Two DeKalb board members: We cannot support school chief choice because of her record

Aren’t those two of the worst board members?

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I am against paying any one who claims they are for the children more than $200,000 per year. Period.

Why are superintendents making as much as Supreme Court Justices, US Senators, State Governors? And don’t tell me that it’s a BUSINESS.

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@Steve Perry, They were advertising a base salary of $275,000 plus perks and benefits.

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My FOI copy of Cheryl Atkinson’s APS online application is at http://tinyurl.com/3u89kfo

It is a PDF to which I added annotations, highlights, and links to additional information.

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Lorainite – you are so far off base that I actually had to laugh. In this particular case, you know nothing about our system and what our children have been put through. School Board members are not elected based on their politics and while people might surmise what party they belong to, they don’t know for sure since politics does not enter into it. I have research for over 10 hours the background and credential of Dr. Atkinson and can assure you that as a parent and living in DeKalb and my children in DeKalb schools, she IS NOT the answer to the problems. And to Just Sayin – I think he/she would like us to think they live several states away but in reality is really one of the incompetent school board members or an incompetent loud mouthed arrogant ex member of the Board and was one of the staunch supporters of the last Superintendent clear up to the end even knowing what a jerk and creep he was.

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Lately I find schools systems and the idiots that run them repulsive.

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Mandella you love calling us names like the DSW mafia? What? I’m considered a mafia member because I want what’s best for our kids? Please mandella, I’m sure you are probably a friend of Francine Edwards, Zepora “I’m gonna slug you” Roberts or Dr. Walker. Look McChesney and Jester are showing us what documents they were given to give an informed decision. I’m sure there are numbers that look good and bad for Atkinson. But why call us parents who are concerned about their kids education a mafia?

You really lose the debate when you start calling people names. Ernest, Dunwoody Mom and others are always up for a debate, but you won’t see us brow beat each other into submission. The status quo is NOT working, it’s that simple. The numbers prove nothing is working right now at DCSS. Your perception is different, I know.

My wife and I decided we’re going to help the schools our kids are in to succeed. I’d love to help others, but since I am now a mafia member I think I’ll sit this debate out and read more on Atkinson and how she will change our system for the better. I’ll also let my BOE reps know how I feel.

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@ Very Passionate about our schools. I could careless that you did over 10 hours of research on her you sound foolish. Ive had over fours years worth of research on her. If you can comment on her i can comment on your school system. I can also say that as a concerned parent you need to focus on who you put in office and less on all this other stuff. Maybe if you put 10 hours in to researching your current school board members maybe you would of picked the right one. Or maybe you did put in 10 hours and thought you knew just like you think you know now.

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@cere great intelligent response unlike the other lady.

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Thank you Lorainite. At the DeKalb School Watch, we call out these bad board behaviors and the financial waste, fraud and misdeeds of the board and administration – and as you can see, it is we who are referred to as “The Mafia”. I rarely post on the AJC blog anymore, as I have to endure this kind of bashing here. But I felt I had to explain to Ohioans what we’ve been through in DeKalb and why we are so very cynical (and obviously strongly divided).

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@ Clear Vision – Agreed; however, I just recently asked everyone what would be the measurement that would allow the school system where I live to be considered successful. Many said AYP. My point is that those individuals that were saying that one candidate was somehow a “Superman” were mistaken by their own accountabilty standards (unless they want to quantify their responses with “some” elements of AYP and not all). Your point is well taken though and I understand what you are seeing….

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@Cere(bration) – just borrowing Mr. Trotter’s words….

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@Lorainite and I could care less (two words, not one as used in this sense) what you think. Like I said if you truly are a Buckeye and not one of our incompetent Board members or ex Board member, then you don’t have a clue about anything to do with our schools and just running your fingers across the keyboard to see your worthless words in print. You are the one who not only sounds foolish but act foolish at the same time. You are welcome to comment on the school system and nobody said you couldn’t but comments is all it is, perceived comments if you truly are that Buckeye you claim to be. Hate to break it to you tweetie bird but concerned parents do need to focus on “this other stuff” since “this other stuff” relates to the education of our children. I may not be the smartest I know I am smarter than you can ever dream of being because I sure know more about the DCSS than you think you know about it and I am also smart enough to know that Dr. Atkinson is NOT the answer to our issues. By the way, if you think she is so great, you really should be putting forth your time and effort in trying to keep her and not let her get away. So you see, I am smarter than you and I do know more about our school system than you can ever dream of knowing. By the way, have a good day. You can try to insult me all you want but bigger and better than you have tried it and I am still standing tall.

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Oh Lorainite – by the way – I was born and raised in Ohio and went to school in Ohio so I do know about Ohio schools also. And I still have great friends there who one happens to be a college professor; one who happens to have a Ph.D in education; and several former principals and teachers. So you see, I do know people who aren’t exactly dumb.

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The board members were within their rights to express an opinion
of the candidate,but should have expressed the opinion at the
board meeting. Leaking information and writing open letters to
newspapers is a poor way conduct a search,or hire prospective
superintendents. The manner in which the professional search
for a superintendent has been conducted will have an impact
on future superintendent candidates willing to pursue opportunities
with the Dekalb County Schools. You just don’t treat any potential
candidate in this manner (Previous candidates and the current candidate)
and expect that it won’t have an impact on your organization. Legitimate
questions, or opposition should be expressed during board meetings.

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@ Professional Protocol I agree that the candidate search has been poorly conducted, However, we have some board members that are very unprofessional, self-serving, and (at times) crass. It will be very difficult for this BOE to conduct a professional search considering the (lack of ) character of some of the worst offenders.

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@ Professional Protocol—-She has already been approved for a vote, once they vote, she is in. This is the exact time for these members (one is my personal representative) to share their opinions. It was inappropriate for the board members that did not want previous candidates, to release info prior to setting up a date for a vote.

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Until there is a change in our BOE, it is going to be difficult to attract a candidate to DeKalb. Who would want to come into the midst of so much confusion? Support has to be given to the staff in the school house. They are the ones on the front line day in and day out. They have faced pay cuts, larger class size and the removal of their TSA account funding. Please find a way to provide the resources to all school staff people. After all they seem the ones to get the blame for everything. DeKalb has been without a superintendednt this long, please do not rush to make a decision now. I do not know who is the best candidate, but I do feel that the parents and the people in the school should at least have time to review information before someone is picked.
Dr. Brown and Dr Lewis were both chosen without parent or staff input. Do I need to say more?

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Looking at all of the information made available to us over the past few days I am in support of the finalist. What has impressed me most is the increase in attendance in her current school system. What plagues Dekalb most is a lack of discipline not academics. The ability to bring parents, students, and educators together and improve an attendance rating so drastically is impressive. Academics will naturally follow priority number one, discipline.

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@ Very passionate Dr Atkinson may not be the answer but thats to bad she will be this year. Your opinion doesn’t matter because if it did you wouldn’t be on here you would be out making a difference. Oh I am glad you know people from ohio but you really should focus on knowing who you vote in office. Nancy doesn’t seem like has a clue or the background to be a board member. Also we are glad you left ohio we don’t need anymore clueless community members.

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“The most current data available show only 1 of 24 academic indicators being met.”

Outlandish as it may seem, in the upside down world in which we now live this may mean that she and her underlings cheated less.

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@ Charlie. did you say commended? Nancy Jester is the most unqualified person probably in in the entire school district. Look at her resume…nooooo lets first look at her website. Why does she even have one? Thats a person with her own agenda. Maybe if she put the detail in her decision making that she put in her website we wouldn’t be at this point. I know we feel this Dr Atkinson may not be qualified or have the answer to our problems but we think Nancy does? She is in no way qualified to govern a 800 million dollar budget and quite frankly her credibility is shot. LETS LOOK AT NANCYS RESUME

Nancy and Stanley Jester are the proud parents of three energetic children. Prior to being elected to the DeKalb County Board of Education, Nancy was a “full-time mom” dedicated to volunteering at schools and improving education for all children. She is an elder at her church, Shallowford Presbyterian. Before starting her family, Nancy worked as an actuarial consultant. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics with honors from The University of Alaska Fairbanks. Nancy enjoys reading about history, economics and keeping up with current events.

Come on community are we serious? She isn’t qualified to run a Burger King. She knows nothing about business at all. She parades in the media. This is not a beauty pageant these are our children and putting people like her in office is the reason we have this mess.

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You want your scores to go up???Take Bev Hal…they will go Way Up!! You can probably get her for a steal right now…might need to bail her out of jail.

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I agree with Jester & McChesney on this one. Atkinson is a terrible selection and would be worst than Crawford Lewis in my opinion. However, I believe that there are some very well qualified black male candidates out there. I’m sure that Gwinnett, Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth and Fulton Counties will disagree with me.

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@Cere(bration) – “I don’t have a clue why you would describe her as “clueless”…”

Perhaps for the same reasons that you question those that vote for Sara Copelin-Wood above?

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I am appalled at the attitude of the Dunwoody group who have stiffled the DeKalb community with taking taxes and resources that ALL of DeKalb constituents paid for through tax revenue. Go on and get your chater school system as you have planned. We do not need to build or rennovate anymore schools for you to take into your city charter system. We know your game.
Brad Bryant, ex-DeKalb School Board member interviewed for the job. He has not a clue about being a lawyer, his profession, let alone running a large school district. There is still a push to get him in. Parents, he has no on-the-job knowledge about what it is like to be a teacher, principal, let alone district level decision making. He is the cause for the decline in achievement in DeKalb. It is under his leadership as Chairman of DeKalb Board of Education that the “Inverted Pyramid” was introduced for decentralizing the educational process in DeKalb. That Inverted Pyramid has been rocking every since and has spiraled out of control. That is not all of his story. Stay tuned.

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I just wish that we could have a decent candidate who comes without baggage and can show actual gains in academics and not just attendance. Board members Nancy Jester and Don McChesney describe her as charming and easy to talk to. That is all very nice, but I still have not seen much to convince me that she is capable of surmounting the mountain of problems facing DCSS. Just the fact that she is supported by certain board members makes me skeptical. I just don’t trust HRH T-Bow and his court to choose wisely for us. I appreciate the two board members that did the homework and had the fortitude to come forward and say why they believe she is not the best candidate for the job. I don’t understand why the others cannot come forward with facts that show why they think she is the best candidate. I won’t hold my breath on that happening. They believe they know best and will go forward just because they can. If Dr. A comes here, she should know that she will be expected to cut all BOE family members off the payroll if they cannot justify their position and salary like every other employee. I still think there should be a policy that the relatives of board members should not be eligible for employment. Why do you think this is a policy for game shows, research firms, etc. It is all about the appearance of impropriety. Sadly in DCSS impropriety is all too real.

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@ Conserving Our schools need stronger academics and discipline. As a former DCSS teacher, our children aren’t really required to think too hard or be engaged in their learning. Increasing school attendance does not make a good superintendent. Increasing academics does, and she hasn’t done that in Lorrain.

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They should pay her $500,000 per a year, a driver, a house, a maid, a body gaurd and much more. It aint a problem when white folks get those perks but its a major problem when black folks do. White folks amaze me.

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@ Teacher Reader please make up your mind your all over the place. You also need to run a spell check since you cant seem to spell Lorain. I have a real issue with so called teachers getting here acting like they know this and that. Get your information in order before you get on here worrying about BIG FISH issues. Your probably a former teacher for a good reason. lets see old and out dated and forced to retire. Those are the teachers who normally get on here. The ones who blame everyone else for why their scores were so low.

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@ DeKalb Parent I am not of retirement age. Not even close and I chose to leave the district, because I could not send my child to even the good school that I taught in and feel that he would receive an education that would prepare him to be able to compete in today’s society.

I am not all over the place. I do not feel that this is the best candidate for the job. She was chosen because of her sorority affiliation, not based on her academic record. If the board is impressed with her record, than they have no clue what a good record and good education looks like. I’ve read her dissertation and it’s poorly written. Don’t we have enough administrators who lack a command of the English language with PhDs.

Our children have little demanded of them in terms of learning. DeKalb’s policy of no zeros and giving children multiple chances to get work turned in and completed properly does not help a child, but in fact hurts them and keeps them from doing their best in the first place. We pass kids who cannot read at the end of first grade and have gifted children who do not know their basic math facts and need their fingers to add and subtract-forget about understanding place value and having an understanding of multiplication, division, and many other math ideas.

As a white teacher, I found it disgraceful when I received emails riddled with Black English errors from administrators making much more money than one of the caliber in the private sector.

Maybe you like the schools in your area. I live in the Druid Hills cluster and can’t send my son to school here. I know many well educated parents who feel the same way and have sold all that they have to get and keep their kids in private school. If they were able to sell their home and not lose their shirt they’d be out of DeKalb all together.

From what I see from Ms. Atkinson, I see more of the same. DCSS does not need more of the same. We need someone who will let administrators go when their contracts are up. We need someone who will get rid of the Title One coaches and instead put Title One reading/math teachers in our schools to work with small groups of children and put them at a teachers pay scale and not one in which they make more than a teacher. We need someone who is going to stop the friends and family program that permeates the district, and brings it down. We need to have our children taught above the standards and not to the standards, so that they really understand and grasp the standards that they are to learn each school year-this is what is done up North.

I am glad that these two board members have spoken up. At least parents that want more for their children and tax payers who want a better product for the taxes that went up again this year know that not every school board member is satisfied with DeKalb as usual.

Our children have waited 500 plus days for a leader, what is a few more months, to ensure that we get someone who has experience of improving the quality of education children receive. Our schools don’t need another program like Success For All, but smaller classes, better discipline, and higher expectations.

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I think we all know what is wrong with Dekalb Schools. THE BOARD! Nancy Jester and Don Mchensey have made it clear that their priorities are their constituents. The letter that was posted on their website was unprofessional and only serves to highlight the board’s dysfunction.Their actions and those of the board members who leaked information to the AJC about the previous candidates clearly reveal that not only is the board is divided, but divided along racial lines. At least the other board members had the decency , if you can call it that , to remain anonymous. The question that comes to mind , is why is it so important for these two to let the public know that they disagree with the selection. The answer that comes to mind, is that they want to protect their own future. If they were truly thinking of the students, then they would have at least put up a public appearance of solidarity. We will not get better until we get new board members.

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IF she was white would anyone complain.

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Personally, I don’t see what the problem is with a few board members disagreeing with the choice. In any election, there will be some people who voted otherwise, and a wise winner will find out those people’s sticking points and try their best to win them over. Nancy and Don are pointing out that her achievement results do not give them the assurance that she is capable of moving our system’s academic progress forward. That’s it. So, say she is hired. What’s so wrong with knowing that she will have to prove that she can reach the bar? What’s wrong with knowing that a couple of board members are going to be looking very carefully at your progress? I, for one, am happy to have a couple of watchdogs on the board. Maybe she won’t need them – but we have been robbed and abused in the past and our children have paid the price. I am personally relieved that there are at least two members of the board who will not simply rubber-stamp and cheer on every action of the superintendent. That is how Lewis got away with so much – with Tom Bowen at the helm, I might add. I am much more concerned about complacency on the board than watchful eyes.

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I only see their agenda as looking out for a leader who will improve children’s learning. It breaks my heart to see this dissolve into a racial debate. Really sad.

Nancy’s Facebook account really scares some people. The fact that she continues to email and communicate with her constituents is terrifying to some. In fact, one person at a meeting commented that Nancy’s use of a computer was an invasion of this person in attendance’s privacy. How funny! This is the 21st Century – get with it people! There are school boards out there that use iPads to call up all their documents! Not everyone still hauls around 5# binders! City Councilman John Heneghan provides an amazing resource to the people of Dunwoody with his blog. My reps Jeff Rader, Mary Margaret Oliver, Saxby Chambliss, and even Stan Watson send out email newsletters. It’s the communication vehicle of choice — and it’s free! I find it appalling that DeKalb County School System does not send out an email newsletter anymore – and in fact, RIFd the very person who used to produce a fabulous one for the school system. I am in the looking glass – with people who think that technology is bad – yet they want transparency and a quality education for their children in the year 2011!

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Nancy isn’t using that computer for anything but her personal gain. She is not a difference maker.

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Watch Atkinson raise those scores right through the roof! Don’t worry sweetie, they don’t prosecute the black elite in this town, especially superintendents for lying,stealing or cheating. So bully the hell out of your staff until they “change the answers” and you just might be the next national “Superintendent of the Year.”

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Nancy and McChesmo are not doing what’s smart. They are the reason we are in this mess. We need a Super stop with all this mess and lets give this lady a chance. You are cheating are kids playing this media game. Im tired of it. This is typical White I didn’t get my way politics.

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Just in case you’ve been out of the loop: http://ParentsForDeKalbSchools.org

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@Cere(bration) – “I like American politics – it’s gritty and it’s real. We hash it out and then we compromise. I wouldn’t give that up for anything.”

I look forward to hearing your compromises!

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Wasn’t she a finalist like a month ago for the APS Job?Anyone that APS would consider hiring as super is bad news….Let the interim keep the job.

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@ Ask this Question

It doesn’t matter what the woman’s color is to me. She does not appear to have the qualifications. She has made little progress in her current district, which has a bloated administration, similar to DCSS. She is not the right person for the job.

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The Deal: What on earth do you think Jester and McChesney are tring to do. They are trying to run Dr. Atkinson out of town.
Cere: What do you mean by…EVEN STAN WATSON uses a computer? Gotcha!

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I’m glad race wasn’t an issue in the selection process. It’s become clear to the world that white people are just not competent to hold high paying public jobs in Atlanta or DeKalb. The Dekalb Parent is right, Dekalb does not need Snow White running the system. Just look around the country and point to all the inner city systems being run by blacks to find shining examples of what it takes to run a school system. With inner city schools, meritocracy starts with skin color and white just can’t do the job.

Isn’t it obvious, a voucher system would solve all this nonsense. It would give parents the money and the responsibility to find the right educational program for their kids. I know all the liberals frown upon this because they’ll argue that poor, ignorant parents will not know what’s best for their kids. Only the educated elite can discern what the poor parents’ children need. Of course, liberals will point to a long list of reasons why their efforts have failed to date and the top 2 are they need more money and they need more control. Sound familiar? When public schools and government began down the slippery slope of taking away control of a parent’s responsibility to educate their children and coupled this with mountains of rules related to making everything “fair” in public schools, you get what we got today…a mess spinning wildly out of control. It would be all too easy but all too time consuming to continue this argument, but even liberals who are not too beholden to their government paychecks and party loyalties have to admit their approach is not working and will never work even if we increase the average annual per student expenditure to $25,000.00 per year. So just acknowledge it’s time to return responsibility to parents for making decisions about what’s best for their children. Vote for a voucher system and let the market place provide solutions your bureacracies are unable to provide.

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Just for kids: I agree. School systems have become behemoth bureaucracies. They are now jobs programs, money troughs and the newest multi-BILLION dollar business. Why do you think Bill Gates is so involved? Maybe to help kids – but mostly for the money! It’s a market – a channel – one of the few sure bets to make a buck these days.

Do you realize that our BOARD has a million dollar budget? Yes, we pay a million dollars just to keep these people arguing all day and night! Small systems like Decatur have board members who serve for free. And they’re doing a terrific job by all standards.

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Here we go?

Did you have input in the selection of the following DeKalb County School Superintendents?

Jim Cherry
James Hinson
Robert Freeman, SR
James R. Hallford

The answer is no. It is not your responsibility to hire the superintendent. Get over it.

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Let’s all solve our problems and recall this entire worthless DCSS Board, starting with Bowen and create a state mandate that would not allow any of them to seek political office in the state of Georgia again. We have good cause – THEY HAVE NOT DONE THEIR JOB. We have not had a superintendent in over a year, our scores are in the toilet, and there is no hope in sight. We have immature, uneducated (Sarah, have that degree yet) and immoral criminals (JC, EW) who are deciding the fate of our children. It is DeKalb’s fault because these people are actually elected. It is like an oppressive Cuban or Venezuelan dictatorship – they make you so poor, steal right in front of your eyes and then make you feel better with a new building that they squeezed out of “the Man” and people give their vote to these idiots. The crap that is spewed from the fraternities and sororities – HRH has his on his license plate, btw, is just fueling an elite that wants to keep the majority of DeKalb down.

How much longer will DeKalb go through this embarrassing process? Where is SACS? Where is the governor? DCSS needs to be supervised by the state – it has gotten that bad.

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Anna Bell, no one is saying they want to cast a vote themselves. What some of us are saying is that it is not wrong for the people who are voting, i.e. the BOE, to tell the voters who elected them how they plan to vote and why. Neither Nancy nor Don is my elected representative. I would LOVE to hear research and opinion from my rep. At least I will know they care about the responsibility we gave them when we voted them in.

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I think Nancy says that in her email. IF Atkinson is voted in, she will support her fully. Anna Bell, that vote won’t take place for two weeks.

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Anna Bell, I am fully aware of board procedures, so I know that the board is required to give 14 days’ notice before the vote. Are you aware no vote has been cast? Boards do not appoint a superintendent. They vote. Boards are also elected representatives of (some) voters who like to get as much information as they can on who is going to lead our school system. I am not going to roll over and play dead during this evaluation period – no one should. And this BOE has given no one a reason to trust their decision-making ability over the past few years. This BOE gave a raise to Dr. Lewis! Just as I would do research on any curriculum choices, policy changes, or redistricting proposals, I will also do research on a superintendent hire. More board procedure 101 – discuss items up for a vote at meetings and provide consituents the opportunity to provide feedback to their elected representatives. Again, I am feeling like I am in an alternate universe here – one where voters do not want to hear what their elected representatives have to say and where they want their representatives to cast votes without hearing from the voters.

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If that’s all you got out of my post then my point has been proven. Goodnight.

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I’m sad that there is so much nastiness on this blog. The nasty racist comments serve no one. I don’t care if the new Super is white, black, red, Hispanic, Asian, man or woman. I want what’s best for our kids! Maureen your blog is no longer a place for discussion, it’s just a place for name calling, race baiting and just plain ole ugly comments. I thought the AJC could do better, but they no longer have the staff necessary to do all the hard work that Maureen tries to keep up with.

The AJC editors have an agenda to follow and I respect that. The owner of the paper is a huge contributor to liberal causes and she has a right to print whatever she (Ann Cox Chambers) wants. However, I have a right to speak out against an opinion of theirs too.

I sent Nancy Jester, my rep, an email when I learned early Saturday morning that the BOE had made up their mind on Atkinson. I bet Nancy got many emails from her constituents this weekend. I’d like to ask the posters, who think what Nancy did was wrong, how is she suppose to communicate with her constituents? I asked her if she could pass along any research, that they used, to make their decision. This afternoon I got the email from her and McChesney. I also looked at the links provided on several blogs and their email. Could have the BOE done better? Sure! But this process has been hamstrung from the start. I’m just sorry that DCSS has a BOE member, who has stated on the record, that he makes his decisions based on race. He said it while sitting on that fancy dais at the Palace. You can look it up, as long as Tyson has approved those minutes to be placed on the DCSS website unedited. Race had nothing to do with this conversation, until someone, on the BOE, hijacked the whole process with leaks and misinformation to the “select” media.

I hope Dr. Atkinson is ready to come to a system needing a new vision and leadership. She’ll also have to endure the trial of the indicted former Super and COO. Things in DeKalb are bound to get worse before they get better, and if people are looking for blame just look to the past leaders of DCSS. They created this entitled society of friends, family, sorority sisters, frat brothers and mega-church members. They have squandered millions of dollars, yet there is no improvement?

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Stop it, we’ve been trying to work together with Staff and stakeholders for years. My family has been ridiculed by the AJC, threatened with arrest by the indicted Super, for just trying to get the truth out. My wife and I decided weeks ago that our time will be spent helping our school, our teachers, our administration. At our PUBLIC school there is an interest in learning. We are also a receiving school for some of those students that live south of Memorial Dr. It’s great to have them at our school! Most of their parents are even active. We stand side by side, black, white, Asian, Hispanic all for one thing, the successful education of OUR kids. That’s it!

You want to call me names fine! I’ll keep helping the black, white, Hispanic and Asian kids, at my local school, to achieve the best education they can. Even if the over bloated Palace administration staff takes OUR tax dollars and spends them OUTSIDE the classroom and schools.

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AMG, where did I call you a name?

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I am amazed no one else is dumbfounded that these two Board of Ed members cannot compose a paragraph utilizing correct punctuation and peppered with both incomplete & run-on sentences. Considering these two have the writing skills of a 5th grader, it is no surprise our county makes such competent decisions.

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@ GA Teacher I agree. Finally someone with sense on here.

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The selection of Cheryl Atkinson as the Dekalb County School Superintendent is yet again, another terrible decision by the School Board. She is not qualified to run a school district with nearly 100,000 students. The problem in Dekalb County is that only candidates who are black have any shot at being hired for any position in the county regardless of their qualifications or lack thereof. This is reverse discrimination at its most entrenched and the biggest losers in this corrupt system are black children.

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I actually like this pick. I also like the fact that she may not be the popular choice because those are usually the ones who make a big difference. Great Job!

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How about the Federal court fiasco. Academic Watch is the least of her worries.

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Atlanta Media Guy

August 15th, 2011
12:34 am

BAH…quit the whining.

On topic. $200K or $275K is too much for this position. The liberals are turning education into the next bottomless pit and dont dare say a reduction in funds is necessary because the is for the GOOD OF THE CHILDREN. How can one deny a child. It takes a village. The Children are our future and all the other nonsense.

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Ladies and Gentlemen of Dekalb County,

I currently live in Lorain, Ohio, have had and currently have children in Lorain City Schools.

As much as I’d like to see her go, I feel your children deserve a more qualified Superintendent.

She was a rookie Super when she came to Lorain and her inexperience has shown. She managed to keep her performance review a secret through her first contract negotiations and made a trip to China to recruit Chinese teachers in her first year.

She took Lorain from a fair to poor district and made it the second to last out of over 700 districts in the state. During her time here Lorain enjoyed meeting 1 academic standard in the Ohio proficiency test areas and proficiency test scores plummeted. The ONLY improvement that was consistently made during her time here was attendance.

I urge Dekalb County board members to investigate her completely. Search our local newspaper articles and read some of the comments people here make about her.

Our main Lorain newspaper has printed articles regarding her but for some unknown reason have failed to report factual academic grades, have failed to ask why the school system with the next to last performance has one of the highest paid Supers in the history of Ohio.

Yes there has been improvement this year but when you reach the bottom, where else do you have to go?

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It should also be noted that Dr. Atkinson rented a house from the school district’s attorney, Anthony Giardini who is also the head of the Democratic Party in Lorain County.

It is widely believed that he commented regularly, staunchly supporting Atkinson under the name “ZEBULON” then changed his moniker to “FACT CHECKER” when “outed”.

Fact Checker is currently spreading his propaganda in this blog.

Please keep that in mind when reading his comments.

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Kanarstead I agree with you on this. I also think lorainite needs to go I wish we could ban him from this site. Im sick of hearing from him. One minute he say one thing the next minute he says another. Im in support of her just because of him. And i have been talking to a lot of community members and they are in support as well. Ive heard lorainite has been doing this all over the place.

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@Ray E Venn what does that have to do with anything PLEASE GET THESE LORAIN MISFITS OFF THIS BOARD!!! They are causing a mess and if they are a reflection of the city of Lorain now wonder she had a hard time and wants OUT!!!.

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That’s right I don’t like her and honestly my opinions probably aren’t fact but who cares as long as she doesn’t get the job.

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“@Kanarstead – having concerns and questions about the choice of Dr. Atkinson does not equate to anger.”

Of course not. The anger comes across in every single post of theirs. Every single one.

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I also singled out Jester because tis resume doesn’t cut it.

Nancy and Stanley Jester are the proud parents of three energetic children. Prior to being elected to the DeKalb County Board of Education, Nancy was a “full-time mom” dedicated to volunteering at schools and improving education for all children. She is an elder at her church, Shallowford Presbyterian. Before starting her family, Nancy worked as an actuarial consultant. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics with honors from The University of Alaska Fairbanks. Nancy enjoys reading about history, economics and keeping up with current events.

You mean to tell me thats all we have to pick from in Dekalb? Give me a BREAK!

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As usual Ernest is the voice of reason. Please run for the BOE.

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@ Teacher Reader so you want us to believe someone off a Blog who we don’t know? Thats just what we should do. Thats why these types of forums should be cut off because people like you are easily convinced by this.

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“The anger is from there having been much better candidates that the board sabotaged.”

Not the point in the least. The point is how the Dunwoody gang went out of their way to make Cox seem qualified. Now they are doing the opposite to someone that has a very similar background.

Can anyone show how Cox was better qualified than Atkinson??????

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Lifelong Dekalb Resident

I am amazed no one else is dumbfounded that these two Board of Ed members cannot compose a paragraph utilizing correct punctuation and peppered with both incomplete & run-on sentences. Considering these two have the writing skills of a 5th grader, it is no surprise our county makes such competent decisions.

YOU MUST BE REALLY, REALLY AMAZED AT JAY CUNNINGHAM AND SARAH COPELIN-WOOD.

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@dekalb parent

I don’t know how to respond to your critique of Jester’s resume. Have you looked at Woods & Cunningham? Neither has a college education and couldn’t qualify to be a teacher. Yet they are setting school board policy. Of course, Cunningham doesn’t have on his resume his experience stealing money from McDonald’s. Recently defeated member Roberts also didn’t have a college education. Is your real complaint with Jester simply that she is white?

@ all
Lorainite is posting exactly opposite what he/she was posting before in the earlier blog. This is either someone trying to discredit the 1st Lorainite or a simple troll and should be ignored.

As for DSW, there was an enormous amount of concern about whether Cox was qualified with her limited experience as superintendent. The discussion has been mis-characterized here. There seems to be an APS style concerted effort to discredit and intimidate those who don’t go along with the status quo. And I’m one who normally doesn’t believe in conspiracy theories. Mandella is virtually threatening DSW, the way the APS employee threatened to poster who dared criticize the APS administration on this blog. This IS the county where the losing Sheriff put out a hit on his successor.

AJC allowing the continued racist comments from both B&W is not contributing to any reasonable discourse.

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Without looking, I can tell you Cox’s district is performing better than Lorain.

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Leave it to these Dekalb jokers to call into question the intelligence of an actuary. Gosh man, look it up.

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For the amount of money beign paid and the benefit package Dekalb usually offers, I cannot hep but think Dekalb can find someone better. Charming does not mae a great superintendant. I just do not understand that in all of the US there are not some more highly qualified people. $275,000 is a huge amount of money! Seems like cobb found someone interesting and qualified.

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Can’t answer my question? I didn’t think so. Stone cold busted.

The lesson here folks is that the color of the super shouldn’t be in question. If Cox and Atkinson did have similar qualifications, then those who supported one over another don’t have a leg to stand on. But from reading a lot of the comments on here, it really is about race, and that is just sad. Teachers and children continue to suffer the consequences of it. Does anyone give a thought about that? It seems not. The end result is that racism hurts others in the end, even your own race.

Now moving on to actual FACTS, it seems that the majority of the board is supporting more of the same – outright nepotism. The sorority connections for Atkinson have come to light. Everyone who works within DCSS knows that connections from friends, family, sororities, and churches are what gets a person hired and well paid – not actual qualifications. What some people here don’t seem to get is that a lot of teachers and parents are fed up with it and don’t want it at all. Well, here comes someone else with a sorority connection. It’s their given right as taxpayers to say that they don’t want their money taken from the education of their kids to be given freely away to someone who won’t actually do anything to help educate. 200k+/yr for a super? Absurd. Absolutely absurd. If you weren’t outraged when Tyson asked for that raise and got it, then you are part of the problem. Tyson is part of the Clew crew. She’s wasted a ton of your money and it hasn’t gone to educating your children, and she got even more money for not doing it! Don’t talk to me of “common sense” when you can’t see someone throwing your own money away. Now they want to hire someone on in the same vein and you aren’t angry? Why the hell not?

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I think she is qualified.

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Who cares about many high schools they have. This isnt about comparing stuff like that. Next please.

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I actually think she will be a good hire.

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Lets see how this works out. Im willing to give her a chance.

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Please read the Ohio report card in Maureen’s link. Please.
Go to greatschools.org and search Lorain High School.

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Well that will be fantastic to hear that she made her one high school adequate.

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Odds are she will be non-effective or worse. Then you parents who wanted her will cry out in regret and the “if I had knowns” and all the other excuses.

And I will laugh!

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We wont cry to you. Im laughing now that nobody wanted this job. You think this district is the creme of the crop because you merged into a county system? The scores have been low and the main reason has nothing to do with a superintendent. Get off this board and work on your kids at home. Thats what makes the difference.

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@ amazed, 10:38 am, Aug. 15: “AJC allowing the continued racist comments from both B&W is not contributing to any reasonable discourse.”

I’m the white Fulton Co. parent of a grown daughter living outside Atlanta, but care abt. the schoolchildren of DeKalb County. I’ve gotta remind you that the First Amendment demands AJC to do this….also, it’s wise to know the thoughts of the others in the fray. There’s a lot of dirty laundry getting aired here, but I think it should be. Won’t you folks be voting on your future School Board members?

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Can we please stop this useless bickering? Debate is acceptable and appropriate, however this conversation has been reduced to something far below debate standards.

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I think our central office is paying one person to sit on these blogs day after day under various names and post accusations and grammatically incorrect and misspelled posts in an effort to sabotage actual, useful conversation – on both sides. Post something racist under one name and then post as someone offended by said racist comment under another name and let it go from there. It’s easy to brand one side as racist when you pay someone to sit and post racists comments under other people’s names.

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I meant to say crook! Sorry for thy typo.

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Oh boy… just happy to be in City of Decatur.

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@decaturparent

August 15th, 2011
1:14 pm
Oh boy… just happy to be in City of Decatur.

decaturparent – You do know that we’re on an island and everything that goes on around us, affects us. That’s why we should be so concerned with the DCSS and APS problem.

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All you supporters of Atkinson, show us your data. Give us facts about her successes in raising academic achievement. Find references other than the editor of a newspaper and a retired deputy superintendent she worked for for 1 year (in a SC town she mis-spelled on her APS application BTW). Surely someone at the Broad Academy would speak highly of one of their graduates. Surely someone in Charlotte where she worked for 3 years would have good things to say about her. Bring it on. Write your persuasive essay. So far, no BOE member that stands behind her has spoken up with facts supporting her – they have only criticized other candidates and their fellow BOE members. And BTW, we don’t know the “straw” vote…we only know it was a majority and that 2 have spoken out against this candidate. Others may also oppose her.

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We don’t have to show you. The board has been shown. The decisions makers have been shown. Not some hate group on these blogs. If someone says run on sentences again like any one cares about that. Go talk to some english majors.

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Don’t be confused. Anyone can use the same screen name on the website and post the opposite of what was stated earlier. I noticed most of the comments made by the screen name I chose did not express my views but are playing games with you readers. Trying to make my comments look like contradictions or immature. I’m sorry about this but you understand the intelligence of those doing this like elementary school children. The same petty idiots supporting Atkinson Welcome to Lorain.

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@ John Trotter somebody wants people to ready their LITTLE blog. Everybody wants to be a superstar and wants attention.

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Dr Atkinson was really great for our district we are sad to see her go. She was really in touch with parents and students.

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For so much hate to be on here I think she might be the person we need. The Lorain posters have a agenda which I don’t like.

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@ not telling. Ok when you figure out how to make me show you anything you let me know. Im still laughing at that comment.

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I attended the APS meeting/event in June where people were invited to come meet and question the two APS superintendent finalists at that time, which included Ms. Atkinson. I would say that based on what I heard and observed, Mr. McChesney and Ms. Jester have it just about exactly right: Ms. Atkinson is a very pleasant, charming, professional, and probably fairly open and honest person. But, unfortunately, they (and I) have reservations about her track record and ability to navigate and deal with the large district politics, entrenched and stagnant bureacracy, and various other substantial landmines she will face in either APS or DeKalb Schools.

She seems to me the sort of person who might be a good part of a team brought in to deal with what I understand are DeKalb’s problems, but I don’t think she quite has the chops to be the top dog. She strikes me as someone who will not make too many waves, and that certain elements within the current DeKalb administration will be able to “control” her.

I commend Mr. McChesney and Ms. Jester for expressing their views in a thoughtful, articulate, positive, and hopefully productive manner.

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@we support her
Which uneducated DCSS board member are you?

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Remember there would be no DeKalb School Watch blog if everyone in DCSS were doing his/her job, if they were not overpaid and overstaffed in the central office, if our schools weren’t simultaneously falling apart and failing, and if the BOE weren’t dysfunctional. All of us who work to share information and come up with ideas on DSW would love for the blog to not have to exist.

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Now we can tell so much more about you. You don’t like her on that board huh? Why not? She won’t follow the F&F plan? Awwwwww…

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The Board does not plan any meet and greets with Dr. Atkinson. What are they hiding?

They will approve her, schools may very well stay mediocre, etc and nothing will change — S. DeKalb parents will remain eerily silent regardless of the poor quality of their schools.

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@not telling now she is apart of a inside group? I guess next she will be a Russian spy. LOL somebody please bring this back into focus. The Improv needs to be shut down.

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@ The Deal. At one time, people felt a need and reason for slavery to exist too. We can justify anything. Hard work in the wrong direction still gets you nowhere. Oh I agree with the fact that we are in a difficult situation in the metro area, and feel the pain. I am a parent of DeKalb County School students, that is why I am qualified to speak. Some raised issues I may agree with, however, when it comes to making the salaries and central staff the issue, we eliminate other variables such as the teachers, students, and the community. I’m sure if anything was illegal with salaries, by now we would see changes in the state salary structure. Let it go. People just dont walk in and say today i want to make x amount of dollars without it being approved on a state level. Get over salaries and who dates who and let’s not be jealous of other folks money because we dont have any, stay focused. By the way, how do you distinguish between your posters who are angry because of their personal issues with people and those who have legitimate concerns. You don’t, so be aware of using an anonymous blog as a way to control a situation. Have the courage to stand front and center for what you think is important. Wrong does not have to beget wrong. Your targets in the DSW blog for lack of success are exclusive of pertinent members and hold many biases. These are real issues to me:
Student who can not read, usually cannot write, or do math. Students who are raising themselves at home are less likely to pay attention, be disciplined, and do well in school. Teachers and administrators who are not dedicated to working with parents and students on their level should chose another profession. Unethical practices, inclusive of using media propoganda should be avoided…

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@ not telling. I think your the one thats late. She will be the superintendent. In 10 days when its official I will see you back on here.

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I would be very skeptical about any positive comments that support Dr Atkinson, especially given her inside connections and her lack luster past performance. Sounds like more of the same and business as usual for Dekalb.

The newest entrepreneurs are Internet PR firms that go viral and can clean up a personal or business related bad reputation on the www. What makes you think bloggers are not doing the same here becuase they are getting their “backs scratched” in some way

GCPS be warned of more abuse from Dekalb residents invading your schools.

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Just because someone calls NJ and Don out on their questionable ethics, does not mean they think the rest of the board is reputable. It is just on this and all the blogs, NJ has become some sort of untouchable wonder, which she is not!

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“Get over salaries and who dates who”
Not sure of the point you are attempting to make but I have read many times now about concerns over nepotism, sorority associations, and so on. Being guarded against that sort of thing makes sense because you want to know that hirings go to the best qualified candidates. Makes the system better, see? I applaud these two Board Members who can plainly see that this candidate does not have experience as the head of a large school system. While some may say that size of the system shouldn’t matter, it really does matter in terms of budget, HR, and just about everything else. I understand that she has had success in raising attendance in Lorain but isn’t that easier to do with a system sporting a single high school? We were hoping for excellence in this hire and right now, I am dissapointed.

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Lorain’s Local Paper ” The Morning Journal” 7/29/2011
“Lorain City Schools’ academic performance is getting better according to the Ohio Department of Education. On Tuesday, Supt. Cheryl Atkinson tentatively reported to the school board the district is moving up one grade on its state report card from “Academic Watch” to “Continuous Improvement.”
“Atkinson said, unofficially, the district has met the state standards in four of 24 categories and showed improvement in 18 categories since the previous school year.
Lorain students passed writing and reading in both 10th and 11th grades and saw increased attendance in the entire didtrict”.

“The achievements are even more notable because LORAIN IS AN URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH A STUDENT RATE EXCEEDING 80%.”

I am excited about the possibility of academic growth expecially in losw achieving schools where progreee hasn’t been made since Dr. Freeman was Supt. Welcome Dr. Atkinson. I am sure that all of the stakeholders who really want to be a part of the solution will embrace and support you.

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LORAIN IS AN URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

I don’t know. Looks a little more suburban to me being about 35 miles to Cleveland. City poulation about 70,000. School system about 70% white and again, only one high school.

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So the salaries of DCSS employees are not goverened by any outside entity and are arbitrary? Is this factual or an opinion of the Dekalb School Watch Blog?

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@ @Deal When did I say my own company did the audit? That sounds like something stupid DCSS would do. It was an independent audit, just like the one your tax dollars paid for years ago in DeKalb. You seem to be new to all of this news. Let me catch you up. Years ago, Ernst & Young is the entity you paid with your tax dollars to evaluate our school system and THEY determined that salaries were too high – not me. DeKalb administrators buried the audit and “can’t find it” because they know how damning the results were. And how do you know what color my skin is – and why does that matter? That seems like a racist comment for you to make. The only thing I said is that I am happy with the money I make. And, unlike you, I am concerned with the entire county and the absolute failure of a school system we have. I am actually 100% pleased with the education my kids are getting in DeKalb. If my actions were determined by the education my children are getting, I wouldn’t be on here. I understand that there are thousands of people who cannot fight for themselves, who are so mired in awful situations that they cannot fight the fight. It is the fact that thousands of my tax dollars a year go to complete waste and failure for so many other schools that I advocate for improvement. So, as it turns out, all of your suppositions about me are incorrect. I suspect you are one of the many people sent by DCSS employees to flood these blogs with ridiculous, pointless, and senseless posts to disrupt the actual discussion that usually goes on here. Unlike you, I use a consistent blog name and am on here on a fairly regular basis to keep a pulse on what people are thinking. Since the Atkinson announcement, all of the school-related blogs have been flooded with moronic and unthoughtful posts meant to distract from the real problem – a failing school system that is wasting millions of dollars and thousands of lives.

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How funny is it that people who lack basic grammar, spelling and punctuation skills are pontificating on a blog about public education? Some of you wear your ignorance like a badge of honor.

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Now that you have been on vacation, I see you are rested and ready to get back to your work on the blog. As you look and judge others, make sure that we are not guilty of the same issues on different levels. I know that many general statements have caused harm to people. for example, that in order to hold certain jobs, you have to know someone of be a part of a sorority. Many hardworking individuals were offended by these statements. DSW has allowed many opinions about others to become facts based on repetition. Our children (meaning NOT just those that we give birth to) need us. Let’s not get so fixated on one thing that we are blinded by our own tar and feather tactics. Just a self check reminder is due because we are afraid of this whole situation, including systems making policies based on blogs. The school is only as good as the students, parents and administrators who attend there. Put pressure on parents, students, administrators, bloggers to uphold high standards and hold them to it. Lynch blogs are outdated along with nepotism and all of the other wrongs that have been stated.

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I can see that you are a pro blogger. I am not, so forgive me if I have a life. I’m sure you are pleased with the private education your children may have received through the public education sytem. So, you are safe to influence policy without it causing any harm to your household one way or another. You and your like are distractions, too, just like the administrators at DCSS. I could care less about the consistency of your pseudo-name. Unlike Tyson and her group, your anonymity means nothing to me. Stay focused and do your job of looking out for ALL children without drawing blood from those with whom you disagree. Lead by example.

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Actually Lorain high is rated Effective. The new results drop August 24th. The first time in history that this has been done.

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@Dekalb Supporter I would be very skeptical of anything laudable the Lorain Morning Journal has to say. Dr. Atkinson listed that paper’s chief editor as a professional reference on her APS application. Better yet, have you read the comments that accompany the articles about her. A VERY small number of comments are supportive. The overwhelming majority are NOT sorry to see her leave. So yes, you can believe the board in Lorain is probably only too happy to release Dr. A from her contract. If you really want cold, hard facts go to the Ohio Department of Education and see the dismal report card for the Lorain school district. Those are facts.You continue to support DeKalb, but wake up and realize it does not support the citizens, especially our children. Apparently the BOE, CEO, and county commissioners don’t look at facts either. But all governmental entities should know this: the taxpayers have had enough. I will not vote for anyone who supports tax increases. I will not support any further SPLOST referendums if Dr. Cheryl Atkinson becomes superintendent. HRH T-Bow and his disloyal- to- their- constituents court can START PACKING NOW. Even the people on the south end loyal to SCW now know that this board (excepting Ms. Jester and Mr. McChesney) is concerned only with themselves.

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One photo in Sunday’s AJC article shows her as quite a large having a quite a large body mass index. The there was another photo in which she appeared to be substantially smaller. Somebody please respond which one is a more realistic portrayal.

Why?

The first photo along with her “lazer-like focus” on dramatically raising test scores scares me. Quite frankly, it eerily reminds of Beverly Hall

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@Deal quote
I suspect you are one of the many people sent by DCSS employees to flood these blogs with ridiculous, pointless, and senseless posts to disrupt the actual discussion that usually goes on here. Unlike you, I use a consistent blog name and am on here on a fairly regular basis to keep a pulse on what people are thinking.

@Deal. Just include what I am thinking in your analysis too, and not discount everyone else’s comments as ridculous and pointless. Why create a decoy thought DeKalb has sent saboteurs to a site. This tactic is used a lot by you and others on the DSW blog when a blogger is in opposition with your ideals. Were you sent here by your moderator, Cerebration? You have spent a lot of time twisting, misinterpreting, and rearranging my words to make me seem unaware, yet you are well informed. Is this your only defense against Dekalb Leadership?. Look beyond my literal language and you will find that you are capable of greater understanding that may just help, Deal.

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You all realize that 90% of the posters here are the same dimwits from Lorain using different screen names don’t you? I can spot them a mile away. They do the same crap on our local papers. You have no identity security on this website. The same person could have an infinite number of screen names. All the site has to do is say one IP per screen name, problem solved. They are trying to sway you to think people like her and support her hiring. I guarantee there is probably a half of a percentage of people who are sad to see her go.

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I kind of like this Dr Atkinson. The candidate file seems ok.

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@ John Trotter – “Something in the milk ain’t clean!”

Most likely your fingers….

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@ The Deal – “Years ago, Ernst & Young is the entity you paid with your tax dollars to evaluate our school system and THEY determined that salaries were too high – not me”

If you know so much about this audit, why don’t you tell everyone how they came to those conclusions. What was the factors that determined salaries were too high?

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The Broad Barrage
http://obsyourschools.blogspot.com/2011/05/broad-barrage.html

So, be appropriately concerned with Dr. Cheryl Atkinson but just don’t lose site of the core threat, Eli Broad and his foundation.

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@Mandella1099 Ha! Ha! “What WAS the factors?” Okay, that was funny. Anyway, you’re asking me to tell you the factors that Ernst and Young used in the audit that you paid for – that the BOE and administration that you so trust and love commissioned? Are you kidding me? Do you have some sort of conspiracy theory that Cere works at E&Y and tainted its audit or something similarly stupid? I can’t convince someone like you that the audit was accurate. That’s like trying to tell you that blue is blue. So, let’s live in fantasy world and forget the entire problem of DCSS’s overstaffed and overpaid central office. Let’s pretend all is rosy in the world of salaries and staffing numbers. That leaves, oh, about 15,000 other mismanaged and mangled school-related issues. How do you defend the millions upon millions of dollars spent on student improvement for our most needy children when student achievement has dropped by double digit percentages each year? Absolutely no one has taken responsibility for the fact that the Office of Student Improvement has overseen catastrophic failures in student achievement. Our neediest children are being left behind in the dust while the people who work in the office that claims to help them are making six figures. And here’s how it leads back to Atkinson. She may be a nice person. She may be a very talented administrator. But, by her own application data and the data of her school system, she is in NO way prepared to handle the behemoth task that this county presents. You want a Pandora’s box? We’ve got it – massive size, multiple court cases, SACS bearing down, incompetent and uneducated board members, top to bottom of socioeconomics, decades old race relations problems, a north/south battle that won’t die, a mish-mosh of programs, and, the worst to me, absolute inconsistency in offerings across the county. Almost 100% of what this school system is supposed to do is botched. It shouldn’t matter where you live in DeKalb County – if your child attends a school in DeKalb County, he or she is entitled to every opportunity that every other child is, regardless of the color of skin, price of the home, location of their home, or anything else. That is NOT HAPPENING, and Dr. Atkinson, again, while she may be nice and be successful in the level of schools she has administered, does not have the experience our absolute mess and mass of a school system needs. We are WAY beyond “let’s give her a chance.” Why are we so willing to settle? Our children – ALL of them – deserve the absolute best we can give them, not “let’s see what she can do.” This is the only time we are going to get for years to give our children the new, fresh start they deserve. If I were a single mom with children and looking for a father figure, no way would I settle for the first guy just because he’s the first willing to step in. Why are we so willing to do this for the 100,000 children that live in our county? Our BOE has a responsibility to give us better than someone whose most recent job was managing a school system with one high school, whose system has just been upgraded from the lowest academic rating. Again, she may be a nice person and talented, but DeKalb County superintendent is an absolute hell of a job, and we need an absolute stand-out candidate. If our BOE cannot deliver us the smart, innovative, exciting person (man, woman, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, whatever) that will help our children be the best they can be, then they need to resign and let us have a board that can find us that person.

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Yes, Eli Broad represents the beginning of the DeKalb County TEA PARTY. I don’t think the Tea Party will be effective in most of DeKALB. We love our children and many of us are pleased with our schools, although we are aware that many of our schools are struggling and that is where Dr. Atkinson’s strength comes into play. All of the committees and countywide meetings I have attended, I have never heard of this “character” who wants the “BOARD TO LOOK HIM IN THE EYE” …. Where have you been Eli? Hello!!!

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John Trotter,

I thought Clayton had become too “dark” for you so that is why I made the statement as I did. Since you do not live in one of the “dark” districts, just but out and take care of the place of choice where you now live. DeKalb is capable of choosing their own leader without noisy outsiders. I was disappointed about Sam King but certain board members trumped him for “Cox”; they thought they had the great “white hope” even though her track record was not to be found because there was not one with 9 moves in 18 years. Then there was Robert Duron who had accreditation problems as certified with the official letter posted on the website with a date of March 1, 2011. Although accreditation is and could be a problem for DeKalb if Jester and McChesney continue their unethical behavior; we do not need Duron who could not solve his own accreditation problems.

T a
1701 North Congress Ave. • Austin, Texas 78701-1494 • 512463-9734 • 512 463-9838 FAX • http://www.tea.state.tx.us
IMPORTANT
ACCREDITATION
INFORMATION -
ACTION
REQUIRED
CERTIFIED MAIL
015-907
2010-2011
March 1,2011
Dr. Robert J. Duron, Superintendent
San Antonio Independent School District
141 Lavaca Street
San Antonio, Texas 78210
Dear Dr. Duron:
In a To The Administrator Addressed letter dated February 22, 2011, the Texas Education Agency
(TEA or agency) disseminated information describing the process and timelines for assigning
2010-2011 accreditation statuses to school districts. The February 22, 2011, letter can be accessed
at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/taa/accred022211 .html. The assignment of district accreditation statuses
is required by Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 39, Public School System Accountability, and
authorized in 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAG), Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability.
Subchapter EE, Accreditation Status. Standards, and Sanctions. Subchapter EE of Chapter 97
defines the accreditation statuses of Accredited, Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, and Not
Accredited-Revoked and states how accreditation statuses are determined and assigned to districts,
including definitions, purpose, and oversight appointments. The commissioner’s rules related to
accreditation may be viewed at the Texas Administrative Code link available at
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/index.html. and additional information regarding the assignment of
accreditation statuses to districts can be found on the Accreditation Status homepage of the TEA
website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/accredstatus.
On March 1, 2011, the TEA assigned accreditation statuses to school districts for the 2010-2011 year
under the authority of TEC §39.051 and §39.052 and 19 TAG §97.1055. Accreditation status results
for 2010-2011 have been posted publicly to the TEA website on the Accreditation Status homepage at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/accredstatus. Under the requirements of statute and rule, the San Antonio
Independent School District (ISO) has been assigned an accreditation status of Accredited-Warned
due to the ratings assigned to the district in the state’s academic accountability rating system.
Specifically, the San Antonio ISO was assigned a 2009 and 2010 academic accountability rating of
Academically Unacceptable.
Dr. Robert J. Duron, Superintendent
San Antonio Independent School District
Page 2
Districts that are assigned a status of Accredited-Warned must take specific actions to notify the
parents of students enrolled in the district and property owners in the district. The requirements for
public notification are specified in 19 TAG §97.1055{f), and a template that reflects the TEA-required
format and language for the public notice is posted to the TEA website at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/accredstatus. According to the requirements of 19 TAG §97,1055(f)(3), the
San Antonio ISO must complete the notification requirements under specified timelines as calculated
from the March 1, 2011, date of accreditation status assignment. The district also must send certain
notification documentation to the TEA according to the requirements of 19 TAG §97.1055(f)(4).
Districts with an accreditation status below Accredited may be subject to additional accreditation
sanctions as referenced in 19 TAG Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability. Subchapter EE.
Superintendents of districts that are assigned a status of Accredited-Warned may request a record
review related to the assignment of the accreditation status. A request for record review related to the
assignment of 2010-2011 accreditation statuses must be received by the TEA no later than
March 18, 2011, and may be addressed as follows.
Laura Taylor
Associate Commissioner for Accreditation
Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
Fax: (512)936-6474
Additional information regarding the record review process can be referenced at 19 TAG §97.1037 at
the Texas Administrative Code link referenced above.
We appreciate your assistance as the agency continues to implement accreditation requirements. If,
after reviewing the TEA website, you have questions regarding the assignment of accreditation
statuses to districts, required public notification, or the process for a record review, please contact
your regional education service center or the Division of Program Monitoring and Interventions at
(512) 463-5226 or via e-mail at pmidivision(S?.tea.state.tx.us.
Sincerely,
Laura Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Department of Accreditation
LT/jt
cc: Ronald L. Beard, Executive Director, Region 20 Education Service Center
Ray Glynn, Deputy Commissioner for School District Leadership and Educator Quality, TEA
David Anderson, General Counsel, TEA
Karen Batchelor, Deputy Associate Commissioner, Program Monitoring and Interventions, TEA
Ron Rowell, Director, Governance and General Inquiries, TEA
Ted Kerr, Manager, Program Monitoring and Interventions, TEA
Jamie Morris, Conservator

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We have no confidence in this BOE. BOE Chair Tom Bowen has completely bungled the Supt. search, and BOE members Gene Walker and Jay Cunningham continue to make decisions based solely on race.

This BOE has spent tens of millions on attorney fees. The fees are astronomical and completely out of control. There are no adults minding the store here:

http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2011/08/here-come-lawyers-oh-lawyers-more.html

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Anna Bell

The vote for superintendent is not confidential — it will be held in public. They have not voted on anything.

The initial leaks came from S. DeKalb board members (probably Cunningham and Walker) to derail the hiring of a white woman — who had the support of Sarah Copelin-Woods.

This process has been corrupted from the beginning.

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“The Deal”, the link the Dr. Atkinson’s Candidate File was on the DCSS website. I did not “google” anything.

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@ Dr No That is why DCSS is in the shape that it is in. People are not willing to do their homework and trust uneducated and unethical people that they elect to the board.

@ Yes I Am Worried Not sure how long our “good” schools will be good with everything that goes on in DCSS. Maybe for a few more years, but not forever. And only if parents are willing to supplement the poor quality of education materials that DCSS uses.

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Dr Atkinson will make a fine Superintendent

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The past supers we have had didn’t do anything. I would rather have Dr Atkinson come in with no ties to anyone and with no agenda but putting our students first.

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Sure we teach to the test all year long and many of us cheat. If scores don’t improve, we are placed on probation. We are forced into this choice…….and, survival wins**********

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Here’s a good one from genius Atkinson:

“It’s like we went up to (step) three then back to two,” Atkinson said. “We didn’t do worse this year, we just didn’t do as good as last year.”

http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/08/28/news/mj3221537.txt

Total winner there. Way to vet your candidate, BOE.

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While I hope Lewis and Pope get their just due for the damage they caused to DCSS, I certainly do not look forward to the trial. It’s going to unleash a whole level of anger among DCSS parents and stakeholders as their true deceptions are made known.

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As a Lorain citizen Im sad to see her go you will be getting a great leader in Dr Atkinson

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This is from the SACS report of March, 2011:

“7. Select a new superintendent that exemplifies and has demonstrated the characteristics necessary to lead a unique school system such as DeKalb County.” …The selection of a highly qualified, innovative superintendent with demonstrated success in a large ethnically and culturally diverse system will be the catalyst for DeKalb County School System towards meeting and exceeding their mission of school and home collaboration and maximizing students’ social and academic potential. Document of a transition plan will further ensure this process is effective and smooth

Will SACS view Dr. Atkinson’s selection as meeting their criteria? This is my own personal opinion, but I would not be surprised at all if SACS does place DCSS on probation in October. This school board is every bit as toxic and dysfunctional as APS.

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Dunwoody Mom, thank you for posting the SACS requirement. It is a sad reminder that our school system still has lower to sink (possible probation) before we can get better.

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@Anna Bell
Acceptance of things you can’t change? That is EXACTLY the problem with DCSS (and somewhat in the whole Atlanta area). Too many people accept that it can’t be changed.

I am beginning to wonder if there is a campaign here. Or maybe just the same person posting on different names. We keep hearing, “I like her.” “She looks good.” “She’s the real deal.” Nothing other than feel good comments. You rarely get so many comments like that on one of these boards. I think the only concrete said thing in her favor was from one of her critics who mentioned the dropout rate went down.

The performance at Lorain went down the 1st 3 years she was there. This year’s results aren’t out yet. Where are these results she’s capable of? Spending money on new schools and computers is not what I consider to be great accomplishments for a superintendent. I will say a couple things for her that none of these feel good commentators say-and contradict what has been said earlier. She does have good references. There’s one from her supervisor’s in Charlotte and in Charleston. And she has worked in large districts-Charlotte, Charleston and Orange County.

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@The Deal…my two cents here…I’m sure that Dr. Atkinson is the lovely person Ms. Jester and Mr. McChesney say she is. And in a different time and environment in DCSS, she may be the an appropriate candidate. But, this school system is in dire crisis. I believe it is going to take someone with extraordinary talents to turn this around. I do not believe Dr. Atkinson has the background or experience for this mighty job.

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Based on the manny ill-informed and naive comments posted on this DCSS subject blog I sincerely believe now is the time to begin the diverting of school funding dollars to new prison construction projects because thats where your children are going.

But let your minds rest easy. These future jailbirds will be happy and content, just as their parents are, because they are too stupid to know any different.

ENJOY!

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she should have all of are support its to much negativity.

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Why did today’s article say that two board members “blasted” Atkinson? It was my impression that they simply stated their position.

Dr. Atkinson may or may not be the best administrator – that is the issue. Dekalb needs someone who can make agressive, dramatic, and yes controversial changes in the short term. I personally do not see that capability in Dr. Atkinson’s bio. I advocate for hiring an outside interim to make hard decisions, inact tough changes, and then pass the baton to a team builder.

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I like whats in her candidate file. Im for her.

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“To bad your full of hate that will get you no where.”

To whomever you were referring…that would be you’re.

Graduated from Dekalb I see.

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Anna Bell and people like her are so damaged in the brain that we don’t want our children educated in DeKalb. They hate white people and will do anything they can to sabotage any idea any white person has. They are just as evil as the slave owners of old. Yes Anna you are evil. You are a racist. You have become the thing you say you hate. You are the destruction of all children. In your hatred of white children you are willing to sacrifice black children just so white children can be held back. You are sick and anything you say is sick.

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Yes I am Worried,

You are so wrong about the leaks. You need to look closer to your own door. Richard Belcher does not live in South DeKalb and does not get information from South DeKalb. How did the Georgia Gang team know the information since they tape their show prior to the announcement of Dr. Atkinson by the news media at 11:00 p.m. Friday night?

You are showing your ignorance. Not all children living in South DeKalb are poor and have parents who are not involved in their education. There are many children whose household income probably exceed yours, including mine. Do not make blanket statements that you cannot support.

As an educator of many years, I acknowledge that we have some concerns the participation of parents in the educational process within the school is less than desirable. This is why I support Dr. Atkinson because she is known to reach out to parents and I am sure she has strategies that are effective in getting the results. I have done extensive research in this area and know first hand that it works. I tried my research once I became a principal. My parents were energized and we never worried about making AYP; we made it as aby product of great teaching and learning in South DeKalb. We need a superintendent who can energize the disengaged and engaged parents to to look beyond self and raise the roof for all children.

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Anna Bell is a Racist,

I will not dignify your rage with a worthy comment.

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Amazed,

I am amazed that you would take my statement out of context. My reference to change was in relation to the Board’s right to make the selection of the superintendent.

If you are in tuned with me, you will see that I recognize that we need many changes in the system. That is why I am in full support of someone from the outside who is instructionally focused. I am against the good-ole-boy show continuing. I am reminded that the best decision for DeKalb County School System was made when the Board selected Dr. Robert Freeman, Sr as superintendent from Indiana. He spent 16 years at the head of DeKalb School system. We experienced growth, progress, honor and integrity during this time. It was the insiders – Hallford and Crawford that destroyed all progress that was made in academics and race relations.

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People Please,

I agree. The way these folks are behaving, they want to run all candidates away from DeKalb. this is insanity.

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LeakerSeeker,

It must not have been a private meeting if you knew who was there and where it was held. The person whose post I responded to did not name Tom Bowen; but two South DeKalb board members. Tom is not a representative from South DeKalb. He is the Board Chair and I respect his integrity very much.

I know who Jeff Dickerson is and his comments did not support the comments of those who were participating on Georgia Gang. Again, you need to look closer to your own door to find the leaker.

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@ Atlanta Media Guy – Is this your DSW blog?

“clew’s P-card abuses and then went directly to Clew himself and told him he could not take a companion (allegedly [employee name was placed here by AMG] to the Bahamas or Reynolds Plantation Ritz on his P-Card.”

What about this?

“We found out later his “alleged mistress” was none other than the very person who still works for DCSS and who directs hundreds of millions of dollars to the Title 1 schools”

How do you know that this is true since you like to post things like this as if they are. Either you (or whoever “we” is) know something that the general public doesn’t (perhaps you were at the Ritz as well?) or this is untrue, making it a lie. Which is it Atlanta Media Guy?

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@Dekalb Parent Seriously, you’re worried about Nancy’s credentials? Look at Jay Cunningham’s. He attended college (never graduated) and worked at McDonalds.

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@Dekalbite – First, thank you for a nice response. You have the same quote that I had seen.

My question becomes this (and Dekalbite, this is not directed at you, but more toward the usual, DSW suspects): So many on DSW are critical of the school system employees. They will say that they can’t get anything right and critique every little item in order to prove somehow that something was done wrong. YET, when it comes time to believe what a salary audit has shown, suddenly, these same individuals got this part correct when they were asked to complete the questionnaires? DCSS employees are considered ignorant when it suits the DSW mafia, but the employees got this right when they were asked to complete this. Childish….

This is another reason why DSW is done….

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DeKalbit@mandella, and Mandella1099,

You both post valid points.

Most importantly, WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN OF DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOLS??? As we read through all the posts, there is very little discussion about the students and their community as it is a power struggle between adults and their opposing beliefs. Where there is mention of children in the discussion, it is selfishly referring to someone’s own child and how well they are doing. The solution in my belief will not be found with any of the individuals, websites, and blogs that have presented themselves thusfar on either side of this fiasco.

I believe the DeKalb School Watch began with good intentions, but we are witnessing what happens when anger and resentment allow good intentions to go awry. The posts and tone at DSW seem to be driven by hatred and vindictiveness, I don’t know if towards the individuals who have been called out in the news, or at everyone who may have a job in the county. Should those not affiliated with these people, who may be in a social organization, or who work in the central office, or who hold a certain position, or may have a relative in the school system by their own merit, just quit their jobs? I’m glad neither me nor my spouse fall in those categories for our sake. Although we should not tolerate thievery, incompetence, and deception in our educational leadership, we certainly cannot support anyone who feels so validated in their hatred that they would ruin people’s careers based on speculations and generalizations. We needed the energy and the voice of DSW blog earlier, but it is taking on another face and is losing momentum for one group while gaining for another. This is where the division will take place and the great effort at problem solving sideswiped. The generalizations made on that blog are preposterous and growing exponentially e daily, from those of sororities and fraternities to ones personal finances, in a day and age when many are struggling while trying to earn an honest living. When Mandella 1099 speaks of the downfall of that blog, I think he/she is referring to the publics’ ability to see through the implied purpose of the blog through to the subtle racial overtones of many of the frequent posters pushing their agenda. Never, as a professional and human courtesy, would I post a pesonal bankruptcy online just to prove or create a point to make. This is really a low call. If a requirement to post excluded foreclosures, a lot of posters would be eliminated. I personally hope Dr. Atkinson is a strong person and is forgiving of those who have gotten really comfortable hurting others while hiding behind a purpose of helping, and a computer screen, whether she gets the job or not. My wife and I want the best person for the job whether it is this person or not, but we don’t condone taking anyone through the wringer simply because we could and are capable. Yes, the DSW may get a lot of hits, but a lot of people are reading that blog now for entertainment and gossip. It is known that if you don’t like someone in the county, post on DSW to embarrass the person. I would like to see it restored and inviting to everyone instead of it being a sounding board for an angry good ole boy network. No one wants this group to resurface again either. But as Mr. Deal stated, they can put anything they would like on their blog. Where is the place for humanity and compassion in these difficult times? Although there is offensive material on the AJC blog sometimes, it certainly does seem to have a welcoming for everyone, without a hidden agenda. With no harm meant, I hope the DSW is as open for criticism as they are at providing it. This is just an opinion.

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Opps! Clicked Submit Comment too soon!

When I read something on an open blog that is in opposition to the facts I as I perceive them, I post what I see as the facts, cite my sources, and then ask other posters to do the same.

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“Get over salaries and who dates who”

The term dating is not accurate and what Lewis and his female companion did was an offense that needs to be brought to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

The DeKalb District Attorney has brought charges against the former superintendent for using the county Purchase Card to take a female employee to the Ritz Carlton during the middle of the work week for “personal use”.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/32029252/Crawford-Lewis-DeKalb-RICO-Indictment

See page 60:
“Crawford Lewis used his position at DCSS to initiate and facilitate personal relationships with female employees. Specifically, he paid for a room at The Ritz Carlton in Greensboro, Georgia March 12, 2008, which he used exclusively for personal use with a female subordinate accompanying him. No official county business was conducted despite the county P-Card being used for payment….

See page 100 :
Illegal use of county-issued gasoline to travel to The Ritz Carlton in Reynolds Plantation for personal activity with a female employee which was not authorized. ”

March 12, 2008 was a WORK DAY for teachers and students in DeKalb Schools. If they spent the night of March 12, 2008 at the Ritz Carlton, then Lewis and this female employee were being paid for school system work while they were NOT performing school system work.

Teachers were teaching students Wednesday, March 12, 2008, and ALL other staff were in DeKalb doing their jobs on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 and Thursday, March 13, 2008. 12 month employees were/are not allowed to leave their jobs to go on personal trips and still collect their pay without taking vacation days.

If this female employee physically left the county on March 12, 2008 (a school work day) and collected her pay, forms were required to be filled out detailing where she was going and what official business she was conducting. Did this female employee do this? Did this female employee take vacation time or did she just not show up for work at DCSS on Thursday, March 13, 2008 while taxpayers were paying her to work? Where is her paperwork for leaving the county while she was supposed to be working? There were no exceptions to this rule. She had to sign a form that said she was out of the county conducting personal business, and her supervisor had to sign off on this. If she did not fill out this form, this is grounds for dismissal, and if she signed that she was on official business and then conducted personal business instead, she falsified official records.

In addition, Fall, 2007 Lewis instituted a sign-in and sign-out policy for ALL personnel outside the schoolhouse. Did this female employee sign in like she was working and then travel for personal business with Lewis? Or did she fail to sign in and then travel on personal business with Lewis?

If she did not show up for work and/or falsified records, why is she not being brought up before the Georgia Professional Standards Commission?

If you are working for a school system and are collecting pay for working but are really in a situation where “No official county business was conducted” then that is called “Stealing time”. In other words, you are being paid by the taxpayers for doing your job while you are really conducting personal business.

These are clear violations of THE CODE OF ETHICS FOR EDUCATORS:
http://www.gapsc.com/Rules/Current/Ethics/505-6-.01.pdf

“Standard 4: Honesty – An educator shall exemplify honesty and integrity in the course of
professional practice. Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to, falsifying, misrepresenting or
omitting: 505-6-.02 Page 3….
….4. reasons for absences or leaves”

and

“(h) Standard 8: Abandonment of Contract – An educator shall fulfill all of the terms and
obligations detailed in the contract with the local board of education or education agency for the
duration of the contract. Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to:….
…2. willfully refusing to perform the services required by a contract.”

and

“Standard 9: Required Reports – An educator shall file reports of a breach of one or more of
the standards in the Code of Ethics for Educators….. Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to:
1. failure to report all requested information on documents required by the Commission when
applying for or renewing any certificate with the Commission;
2. failure to make a required report of a violation of one or more standards of the Code of
Ethics for educators of which they have personal knowledge as soon as possible but no later than
ninety (90) days from the date the educator became aware of an alleged breach unless the law or
local procedures require reporting sooner…”

Lewis’s female companion knew he was not conducting official business so she had a duty to report this to the Professional Standards Commission. She also had a duty to report that she was conducing personal business with Lewis while she was being paid for conducting official business.

Dating – no. “Stealing time” and “Falsification of Records” – yes. Any taxpayer can bring her up before the Professional Standards Commission. This needs to happen.

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harold@Distractions In DSW Disguished,

Unfortunately, Crawford Lewis was not the only Superintendent of DeKalb Schools who was a womanizer while in the position. He got caught and was not very smart in using the P-card for the small amount of money involved. Everyone has always known who slept their way to the top; that is old news. The practice cut across all racial lines and span decades. However, there is no excuse for any of their behaviors; it is immoral and unethical.
So if you are concluding that since Crawford was corrupt; then all black candidates are corrupt; you need to check the history of the “big thefts” and you will find that there were more “white collar” theft by white males than any other group in America. When they steal it hurts because it usually involves billions of dollars. Think about all of the retired and almost retired investors who lost their life savings because of the Enron type crooks; what color were those faces?

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