Those who earned the least in DeKalb first to go?
Using open records, the AJC looked at the recent cuts in DeKalb County after the school board vote last month to eliminate 289 jobs. At least, 150 of the jobs were supposed to be in the district office.
The assumption was that those central office cuts would be higher paid employees. No so.
According to AJC reporter Megan Matteucci:
But records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show that more than half of the employees laid off by DeKalb schools make less than $40,000 a year. They include nine custodians, 11 school resource officers, 12 secretaries and 19 maintenance workers.
An Open Records Act request of the 289 jobs included in the layoffs lists only 253 names. And only 12 percent of those employees make more than $100,000.
“The people who are being let go make no money,” said Bruce McMillian, father of a Southwest DeKalb High School student. “The ones in the classroom who touch kids are going. For every central office job they are keeping, they could have saved three paraprofessionals at least.”
School officials said they exceeded the budgetary goal of $16 million. They insist that the layoffs were done fairly by trimming 15 percent from every department in the central office.
“We still have to keep certain people in certain positions in order to keep the system running,” said Zepora Roberts, the board’s vice chairwoman.
However Roberts, along with several other board members, told the AJC on Wednesday that they were surprised to learn that so many of the layoffs include lower-paid workers.
“I do expect the superintendent to terminate some of the higher-paid people,” board member Eugene Walker said. “I don’t know how many or who that will be, but certainly my expectation is that all these layoffs won’t just be the lower-paid people.”
In addition to the central office workers, the district cut 100 paraprofessionals, who make less than $40,000, along with 27 library clerks and seven technical specialists.
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47 comments Add your comment
Noxious fumes toxify the environment
June 2nd, 2010
8:40 pm
“We still have to keep certain people in certain positions in order to keep the system running,” said Zepora Roberts, the board’s vice chairwoman.
Maureen, have you just found the cause of global dumbing, or just a symptom?
Angela
June 2nd, 2010
8:59 pm
@Noxious fumes toxify the environment,
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Zepora
June 2nd, 2010
9:10 pm
“However Roberts, along with several other board members, told the AJC on Wednesday that they were surprised to learn that so many of the layoffs include lower-paid workers.”
Thank you Zepora for announcing to the world that you have no clue. The sad thing is, you don’t even have a clue that what you are saying shows you don’t have a clue.
And Pluto was quoted as saying “And we are considered the dwarf planet? They sure couldn’t have been taking into account intellectual capacity when they made that decision.”
hmmmm....
June 2nd, 2010
9:28 pm
Cobb did the same thing…
ScienceTeacher671
June 2nd, 2010
9:28 pm
Is there somewhere that they did it differently?
d
June 2nd, 2010
9:35 pm
….and Zeppora said the BOE would look after the best interest of the employees of DCSS. Oh I feel so much better knowing Zeppora is on the job.
Dunwoody Mom
June 2nd, 2010
9:52 pm
Shameful and inexcusable.
RobertNAtl
June 2nd, 2010
10:12 pm
I’m shocked, shocked!
no mas
June 2nd, 2010
10:19 pm
Ms Matteucci’s article says “Also cut were 17 coordinators and four directors, who are not part of the superintendent’s cabinet but are supervisors in the central office.”
This implies they were higher-salaried central office personnel whose termination satisfies the citizens’ request that DCSS “Cut the fat”. This is not actually the case. I don’t know about the directors, but there were coordinators terminated were necessary; for instancethe K-12 coordinator for Language Arts, K-12 coordinator for the IB program (which I thought was part of Premier DeKalb’s heavily publicized school choice offerings). Of course, Language Arts and IB will still go on, but the teachers will greatly miss the help and expertise these folks were able to provide.
td
June 2nd, 2010
11:01 pm
Why not cut all but a handful of central office staff, give the principals more authority, responsibility, accountability and put more teachers in the classroom? Oh I forgot, that makes since.
d
June 2nd, 2010
11:02 pm
Hey, and now they’re cutting our professional development too…. gee, so much for keeping cuts from the classroom.
Trying to understand
June 2nd, 2010
11:02 pm
If we follow guidelines, we could cut some of our over 200 assistant principals, reduce some of the deputy superintendents, reduce some of those many $100,000 salaries in technology, rid ourselves of all those principals who didn’t employ good judgement, and remove a heaping helping of the area superintendents. Maybe this could help decrease the deficit that, in honest, we truly don’t comprehend. The people at the top of the hierarchy have gotten most of their good friends paid rather handsomely- shouldn’t they be the ones removed? Wake up DCSS, it’s not about you. It’s about the KIDS! Finance dropped the ball. Human Resources dropped the ball. Most everyone in charge dropped the ball. That is apparent. When will the system work for the ones that really and truly count?
tellthetruth
June 2nd, 2010
11:40 pm
ooh now you poor unemployed folks can join the rest of us lied to and laid off by Pat Pope/Reid and Crawford Lewis last June 30, 2009. Maybe thye will fulfill the promises of jobs to you all because we have not been given anything but a hard time by Jamie Wilson and Lewis/Pope. Get a real HR manager to screen qualified applicants instead of hiring family and friends DCSS…they reallly suck..jmo
Trying to understand
June 2nd, 2010
11:44 pm
Oops! I forgot about the husbands, wives, daughters, sons and relatives all in one family, of the many families who cohesively work together for the good in nepotism land at DCSS. How many family members can you count on one hand? Have you noted how many families make in excess of 200,000 in one family alone? Mind boggling!!!!These are many of the people who have robbed the county dry and why we are in our present predicament…
Status quo
June 2nd, 2010
11:52 pm
Don’t forget the paid vacation roll overs. By all means, preserve upper layer jobs and perk benefits.
Sade
June 2nd, 2010
11:53 pm
Zepora, Would those certain people happen to be your friends and family members? From what I have heard those friends and family members on the DCSS payroll are inept!
Sade
June 2nd, 2010
11:57 pm
Zeproa, Would those certain people in certain positions happen to be your friends and family? From what I have heard your friends and family members on the DCSS payroll are inept!
Edgucator
June 3rd, 2010
12:17 am
Even if high paid central office employees would be laid off, it wouldn’t matter. They’d simply be “re” hired under independent contract and would double dip, making their income even higher
Oh, My!
June 3rd, 2010
3:06 am
Mrs. Roberts is an embarrassment! I tried talking to her about an issue that we had spoken about in the not distant past and she all but told me that she did not recall any of our conversation and written memos because, “I talk to people and get memos all the time.” It is clear now why she did not want to discuss my issue; it involved CLewis. She was not going to listen to me about any negative truths I had about her Superintendent. That is OK because now the entire county and the rest of the country will know what I knew all along, the man lacks integrity, character, and a sense of decency!
bootney farnsworth
June 3rd, 2010
6:47 am
gee, well duh.
did anyone expect anything else to happen?
bootney farnsworth
June 3rd, 2010
6:49 am
in a system like this,
job 1 is to protect your job at all costs
job 2 is to protect the jobs of those who’s firing could expose you
(see job 1)
job 3 is to assign blame to some poor slob for any fallout from
jobs 1 & 2
bootney farnsworth
June 3rd, 2010
7:07 am
stupid filter
MOBGIFURE
June 3rd, 2010
8:05 am
Zapora Roberts is publicly affirming what the general public is aware. She is voting on issues that she has not read and is just signing off on it because it is the wish of the Superintendent. She should be removed from office immediately. I am sure she was aware that only the lowest salaried personnell were laid off. She is lying. She is a pathololgical liar.
catlady
June 3rd, 2010
8:33 am
If we lost our 4 parapros and our janitorial staff, our school would not function!
Shame on Dekalb County Schools! Here is a system that is ripe for takeover by the governor (inept though he is)! This school board is obviously unable to function! Where is SACS?
Private School Guy
June 3rd, 2010
8:59 am
I never expected anything different. But some plans were announced in the school house (spoken not written) that smaller elementary schools were going to half time counselors, half time APs, half time librarians, half time PE and half time music. The employees would still have full time jobs they would just spend their time between two schools. There were no layoff it seems this would be done by attrition. There was a lot of hubbub about this and appeals to higher ups but none of it came down. The only effect that did happen was all Middle and High School with two librarians were cut to a single librarian. Aside from the media clerk positions which many defending no one really acted like anything was going to happen. The parapros the largest group to be reduced seemed to not be aware of anything that was happening nor did they know how their ranks would be cut.
But for the higher paid positions there was never a serious plan to make the jump to retirement easier for high paid staff. In all it’s just more of the same when problems first appeared for DCSS the attitude at the top was “circle the wagons”. The central office staff is entrenched, the BOE condones, tolerates and sometimes supports them. Someone needs to come in from outside and bust this up.
DeKalb Educated
June 3rd, 2010
9:36 am
It would make more sense to take everyone who is qualified to teach and re-assign them to a classroom. We do not need “public access” TV for the school system. Let a grad student manage it for credit. Many of the “tech” jobs at the central office could be done by grad students needing experience and course credit. We need to cut many of the “assistant to name the title” positions. No more nepotism. No more school board job employment program. More teachers, less administration. Let the principals manage their schools. You need only a payroll staff down at the central office along with maintence coordinator and purchasing – but make sure none of them are related to school board members!
LOC
June 3rd, 2010
10:35 am
“Someone needs to come in from outside and bust this up.” It will take a whole army because the entire state of Georgia is in this predicament. In my county, there are two families running/ ruining things. One family has been at it for generations. They are smart and politically connected, and family members are always among the top paid in our system. The other family is a bunch of bumpkins (this includes the superintendent who had to get a GED before moving on to her off-the-roll degrees) who a generation ago were a bunch of sawmill rednecks.
I really don’t think that just bringing someone in from the outside will help until we all stand up and demand that these people be removed and held accountable for their actions/crimes. In my system, those who are abusing their power know no fear. They lie, they bully, they lie some more, and they need to be stopped. But until the citizens demand an end to this madness, nothing is going to change.
FLAWoodLayer
June 3rd, 2010
10:44 am
I agree with catlady until SACS steps in nothing will change in DCSS. And can they drop the premier already.
SallyB
June 3rd, 2010
10:47 am
@ Dekalb educated:
Your suggestion makes way too much sense ! In fact, several years ago it was even mentioned that DCSS was going to reassign many county office employees to the classroom. However, Crawford Clueless decided that the county office needed bulk up even more so he hired ….what was it……100 or 1000 more globules to populate his palace.
Nikole
June 3rd, 2010
11:29 am
Is there anyone running against Ms. Roberts this November?
Nothing has changed....
June 3rd, 2010
11:56 am
How is it possible that a board member was heard saying that a DCSS principal was getting Gloria Talley’s position BEFORE the interviews even took place? Not that she wished this person would get the job or that the pers
on deserved the job, but that the person HAD the job.
How? Because nothing has changed. The board interferes in day-to_day operations on a daily basis and nothing is ever done. SACS, please come and pay DCSS & the school board a visit. Until you do, NOTHING will ever change. Given the state of the DCSS high schools and the district’s NI status with NCLB, do you think an internal hire is a good idea? Especially one who owes the position to a board member? Oh, I forgot. DCSS is all about teaching students. They’re totally in denial about anything else that’s happening in the district — especially if it involves going against a board member.
Nothing ever changes.
DeKalb Educated
June 3rd, 2010
12:23 pm
Thanks Sally B! Nothing ever changes? It will if you all take a step forward and work for viable candidates. There is NOTHING in the AJC editorial pages about the incompetent school board or the criminal charges at DCSS. The TV news doesn’t make room for it. You have got to get out and get involved. PTA’s, local community associations, churches – talk to your neighbors. Educate people about the incompentent and maybe criminally negligent school board. It takes action. You can get Ms. Roberts out of her seat and Sarah CW, too. MARCH, SHOUT and let others know that we are damn tired of high taxes and poor service and stupid leaders.
Angela
June 3rd, 2010
2:35 pm
@SallyB & DeKalb Educated,
And the drama continues in DCSS. Did you read what Gloria Tally stated in this article? (Those who earned the least in DeKalb first to go?) Check it out. She states that we get overtime and earn stipends for (seemingly) all professional develpment courses. Well, if that is the case ” I want MY MONEY.” (smile)!
Angela
June 3rd, 2010
2:46 pm
@SallyB & DeKalb Educated,
Sorry, Here is the article about Gloria Tally.
*******************************************************************************************************
Budget woes could mean less training for DeKalb teachersShareThisPrint E-mail .By Megan Matteucci
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The DeKalb County school board is looking to cut mandatory training hours for teachers in half because of the district’s budget problems.
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.The school system currently requires teachers to have 20 hours of professional development a year. On Wednesday, the board’s instruction committee discussed cutting training time to 10 hours a year.
Last month, the board approved a budget for next school year with $104 million in cuts, including seven furlough days for teachers. A proposal calls for three of those furlough days to be designated teacher professional development days, said Gloria Talley, deputy superintendent of teaching and learning.
To make up for that lost time, administrators are proposing teachers see to their professional development during the school day and in between instruction time.
Board member Sarah Copelin-Wood said she worried that the district was trying to get “free labor” from teachers by having training during the school day.
“DeKalb has a long history of paying teachers stipends for staff development. With the budget cuts, I’m not sure how long we can commit to that,” Talley told board members.
Talley said it actually will benefit teachers because they will have on-the-job training. Talley added she would rather have teachers get less training then cut instruction hours for students.
The state requires teachers take 100 hours of training every five years to renew their teaching certificate, said Sonja Alexander, the district’s director of professional learning. However, this year the legislature passed a bill that would suspend that training requirement until June 30, 2015, Alexander said. That bill is awaiting the governor’s signature.
The board will vote on the training cut later this summer.
Inside AJC.COM
Angela
June 3rd, 2010
2:50 pm
@Edgucator,
YOU, are soooooooooooooooooo RIGHT!
Arnold
June 3rd, 2010
3:54 pm
Of they cut out staff development they will have to cut the expensive staff development personnel under Sonja Alexander – that was Lewis’s job before he became superintendent. That’s why Gloria Talley wants to keep it for DCSS. It would also take away what the non-teaching 80 Instructional Coaches that cost around $8,000,000 in salary and benefits. Write you BOE members about the plan time, time to meet with parents, time to tutor kids, time to grade assignments that teachers will lose. That is so much more important for our kids.
Anon
June 3rd, 2010
5:33 pm
In addition to the other k-12 Coordinator positions mentioned, the Coordinator for Gifted students was also let go due to budget cuts.
Concerned
June 3rd, 2010
7:23 pm
Where is SACS? I hope the SACS committee reading the comments. DCSS is about nepotism. This system’s hiring practices should be investigated. They look down on the lower positions. A secretary making over 40,000 in over-time, wow! How much money a teacher earns for overtime with students in the afternoon? It is not in the contract to stay for tutorial. All four of them looking stupid on TV. Doing wrong will slap you in the face. Mrs. Roberts, its time for you to go home and rest. When you open your mouth, it shows how ignorant you are.
say what?
June 3rd, 2010
8:43 pm
I recall stating several times in previous blogs that central staff included custodians, bus drivers, SROs, HVAC staff, and the response was “they” need to go. Wish granted.
Furthermore, so many have said that the interim superintendent would do just what Lewis had in his plans, and if his plan was to remove 13 cabinet members, why didn’t she be a good lackey(sp?) and follow the plan?
But did anyone read beyond Ms. Roberts’s quote to see that over $1m was saved by removing/retiring 12 people making more than $100k annually? Should be that more people are let go, and the poor revenues will have the board coming back to this issue again before December.
As the employees are the one’s in control of who is hired/fired, it would appear that nepotism of family/friends of employees is the bigger problem than board member family/friends.
In my department a supervisor has 20 family members that she and her husband helped get a job with DCSS. Her best friend does not meet the education requirement for the job, but she is still there. i think that knowing the friends and family of employees(over 10k) is more important than knowing the relatives of board members (9 members). Chances are you will find more friends and relatives of department supervisors, directors, area superintendents than board members relatives.
VeronicaDekalbTeacher
June 3rd, 2010
9:07 pm
Dekalb is on the fast track down the slippery slope. Nepotism is RAMPANT in dekalb. One principal that I know of has her who family working in the system, including in-laws. It’s really pathetic! I understand that SACS is looking at Dekalb and I hope they look long and hard.
VeronicaDekalbTeacher
June 3rd, 2010
9:08 pm
I mean has her WHOLE family working….although the other works too. LOL
Trying to understand
June 3rd, 2010
9:30 pm
Does anyone realize that the true deficit and financial position of Dekalb County School System will never be known with the powers that be that are in place now. With the current regime, it is now total chaos. There is mass confusion. The fold out will be very damaging.
Welcome to our little World of Dekalb
June 3rd, 2010
9:43 pm
The fact is that we all need our jobs rather we the top paid or the lowest paid. I feel that there could have been other incentives to resolve this problem. Dekalb’s policy is LIFO. Dekalb could have offered a retirement package for employees who have the age and 20 to 30 years experience. There are many other incentives that they could have considered to cut jobs.
Principal promotion in the middle of cut backs
June 3rd, 2010
10:05 pm
From my understanding Mr. Beasley the principal at Columbia High School was promoted. If this is true, HOW with all the cut backs? DCSS can’t afford to this. They need to freeze all promotions unless it directly affects children and he’s not loyal to DCSS. He resigned and came back. That is not fair to the other aspiring Administrators, with more than 20 years, who stuck with DEKALB through the good and bad. What is it going to take before DCSS change.
Teacherwannabee
June 4th, 2010
1:18 pm
At what point will a top to bottom investigation be done to clean house in Dekalb County corrupt activities. Clayton County was gutted out for less.
Teacherwannabee
June 4th, 2010
1:28 pm
Most Atlanta school systems are corrupt and should be periodically inspected to prevent illegal practices.Now , I know why I cant get hired.It’s not what you know but who you know.
Truthbetold
June 5th, 2010
4:49 pm
I have been with the County a long time. Each super has brought in their own people. I have observed that the same practices are in the loal schools with the principals. They misuse points to keep close friends in non-existent jobs. Ones that limit thier contact with children. That way, they are freed up to leave school at 1:45 each day, and run errands for the principal (Sam’s Club knows them by name). So, having said that, how can you fire the principals and the people who do the same as the top dogs in the central office?