Would changing APS board members make any difference?
The news keeps coming today: My AJC colleague Jim Galloway reports that an amendment has been introduced in the House that would enable Gov. Nathan Deal to remove members of the Atlanta Board of Education if the school system lost accreditation later this year
Deal already has the power to oust school board members as a result of the school board reform package passed by Sonny Perdue. But that bill excludes school board members elected prior to 2010. The amendment would extend the governor’s purge power to those board members as well.
I am not sure that changing the players matters much when you consider that most of the current APS board members had the blessing of EduPAC, the schools-driven political committee associated with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. If you look at the backgrounds of the board members, they are an impressive bunch. However, as a group, they seem to be less than their sums.
Increasingly, I believe the dysfunction in APS transcends the elected board. I think the real problem was the collision of ambitions and reality.
Just received this note that raises a good question: Have you heard whether the amendment offered by Ashe/Lindsey is Constitutional? I have heard some rumbling that you cannot impose conditions on school board members, who are constitutionally elected officers, after they have been elected. In other words, you cannot make it retroactive.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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59 comments Add your comment
Top School
March 31st, 2011
2:01 pm
Actually, Atlanta Mom ….you did not pass the comprehension test …MY NAME IS ON THE WEBSITE…and the Youtube site…and the Facebook Site…
You failed this section of the test …Georgia readers…you’ll need some practice on reading for details and comprehension.
Top School
March 31st, 2011
2:17 pm
Sorry…INTOWN PARENT…I’ve chewed all the meat to the bone…If they don’t get it…by now…they CHOOSE NOT TO GET IT… and continue to turn a blind eye to the corruption.
It can’t get anymore “in your face, for real”…flip the bird, kiss my azz…go to hell memos…lie on camera and taped…what more MEAT DO YOU WANT??
The BONES are all that is left…a full APS carcass was left in Buckhead for your viewing.
APS Parent #2
March 31st, 2011
3:34 pm
Rather than ask this question, you should ask “Would changing the superintendent and her internal staff make any difference?”
That is the real issue. I say, yes, it would. The CRCT Investigation should have been completed by now; the students remediated; and this scandal behind us. It is not over and the TRO that the state had to get over the President’s Day Weekend to force APS to comply with the Governor’s investigation order is a very visible reminder that APS has no intention of “cooperating” despite their rhetoric. If there is nothing to hide, then there would be no reason for APS to stall, stonewall, or thwart the state’s investigation.
If the 2011 CRCT data in the sixteen flagged schools whose 2010 scores dropped remains stagnant or further declines, then the effects of APS’ failure to timely and thoroughly remediate those children directly impacted by the cheating scandal will once again be apparent. Several thousand children were negatively and directly impacted, but unfortunately for them, they live on the wrong side of I-20. Also, if their board members speak up on their behalf, watch out, there will be another creative ethics complaint filed against that board member for daring to speak out.
APS data under this superintendent’s staff is suspect. AJC runs articles almost weekly now to remind us that those who should be educating our children are really stealing it from them. That is the real robbery. What about graduation rates, dropout rates, allocation of Title I funding….the list goes on.
Lastly, this blogs has frequent posters who are APS teachers, downtown staff, workers, who feel intimidated, threatened, beat-down by their employer. I wanted to be a teacher in APS until I read all of those posts. It is totally impossible for most APS teachers to take their children in creative directions forward when they have to watch over their shoulders for a knife in their backs from APS or these helicopter moms.
My friend who works in a midtown school told me that the elementary school parents are intense and hateful and that if you cross their paths you can start packing your desk. These entitled children can do anything because they dress nicely, their parents are attractive and they have time on their hands to go down town and get you fired or file ethics complaints. These are the parents who so blindly and enthusiastically charge ahead with their defense of APS and its wrongdoings without really considering questions like the one you posted here Ms. Downey. Why not, Dr. Hall gives them everything they want and she’s smart enough to realize the parents with connections who look good on camera? So, really, the only change they are after is to get rid of any board member who aren’t willing to rubber-stamp.
SACS really, how about moving your attention to the part of the machine that delivers (or doesn’t deliver) a quality education in APS? If you focussed on that part, then APS would have already lost its accrediation. Well, that is if the system was fair and the fix from the business community and influential parents wasn’t in it seems because Top School may have a point.
Top School
March 31st, 2011
8:10 pm
@ APS- Parent # 2
The reason the investigation is not over …is because they are still trying to cover-up the real issues that would expose the Northside of Atlanta. Northside’s political buddies control the entire program…the GBI…the Governor’s Investigation, the resignation, the issues at JACKSON Elementary.
They will strategically create the next move to keep your eye off the REAL issues.
Why do you think the rhetoric of Mayor Reed taking over the APS Superintendent’s position and the Governor stepping in to take over the School Board is in the NEWS…Fluff to keep your head spinning to give them more time to figure out how to handle these issues…
Remember you are dealing with the same mentality that allowed GE to not pay any taxes…they ride the law as close as you can come to being criminals.
All this rhetoric takes the spotlight off their own involvement in the APS corruption…the PSC…and SACS…
They are still developing their strategy.
Sending the Step Up Society over to the board meetings dressed in Chanel and
St. John…in a limousine to show everyone who’s got the money to play this game.
This is an ongoing cover-up…of most of the corruption in Atlanta…The Buckhead way of doing business…with propped up “black folk” that they will eventually use to their benefit.
They are still in the planning stages…still not sure WHO WILL TELL, WHAT.
and believe me Beverly and her minions have much to tell.
http://www.TopPublicSchoolCorruptionAtlanta.com
Top School
March 31st, 2011
8:17 pm
This the quote l like from HALL’s perspective…
In Beverly Hall’s own words she states, ” Could you cheat in all these schools?” adding, “You would have to spend your whole life cheating…It’s been nine years of consistent progress.”
Yes…Northside’s been cheating since MARTIN marched and gave his “I have a dream” speech…NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED in Atlanta. Just smoke and mirrors…and that Buckhead southern smile. Candy coated so you can’t see it so blatantly like it was in the 1960’s.
APS Parent #2
March 31st, 2011
8:23 pm
How many of the Step Upperclassers have put in an application to private school?
No way they are acting this way without a golden parachute out of the mess they are creating. Too bad the wannabees won’t get what the Queen Mean Bees are really doing up north behind the scenes until it is too late.
Top School
March 31st, 2011
9:22 pm
@ Maureen said…
I am not sure that changing the players matters much when you consider that most of the current APS board members had the blessing of EduPAC, the schools-driven political committee associated with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. If you look at the backgrounds of the board members, they are an impressive bunch.
If the unethical big heads in General Electric and the liars involved in promoting nuclear energy are as impressive to you…We are clearly on a different level of what is impressive.
Don’t go to dinner at their homes…you will really get suckered into their shallow world of materialism.
I judge a person by what they do…what they say…not by what’s on their resume. Most of these CEO’s and executives are responsible for the mess of our current world wide state of affairs.
It is not pretty… Their children will be lucky to survive their parent’s careless, short term, selfish, GREED.
Public & Private Parent
April 3rd, 2011
6:34 am
Standing and applauding @APS Parent #2. Wow, you said a mouthful. Applauding.
Wow
April 3rd, 2011
11:23 am
I agree with @Public & Private Parent…so much so that I copied and pasted APS Parent #2…please read again and enjoy…
APS Parent #2
March 31st, 2011
3:34 pm
Rather than ask this question, you should ask “Would changing the superintendent and her internal staff make any difference?”
That is the real issue. I say, yes, it would. The CRCT Investigation should have been completed by now; the students remediated; and this scandal behind us. It is not over and the TRO that the state had to get over the President’s Day Weekend to force APS to comply with the Governor’s investigation order is a very visible reminder that APS has no intention of “cooperating” despite their rhetoric. If there is nothing to hide, then there would be no reason for APS to stall, stonewall, or thwart the state’s investigation.
If the 2011 CRCT data in the sixteen flagged schools whose 2010 scores dropped remains stagnant or further declines, then the effects of APS’ failure to timely and thoroughly remediate those children directly impacted by the cheating scandal will once again be apparent. Several thousand children were negatively and directly impacted, but unfortunately for them, they live on the wrong side of I-20. Also, if their board members speak up on their behalf, watch out, there will be another creative ethics complaint filed against that board member for daring to speak out.
APS data under this superintendent’s staff is suspect. AJC runs articles almost weekly now to remind us that those who should be educating our children are really stealing it from them. That is the real robbery. What about graduation rates, dropout rates, allocation of Title I funding….the list goes on.
Lastly, this blogs has frequent posters who are APS teachers, downtown staff, workers, who feel intimidated, threatened, beat-down by their employer. I wanted to be a teacher in APS until I read all of those posts. It is totally impossible for most APS teachers to take their children in creative directions forward when they have to watch over their shoulders for a knife in their backs from APS or these helicopter moms.
My friend who works in a midtown school told me that the elementary school parents are intense and hateful and that if you cross their paths you can start packing your desk. These entitled children can do anything because they dress nicely, their parents are attractive and they have time on their hands to go down town and get you fired or file ethics complaints. These are the parents who so blindly and enthusiastically charge ahead with their defense of APS and its wrongdoings without really considering questions like the one you posted here Ms. Downey. Why not, Dr. Hall gives them everything they want and she’s smart enough to realize the parents with connections who look good on camera? So, really, the only change they are after is to get rid of any board member who aren’t willing to rubber-stamp.
SACS really, how about moving your attention to the part of the machine that delivers (or doesn’t deliver) a quality education in APS? If you focussed on that part, then APS would have already lost its accrediation. Well, that is if the system was fair and the fix from the business community and influential parents wasn’t in it seems because Top School may have a point.