State enters DeKalb mess, but is the help needed? Can’t county deal with its own school problems?
There are a lot of bright people in DeKalb. Can't they come together to repair the schools and overhaul the management?
I am not sure that hearings at the Capitol are the answer to any school system’s dysfunction, although they do help draw public attention to the issue. Two DeKalb legislators, both of whom are smart and have good track records, are assembling a committee to review events in DeKalb schools and where the state’s third largest school district is headed.
I think that Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) and Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) will offer some wisdom, but the responsibility for improving DeKalb schools belongs to the duly elected school board, educators and parents of the county. And there is plenty of talent in DeKalb County, and there are some strong school board members.
They need to hire a good superintendent, clean house, as posters here and my own reporting have convinced me that there is too much nepotism in DeKalb, and then get back to the business of educating children. Many of the criticisms of DeKalb on this blog cite its loss of eminence and its inferior education as compared to a generation ago.
But the county has changed, and there are far more hard-to-educate children now than when DeKalb was a bedroom community of Atlanta. Those days aren’t going to come back because the easiest-to-educate kids now live in Alpharetta and Peachtree City. Poorer children, immigrant children and children whose own parents didn’t go to college have a longer way to go than the students whose parents bought them the Tolkien trilogy when the kids were still in diapers and send them to math camp.
That is not a slur on the county, just a reminder that DeKalb has more challenges today than it did 30 years ago. I live in DeKalb and chose it for its vibrancy, diversity and the fact that it was one of the few places back 20 years ago where I could find gnocchi, bagels and falafel within a few miles. (Now, you can get them all over Atlanta.)
Every school system is dealing with the fallout of the collapse of housing markets, and DeKalb has been harder hit than most with its high number of foreclosures. If ever there was a time for scrupulous and ardent stewardship of public money, it is now.
I am not sure that the help of the General Assembly is needed at this point. But help is coming.
Here is the official release:
State Senate and House members are forming a legislative review committee in response to the DeKalb County school board’s changing leadership and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ (SACS) questions regarding the board’s practices. Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) and Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) will co-chair the DeKalb School Board Legislative Review Committee and will hold their first meeting on Thursday, Sept. 9 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 341 of the State Capitol.
“I’m honored to serve as co-chair of this committee and look forward to working with DeKalb County’s legislative delegation to ensure this school system stays on the path to success,” said Jones. “There are serious issues facing DeKalb’s school system, and we must act immediately to see that the best candidates are elected to the board. The committee will also review the concerns raised by SACS in our capacity as the state delegation.”
Oliver emphasized the need for cooperation between the legislative committee and the school board, noting: “I’m a proud graduate of the DeKalb County school district, and I’m very concerned about the tough challenges our school board faces. We need to be proactive with our school board in looking forward to the 2011 Legislative Session to develop policies that address the current problems with the DeKalb County school board system.”
Members of the review committee will look at three specific areas, beginning with the need for more public information on candidates running for election to the school board, including the skills required to meet the current challenges. Members will also conduct a review of the school board’s implementation of reforms as required under a new law the legislature passed this year. Finally, the committee will provide assistance to the district in response to SACS’ inquiries and search for a new superintendent.
The committee will conduct meetings leading up to the legislative session that begins in January. Other issues that may be addressed include a review of the organization of the board, the organization act for board members and the school district as well as issues related to board oversight, new ethics mandates and public participation in the selection of a new superintendent.
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81 comments Add your comment
Kate
August 26th, 2010
11:30 am
Yes, the state must get involved because Dekalb has had several decades to clean up it’s act, and had stubbornly refused to do so. It’s just a sad, sad state of affairs, but I don’t know what, if anything, will ever done about it.
Anna
August 26th, 2010
11:44 am
How can this hurt? The more publicity, the less likely Bowen is going to say dumb things like, “There is nothing wrong with the state of DeKalb Co. schools.”
Understanding Atlanta
August 26th, 2010
11:52 am
The State doesn’t need to get involved in this. Clean up what act? Most of the recent problems with DeKalb come from lack of prudent school board members, non-existent policies, and public outcry.
The problem with DeKalb has been its voters don’t always vote for the candidate that can best serve them, rather the person that has the name recognition or money to put out more yard signs. The problems in DCSS can be recitified with a strong superintendent that has a contract that allows them to clean house, create polcies such as conflict of interest policies.
When the voters elect school board members that will set policy and ensure those policies are followed, hire a strong superintendent that has the power to fire teachers, administators, central office staff, and the like we’ll be on our way to addressing the needs of one of the most diverse schools sytems (in terms of race, culture, and socioeconmic status). This isn’t the same DCSS as 30 yrs ago, but we can be a guiding light for school systems in the country.
Yes DeKalb can!!!!!
Dunwoody Mom
August 26th, 2010
11:53 am
I’m with Anna – it could not hurt. Maybe it will even help keep a few of the rogue BOE members in check.
On PTA
August 26th, 2010
12:14 pm
At our last PTA Exective Board Meeting, the principal had just returned from a Principal’s meeting with Ramona Tyson. She informed us the Principals were told that Dekalb’s accreditation is not in question. SACS is shining a light on conflicts of interest, nepotism, ethics etc, which I agree, need to be brought into the light of day. That being said, I agree, that having the State assist, will probably be helpful, especially with the Superintendant search, as Dekalb’s track record lately has been pretty dismal. I am definitely showing my dissatisfaction with our Board during our upcoming election.
catlady
August 26th, 2010
12:17 pm
No, obviously the county needs housecleaning. Too many chiefs. Too much nepotism/favoritism. Too much inbreeding. Dekalb can do better for its kids with better/fewer people in the hierarchy.
EnoughAlready
August 26th, 2010
12:47 pm
Please add Gwinnett, Cobb, Forsyth, Cherokee, Hall, Henry, Rockdale, Fayette and others to the list of school systems the state should look into investigating. If you turn over a few more rocks, the truth will finally come out about them all.
Dekalbite
August 26th, 2010
1:06 pm
DeKalb representative Senator Ron Ramsey, head of DCSS Internal Investigations Department, is part of the superintendent Ms. Tyson’s “Cabinet”.
Is Senator Ramsey part of this committee? In addition, his department “missed” the Pope/Lewis construction and use of DCSS funds for personal trips, Lewis filling up his tank with gas three times during one day, Sanders-Butler/Simpson inappropriate book sells, etc.
It seems a clear conflict of interest for him to help guide the BOE in selecting a new superintendent. As a key member of the school system administration being investigated by SACS, Senator Ramsey should not be involved as part of a committee that wants to influence SACS except to answer questions that SACS asks him.
Am I the only one who thinks the people being investigated by an independent accrediting body should not be in a position to guide or assist in the investigation?
DeKalb Educated
August 26th, 2010
1:06 pm
Perhaps the state leaders coming to the aid of DeKalb County could propose an effective ethics policy since the one at the state level works so well? When the corruption charges aimed at the four defendents from our School Admin cite that they did nothing wrong and really didn’t break any ethic rules of the DeKalb BOE then something is wrong. I hope the state legislative members can shine a light on the corruption (book sales, equipment, land deals, nepotism) and outright stupidity and incompetence of our School Board and Administative staff.
LLL
August 26th, 2010
1:08 pm
Although “it couldn’t hurt,” do we want our state legislature to be engaged in an activity whose result may be “couldn’t hurt”???
Smoke Rise Mom
August 26th, 2010
1:32 pm
Until we can see ourselves as one DeKalb, there won’t be any help for us. Unfortunately too many parents, school board members, and other stakeholders are only interested in their little slice of turf. And they do not appreciate any outsiders poking around in their “backyard”. Last time I checked, my tax dollars don’t go directly to my neighborhood schools.
Kira Willis
August 26th, 2010
1:49 pm
Maureen, as a Libertarian, I am a firm believer in local control; however, the state really does need to intervene with Dekalb, Atlanta Public, and any other local school board that is accused of wrong doing. We have had too many years of the GADOE turning its back and looking the other way when corruption runs rampant: cheating, misappropriation of funds, or simply not following its own policies. As the next State School Superintendent, I will work to ensure that all of the counties in Georgia are honest and forthright. I will actively investigate any and all allogations of wrongdoing.
Harry Callahan
August 26th, 2010
2:03 pm
Look at who is running Dekalb these days…there’s your answer…
hkb
August 26th, 2010
2:06 pm
Yes, the state needs to help. Dekalb has lost it’s focus and there is way too much nepotism within the system. What was once a very good school system has become a system where it is who you know not what you know that determines hiring practices. We need outsiders to come and look over the situation or it will continue to sink.
Dunwoody Mom
August 26th, 2010
2:09 pm
Hopefully, this move can be used as another check to make sure an outsider, with no previous ties to DeKalb County Schools or anyone involved with DCSS, is brought in as Superintendent.
Heard It All
August 26th, 2010
2:10 pm
Dekalb’s issues stem from a terrible board, weak upper admin, and a fear of bothersom parents. I witnessed first hand how Dekalb folds to a complaining parent who knows someone on the board due to a church afiliation. Upper administration needs to hire more strong men to run the schools and reduce the number of women that lack the guts to even govern the children in their buildings.
Honesty
August 26th, 2010
2:12 pm
City of Atlanta, Clayton and DeKalb….A Third World City, and 2 Third World Counties.
Maureen Downey
August 26th, 2010
2:18 pm
@Heard it All. Have you heard of Michelle Rhee? She may be the gutsiest school super in the country today. Not sure gender is a factor as DeKalb has had all male superintendents until this point.
Maureen
Dekalbite@Kira Willis
August 26th, 2010
2:22 pm
You already had my vote. Now I know why.
Principle
August 26th, 2010
2:24 pm
It seems that many of he issues in Dekalb are governance isssues. Almost by definition that will require help from an outside group to help resolve. The board cannot fix the issues, they ARE the issue. No one disagrees that Dekalb has more “hard to educate” students. In my opinion DeKalb has done a better job than APS who has adopted blind collusion as a leadership strategy. But the board is broken, not living up to minimum acceptable standards and it needs help.
Much like ClayCO needed an outisde push, if the county is ever to fix it’s issues, someone will need to fix it’s board.
Proud Black Man
August 26th, 2010
2:27 pm
@ Maureen
I tend to agree somewhat with Heard It All. Women are more nurturing then men and in an educational setting, especially middle school, that often leads to enabling. Michelle Rhee is definitely making waves but is she raising student achievement? Having said that what has happened to men in education? Looking through my old year books, 70s-80, there was an almost even mix of men to women teachers. In my county females dominate all the K-12 schools. My own theory is that women will put up with more nonsense then men will. And in education there is a LOT of nonsense.
Not Buying It
August 26th, 2010
2:46 pm
As many assert, the additional scrutiny on the DeKalb BOE may end up doing more good than harm. But if you’re expecting any final action rising even close to the level of intervention, then you’ve never had the displeasure of sitting through a Georgia legislative committee hearing.
double zero eight
August 26th, 2010
2:48 pm
@ Proud Black Man
I concur with your analogy. We need some more “Lean On Me” type principals similar to the one portrayed by Morgan Freeman in the movie.
A lot of males in middle and high school will take kindness and nurturing for weakness. In elementary school, the majority of principals are female in APS. I spoke to several retired APS educators
that worked in the “inner city”, and discipline was an issue at their schools.
Dekalbite
August 26th, 2010
3:00 pm
You’ve obviously not worked with some of the women principals I have. It doesn’t have anything to do with gender.
LLL
August 26th, 2010
3:10 pm
Why would anyone think polliticians at the state level will be any better than those at the district level? I can’t believe any liberatian can believe in such an illusion.
double zero eight
August 26th, 2010
3:15 pm
@Dekalbite
I beg to differ. It does make a difference in the inner city. Are you in the “burbs or “hood”? It is unfortunate that some male youths do not have the same degree of respect for female administrators as they do for male administrators. I have a friend who is a retired APS principal and he concurs.
Dekalbite
August 26th, 2010
3:53 pm
I’ve taught in almost every school in DeKalb, and it’s the person – not the man.
The strongest principal I ever taught for was a woman, and nobody, but nobody crossed her. She was smart, organized, fair, focused and worked really, really hard. Our kids were so poor that the PTA was in the red when when she got there. The PTA had the were selling wrapping paper as their main fundraiser. The kids weren’t bringing back the money because many of the parents were using it to buy food and other necessities. This principal stopped that and had a fall carnival – she directed money back to the school. She used to make the parents of kids who misbehaved come to school and follow the kids around all day (no one could believe she could get away with that). She knew how to work the system to get what she wanted from the Central Office. We always had our textbooks on time. She inspected every inch of that school and made sure the custodians didn’t miss so much as a faucet. She worked every lunch duty with a red, yellow and green stop light and if the kids got above conversational level the red light went on and they had complete silence. After months of that, you could walk into the lunchroom and these kids had better manners than any school I’ve ever been in. All the teachers moved back from the teachers’ lounge to eat in the cafeteria (which somehow she got the money to make spotless and had ferns hanging all along the walls). She demanded a lot of teachers, but she backed them all the way. They resented her at first she was so tough (on everyone who walked through her doors), but when they transferred her to another problem school, I’ve never seen so many tears.
So I’d say it’s the person.
Been there done that....
August 26th, 2010
3:58 pm
I would say the person also!!
double zero eight
August 26th, 2010
3:58 pm
You convinced me. She sounds like a “Lean On Me” type of principal.
Gerald
August 26th, 2010
4:13 pm
Give it up guys. Despite 50 years of evidence otherwise, feminists will NEVER admit that their “gender” theories were wrong. Look at the movies … even the few that are rejecting the Murphy Brown “husbands/fathers are not needed” message actually portray the “husbands” and “fathers” as jerks, losers and overgrown children where the women are always wise, strong, reliable and self-sacrificing. (Example: “Grown-Ups”, which makes the Steve Martin father figure in those Parenthood” movies look like Charleston Heston or John Wayne.)
The root cause of the public education failure in this country is the collapse of nuclear and extended families (extended families are important because if something happens to the father or mother, another family member can step in, plus everyone pitches in and helps during times of financial difficulty). Private schools and homeschooling produces better results in large part because 2 parent households (and no, I don’t mean “Heather Has Two Mommies”) are more likely to seek those solutions out.
Feminists would rather see this nation collapse than admit that they can’t do it alone (or if not alone, with the support of neutered men). Only a matter of time before the whole country starts looking like our inner cities, where up to 95% of all children are being born out of wedlock. The various educational scandals are simply attempting to treat a social failure as an educational/government failure.
We really need a debate on what to be done with schools in communities where most of the children come from broken homes (terminology that isn’t even used anymore, largely because if the majority of the homes fit this description they are the norm and hence not “broken”). In areas like that, schools need to focus on discipline, social skills and vocational training … similar to reform schools or military schools. But so long as feminists and other leftists continue the nonsense belief that if we just spend enough on education then kids with terrible backgrounds can perform as well as kids with good ones, it won’t happen.
Reality Chic
August 26th, 2010
4:16 pm
It all starts with the parents. Unless you’ve attended some of the PTA/PTO, and or school board meetings you won’t understand what I am talking about. It is SCARY! Kids generally are a reflection of their parents. It’s SCARY!
Then there’s the “leadership” of the school board! It’s SCARY! Dismiss them all and start over.
Dekalbite@Gerald
August 26th, 2010
4:34 pm
Well, Crawford Lewis is a male, and I wouldn’t consider him a feminist (have you read the indictment yet?). I’m old and married to the same man who is my daughter’s father, but I understand it’s a different world now. You can’t turn back the clock. However, we can do something about taking back our school system by electing the very best “people” as Dekalb Schools BOE members. I do agree with you about focusing on vocational training. Plumbers and carpenters can’t be outsourced. Social skills? Does a high school chemistry teacher really need to be teaching social skills? If they do, the students will not learn a lot of chemistry.
DeKalb teacher
August 26th, 2010
5:15 pm
I don’t think that this government intervention will hurt. Dekalb needs as much attention as possible on the issues that have plague the system in order to effect real change. If for no other reason than to shine a bright light on those who have chosen to abuse the system for their own selfish gain. However, I do feel that it is going to take the focused grassroots efforts of all stakeholders to turn things around. Parents and community people, educators need get involved and voice their concerns over how tax dollars are being spent. We need to examine the data to truly evaluate the usefulness of expensive programs that have been used in the county. We need to look at who is working for the county in ways that are helping our students. Funds need to be spent on good direct instruction. This is the only way that kids will learn. The time has come for all those who care to organize and demand accountability for our schools. There really are some talented educators in the DCSS. Let’s give them the resources, the time and support to effectively do their jobs. Our students deserve this whether they are “hard to educate” or advanced. Yes, we have both kinds in our schools. Be part of the solution!
Grumpy
August 26th, 2010
5:24 pm
Keep your failed social experiments. I’ll keep homeschooling. Dekalb County is doomed because no one wants to tell the truth about those “hard to educate” kids.
Jen
August 26th, 2010
5:28 pm
Maureen Downey, who are the “strong school board members” in Dekalb? Let’s be honest and transparent and name some names.
Awful, Awful, Awful
August 26th, 2010
5:52 pm
Right on, Jen……Folks, blacks vote for blacks because they’re black and DeKalb County is majority black…..therefore, nothing will ever change and DCSS will never be any better than it is right now…..which is absolutely awful. The school system is doomed, and as the school system goes, so goes the county.
bootney farnsworth
August 26th, 2010
6:18 pm
you’ve GOT to be kidding.
at what point has anything given a sane individual any hope DeKalb wants to solve this?
Atlanta Media Guy
August 26th, 2010
6:21 pm
Th only thing the state needs to get involved with is helping DeKalb stakeholders form charter clusters or Independent School Districts. DCSS is too large for the current leadership to manage. The state legislators will have to write new legislation and/or even have the constitution changed, which will involve the electorate.
I just read the article and release, and here’s what really concerns me. These legislators have no idea what’s going on at DCSS. There is NO SACS investigation right now and NO BOE members were indicted.n nTechnically, Clew sat on the BOE, however he did not have a vote or was elected to the post. So those quotes truly concern me. Also the quote that Emmanuel Jones said, “he wants to ensure the system stays on the path to success.” Uh, we’re not on any path, we’re in the ditch mired in mud and corruption. We need a new BOE and a SUPER with no ties to DeKalb.
We must watch everyone involved and I agree Ramsey should be no where near this committee, however being a legislator himself he’ll have inside knowledge of what is being discussed etc… Definitely a conflict of interest, but that has not stopped anyone in the past.
The committee MUST be Bi-Partisan, Transparent and let’s hope they talk to all stakeholders, including parents from all DCSS districts, teachers, support staff as well as BOE members.
bootney farnsworth
August 26th, 2010
6:22 pm
how can anyone but an outside bust the good ol boy cabal running DeKalb education?
Atlanta Media Guy
August 26th, 2010
6:27 pm
Sunlight on DCSS will be like a disinfectant, something DCSS has not bought in years. You should smell the bathrooms at my kids DeKalb school.
bootney farnsworth
August 26th, 2010
6:27 pm
forget “Bi-Partisan, Transparent” and all the rest of the essentially meaningless words. the committe must actually be answerable to someone
who has the power to do things.
like say, RICO inditments
bootney farnsworth
August 26th, 2010
6:30 pm
funny how the AJC doesn’t mind seeing heads roll in DeKalb, but suggest Beverly Hall needs to go ….
Dekalbite@Atlanta Media Guy
August 26th, 2010
6:36 pm
Did your child go to Fairington? That school had 34 trailers and 33 classrooms inside the schools (get it – more trailers than classrooms). It was 100% over capacity. It stank when you just walked into the building – the smell just hit you – toilets built for half the number of students. Bouie Elementary was a beautiful school built to alleviate the increasing population in that area, but then the DCSS administration made it into a theme school so no help for the Fairington kids. These students were left wallowing in this situation for years. It was a depressing environment.
Atlanta Media Guy
August 26th, 2010
6:44 pm
Hey Bootneym the folks who have been indicted will never work for DCSS again! It’s appalling that we have to pay for CLew’s defense attorney though. Nothing like having our tax dollars paying for both sides of a case!
Sorry you didn’t like my meaningless words, if this committee is not bi-partisan and transparent then this whole thing is a waste of time. I’m hoping for Charter Clusters or Independent School Districts. DCSS has gotten to large for our current leaders to manage.
Personally, Tyson, Turk, Moseley, Thompson, Mitchell-Mayfield, Ramsey, Berry, Guilroys and and Edwards family member need to be resign or be fired. We need a total Palace cleaning!
robert
August 26th, 2010
6:49 pm
the problem is not fixable through administration, and the evidence of this can be seen in the vast differences found in dekalb
what schools are awesome in dekalb? decatur
why are they awesome? because the parents give a damn and are involved deeply in the schools, and with their children
what do you think would happen if you took all the teachers and principal out of the best decatur school, and dumped them into a school in a crappy neighborhood where parents think of public school as free babysitting? nothing would happen – the students would continue to fail, and the teachers would feel massive pressure to get scores up or risk losing their jobs or at the very least considered failures
who’s to blame for dumb kids? parents.
can politicians fix dumb kids? no
Atlanta Media Guy
August 26th, 2010
7:23 pm
Decatur does have a good system! They pay high taxes for it. It’s also a lot smaller than DCSS.. That’s why a lot of us want to start charter clusters or Independent School Districts. The waste, bloat, nepotism and cronyism that exists in the DCSS is awful and I believe the system is too large for these inept leaders to manage.
I would like to see my tax dollars get placed into the schools in my area. BOE member Redovian seems to forget that Chamblee is included in his district. CCHS continues to get promises of SPLOST funds only to be told, maybe the next one! SPLOST 4 will be hard to pass since there has been such fraud and corruption involving 2 and 3. Let’s hope CCHS gets some renovation and upgrades. The mold and mildew is a reason they have lost some great teachers as well as kids.
The parents in our area are involved and despite getting shafted by the Central Palace, our schools are AYP and graduating great students. A testament to the Teachers, Administrations and Parents of a High Achieving attendance zone and feeder schools.
Private School Guy
August 26th, 2010
7:32 pm
Many school board members in DeKalb and elsewhere have had no experience in handling and managing the level of budget a school system has. I think it’s time that school boards be appointed instead of elected. You can still have a mix of educators along with corporate heads and some community people but you need people who don’t need to do it, have nothing to gain and serve with no pay. Only then will we be able to avoid the type of situation we have in DeKalb.
DCSS
August 26th, 2010
8:32 pm
DCSS – Beasley must be investigated too! How many principals bought his book and how much of his other services has he provided on and from DCSS dime? If you did not view his web-site here are the links. Come to think of it his name has over powered Ramona Tyson’s name in the system. The only name that you hear about in every aspect of the schools is Dr. Beasley. One would think because he could not cut it apparently as super in Texas or where ever he was for a very very short period of time he is after the position in DCSS. Is that why he came back or was he sent back?
He has all of the other administrators hopping around with their tales caught between their … It is almost like he or they think that he is some kind of GOD! Oh, but he is a minister too, you know.
http://www.apassionforleadership.com/DrBeasley.htm
http://spiritoffaithministries.org/our_vision
Also, if this can be placed on face book it might just reveal even more corruption in DCSS.
Burroughston Broch
August 26th, 2010
8:34 pm
Based on my encounters with the School Board, they are completely oblivious about some issues and want to micro-manage others. They don’t seem to understand that their job is to represent the voters, not friends and family. I asked one School Board Member to explain whether he was part of the problem or part of the solution, and he just spluttered. I cannot decide whether he is Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dumber.
Angela
August 26th, 2010
8:43 pm
@Heard It All,
The men are weak too! Believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why do you think that Crawford allowed parents to act a fool. So, did Hartford as well. Johnny Brown is gone because he did not take that crap. You see you must be a yes man or woman to run the schools in DCSS.
say what?
August 26th, 2010
9:45 pm
@DCSS what did Beasely do to you? He expects everyone to be accountable for their actions, yes including parents! Does his being back in DCSS for one year really make a difference, because from what I hear and see, EVERYONE IN DCSS is CORRUPT.
Folk make up your mind- either you want people from outside the supposedly DCSS corrupt system or you want the status quo. No wonder things cannot get done in DeKalb County.
Where is the sinister hidden agenda in him being a minister? There are many teachers who are in ministry and many ministers who are teachers, where is the smoking gun for a SACS investigation. No big deal. If all you can add to the issues is inuendo, guess what? you are a part of the problem. Will the adults please enter the room.
jt
August 26th, 2010
10:16 pm
Say what, are you kidding about Beasley? You think he comes from “outside the supposedly corrupt DCSS system?” That is hilarious, because he is the NEPHEW OF THE SUPERINTENDANT who preceded Crawford Lewis.
I
Dr. John Trotter
August 26th, 2010
10:42 pm
Maureen: Did you take the same tack with Clayton County? You may have. I don’t know. But, I seem to remember that the AJC was calling for everyone from the Ayatolla Khomeini (did I spell that correctly?) to Pat Boone to get involved in Clayco’s mess. The Governor, State Board members, SACS, Clayton’s legislative delegation, etc. The Clayton legislative delegation did indeed get its nose involved in Clayton’s school board affairs, setting up the flawed outside Ethics Committee which seems to have power over elected officials. State Rep. Mike Glanton led the charge. Mike ran for the State Senate this summer and garnered 34% of the vote. Perhaps the Clayco voters didn’t appreciate after all his meddling. The voters (many from the same area) voted kicked-off (perhaps illegally kicked off) school board member Sandra G. Scott to the same legislative delegation that it kicked Mike Glanton out of. Turn about seems to be fair play. Voters have a way of settling scores.
Perhaps Mr. Jones and Ms. Oliver want try to lessen the blows of SACS. Perhaps this is a cover for SACS which really doesn’t want to get involved — like Michael Bowers and Bob Wilson may be a cover for SACS in Atlanta. Very seldom is it what meets the eye. Politics is about sleight-of-hand moves. I agree with an earlier poster that Mr. Ronald Ramsey, State Senator from DeKalb/Rockdale, may have a conflict of interest. I like Ron. But, he certainly shut down a grievance when our teacher was ready to testify about systematic cheating at Clarkston High School. (The teacher had a list of other teacher-witnesses whom he wanted to call upon to testify to the same. By the way, Ron, I left that list on your desk before y’all kicked me out of the suite of offices. And, after I pointed out to many witnesses that Ms. Robin Goolsby, your colleague, had her hands on my chest pushing me out of the building, you guys hastened to send me a letter claiming that I was “banned” from the DeKalb County School System. Y’all must have thought that I was going to press simple battery charges against Ms. Goolsby. I would have never done that because gentlemen just don’t do that. I remember when I was “banned” in Clayton County in many years ago, I just decided one morning that I was tired of Superintendent Hairston’s antics and called Chairman Barnes. We met that morning and that night Hairston was forced to resign at a school board meeting. He never saw it coming. Now in the case of Crawford Lewis, his demise did not come overnight, but we pounded the pavement against bullying, systematic cheating, and the fact that DeKalb was a “gangsta school system.” Keith Whitney of Channel 11 got a kick out of me keep calling DeKalb a “gangsta school system.” Was I not right? Delve into our website, and you will see the the many articles, pickets, etc., that MACE did against Crawford Lewis, the “superintendent clowns,” as we called him. http://www.theteachersadvocate.com.)
It’s hard to put Humpty Dumpty together again. Should the legislature get involved? I don’t know. But, I don’t think so. For God so loved the world that He did not send a Committee. Committees don’t hardly ever solve a thing. A committee is an opportunity for grandstanding.
Harold@say what?
August 26th, 2010
11:03 pm
“Does his being back in DCSS for one year really make a difference, because from what I hear and see, EVERYONE IN DCSS is CORRUPT.
Folk make up your mind- either you want people from outside the supposedly DCSS corrupt system or you want the status quo. No wonder things cannot get done in DeKalb County.”
Dr. Beasley was the youngest and highest paid principal in DCSS in 2003 (over $90,000 a year) – courtesy of the former DCSS superintendent Johnny Brown who brought him from Birmingham where they worked together. He stayed in DCSS as a principal until 2006 when he moved to Birmingham to work as the Deputy Superintendent for Instruction for Port Arthur Independent School District (9,000+ students) under Johnny Brown. Then he came back to be a principal of Columbia HS for DCSS at Lewis. Columbia DID NOT MAKE AYP last year under Dr. Beasley so of course Ms. Tyson promoted him to Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning.
If I had to guess, I’d say Lewis hired him as the Columbia principal telling him he would promote him to take over Instruction (Lewis must have known Talley was leaving although I wouldn’t hazard a guess if it was his idea or hers). Why would Dr. Beasley who has changed jobs more times than a a quick change artist on his way up the ladder take a lower job (principal) for less money (he was making $132,690 in total yearly compensation in Port Arthur)? Dr. Beasley has taught all of 3 1/2 years in the mid 1990s, and has no teacher certification in GA (neither did Gloria Talley). In addition, he has alienated teachers (you know – those people who actually teach our kids all day) by asking them for excessive paperwork and not soliciting any teacher input as to what works for their children.
Look at the article that says the Port Arthur Board of Ed fended off a grievance suit over excessive paperwork for teachers. See link below:
http://panews.com/local/x681438869/PAISD-board-declines-teacher-grievance
“Joey Moore, attorney for the Texas State Teachers Association, who represented the Port Arthur Teachers Association……..said teachers spend way too much time compiling teacher and student portfolios, extensive lesson plans, and logs detailing how many books children read, or those detailing science projects, among other required paperwork.
To prove her point, Moore presented one teacher’s portfolio for one semester. The portfolio was contained in five separate binders. ”
Our teachers have up to 170 students a day in high school. According to them, he told them there is no I in team, but there is a U in unemployment.
I think that’s it in a nutshell.
another comment
August 26th, 2010
11:39 pm
All of these large county systems are crazy. I just found out that Cobb is letting the entitlement crowd get away with not pay their cheer, football, and baseball fees and booster club dues again this year. Last Spring at Tryouts they said for Cheer that all fees including the mandatory $60 or $100 booster club payment had to be paid by May 17th or your child would not be on the team. Now yesterday, the booster club person sends out a mealy mouthed e-mail that they will accept booster club payments at the mandatory parents meeting next week. I said what is up with that, we were told they were mandatory and due last may. I got a response that the Administrators at the school and higher ups of Cobb would never force anyone to pay. What the hell. So basically, those dumb white people who work the concessions and pay the taxes on the property are the only ones who pay the due too. I guess I won’t be paying next year either. No wonders the the free lunchers can all afford cell phones at their ears 24/7; nails, and numerous hair styles and we can’t.
It also shows why all these school districts are in such piss poor shape.
Moving Fast
August 27th, 2010
6:33 am
RIGHT OUT OF TOWN! I grew up here. I was educated here. Once upon a time, you could be proud to be from DeKalb County. The taxes you paid were low compared to the quality of education. I went to a competitive college and was well prepared. After graduate school, I chose to move back to DeKalb rather than Cobb or Gwinnett where my husband wanted to live. Our children attended DeKalb County schools. We worked hard to maintain quality schools in our area as we saw less and less money come to the North End of the County. We saw Roger Mills take the first swiipe to destroy the school by wanting forced busing. We saw wonderful teachers transferred to the south side to balance the experience equation. We saw them leave due to the lack of parental support, lack of discipline and total lack of appreciation for education. We saw parents like Zepora Roberts take over and demand that their children receive more than children in the northern side of the County. Our taxes doubled and our schools fell into disrepair. Along comes Johnny Brown and he destroyed what morale the teachers had. Then Crawford Lewis a PE teacher who is as we know now – a crook. Eddie Long runs DeKalb County Schools. He calls the shots. He controls the BLACKS in the Admin and on the School Board. It’s the truth and everyone knows the dirty little secrets. It is a jobs programs for Eddie’s friends. So much for the separation of Church and State. How would y’all feel if it was a Muslim Mosque that had this much control of our tax dollars and educational agenda. Look – the SCHOOL SYSTEM is RACIST. The blacks now want to exact revenge on every preceived slight they ever experienced on the backs of our children. I am sad. I do not see how anyone can turn it around. The STATE should get involved – expecially the COURT system. The corruption is so deep. C Lewis is just the tip of the iceberg. Nepotism has just been discovered? Parents go vote. Get rid of these incompetent leaders on the BOARD and in the Central Office. Clean slate. Bring in the Education Experts and maybe, just maybe,you can have the excellent school system your tax dollars should have.
Atlanta Media Guy
August 27th, 2010
7:45 am
hey Say What! First of all go to Dr. Beasley’s own website. You’ll find out he is a minister and motivational speaker. He has two businesses on top of his church. I would prefer a Super of instruction, making a 6 figure salary of OUR tax dollars, to focus on turning around a failing school system. He used the same quote in Port Arthur as he did in an email here, “There is no I in team and there is a U in unemployment.” Nice threat to the teachers that are either going to make you look good or as a failure.
Loading up teachers, who have fewer days to work thanks to the furlough days, with logs, and other paperwork will take away time that they can prepare to teach our kids. How does that help? Folks, this guy has ties to DCSS. That’s why he must go! We must stop these hiring practices of folks who have ties to DCSS. This is the problem and we’ll never get out of the ditch until we hire a Super who has no ties to the system and that person can clean our house!
Say What, go to Measeley Beaseley’s personal website, do some investigative work and you’ll find a whole lot more. I sure wish more journalists would research some.. An AJC writer a couple of years ago called my wife and I, “Loud and vociferous” in an article. We had uncover some things that exposed Crawford and some of his dirty dealings. She took our evidence and went right to him and even told him who the source was. This was the same article that Robert Moseley called us ‘Background noise” Their chickens are finally come home to roost. But it’s amazing the things you can find out by making a few phone calls and doing some research.
Black kids are smart too Maureen
August 27th, 2010
7:50 am
“But the county has changed, and there are far more hard-to-educate children now than when DeKalb was a bedroom community of Atlanta. Those days aren’t going to come back because the easiest-to-educate kids now live in Alpharetta and Peachtree City” = black kids are harder to teach than white kids. Maureen, are you telling us here in DeKalb that we need more white families? Are you saying white kids are smarter than black kids? Didn’t Hitler have the same thoughts?
Color me confused
August 27th, 2010
8:15 am
It isn’t the racial make up of DeKalb that is making things harder, it is the socio-economic level of the families utilizing public schools. There are schools in DeKalb that have 85 percent student turnover in a year. There are schools in DeKalb where 98 percent of the students come from a home where English isn’t spoken.
What DCSS has done wrong is not to plan for these changes.
I have friends who have taught in a wide range of schools. They tell me that each school would have their unique challenges but at the schools that were predominately poor, they functioned as much as social workers as teachers.
DCSS is doing nothing to change the structure of these schools.
Awful, Awful, Awful
August 27th, 2010
8:17 am
Black kids are smart too Maureen
August 27th, 2010
7:50 am
I’ts not necessarily true that “White Kids” are smarter than “Black Kids”; however, “White Kids” parents, as a whole, do tend to “Give a Damn” and “Black Kids” parents, as a whole, don’t.
Dunwoody Mom
August 27th, 2010
8:35 am
Maureen, is the committee made up of only politicians? If so, it’s bound to fail. Are there any plans to include actual stakeholders, i.e. parents of DCSS students in this process?
Harold@Blackkids are smart too Maureen
August 27th, 2010
8:41 am
Maureen is saying there are more hard-to-educate children because that’s a fact. You are drawing the conclusion that she is talking about black kids, and you are drawing the conclusion that hard-to-educate children = can’t learn.
My nephew teaches in a Title I middle school math in an area much like DeKalb – most of his kids are hard-to-educate, lack parental support, have parents who don’t value education, experience a high drop out rate, have low standardized test scores, and his school system is one that educated and affluent families avoid. However, every one of his students are white. He teaches in the hills of rural Tennessee. It’s an uphill battle everyday, but he knows they can learn and he gives it his all. We have many teachers in DCSS doing the same thing with little to no administrative support.
Maureen is a reporter. She’s just reporting the facts. We do have many hard-to-educate students in DeKalb. It would be great for all of our students if we had more involved families moving into DeKalb – black, white, Hispanic, etc.. My nephew says the exact same thing about his school system.
bootney farnsworth
August 27th, 2010
9:32 am
enough of this crap.
while race is a major issue in the whole DCSS, Clayton, and APS disasters, it has squat to do with the ability or desire to educate
kids.
there is zero relationship between race, religion, sex, orientation, ect and the educationability of a child. unless a child is one of the
unfortunate few who is mentally disabled, there are NO limiting factors to the ability to educate a child.
to say otherwise is to support the most Hitleresque kind of racism.
real, honest to God racism, not the stupidity of old fashioned bigotry.
in this nation, education comes down to a very basic issue: how much do you want it? not how much white kids do, brown kids do, ect. just kids.
the tough truth is in the Atlanta area for too many kids come from irresponsible families who don’t see or care about the value of getting an education. lazy, self centered, irresponsible parents who can’t be bothered.
oh, and yes, while it’s epidemic in primarily poor black neighborhoods, it’s also run wild in places like the very well to do Parkview cluster in Gwinnett.
for those of you who bother going to parent/teacher conferences and PTA meetings, take a hard look at the attendees. most of them have kids who are performing well – and more and more most of them are from African and Asian countries where education is still valued and a hard work ethic is required.
and by African, I mean African. not the current politically feel good name for Americans who happen to be black.
where race is a major issue in this is in the politics. far too many folks get on the school boards by using it as a platform, then proceed to act as good ole boy as their one time white counterparts. Beverly Hall is the classic example
the difference now being the inability to critise them without being labled racist or turncoat. and in race obsessed Atlanta, the accusation alone is often sufficent to shut down the accuser – regardless of the validity of their claim. Again, paging Beverly Hall.
worse, many within the professional black community know this, but
can’t act on it. community pressure is just too strong right now in a subculture which values apperance over achievement.
So cut the BS about the kids being difficult to educate and look at the
real problem. the so called adults in their lives.
bootney farnsworth
August 27th, 2010
9:34 am
@ John Trotter
love your stuff, but how about doing an old guy a favor and
breaking it up a bit more – makes it easier to read.
bootney farnsworth
August 27th, 2010
9:42 am
@ color / confused,
you’re talking about the lovely issue of mainstreaming, which requires we insert kids into classes they just are not ready for. and dumb down the education of everyone else so they can keep up.
these immigrant kids – assuming them to be legal for the moment – should never be placed into a class enviroment they’re not ready for.
they should be required to show an english profeciency level of some sort before throwing them to the wolves.
Dr. John Trotter
August 27th, 2010
9:45 am
The Motivation To Learn Is A Cultural Phenomenon
By John R. Alston Trotter, EdD, JD
Before I get started this morning, let me offer up an observation or two, OK? Once I get started, I may not be able to visit this blog until 2:00 AM or later, especially after a nice Friday night of high school football!
A student will not learn unless that student is MOTIVATED TO LEARN. The motivation to learn is a cultural phenomenon or social process. Peer pressure, family history and appreciation for academia, family income, culture, etc., are many of the factors which bear upon a student’s MOTIVATION TO LEARN. What is wrong with so many of our schools today is that students simply do not bring the proper motivation to the table of learning. It is not that the student is incapable of learning; the problem is that the student does not want to learn. I have always said that 90% of our students could master (not just have a grade given to them, as is often the case today) 90% of what we dish out to them in way of academics if they truly were motivated to do so. After my youngest son attended a Lead America program at Georgetown University this Summer and studied about the Central Intelligence Agency (and perhaps the F. B. I. too) and met a friend from Missouri who makes straight As, he announced to his mother and to me that he intended to make all As this school year. I hope that he does. He is capable. And, what if he falls a bit short of his goals? What if he makes a few Bs? At least he has cranked up his motivation-to-learn level. (By the way, his high school has the third or fourth highest test scores of Georgia’s public schools. It’s probably tougher than many private schools.) The key to learning is the motivation to learn.
This is nothing that I just stumbled upon. I begin to observe this phenomenon in the 1970s when I was student teaching. In fact, my thesis for my Master of Arts degree at UGA was conducted on peer pressure perceptions (which is a major determinant to a student’s motivation to learn) and later published the results of my study in a major referee journal. As I began to work on my doctorate and was a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Educational Administration and Bureau of Field Studies at the University of Georgia in 1980-1981 (graduated in 1984 after working two years on a huge dissertation), I begin to learn from the keen observations of a professor named Dr. Eugene Boyce. I had an office in the department, and I really appreciated Dr. Boyce’s acumen. He was a little eccentric, but highly intelligent folk often are. Dr. Boyce served on my dissertation committee. He had served as an educational expert in West Africa, East Africa, the old U. S. S. R., and in the People’s Republic of China. He would ask, “Do you know how they teach students English in the Soviet Union?” He would hold up a glass and say, “This is a glass,” and the response from the students in the Soviet Union would be, “This is a glass.” They did not get into any of the supercilious methods of teaching that are espoused today by our so-called Staff Development experts (my father always called these people “the Insultants”). They did not have to. The students were already motivated to learn. Perhaps this is why nearly every student who graduates from the high school level in Europe or China knows how to speak English. Is it because these European or Chinese students are smarter than my children or your children in the United States? No, it is because a student from China brings a higher level of motivation to learn to the equation.
Dr. Boyce noticed that in Africa the students who attended those schools which were preparing the students to work in the diplomatic field (whether as interpreters or whatever) had much higher levels to learn than students who attended what Dr. Boyce called the “Village-Tribal Schools.” The latter students did not appreciate the world of academia and did not see how this “book-learning” would be relevant to their lives as physical laborers. These students had no hope for rising above physical laborers. They had no hope for a working life different from hard, physical labor. Therefore, their motivation to learn academic subjects was very low.
I remember teaching one year in Greene County (about half the faculty car-pooled from Athens to Greensboro). I had several young girls in my classes (I think two in my ninth grade homeroom) who were pregnant during the school year. There was no stigma whatsoever. In fact, either in this school system or another system (I just can’t remember now), there was an unofficial “Baby Day” where the students would bring their babies to school. People would ooh and aah over the cute little ones (as we all should praise and stand in wonderment of God’s little creatures). But, the point that I am making is that this was the time that our school systems (including Greene County at the time) were trying to prevent teenage pregnancy by teaching the teenagers to put condoms on cucumbers (literal cucumbers). Our educrats had concluded that teenage pregnancy was happening because of a lack of information, not a lack of motivation. The educrats were treating teenage pregnancy as a technical breakdown, not a motivational breakdown. These young girls actually wanted to get pregnant. In fact, I’ll never forget one of the older gentlemen who car-pooled with us announcing when he got in the car that afternoon: “Well, Carrie told the class today that she was going out to the Hill this afternoon to get pregnant.” Carrie was a student in his Special Education class. Motivation is the key, baby! No pun intended!
Hey, I have to run! Many things to do for our MACE teachers today before Friday Night Football! Take care. (c) MACE, August 27, 2010.
Dr. John Trotter
August 27th, 2010
9:49 am
Bootney, my true friend, I will try…but as I am pecking away on this keyboard, my mind just gets lost! LOL. Stream of conciousness, baby, stream of conciousness! If it floats into my mind, it’s probably going to end up in cyberspace, but I will try to employ more paragraphs in the future…just for you Bootney! Y’all have a good day!
Dr. John Trotter
August 27th, 2010
11:24 am
Correction: “…had much higher [motivation] levels to learn…” I inadvertently (typing too fast, I presume) left out the word “motivation” when talking about the students who attended the schools which prepared the students for diplomatic service. The context has “motivation” all in it, but taking this sentence out of context would render it a different meaning. Have a great day!
ted
August 27th, 2010
11:43 am
power. ron ramsey. that says it all. talk to anyone who lives in the county and sent their kids to private school, or left the county becase of the corrupt, arrogant dcss. sacs has needed to blow it up and start from scratch for years, but didnt have the *%$#s to do it. how in the world someone at the dekalb DAs office ever got the *%$#s to take on the power structure at dcss (and dekalb county) and actually bring indictments i’ll never know. most likely pat reid decided she didn’t want to be the fall guy and is turning states evidence….
FreeByrd
August 27th, 2010
11:58 am
Students whose “own parents” didn’t go to college?! OMG!
They must be despicable students! How could a student not desire to do
well in school and be an upstanding citizen when their own parents
didn’t attend college!!! With attitudes like this writer’s the whole
world would collapse. Can all of us sit behind desks, computers or be on
basketball courts or football fields? Who will be performing the work?
Children are no less important to our society because they prefer to
grow up to do manual labor. Giving a student an excuse for doing poorly
and being disrespectful to each other and teachers, by stating “Why
should they have aspirations to do better when their own parents didn’t
attend college!” Well the teachers, administrations and the like should
themselves be relieved of their positions because they get back no more
than their expectations. A child has many role models in their lives,
don’t under estimate what a student can achieve if motivated in the
right direction. We all have talents, we all have abilities which can
contribute to the well-being and growth of our world.
FreeByrd
August 27th, 2010
11:58 am
I’m tired of everyone’s excuses to behave badly. It’s the
norm these days to blame parents for everything or to think that saying
one is “sorry” washes away all guilt and responsibility. People of all
ages of accountability should stand up and take responsibility for their
own actions, their own failures.
EducationCEO
August 27th, 2010
12:15 pm
I have disagreed with your viewpoints on a number of issues, but I must say this piece takes the whole cake. Can we stop creating fluffy terms to describe Black, Brown, and low-income kids: ‘harder to educate,’ seriously, Maureen? There are other districts across the country with same demographics that are seeing great results. This is not time to start blaming the kids when the adults have screwed up priorities and favors to repay. Lastly, Michelle Rhee is no savior even though I know how much White people need to hold onto to the belief that only White people can educate the ‘uneducable’ (read: Black, Brown, and low-income). Well here’s a newsflash: Before Michelle Rhee there was Marva Collins. You know what happened to her when her students started thriving? The Chicago School System and the media gave her so much grief? Why? Because she debunked that myth that Black kids couldn’t learn and that she, a Black educator, could teach them – more than what the schools were willing to teach.
I am not one to sit on the sidelines lurking for acts/words of racism, but this piece walks and quacks like a duck. I am very offended and I now understand why the AJC hires the people it hires to write about education: Those who are more susceptible to indoctrination than exposing what’s really wrong with the school systems.
onedekalb
August 27th, 2010
12:17 pm
The person who is speaking with SACS is the Superintendent and she says Dekalb is NOT in jeopardy of losing it’s accreditation. SACS would not tell her one thing and tell someone else something different. We all need to take a step back and stop listening to Emanual Jones who only has two or three precincts in Dekalb and who spends most of his time at his company in Columbus, Ga not Dekalb County. We need to ask ourselves when was the last PTSA that Emanuel Jones has attended in DeKalb?
He is only looking to gain political clout by making himself out as some sort of savior that DeKalb needs. Everyone always want to come in on their white horse and save the day.
Maureen Downey
August 27th, 2010
12:43 pm
@Education CEO, There is no urban district that I know of that is doing well with low-income kids. The NYT just had a very sobering article on the achievement gap in that city despite new monies and new programs.
I think we have to stop pretending that it is easy to educate poor kids. I am not saying it can’t be done but it is a lot harder to educate kids whose own life experiences aren’t full of educational moments.
I think we have to look at new models, including KIPP.
I am not sure why it is racist to say that you have a harder challenge when a system that was middle-class begins to draw more low-income kids and more immigrant children, especially immigrant children and non native English speakers.
EJ
August 27th, 2010
12:44 pm
Emanuel Jones needs to clean up his own mess in his back yard. He only have 2 to 3 precinct in Dekalb County, he live in Henry County. If he really wanted to help he would not contact the AJC. He deliberately put false and negative information out, to bring more bad attention to Dekalb County School system. When is this going to end? This is all about the almighty dollar, and who will control it, people we need to wake up. Emanuel why are you getting involved? Do you have a personal agenda? Have you attend any PTSA meeting in Dekalb County since you were elected (none)? You have over three car dealership, and you have sold a lot of car to the teacher and parents. Have you donated any money back to the PTSA? Do really care about our children? Or is this about power for you? We need to remember how this is affecting our children. The elected official need to stop playing these power games and get back to what really matter. My daughter who just when off to college was ask by her friends why are there so much negative press about Dekalb County School System? Mr. Jones if you really want to help stay out of the AJC and go to the school to find out what you can do to help.
reality
August 28th, 2010
10:47 pm
Yes, DCSS needs to and can be cleaned of nepotism by removing those related starting at the interim superintendent and going down the tree to the stump. Meaning deputy supts., area supts., principals, administrators and so on. Those who are not performing and/or who have been placed in positions based on relations alone, must all be tested to show they can actually perform all job related duties effectively. Too often, officials in DCSS purposely overlook any and all wrongs committed by those in the clique. This type of wrong doings permeates throughout the organizations thereby causing low moral. Some perform absolutely ” no work at all “. This in term creates a dismal state and those who have to do more than their fair share are left feeling used and abused, voiceless in a sea of abyss. So yes, positive change must come to DCSS. Otherwise, it will be just a matter of time before the overheated volcano blows and as sure as their is a sky above, it will blow..
reality
August 28th, 2010
11:03 pm
Remember, nepotism is hired by human resources. Cut the top and the bleed should no longer exist. The same goes with finances and so on. Money problems had to start long ago resulting in millions deficit. Lot of this came about due to wasteful spending allowed by who? Furthermore, with all the wrongdoings being voiced aloud on the blogs, does anyone in internal affairs share any concerns. Are they blind? Why is it that some principals were fired for buying books and some were purposely overlooked? What’s up Ms. Tyson? That’s not right… A wrong is a wrong across the board. Does the amount of funds spent make the determining factor? It should not. Where is the fairness here?
TaxPayer
August 29th, 2010
10:02 pm
Oh, so we now see the Butler and Emmuanel Jones connections. Butler was given a false resolution claiming to have saved the children of DCSS by a few elect “stars” such as Stein Miles, Emmuanel Jones and cannot remember the other ones. No wonder Butler thought that she was above the law and continued taking money and reselling her books. Someone , please look into Butler’s companies, Ennvoye and Folcom. I smell a rat somewhere.
TaxPayer
August 29th, 2010
10:06 pm
Reality. Please understand that Tyson probally found so much unethical money stealing from Butler that it blew her mind. To date,this lady still believes that she did nothing wrong. This blows every taxpayers’ mind I’m sure. She lacks a lot of common sense.
SAVE DEKALB SCHOOLS
August 30th, 2010
6:54 pm
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