poor Folk
May 5th, 2009
6:37 pm
Those rich Claytonites spend “Big Money” for Media to “Denounce” the old BOE! The new board made the same errors or worst! This Accreditation Issue has never been about children and education. This whole Accreditation Issue was and still is about “The Land Deal Money”! Experience has taught me that there is one chief reason why some people succeed and others fail. The difference is not one of knowing, but of doing. The successful man or woman is not far superior in ability as in action. So far as success can be reduced to a formula, it consists of this: doing what you know you should do. That being said the bravest politicians in Clayton County’s recent history is the “Former Final Four CCBOE members. Now we as a people see how far the “Rich & Powerful would go to destroy a county. The “Rich & Powerful” strangled your children with accreditation threats!
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The ONLY question
May 5th, 2009
7:56 pm
Now that there’s a new superintendent, an ex-Marine who KNOWS FULL WELL what the single most important issue in Clayton is, will he address it?
In other words, will he finally address DISCIPLINE, and will he finally implement policies that restore the teacher’s AUTHORITY to maintain order?
If an ex-Marine is not willing to step up to the plate and address discipline FIRST and FOREMOST then, sad to say, we probably have another out of town snake oil salesman like Pulliam and Thompson.
Hopefully FOURTEEN YEARS OF ACTIVE DUTY in the Marines hasn’t been drummed out of him by a dysfunctional public education system, and he will do the one thing, ABOVE ALL ELSE, that needs to be done. Restore the discipline.
Too many current and former teachers on the board not to give him a total MANDATE to address this.
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Brave my arse
May 5th, 2009
9:02 pm
Poor Folk MUST be one of the “Former Final Four CCBOE members” because only they think they’re brave, most think they’re losers as a matter of fact that entire group on the last board were losers not just those 4. The final 4 should’ve stepped down, but no they gave SACS the ammunition needed to push this issue in the media and take away accreditation, if they so brave why’d they let Thompson lose in clayton pay him a fortune to put on his dog and pony show. I believe this a political move by Elgart and others like others do but had they stepped down and accreditation was still taken away a lot more people would believe politics were involved. but none of that matters that group is history thank God. Let’s move forward onward and upward HOPEFULLY!
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Legally Speaking
May 5th, 2009
10:37 pm
Brave my arse, the legal method to remove elected officials is called a “RECALL” (the people put them in office the people take them out) that didn’t happen so they were unconstitutionally removed. Here’s something you’ll never hear about. Clayton and all of Georgia taxpayers for that matter, will pay them “Millions”; by way of the U.S Justice Department. Politics are touch, especially when are you illegal in your doings, ask Bush and Cheney Adminstration!
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The Speaker
May 5th, 2009
10:50 pm
What a Mess
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lawyer
May 5th, 2009
10:59 pm
Poor Folk must be insane! What a laugh. The last board was a bunch of misfits that were chosen by misfits, and some votes paid for by we all know who. (Free rides in the limo, and $75 gift certificates at the mall).
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Political Spectator
May 6th, 2009
2:01 am
Brave my arse,
I agree!!!!! The FINAL four CCBOE members were the most ignorant, power hungry, and unprofessional fools I have ever seen. Thank God for the small group of citizens that utilized the court system to have them removed!!!!! I will never defend the shenanigans of those idiots.
With that being said, I recognize the final four was a convenient catalyst to push SACS’ political agenda. My hope is that SACS’ political agenda is exposed. The answer is in Elgart’s failed attempt at the GA School Board Reform bill.
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Hearts
May 6th, 2009
7:18 am
The real public in Clayton know this whole SACS thing was a joke. Those last four girl were braver than rest of Clayton’s Delegation whom are tax violator and unethical, and afraid of the pale power structure.
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Brave my arse
May 6th, 2009
9:08 am
Yeah I know what a RECALL is because I signed one twice to get rid of my lousy school board member (who I didn’t vote for in the 1st place) and they didn’t work. Let’s not pretend like the reason those four didn’t get recalled is because voters wanted them to stay, it’s because unfortunately most of the voters in Clayton don’t care enough to come out for a recall or didn’t know any better. That is clear based on the fact that most of them got elected to begin with (Sandra Scott? come on now!) Thouse 4 were an embarassment. If those 4 get millions, then God bless, good night and good bye, they made out like bandits they should thank God for the windfall. I’m still grateful to those that took this to court and got them out because we’d still be stuck with those 4 losers AND Thompson and probably no accreditation. Now CCPS has a shot at turning things around, something we didn’t have when that whole last group was in office. of course there are still dirty politics going on but at least some of the losers are gone, that’s a few less than this time last year.
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kallen
May 6th, 2009
9:55 am
The Clayton County Board of Education invites you to attend a “Meet the Superintendent Candidate” session on Wednesday, May 6, 2009. The session will beheld at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Clayton County Public Schools Administrative Complex, 1058 Fifth Avenue, Jonesboro.
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Jborodawg
May 6th, 2009
12:26 pm
RE: Edmond Heatley, the proposed or already hired super.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
4/30/2009
CHINO – Some parents in the Chino Valley Unified School District hope Edmond Heatley gets a new job. They are parents of children whose schools are closing next year as part of budget cut recommendations made by Superintendent Heatley and approved by the school board earlier this year. Parents spoke out as they protested school closures with signs Wednesday morning in front of the school district headquarters.
Here are some of the comments for the article: “…Hmmm. Who will CVUSD get to clean up his mess?***If Georgia talks to the Chino Principals they may get a different view of his leadership.***Washoe County Be Happy …. if truth be known? We couldn’t wait for him to leave. He has made a mess of things here and…***Will the audit by Total School Solutions find unfavorable information regarding Heatley? Is he feeling the pressure put on by United Parents of Chino Valley? Or is he trying to distract the parents from the real issues at hand?***…don’t lose sight of the victimes here. Class size reduction has been compromised, 3 schools closing, 171 teachers laid-off, a District administration that continues to grow inspite of a State financial crisis, all the while, the programs cut and the students are the ones left behind to clean up this mess. Don’t forget, the Superintendent who created this is moving on.***If “transparency” is truly Heatley’s platform then how is it he allowed only 48 hours to transpire before closing 3 schools?***Hurry up and leave Heatley!. The only tool this guy has in his chest is a hammer. He tries to run CVUSD like the military. He creates positions which were never needed prior and does not listen to teachers or parents***…voted himself a 2% payraise, while laying off teachers…***Heatley has created a culture of deceit and secrecy…Whoever hires him will do so to their sorrow; the glowing recommendations he gets here – are they not designed to get some other suckers to take him off our hands?…”
We can only hope this doesn’t turn into another high-priced J.Thompson deal.
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Jborodawg
May 6th, 2009
3:43 pm
Kallen
Thanks for the heads up on the BOE meeting. We need to have a large turnout!
RE: my post about Mr Heatley. There were a lot of negative comments in that newspaper article. However, they might represent just a disgruntled few. I’m just pointing out that we need to do our due diligence.
I have to also ask, why would someone in their right mind choose Clayco over Reno, NV? Why would someone in their right mind say they “want” to come to Clayco? These might be good questions to ask the “candidate”.
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John Stewart
May 6th, 2009
4:04 pm
I like the guy and it appears he is no nonsense and bottom line. At this point we can’t afford to have anyone to come in and play games. We need someone that plays their position. I think those that are slacking in are in for a rude awakening.
@ Jborodawg – I hope you read other articles where Edmond Heatley was the front runner for the second largest school district in Nevada. I hope you are not just looking at one side of the coin.
“My first reaction is I think that the assessments of all the folks who interviewed him (in Nevada) are correct and he is an outstanding superintendent,” said trustee Fred Youngblood. “I think it would be a loss for the district.”
Sylvia Orozco, Chino Valley Unified school board president, agreed.
“In regards to Dr. Heatley possibly leaving, it would be a great loss to the district, but he’s composed a great team and I think our district would be left in great hands because of the team he’s developed, should he leave,” Orozco said.
Orozco said she was not disappointed in Heatley’s bid for a new job.
“He’s got great leadership capabilities,” she said. “It’s not surprising other districts would want to seek him out.”
She added, “I don’t think Dr. Heatley made any (policy) decisions because he was leaving,” Orozco said. “I think he made the decisions that were in the best interest of the district.”
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_12266888?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com
“The Chino Valley Unified School District, which hired Heatley as superintendent in 2005, will be visited by officials from the Reno-based Washoe County School District within the week, according to Washoe County school board President Barbara Clark.
Heatley was in Reno last week for an interview and answered questions about his leadership style.
“Out of the (candidates), Dr. Heatley was at the forefront,” Clark said.
“He did a very good job while he was here. He showed he believes in collaboration, has accountability and did very well answering the questions, and the public and staff replied they thought he had the majority of people for him or he was ahead.”
The Washoe County district is “looking for a person that has experience in showing academic achievement as well as fiscal responsibility,” Clark said.
The Chino Valley and Washoe County school districts share similar student demographics and are facing a budget crisis. Washoe County school board member Dan Carne asked Heatley how he viewed the relationship and roles of the superintendent and school board members.
“To me, it’s pretty simple,” Heatley said.
“The board sets policy and provides direction. It’s my job to get the team together to accomplish the mission. Simply said, that’s the easy part. There will be times in closed session where we will fight like cats and dogs and when we come out, the board gives direction. That’s the end of discussion. So I don’t see an issue with who’s in charge.”
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_12250049?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com
and another article
“Heatley was apparently a top finalist for the superintendent position in Washoe County School District, the second largest school district in Nevada.
Washoe County school officials had been planning to visit the Chino Valley Unified School District this week.
Clark, who is helping lead the Washoe County district’s superintendent search, said her district is disappointed in the change of plan.
“Yes, we are certainly disappointed in this news and I think it speaks to the quality of Dr. Heatley’s candidacy that obviously he was a skilled and knowledgable candidate that is going to be pursued by other school districts,” Clark said. “I think all the top candidates for superintendent positions are probably being courted by more than one school district.”
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_12256682
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Political Disaster
May 6th, 2009
6:36 pm
SACS Elgart and Clayton’s Rich cost Clayton’s School System $23 million per year over the next two years the School System will loss “Every Year” by causing 3500 children and parents to leave the district. Wow! This surely was a costly white political power move for the ailing black district!
They also paid the Media millions to belittled county, lowered your property value, skyrocketed property taxes, revoking your school’s accreditation, businesses left. They pilfered over $23 million educational dollars, caused 300-400 teacher job losses.
What did you as a county “Gain”? More Cost! Three more additional bills one for an overpaid parliamentarian, another for unconstitutional CCBOE Ethic Commission and now an overpriced law firm. That’s three bills you didn’t have before! The only people that prohibited are the pale.
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WARNING
May 6th, 2009
6:39 pm
This new boy Heatley, the superintendent is being “SETUP”! Mark my word he’ll last ten months before the Lilly white in the administration building start screaming. Then those same folk will threaten accreditation again! Then those same folk will sneak a pale superintendent in the back door. It too early after the SACS debacle sneak him now! The majority of the public knews this!
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Jesus Keep You
May 6th, 2009
6:49 pm
One day Brave My Arse you will understand and I will pray for you and your children. I feel sorry for your kids because you definitely doesn’t care about them. I am truly glad that this farse is over for now but believe me it will be returning.
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lawyer
May 6th, 2009
7:32 pm
Danger! Trotter at work already trying to sabotage the new super.. Trotterites posting above! Don’t think the public will fall for his crap any longer.
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Out and out lies by Megan?
May 6th, 2009
8:53 pm
It appears that AJC reporter Megan Mattecucci has resorted to out and out lies to push the AJC political agenda, at the expense of objective reporting.
Two examples in her latest report about the protest of the new superintendent. First is to say that SACS santioned MACE in last year’s report of the school board. Cite your source Megan, because when I read the twenty seven page report, I didn’t see the word MACE mentioned one time. And don’t say MACE was alluded to, or everyone knows that SACS was talking about MACE. If Elgart was talking about MACE, and he was legally allowed to call MACE by name, why didn’t he?
Second example. To describe MACE as representing only a handful of teachers in Clayton. Unlike GAE, MACE does not accept payroll deductions, which would allow CCPS administrators to know who is a member and engage in retaliation. GAE members of course don’t have to worry about being retaliated against by CCPS, because GAE isn’t going to stand up to abusive administrators in a way that MACE will.
How could they, when the head of GAE is himself a Clayton County administrator? Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse when it comes to an organization standing up for teachers.LOL
So Megan, if membership is strictly confidential, and MACE does not disclose its membership rolls, how is there any possible way you can accurately ascertain that MACE represents only a handful of teachers in Clayton?
There may be only be a small number of MACE members willing to go on the record, but many MACE members enjoy the confidentiality of their membership, and may choose not to disclose it, even in their schools with the ever present threat of retaliation.
You may disagree with MACE, although I’ve never seen anybody make an effective rebuttal of where they stand on their education philosophies. Or, you may dislike their style. But either way, if you are going to be honest, or even if you support the new superintendent, and thus you don’t MACE’s protest, you have to admit that Megan’s reporting on this matter, was anything but honest.
It was in fact, some of the shoddiest journalism I have ever seen, and that’s saying something when you consider the quality of the AJC’s reporting in Clayton.
Now if you want to disagree with this post, please provide the following.
The page number in the SACS report where you see the word MACE mentioned.
A MACE membership role that conclusively shows the exact number of Clayton teachers that are MACE members.
Bottom line, even if you don’t like MACE, have enough intellectual integrity to seperate that from the shoddy reporting that Megan and the AJC engaged in, and call it for what it is.
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Can we dare not question?
May 6th, 2009
9:19 pm
Before you have the knee-jerk reation the AJC wants you to have with their biased reporting on the MACE protest of the new superintendent choice, have the integrity and courage to ask yourself the following.
Did MACE not express concerns, before either one of them were even hired, about falling for the educational snake oil of out of town saviors the last two times when it came to Barbara Pulliam and John Thompson?
And was MACE not totally and completely vindicated when it came to those concerns?
I’m not saying MACE is right about the new superintendent, but since they were dead on about the last two out of town saviors, wouldn’t it be wise to scrutinize this candidate, rather than accept him on blind faith like the AJC apparently wants you to?
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Was MACE wrong?
May 6th, 2009
11:13 pm
Was MACE wrong about Barbara Pulliam?
Was MACE wrong about John Thompson?
And remember, MACE voiced their concerns at the beginning, not when they were on the way out the door, after everybody else figured out what MACE already knew.
So why are people automatically rushing to call this guy a savior, after what happened with the last two out of town saviors? Granted, he may very well be a good candidate. But are you really willing to give this guy a free pass and a blank check, just because MACE has some concerns?
Are you really that incapable of having any independent thought outside of what the AJC wants you to think?
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Stand and deliver Heatley supporters
May 6th, 2009
11:24 pm
All you guys want to come on here and jump on the Heatley bandwagon without reservation, I just have one request. Can you point to one specific proposal or policy that Heatley put forth to empower teachers when it comes to discipline?
Since you’ve gone on at length about his being an ex-Marine, shouldn’t this be easy to do?
And if it’s too much to ask to quote a specific policy or proposal, can you give us at least one person, one source that will vouch for him specifically when it comes to empowering teachers in matters of discipline?
Surely, this is not too much to ask of an ex-Marine is it?
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WTF?
May 7th, 2009
12:05 am
Ok, Here we go?
Trotter Time
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Oh please
May 7th, 2009
8:21 am
There I was watching my nightly news at bedtime as always and AHHH!!! I saw an ugly, old troll crying about something that has nothing to do with him yet again. I had nightmares all night!
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John Stewart
May 7th, 2009
9:03 am
@ Stand and deliver
Obviously you speak from a uninformed position. If you had taken the time yesterday to come to the meet and greet of Dr. Heatley you would have heard loud and clear his plans addressing discipline problems. Let me give you one specific since you are ignorant as to what said last night. In regards to a student assaulting a teacher, teacher assaulting a student or teacher assaulting another teacher he said clearly and concisely he has a ZERO tolerance policy.
If all these trotterites would have taken time to sit in on the meeting you would know; especially Trotter who only stuck his head in the meeting for all of 3 mins to obviously survey the room and not gain any information.
My only concern as it stands right now are the Trotter moles still left in the administration and the leaking of information for their benefit. I am also concerned with the comments by Chapman in the AJC article –
Sid Chapman, president of Clayton’s largest teachers union, said he was hoping for a superintendent with experience in Georgia.
“Since we have not had a good track record with superintendents from bargaining states, my initial concern is how will he cooperate with the union here and get acquainted with Georgia law,” said Chapman, who represents about 2,800 school employees.”
The choice of Heatley with his military and educational background was the best choice for the county. In my opinion we don’t need anyone that knows the Georgia more specifically the Clayton political game (contracts and favors). We need someone who will come in and assess everything and make changes where necessary and if that means some long time administrators who aren’t pulling their weight need to go then so be it. If that means some principals aren’t pulling their weight need to go then so be it. Heatley appears to be his own man and if he is a true Marine will operate with integrity.
It feels so good to see the grip of those that had a strangle hold on the School system slipping away.
I am so ready to see a board and Supt. function with synergy.
My name is John Stewart and I approve this message.
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to Mace
May 7th, 2009
9:18 am
Trotter only needed to stick his head in cuz he had foot soldiers inside the board room already, taking notes and wreaking havoc.
Question to MACE fanatics can you point to one specific proposal or policy that Valya Lee OR Sam King have put forth to empower teachers when it comes to discipline? Based on research so far can’t find any policy put forth by Heatley. But what exactly qualifies Lee or Sam King either? From what I saw last night I’d rather take a chance on Heatley than your candidates.
Valya Lee being from Clayton isn’t and shouldn’t be enough to qualify her for superintendent. and who in the sam hill is Sam King? Must be a Mace fan too.
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Oh please
May 7th, 2009
9:25 am
John Stewart for president!!! LOL!
I think Heatley is an excellent choice. I had not been aware of the meet and greet, otherwise, I would have been there. But, I don’t need to be sold. I think he is a proven leader and a vast improvement on Dr. Thompson. I’ve spoken to at least one teacher who likes Valya Lee, but her reasoning didn’t seem to be anything more than she hasn’t rocked the boat these last couple of weeks. I just don’t see that as a good enough reason to give her the job permanently.
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Advice for Dr. Heatley
May 7th, 2009
9:50 am
Dr. Heatley,
Do not buy a house on spivey lake, do not alienate the community, stay away from the local poiticians and simply raise the bar for our children and love them. That is the same advice given to two previous superintendents and they did not listen, both are gone. Could somebody pass this information on to him?
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Stand and deliver
May 7th, 2009
9:53 am
John Stewart,
John Stewart descends from the night sky, firing the twin thunderbolts of “uninformed” and “ignorant” and protects our man Heatley from the dastardly plot of Stand and Deliver!
Not so fast.
OBVIOUSLY I speak from an uninformed position when it comes to Heatley on discipline. And? That’s why I POSED A QUESTION and didn’t make a STATEMENT about what he will or will not do. It’s called critical thinking skills.
Now do I think it’s a good thing that he said he wouldn’t tolerate discipline problems? Of course. But have I fallen hook, line, and sinker, for his claims just because he’s an ex-Marine? No. Again, critical thinking skills.
What a candidate will SAY and what a candidate has DONE are two different things. Which is why it’s necessary to ask what specific ACTIONS will he put in place to restore the teacher’s authority? What specific actions would he put in place to prevent RETALIATION against teachers who try to address disicpline which, if YOU were fully informed, and not ignorant, about the day to day realities of life in the classroom, would understand is a major ongoing concern. In fact, it’s as big a concern, when it comes to teacher morale and retention rates, as the discipline itself.
Mind you, I’m not in the camp that says he shouldn’t be the new super, just because he’s from out of town. But I recall that Pulliam SAID the right things, Thompson SAID the right things, and I’m not going on the Heatley bandwagon just because he SAID the right things, and certainly not on the bandwagon because the board of education SAID he was the right candidate.
I want to see evidence of WALKING THE WALK. Either policies or persons from his previous position that vouch not for words, but for ACTIONS.
Don’t get me wrong. I really DO want to see these things, and I’m hopeful that his years of Marine service have allowed him to not be brainwashed by an educational system that simply does not get it when it comes to discipline.
I just want to see people STOP and THINK, and want to make sure the words ex-Marine aren’t just the new and improved version of out of town snake oil to come to Clayton.
So again, the question does INDEED remain unanswered. Can we point to a specific policy he has put in place that restores the teacher’s authority to discipline, and if not, can we at least find individuals from his previous stop that will vouch for him on the specific issue of supporting the teacher’s authority in the classroom?
Why is this not a reasonable request John Stewart?
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Clayton Parent
May 7th, 2009
10:19 am
Good Advice
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John Stewart
May 7th, 2009
11:28 am
@ Stand and deliver
I fully understand your point and know that money talks and BS runs the Marathon. I still stand by my comments. It is one thing to read about a person and another thing to meet a person, look them in the eye and listen to what they say. A 95yr old blind from birth, wearing sun glasses and 2 broken hearing aids could see through and hear the BS that Trotter oops Freudian slip I meant Thompson was spewing out.
Let me address your comment and assumption about me being ignorant about what goes on in the classroom. My wife is a teacher in CCPS and I have several friends who are teachers in CCPS so I hear Firsthand what goes on in the classroom. So with that I will say I am far from ignorant on the subject.
Now you asked I could point to specific policies regarding discipline and his previous tenure. I am so glad you asked!!! Let’s do this. How about we go back to the Chino Valley school district and the board policies he was charged to uphold.
How about section BP 5144(a) on Discipline from the Chino Valley school district –
The Board of Education desires to prepare students for responsible citizenship by fostering self-discipline and personal responsibility. The board believes that high expectations for student behavior, effective classroom management, and parent involvement can minimize the need for discipline. Staff shall use preventative measures and positive conflict resolution techniques whenever possible.
(cf. 5020 – Parent Rights and Responsibilities)
(cf. 5137 – Positive School Climate)
(cf. 5145.3 – Nondiscrimination/harassment)
(cf. 5145.9 – Hate-motivated Behavior)
(cf. 6020 – Parent Involvement)
Board policies and regulations shall delineate acceptable student conduct and provide the basis for sound disciplinary practices. Each school shall develop disciplinary rules in accordance with law to meet the school’s individual needs.
(cf. 5131 – Conduct)
(cf. 5131.1 – Bus Conduct)
When misconduct occurs, staff shall implement appropriate discipline and attempt to identify and address the causes of the student’s behavior. Continually disruptive students may be assigned to alternative programs or removed from school in accordance with law, Board policy, and administrative regulation. At all times, the safety of students and staff and the maintenance of an orderly school environment shall be priorities in determining appropriate discipline.”
Is the aforementioned specific enough for you?
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SA
May 7th, 2009
11:40 am
Isn’t it ironic that MACE talks so highly about being “right” re: past supers. but never bring up or apologize for the embarrassment, dysfunction, and carnage their members have left behind in our school system? Sorry Trotter, actions speak louder than words.
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Clayton Parent
May 7th, 2009
12:47 pm
Wow.
@ Stand and Deliver
Yes, we need to properly vet Dr. Heatley and gather as much informaton about him as possible before forming an opinion. However, getting information on the blog and AJC is the not the most reliable source. With a click of a mouse and a little effort on your part, you could have gotten the same information John Stewart posted. Better yet, you could have come to the meeting last night and asked him yourself. Your inability (or reluctance) to obtain readily available information regarding the candidate is an example of being “ignorant” and “uniformed”.
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Sgt Rock
May 7th, 2009
1:25 pm
Stand & Deliver (aka Bland & Shhiver) To further assist you in your “ignorance” and being “uninformed”…THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN “EX-MARINE”…You stand corrected.
Great job John Stewart for your informative comments!
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SA
May 7th, 2009
2:57 pm
Next thing you know, “Stand and Deliver” will try to debate that Heatley is incapable of discipline or leadership because he was a non-commissioned officer! Ridiculous.
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amber clark
May 7th, 2009
4:19 pm
i think will be a good school cause some people don’t appreciate things. Long as us students have the education we need then we will be alright.
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fedup
May 7th, 2009
5:08 pm
Re: out and out lies by Megan.
You are correct in the fact that no one knows who MACE’s membership is. In fact since MACE is a private corporation no one knows anything about MACE. That is the way JT wants it. MACE is his personal cash cow and he does not want the members knowing about anything he does with their, excuse me His money.
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Stand and deliver stands and delivers
May 7th, 2009
5:58 pm
First thing. John Stewart. The specific policies. They are there. Good work. But, let’s be real, they are there ON PAPER. Just like in Clayton. Now who wants to make the case that IN PRACTICE, Clayton does what it says on paper?
What I don’t see, even on paper, is the NEXT STEP. If your wife is a teacher in Clayton, John Stewart, surely she can tell you what’s on paper, in terms of supporting teachers in discipline, is not the same as what happens in REALITY.
Again, is what’s on paper what happens IN PRACTICE? I’d love to hear what some teachers IN THE CLASSROOM, in his district have to about discipline, and just as importantly, about RETALIATION against teachers who stand up for it.
Barbara Pulliman had policies AND a blue ribbon panel to address discipline. Need I say more?
Sgt. Rock. Does having served in the Marines AUTOMATICALLY mean that you are above reproach, and above question? Should we just say Siemper Fi and let every Marine who is currently incarcerated out, because after all, they are Marines? And organization can stand proud and tall, yet have individuals fall, can it not, Sgt. Rock?
Do we DARE not question Heatley because he was, or is, as you prefer, a Marine? If that were the case, why not replace every superintendent in the country with a Marine? Before YOU say it, I’ll say it. If you want me to be REALLY real, if someone gave me the power to replace every superintendent with a Marine, sight unseen, I’ll be the first to admit, I’d roll that dice in a heartbeat.
But we are just talking one position, and that’s Clayton. And no matter how much people want to steamroll this process without questions being raised, the fact is that recent history of out of towners is not good. Due diligence MUST be done. Let him answer some specifics.
For example, if a child curses a teacher, and the principal walks him back to class a few minutes later with no consequences, and the teacher refused to allow him back in, and the principal threatened the teacher with insubordination what would he do? Would he back DISCIPLINE and the teacher’s RIGHT to discipline, or would he back blind obedience to the chain of command?
Did anybody ask him THAT question, because that question goes to the heart of what’s wrong with CCPS. What comes first, supporting the teacher in DISCIPLINE, or unlimited, unchecked power of the principal, even when it undercuts the best efforts of the teacher?
John Stewart, take MACE out of the question for a moment and ask your wife what she thinks would happen if a teacher refused to allow a child who cursed her back in the classroom over the principal’s objections? And if you really ARE informed about life in the classroom, you MUST know that in CCPS this situations do occur FAR too often.
You think CCPS would come down on the side of supporting the teacher trying to enforce discipline, or come down on the side of the administrator trying not to rock the boat?
You met the man, John Stewart. Honestly, in the above scenario, which side would YOU fall on? And to the point, what’s your gut feeling on what side HEATLEY would fall on? If he actually had the guts to say that he’d back the teacher in that case, I’d say due dilegence is OVER, and gladly welcome him aboard.
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BB
May 7th, 2009
6:53 pm
I thought John Trotter and his nitwit followers were gone. Alas – they were just waiting to pounce. Seems, if they are against this nominee, then we should all welcome him wholeheartedly. John seems to hate anyone taller than him – which is most people. It was funny to see his paid protesters outside hiding behind sunglasses – during a cloudy evening. Welcome back JT. (NOT) Get ready to dance.
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SPINELESS
May 7th, 2009
7:48 pm
Why did Alieka Anderson, Chairperson of the Clayton County Board of Education and her “Spineless Crew” offer Valya Lee a $187,000 one year contract next week, then turn around and Hire the Broad Academy graduate a week later! There is only one viable answer! This BOE “IS NOT” I repeat, is not making any decisions on their own. They’re being led around by their noses by the powers that be in Clayton and elsewhere. They’re soooo sad!
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Andy
May 7th, 2009
7:52 pm
Spineless: Glenn Brock wants to be the school board attorney, and he cannot control Dr. Val Lee nor Dr. Sam King. Pitiful.
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Trotter bashing logic
May 8th, 2009
7:15 am
BB since you claim that we should support Heatley because John Trotter opposes him, by your logic I’m sure you will come on here and tell us what a great guy John The Diploma Shredder Thompson was, and how ClayCo should have never let him go.
I guess you’ll be writing letters of recommmendation for Barbara Pulliam as well.
And I suppose you’ll work hard to convince Rod Johnson that he should run for the board again.
Since Trotter opposed them, I guess we should, as you say, wholeheartedly welcome them back right?
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How fedup?
May 8th, 2009
7:18 am
Seems fedup, if they were that upset about MACE being a private corporation, would be really upset with SACS being a private corporation, especially since, unlike MACE, SACS makes their money off your tax dollars.
Must not be fedup enough to think things through.
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lawyer
May 8th, 2009
7:53 am
The Trotterites are fighting for there survival. Not many of them left anyway. Guess Trotter will have to find another”for profit business”.
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Oh please
May 8th, 2009
9:01 am
I wonder how Valya Lee feels about having Trotter’s support.
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Advice for Dr. Heatley
May 8th, 2009
9:05 am
“Spineless” Where did you get this information? Glen Brock is not the influence for this Board. Dr. Val Lee is an excellent persona nd the community has been impressed with her. Unfortunately, she does not possess the required experience and background that SACS stiputalated in their report was requried for a new supperintent. Does anyone remember reading that the person should have a mininmum of four years experience as a superintendent? That was made quite clear by SACS. Neither Dr. Lee or Dr. King fit that criteria. Having said that the choice made by the Board was the right choice. As in anything else time will tell. But it looks like we have a fresh start.
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WTF?
May 8th, 2009
9:06 am
Trotter will do anything to derail the progress of CCPS. Always have, always will. At least we have a Super who is capable, and free of the local politcal machine. At least we have accreditation back. People need to work together for progress and stop all this Claton bashing
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Clayton Resident
May 8th, 2009
9:27 am
I must say, the fact that Mace, Trotter & company are so opposed to Heatley, makes me like Heatley even more! He must be doing something right and won’t be bought and paid for by Clayton politicians the day he takes office. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more from and about Heatley!
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Gordon
May 8th, 2009
11:34 am
John Trotter is smarter than the bozos on the school boards. He always has been. That’s why they are nervous with him around.
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SD
May 8th, 2009
12:52 pm
I agree, it does seem bizarre to give Valya Lee, unqualified to be a superintendent, a one-year $187,000 contract and then hire Heatly the very next week. Mind you, the board had to pay thousands upon thousands to buy out Thompson’s contract and put Lee in place (which Lee and Brock conspired to do, so Brock could become the school system’s attorney). How much do you think all of this is costing us as taxpayers!? This smells really bad!
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Mojo Mist
May 8th, 2009
2:43 pm
Actually, the recent elections in Clayton County and the potential hiring of Dr. Heatley smells pretty good to me. It’s the first breath of fresh air in about five years.
There are no guarantees but if Dr. Heatley turns out to be as good as what other school districts (including his own) are saying and brings good fortune to what we’ve seen become a muddy hole caused by selfish, self-serving individuals, I have no problem paying out to Dr. Thompson or Ms. Lee. The percentage of those two contracts is very minimal to what we’ve already paid for during this nightmare. Time will tell but I have more hope now than I’ve had in long long time.
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Buck Haralson
May 8th, 2009
4:57 pm
Why does everyone think Mr. Heatley is any good. Is it because he is being run out of California or because he got turned down for the Tulsa Job. Clayton County needs The Educator of the Year Dr. Sam King. Why not choose Sam King can anyone on here give me one good reason. Sam King was the obvious choice and they screwed it up again. SAM KING SAM KING.
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Will Rogers
May 8th, 2009
5:07 pm
Why wont the school board ever listen to Dr John Trotter. He has more sense than all the board members combined. Why dont the school boards in Clayton county ever listen to Dr. Trotter. They are always jealous and scared of him. This causes them to do stupid things. Hiring The California reject Mr Heatly was only the latest of their stupid actions. They could have hired Dr Val Lee or Dr. Sam King and everyone would have been happy.
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concerned oldtimer
May 8th, 2009
5:16 pm
Good luck to the new superintendant. I am glad to hear he is planning on keeping the current staff. Several are very good at what they do. Clayton County has lost enough wonderful staff members do to the board problems. Many retired and many just left. So all us old retired ones are looking forward to a high quality school system again. Just hope Trotter finds a new school system to bothr.
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to Mace & and allies ... again
May 8th, 2009
5:21 pm
I asked this question yesterday and all of you (maybe only one of you are actually posting here) ignored it. Here goes again:
Can you point to one specific proposal or policy that Valya Lee OR Sam King have put forth to empower teachers when it comes to discipline?
Based on research so far I can’t find any policy put forth by Heatley, that’s true.
But what exactly qualifies Lee or Sam King either? From what I saw at that meeting, I’d rather take a chance on Heatley than your candidates.
Valya Lee being from Clayton isn’t and shouldn’t be enough to qualify her for superintendent. and who in the sam hill is Sam King?
IN ADDITION – I’ve done my own research on Edmond Heatley and just ran another search on your Tulsa accusation. I have seen nowhere else any indication that he got turned down (or ever applied for) any superintendent position in Tulsa. If you have proof of that allegation, please share with the rest of the class so we know you’re not just blowing smoke.
And Heatley is not being “run out of” California. I really hope you aren’t putting false information out here to try and confuse us and prop up Lee and King. Valya Lee couldn’t even make it to the final round of interviews and again, who is Sam King and why should any of us care? I’ve only read his name on this blog!
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Mojo Mist
May 8th, 2009
5:48 pm
Heatley being ran out of California just after receiving Superintendent of the Year for his respective area (Riverside and San Bernardino counties)? Oh, I get it, MACE. Must be that administrator hang-up. A few parents are upset about some school closings resulting from budgetary cuts but that’s about it.
Let’s see,
Heatley brought together a committee of district and community members to develop his District’s first strategic plan which focuses on student achievement. Since 2005, the District has experienced significant growth in student achievement along with schools being recognized as a California Distinguished School, a National Blue Ribbon School, a California Business for Excellence/Just for Kids Honor Roll, a California Service-Learning Leader School Award, a National Network of Partnership Schools-Johns Hopkins University/Working Together for Student Success, a Golden Bell Award, an International Baccalaureate World School and two International Baccalaureate candidate schools.
He continued to teach at the university level, keeping him current with educational trends. Yes, MACE he’s still a teacher. Unbelievable!! An administrator and teacher at the same time?! Oh no! AND in 2008, he was awarded the California League of High Schools, Outstanding Administrator of the Year Recipient for Region 12.
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Take a page from Obama's play book...
May 8th, 2009
7:04 pm
When I saw John Trotter and Ms. Norrese Haynes on television with those stupid poster boards picketing the new superintendent, I knew then Heatley was the right person for the job. I am willing to bet money he has already put Trotter in his place and now Trotter is mad!!!!
Valya Lee and Sam King, need to denounce Trotter’s support just like Obama had to denounce Jeremiah Wright. Trotter’s support of Lee and King automatically makes me question their competency and many community members feel the same. Take a page from Obama’s play book and distance yourselves from this poster board carrying FOOL!!!!
Don’t allow Trotter and Ms. Norrese Haynes to cast a cloud over careers you all have worked so hard to build!!!!!!
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River
May 8th, 2009
7:14 pm
Let’s just see what happens. Trotter was right about Hairston, Pulliam, Chavis, and Thompson. He will probably be right about Heatley. He does look to me to be heavy-handed. One thing about Trotter is he is consistent. He doesn’t come dancing up to the new superintendents with his hat in his hand. He lets them know up front what he thinks of them. He seemed to have given a pass to Duncan and Lee. I think he does indeed think that Lee and King would have been good choices. John Trotter is probably right, but the school boards always want to go “outside” for the latest educational gypsey. I really question why they would bring in this fellow. I understand that they conducted a “straw vote” about him. This is illegal as well as the board’s meeting with candidates in California at the San Diego meeting. I don’t think the school board really understands the concept of transparency. I too think that Glenn Brock is running the whole show down here in Clayton County. It’s a shame. I will be voting agains my representative, Pam Adamson.
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Political Spectator
May 8th, 2009
7:18 pm
Trotter and the other idiots at MACE know nothing about predicting the success of a superintendent. MACE works hard to plant the unintelligent and the uninformed on the board, then work to influence their vote, then MACE works to distance itself from members they placed on the board when things go wrong. This has been the predictable pattern for Trotter for sometime now!!!!!
Nedra Ware
Connie Kitchens
Noresse Haynes
Lois Bayne Hunter
Michelle Strong
Michael King
… just to name a few
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SA
May 8th, 2009
10:30 pm
River (Trotter follower),
Doesn’t it strike you odd that in your mind Trotter is so right and consistent about superintendents but yet his support of prospective and current board members has been a dismal failure and train wreck? Anything wrong to you about that picture? Only those who support Trotter try to throw around “illegal” or “legal” without really knowing the difference. To MACE, anything that promotes a non-supported MACE member becoming a board member or super. is considered illegal. Stop referring to the MACE handbook and become acquainted with real law.
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SD
May 9th, 2009
12:20 am
News flash everyone – Sam King didn’t want the job!
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District 3
May 9th, 2009
12:44 am
For clarity, Dr. Lee was given her current contract because by law she had to be the highest paid employee in the school district. Please recall that Julie Lewis was the highest paid once Dr. Thompson was released. Her contract is for one year but can be voided with a 30 day notice. The attorney said that that was the proper way to formulate the contract.
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Two questions for Political Spectator
May 9th, 2009
12:54 am
You say Trotter knows nothing about predicting the success of superintendents.
Was he wrong about Pulliam?
Was he wrong about Thompson?
Let me say it before you do. Some on the old board who were affliated with MACE to some extent joined with GAE members on the board to bring about John Thompson. But that wasn’t Trotter; it was people who didn’t listen to Trotter.
So the question remains, was he wrong about Pulliam and Thompson?
And as far as MACE distancing itself, I don’t see MACE distancing itself from Norresse Haynes. As far as distancing themselves from the others when they themselves distanced themselves from the MACE philosophy of restoring the teacher’s authority in the classroom first, why would that be a bad thing?
Now if you want to say some have used MACE’s message to get elected, then turned around and acted in their own best interests, that’s a legitimate point. But it doesn’t mean MACE’s philosophy is wrong, and it sure doesn’t mean they were wrong about Pulliam and Thompson.
And if you’re the asute political commentator some of your other comments indicate you are, you should know that GAE has more than their own fair share of mistakes on the board, chief among them Rod Johnson and Ericka Davis.
And don’t forget it’s not a MACE official earning years of credit in the Teachers Retirement System without actually working in a classroom, it’s a GAE official.
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Clayton resident
May 9th, 2009
12:15 pm
SO WHAT WHO CARES that Trotter was right about Pulliam and Thompson HE CAN GET IN LINE A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE PREDICTED PULLIAM AND THOMPSON WOULD NOT WORK OUT!!!
Trotter acts like he was the only one in Clayton who knew ahead of time that Pulliam and Thompson would crash and burn and just because they did, doesn’t mean this guy will.
I’d like to read an answer to the question asked above that none of these MACE people want to answer. What has Lee or Sam King done about policy in Clayton.
I know the answer – ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Any candidate supported by MACE is not one I want running anything with my tax dollars.
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Essential Question
May 9th, 2009
1:43 pm
We have fourteen days to ask Heatley THE one essential question that will tell you ALL you need to know.
A student is severely disruptive, defiant, directly insubordinate, so a teacher refers the student to the office. An administrator walks the student back down a few moments later, with absolutely no consequences, and demands the student be allowed back into class.
The teacher, having written up the child for violations that warrant consequences under board policy, and more importantly, wishing to protect the sanctity of the classroom learning environment, refuses to let the student in.
Who does Heatley support?
If he has says FOR THE RECORD that he has the guts to stand up to CCPS administrators and support the teacher, you may indeed have a good candidate who understands discipline.
Fourteen days. If you REALLY want to know, the question MUST be asked.
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Who cares about Trotter?
May 9th, 2009
2:03 pm
To those of you are obsessed with this Trotter person pro or con. Let it go the citizens of Clayton county do not give a damn about a Trotter one way ior another. Please stop using this blog and give the man a call yourself. We do not care to hear any more about him.
As for Heatley, Kudos to this board who obviously acted indepedently and made a sound choice based on their own research. I can not wait to see who was against him on the board. It will speak volumes.
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CCBOE up to same tricks
May 9th, 2009
2:30 pm
District 3 – you’re wrong. Valya Lee is INTERIM superintendent, not superintendent, so laws don’t apply. Plus, Lewis was gone by the time her contract was approved by the Board, so she didn’t need $187,000 b/c Valya Lee and Brock had gotten rid of her so that Brock could take over as legal counsel (and, so that Lee could conveniently get a fat contract that wasn’t necessary).
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Why so afraid?
May 9th, 2009
4:52 pm
Why does the following invoke so much VISCERAL FEAR that no one wants to deal with it?
“A student is severely disruptive, defiant, directly insubordinate, so a teacher refers the student to the office. An administrator walks the student back down a few moments later, with absolutely no consequences, and demands the student be allowed back into class.
The teacher, having written up the child for violations that warrant consequences under board policy, and more importantly, wishing to protect the sanctity of the classroom learning environment, refuses to let the student in.
Who does Heatley support?”
The question gets to the crux of what we need in a superintendent, yet not one of the current and former teachers on the board, to the best of my knowledge even THOUGHT to ask him, much less demand an answer.
Why so afraid? I would hope that as many citizens as possible will seek an answer to this, IF they are willing to make the candidate available.
They, having been in a classroom, know FIRST HAND the importance of the question. Why so afraid to ask it?
Before someone tries to respond by AVOIDING the question, or turning it into a partisan issue, I’m not saying that Sam King or Valya Lee would have a better answer that Heatley.
I’m saying that, if Heatley is the choice at this time, and you want to know if he is an advocate for REAL change, given what goes on in ClayCo’s classrooms today, the question MUST be asked, and it must be asked often, and by as many people possible.
ClayCo MUST have an answer to this question, to see if the candidate has the BACKBONE to take on the institutional dysfunction that currently does not support the teachers of CCPS.
It’s not a MACE question, a GAE question, a Lee question, a King question, or a Heatley question.
It’s a LONG OVERDUE question, and it’s high time someone ask the BOE why they haven’t asked it, and it’s time to ask it of ANY candidate, since the BOE apparently is too fearful to.
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Same Old Crap
May 9th, 2009
8:44 pm
As you can tell by the above posts folks, the county is still loaded with misfits with there agenda’s. Ignore them.
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A regular voter
May 9th, 2009
10:21 pm
This is pretty sad. Most of these comments here appear to be from people who work for CCPS or have some sort of direct interest in it (various insiders). I don’t see that many posts from the average Clayton county homeowner who has children in the CCPS. Thanks to all these incompetents that the voters of Clayton county voted in, my modest house lost over 50% of its value within just 2 years or so. The bad economy had a small roll the devaluation of residential properties in Clayco; losing the SACS accreditation was the by far the largest culprit. Also because of all this, I have my young elementary-aged son enrolled in a local church private school. I live in a high rental area and most of the rental houses stand vacant; some houses have been empty over a year. No one wants to move here, the ones with school-aged children are desperate to leave. All the home break-ins and high crime deter many people from “Clayco.” The biggest financial mistake of my life was buying an older home in Clayco in 2002 and taking this depreciation of my house. What a basket case, between this and the former Sheriff, Victor Hill, Clayco couldn’t get much worse, but I suspect it will. I am very bitter and willing to take the loss on the house to get out of here, even if I have to take a big loan. Even so, I wish success to this new Clayco Superintendent and hope he can straighten things out, but I have severe doubts due to all the revelations in some of the obviously dysfunctional thoughts found in the posts here.
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KimWhit
May 10th, 2009
12:05 pm
You are correct “A Regular Voter”. My husband and I are in the same boat with a house that we can’t give away and private school costs while paying county school taxes. Yes we can celebrate the regained accreditation but this county’s abysmal academic statistics, a majority of inexperienced/uncertified teachers, low academic expectations, low parental involvement and widespread disciplinary problems must be seriously admitted to and addressed before credibility is regained. The dysfunctional school board was only a small part of the problem. I hope that the new super will realistically address these problems even if feelings are hurt in the process. Policies such as mandatory school uniforms are useless window dressing if the polo shirts are worn like dresses and the khakis are still sagging (seen on Riverdale Road). Restored accreditation or not Clayton County schools still have a long way to go.
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KimWhit is right
May 10th, 2009
5:43 pm
Amen KimWhit. Heatly is probably just what Clayton County needs, but the dysfunctional Clayton County people will preclude him from being successful. Same old song being replayed over and over again.
And to the person who keeps reposting the same hypothetical about not letting the student back in class, there is no one answer; it would be very fact dependent – what specifically did the student do? What policy did the student violate? What are the consequences for the student violating the policy? There is no one answer based on your very vague hypothetical. Quit beating that drum! You are just looking for a reason not to support someone you don’t think you can control!
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Yes there is one answer
May 10th, 2009
7:47 pm
If a student has caused a severe enough disruption to warrant being removed from class, then there is one clear answer when an administrator tries to walk him right back to class with ZERO consequences.
Why are you in such MORTAL FEAR of having this addressed?
It’s already been said the question should be asked of ANY candidate, so it has NOTHING to do with THIS candidate. Nice try to, as I suspected, AVOID the question.
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Jborodawg
May 11th, 2009
8:01 am
Stop Worrying, The ONLY question, Stand and deliver, Two questions for Political Spectator, Essential Question, Why so afraid?, Yes there is one answer….apparently the same person. It’s disingenuous to post with so many usernames. For consistency and clarity in our bantering, please pick one and stay with it. Thx!
For those of you still wanting Ms Lee and “Dr King”, read once again “…Advice for Dr. Heatley;… SACS stiputalated…that the person should have a mininmum of four years experience as a superintendent…”
John Stewart: You make some very valid and reasoned points. Dr Heatley does seem quite qualified. But, I still have to also ask, why would someone in their right mind choose Clayco over Reno, NV? Why would someone in their right mind say they “want” to come to Clayco (leave Calif)?
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BOB BOB
May 11th, 2009
4:23 pm
So much mis-information by Trotter supporters and the woefully under-informed. Suffice to say that the times that different Supers were in jeopordy – it was MACE and Trotter in the mix. When the super was pushed out by Nedra and the 4 (Trotter led MACE members) horsewomen of the Apocolyspe. There was MACE. Chavis was nothing but a puppet for the afore mentioned Nedra and when he found his Backbone – he was gone too. Again there was MACE. When the election cycle came around the Trotterites were defeated. We had 2 years of relative peace. Ms. Pulliam was brought in. Only after MACE CEO (what a joke) Noreese Haynes was voted in with sympathyzers Baines-Hunter and Sandra Scott, did we have the personal agenda group raise their ugly heads. Again – there was MACE. Hunter and Scott – were among those who brought in Dr. Thompson. Of course JT wants a local black for the job – He thinks he can flim-flam them the way he has many others and convinced to become MACE. The worst thing for JT – is to have a educated strong black man who is not stuck inside the “victim mentality” as so many in the South have become.
Good Luck Dr Heatley.
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KimWhit is right
May 11th, 2009
5:46 pm
Jborodawg – Have you been to Reno, NV????? It is AWFUL!!!! I would never want to live there, or raise a family there!
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Annie Duke fan
May 11th, 2009
7:55 pm
I’ve been to Jim Huie before and its nice but get more out of LA Fitness at Southlake mall. They’ve got more equipment (that works)it’s worth paying for. I use the pool at Jim Huie and that’s real nice much better than LA Fitness.
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Why so afraid?
May 11th, 2009
10:23 pm
Why so afraid of a simple question? If a teacher removed a serevely disruptive student, and an administrator tried to immediately return him to class with zero consequences, who would you support?
Why are people so resistant to asking this question?
Why is this question being spun as an attack on Heatley, when no one has claimed that King, Lee, or anyone else mentioned would have a better answer?
For that matter, why is it being spun as an attack on Heatley, when it very well could give him a chance to shine, and set a tone that would allow him to be welcomed with open arms?
Lastly, with the number of current and former teachers on the board who know first hand the legitimacy of the question, why aren’t the voters demanding not only that it be answered, but it be asked?
Will this be another case of citizens refusing to address an issue head on that leads to them getting what they fully and richly deserve?
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Clayton Parent
May 12th, 2009
9:34 am
Jborodawg,
I was at the “Meet the Candidate” forum last week. Someone asked Dr. Heatley why he chose Clayton over Reno. He gave several reasons, but one was that he wanted to move to the East coast to be closer to his (and his wife’s) family. He also stated that he has received extensive training to oversee an urban school district. The Chino Valley School district is not urban.
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Oh please
May 12th, 2009
10:23 am
I used to work at the Lundq