Improved performance for district run by DeKalb school chief finalist
Lorain city schools improved this year on the annual state of Ohio report card. That is relevant because the DeKalb County school board has chosen the superintendent there to lead its system. (Cheryl Atkinson comes here Saturday to meet parents.)
In an interview with the local paper on the about-to-be-released scorecard, Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson said, “We’re not perfect. But we’re a lot better.”
According to the Morning Journal:
While the report card will not officially be released until Wednesday, a preview showed the district passed four of 24 tested categories and improved scores in 18 of the 24 tested areas. “This officially moves us from academic watch to continuous improvement,” Atkinson said.
The report showed that Lorain High School had a graduation rate of 80.7 percent, after hitting 84.7 percent in 2010. Lorain High School and Admiral King Elementary were both rated as effective in the report.
For the past two years, the Lorain City Schools have been listed under Academic Watch on the state report card. The department rates districts across the state as excellent with distinction, excellent, effective, continuous improvement, academic watch and academic emergency.
The district also met one standard for the very first time. “This is the first year the district met the attendance record,” she said.
With the rise in attendance across the board, the test scores for grades three through 11 all went up for the most part.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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90 comments Add your comment
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
1:38 pm
I’m sorry, that is supposed to make me feel better about Dr. Atkinson’s choice for DCSS how? One high school vs 22 high schools?
Citizen
August 23rd, 2011
1:39 pm
This is great
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
1:41 pm
The graduation rate went down in 2011…..what is great about that?
Flabberghasted4sure
August 23rd, 2011
1:50 pm
I’m with Dunwoody Mom. Graduation rate went down and that is not a good thing. She has managed to get Lorain back up almost to where it was when she came as superintendent 4 years ago..and we’re to feel good about that? DeKalb can’t afford to go down any further before we start an upward trend. The students don’t have 4 more years to wait.
Matt Dickinson
August 23rd, 2011
1:50 pm
This is an immaterial improvement! We need a corporate type to come in and clean house!! This would include the Crawford Lewis cronies, Yes Ms. Tyson this does include you!!
Citizen
August 23rd, 2011
1:52 pm
Im sure they will be cleaned out!
oldtimer
August 23rd, 2011
1:54 pm
For the money..Dekalb should and could do better. They need to search further and wider!!
Here's One
August 23rd, 2011
1:57 pm
@Citizen – I hope you’re right. However, I spoke with an insider this morning and the take was this will be Johnny Brown all over again. For all of our children’s sake, I surely do hope not.
tim
August 23rd, 2011
2:00 pm
80% graduation rate? Are you proud of that Ms Atkinson? The dumb keeps getting dumber………..
The Dekalb school board keeps lowering the bar. Urban schooling at its worst south of I20.
Matt Dickinson
August 23rd, 2011
2:09 pm
Hire me as Superintendent! I am a corporate type! I would love give everyone pink slips in administration! Call the media!!
Lorain Father
August 23rd, 2011
2:19 pm
Really?
How hard is it to go up when you have reached the bottom?
She drove this district into the ground…it could have not gotten any worse. Now someone wants a “pat on the back” for bringing us up to the level we were when she got here?
Maureen is also beginning to drink the “koolaide”, which is a tremendous disservice to the children of Dekalb County.
How many times does it need to be said that the Lorain Morning Journal is in love with Atkinson and will never write a derogatory story regarding Atkinson nor will they compare where we were when she got here compared to where she took us to where we are today.
Evidently to her and the Dekalb BOE, that is all irrelevant.
Born Yesterday
August 23rd, 2011
3:01 pm
Dr. Atkinson inherited a district with 85 percent poverty; where 80 percent of kindergartners are unprepared; where one-third of the staff was laid off her first day on the job to overcome a $14 million deficit. It was in a district that didn’t have a human resources department; not even personnel files. She had to physically count heads to see who was employed in the district. Lorain was teetering on the brink and she helped lift it academically and administratively. No, she isn’t white, as some apparently would like. But she’s focused on academic achievement, not political gamesmanship.
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
3:03 pm
@Born Yesterday…nobody gives a flying crap what color she is – knock it off.
tim
August 23rd, 2011
3:05 pm
@bornyesterday….like I said, the dumb keep getting dumber.
Tonya C.
August 23rd, 2011
3:13 pm
Dunwoody Mom already said what I was thinking. If she struggle to make headway with ONE high school how in the Hades is she going to deal with 22, and many of those at the bottom of the barrel?
November 6, 2012
August 23rd, 2011
3:38 pm
You can skew statistics to say anything you want them to say……I say “Lets March” and lets “Stay there until the dysfunctional board resigns”. Now c’mon, lets get out there and “Kick some A**”……get fired up people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Born Yesterday
August 23rd, 2011
3:46 pm
Dunwoody Mom, we all wish the world was that simple. But we live in Georgia, where race has always played a huge role in public education and continues to play a role in who we think is best suited to educate our children. The truth of the matter is that Dr. Atkinson is being raked over the coals in a way that Lillie Cox, from an even smaller district, was not. I’d love to think we’ve gotten past race, and I hope one day we will. But to do so, we’ll have to acknowledge our racial history and our place in it instead of pretending it doesn’t exist.
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
3:49 pm
@Born Yesterday…..stop, just please stop. #1 Lillie Cox was never coming to DCSS; #2 Most parents in DCSS were also against the choice of Lillie Cox.
Playing the race card is disingenuous, harmful, disrespectful and harmful to the children of this school district. Enough is enough with the race issue.
MamaH
August 23rd, 2011
3:53 pm
Could not have said it better myself. @bornyesterday apparently is clueless about DeKalb, it’s size and the issues it faces. This is going to take someone who will come in and clean house (yes, it will totally enrage some Board Members who got friends employed as favors) and with a one size does not fit all vision as each school and area has completely unique strengths and weaknesses. It is disturbing that the BoE chose to go with a candidate with such a weak resume (she jumped around alot) and that does not fit the obvious criteria set forth to ensure accreditation. Additionally, most of her accomplishments in Loraine were in programs that DeKalb already has in place and I don’t see much else that she brings to the table. To question the qualifications of a potential employee who will have a direct effect on thousands is not racist, it is being responsible.
Born Yesterday
August 23rd, 2011
4:11 pm
No one said it was “racist,” only that race factors into public discourse on education, on transit, on sprawl, on virtually every issue. For 98 percent of Georgia’s recorded history, race has been the barometer for who receives equal educational opportunity and who doesn’t. Race is the reason some parents are woefully unprepared to help their children academically, because their parents and their parents’ parents were denied equal educational opportunity by the state of Georgia. Race permeates the discussion. Race IS the discussion, particularly as it pertains to academic performance, because race in large part defines who achieves academically and who does not. The majority of white students fare quite well in DCSS and most other metro school systems, while a too-large share of blacks do not. It’s a consequence that springs directly from disparate educational opportunity spanning generations, and a culture that that history created. By denying race, we deny the real issue. By denying the real issue, we never resolve it.
Kanarstead
August 23rd, 2011
4:12 pm
“The truth of the matter is that Dr. Atkinson is being raked over the coals in a way that Lillie Cox, from an even smaller district, was not.”
BINGO!!!!! That wraps the situation up nicely. So obvious, a white person like me can see.
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
4:28 pm
Right….because the sabotaging of Lillie Cox by a certain board member was not “racial” right?
Bill & Ed's Excellent Adventure
August 23rd, 2011
4:32 pm
Bill here…Ed and I concur, Dr. Atkinson is a poor choice to lead such a large system. So, for a small sum in the neighborhood of $100,000, we will lead a new search to find a Dekalb superintendent. Act fast, as this offer will only last until we get to the contract phase, when we’ll up our fee to $200,000.
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
4:32 pm
Race IS the discussion, particularly as it pertains to academic performance, because race in large part defines who achieves academically and who does not
Well, that’s just a pile of hot crap.
Cere
August 23rd, 2011
4:37 pm
Time will tell. We all know which the administrators need replaced. I’m certain that everyone with an email address in DeKalb will send Dr. Atkinson their opinion of what needs to happen. Ms. Tyson has tried to make changes, but Tom Bowen and the board have completely tied her hands. I pray they don’t do this to Atkinson too. They have been able to buy over 500 more days of high level employment for some who have no business in their job. IF Atkinson is able to derail the gravy train and put the money where the KIDS are, then I’ll be impressed. However, we all saw what happened to Johnny Brown – and the current board, led by Bowen, is even more adamant about maintaining the status quo. This is obvious – otherwise, they would have allowed Tyson to clear the path for Atkinson. But since Atkinson is not from a large district and does not appear to have access to high performing administrators, I don’t hold out much hope that she will be able to get this job done. Like I said, “We’ll see.” In the meantime, hunker down and work hard to protect your children and your schools from having any more money taken from them and “reallocated” to coaches, programs, administrators and lawyers.
Sick of Dekalb
August 23rd, 2011
4:43 pm
No more Friends and Family!!!!!
No more step shows at the school!!!!!!
No more using New Birth for H.R. recruitment!!!!!
Anonmom
August 23rd, 2011
4:53 pm
In her defense — slow and steady is probably better than what we’ve seen in APS and what’s coming to light in DC… The real Georgia graduation rate is around 50% so 80% is actually pretty impressive if that’s a real number (no one around here really tracks how many kids start as freshmen in high school and what happens to them.. this is about to change and you will be shocked at how poor our real graduation rates really are).
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
4:55 pm
@Anonmom….the graduation rate DROPPED from 84 to 80 for ONE high school. And we won’t really know what the scores are until the report is released tomorrrow. For some reason people are running with a PR release as if it is a fact. Does anyone believe the PR releases that come out of DCSS?
From Good Mother
August 23rd, 2011
4:58 pm
For $275,000 plus perks we can do better than Atkinson. MUCH better. Sheesh, the president of the United States earns $400,000 a year. That’s close.
There has to be a candidate better than Atkinson.
Maureen Downey
August 23rd, 2011
4:59 pm
@Dunwoody I linked to the local newspaper story on the Lorain report card, but I know that some people don’t like the paper because they perceive it backs Dr. Atkinson without question. I doubt it would distort the report card results. Districts typically get their scores prior to the general release so I would bet the local paper looked at what was sent to Lorain schools.
Maureen
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
5:04 pm
We’ll see…..
Dekalbite
August 23rd, 2011
5:07 pm
“Ms. Tyson has tried to make changes, but Tom Bowen and the board have completely tied her hands.”
Ms. Tyson is in charge of hiring and firing in DCSS. How has the BOE tied her hands? If they are telling her how to run the school system, that is a SACS violation pure and simple. She has an obligation to the taxpayers to report them to SACS if they are not in compliance. Ms. Tyson should not have accepted this job and asked for that huge raise if she is not going to follow SACS guidelines and report anyone on the BOE who tries to perform her responsibilities.
Lorainite1
August 23rd, 2011
5:11 pm
I seriously thought I was in Lorain Ohio reading the Morning Journal. They write bogus articles just like this one. My God you must be her sister paper. Will you write about her when she’s in stripes and being led out of your district in handcuffs? Get use to it Dekalb. Your paper is under her evil spell.
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
5:12 pm
Yes, Cere, many of us are aware that certain members of the Board tied Ms. Tyson’s hands. So, why would we believe that they would change now and allow Dr. Atkinson free reign to make the needed changes. They won’t. I’ll bet you a steak dinner that in a year from now, nothing, I mean, nothing will have changed with DCSS.
amazed
August 23rd, 2011
5:13 pm
Maureen thinks its silly that people complain about typos in Atkinson’s thesis and resume. The thesis is the most important paper in her college years. The resume is what she puts out to show herself to the world. She is an educator. If it was a single letter she wrote that would be one thing, but these are documents she should review carefully (note-I haven’t seen the errors and am not saying they exist or don’t exist, but if they do, its relevant).
Of course, On more than one occassion I’ve found articles in the AJC that refer to another page, but the rest of the article wasn’t put in the paper. So from a sloppy paper like the AJC, its not surprising they think typos and such things aren’t important. I would hope that our educators would disagree.
Maureen Downey
August 23rd, 2011
5:17 pm
@Lorainite1, Not sure what is bogus – either the city schools got those ratings or not. It is not a matter of opinion or slant to report on the system’s report card as rated by the state of Ohio. Whether someone likes the school chief or not, the report card is what it is.
Maureen
Business as Usual
August 23rd, 2011
5:30 pm
@Dekalbite
The BOE didn’t want Tyson to make major changes while she was interim. She was the “stabilizing force”, remember? She was only supposed to be in office for a short time, so for her to come in and clean house wasn’t a job requirement, nor was it an option. When it was apparent that the BOE was flailing and couldn’t (a) find a candidate and (b) keep a candidate, they were more concerned with the status quo and keeping down the drama than they were with actually allowing her to make the decisions she needed to that would allow the district to move forward.
The BOE is very hands-on and involved in day-to-day operations (just ask Jester’s region). They need to be reigned in, but how is their employee (the superintendent) to go about doing that? SACS needs to come in, but they’re much more concerned with the other districts in the Metro Area than with us. Let’s all pray that Dr. Atkinson will be allowed to DO her job, without BOE interference.
Janine
August 23rd, 2011
6:06 pm
You are looking for MIRACLES. It just “ain’t” gonna happen. Not there, not here, not anywhere that 10,000 to 100,000 students are involved. In one small school, great moves forward are possible. An entire district in which there are hundreds of schools, not a chance.
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
6:10 pm
Well, Janine, I do believe in Miracles….
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
6:11 pm
I just have my concerns that Dr. Atkinson can bring about those miracles. I hope she can, because the only losers will be the children of DCSS.
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
August 23rd, 2011
6:12 pm
The best thing that we can do is to pack into the AIC on Saturday and voice our concerns. I doubt anyone can stop this train wreck. At least Dr. Atkinson would understand that she is not wanted by the majority of parents and other sane people. The BoE WILL appoint Dr. Atkinson as superintendent. One of my colleagues joked that she should enter to Ludacris’ song,”How Low Can You Go?” Does she have school aged children? If she does, it will be interesting to see where they are enrolled for school. Perhaps this appointment will be the impetus that motivates people to go to the poll and vote out the deadweights on the board.
Atlanta Media Guy
August 23rd, 2011
6:14 pm
It should be fun to watch. Dr. Atkinson, in her first two years, will face a trial of the former Super and COO, another SPLOST vote, an election of a new 7 member BOE, SACS review and various other lawsuits currently pending. Will the BOE allow her to do the dirty work of changing the staff.
Ernest
August 23rd, 2011
6:44 pm
“There is so much more to a school’s and a child’s progress than one test score at a single point in time.”
State School Superintendent John Barge made this statement and there is truth to it. It bears repeating, I question whether DeKalb could find a candidate that from a similar size school system with similar demographics that has a track record of making AYP, has interest in our school system for the compensation being offered and can get a majority vote from our Board members. You look for someone that has experience in a large school system that has sat in the superintendent’s chair at another school system and has had measureable academic growth during their tenure. You also look for someone that has dealt with challenging issues such as administrative restructuring, layoffs, and school closings to name a few. I am satisfied the Dr. Atkinson meets this criteria.
Born Yesterday shared the following:
It was in a district that didn’t have a human resources department; not even personnel files. She had to physically count heads to see who was employed in the district. Lorain was teetering on the brink and she helped lift it academically and administratively.
I’ve heard this also from several sources. It should be something that can be validated. Given the resources she should have at her disposal here, she can focus on the most important aspect of a superintendent’s job, educating children. She will need to have the ability to put the people she wants in key postions. She will also need time to evaluate the staff and make determinations as to who can provide value and be a part of the team for improving test scores.
We may see fewer schools make AYP during the next school year due to cut scores being raised. that expectation needs to be set with the community. We need to look at as many scores as possible for all grades to determine if there has been academic growth, for all students. Just because a 1st grader is reading at a 4th grade level, my expectations for their growth should not be capped or lowered. Overall growth may be less than the cut score but it is still showing progress.
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
6:52 pm
At least Dr. Atkinson would understand that she is not wanted by the majority of parents and other sane people
No, that’s not the reason we should be at the AIC on Saturday. We should be respectful to Dr. Atkinson and listen to her views and answers to the questions put forth to her. The Board of Education are the people who should feel uncomfortable – uncomfortable about how this whole Superintendent search was handled. If Dr. Atkinson fails – it is on every board member that voted for her.
Lorainite1
August 23rd, 2011
7:39 pm
The report hasn’t been released Maureen and all you did was copied and pasted the trash in the Journal.
Maureen Downey
August 23rd, 2011
7:55 pm
@Lorainite, Actually, I shared part of it and linked to the news story, which is what I always do when citing stories in other newspapers. And as I said, these reports are released to the districts first, and we here in Georgia often report results that the districts receive prior to the official release. In addition, I have no reason to believe that the paper in Lorain would fabricate report results despite your clear disdain for the paper. We can resume this discussion tomorrow after the official release of the report card — I will bet that it will be exactly the results reported today in your newspaper.
Maureen
Anonmom
August 23rd, 2011
8:02 pm
I believe that the DeKalb BOE led Ms. Tyson on in a way to tie her hands into hiring Beasley and then into not firing him and others. They had her beliving that it was only temporary and that they were actively looking for a new superintendent. As she “cooperated” by not firing those who needed to be fired because the new superintendent, who was going to be in place imminently was going to bring on their own staff, those who wanted to maintain the “friends and family” plan got what they wanted — the status quo. Ms. Tyson unwittingly played into their hands by beliving “it was only for a few months, because she was just the interim.” Had she been given the interim position for 18 months and given authority to run the system — rather than given it 2 or 3 months at a time — things would have been different. But, if the BOE wanted it to be different, they would have gone out, like APS did, and found a turn around superintendent — but they didn’t. Now, they’ve gone and hired someone who doesn’t even seem to have staff to bring with her and Ms. Tyson may still not be able to remove those who need to go….. the status quo may still prevail (because that is what the majority of the BOE will do everything in their power to maintain).
Lorainite1
August 23rd, 2011
8:10 pm
The district has been in Academic Watch for 3 years. Did you not verify the story before you copied and pasted it? Yes they do fabricate, all the time. I read it every day I am constantly reporting their discrepancies to their parent company. 2007-2008 academic watch, 2008-2009- academic watch, 2009-2010 academic watch. That’s 3 years not two. Do your research. She took the District in Continuous Improvement in 06-07 and every year for the last three years it has steadily worsened. Only one state benchmark last year. And I can assure you, probably none of what she said she did. But she will be the first in line to pat her own back. I hope your district picks her. I’m going to be watching to see how it all works out and what side of the issues you’ll be on. She’s used to being unpopular here. She’ll get use to it there.
justbrowsing
August 23rd, 2011
8:20 pm
Perhaps I will make some angry. But I agree that race is a factor, as well as neglect. At no point in history have African American children had the benefits of access to professional Black adults like they do today. Somewhere, it must be acknowledged, that a false sense of entitlement has led many of our children, and parents, up a garden path. While policy has changed, not must else has. Until our students start to pull themselves up by their boot straps, with parental assistance at the helm, nothing will ever change, and diminishing the achievement gap will never be realized on a large scale.
You can not achieve if you are not willing to put in the work- it WILL catch up to you- sooner or later.
Still Waiting for Superman
August 23rd, 2011
8:51 pm
The status quo will prevail unless Dr. Atkinson has the will and guts to stand up to the puppet master (Mr. Bowen) and his fellow puppeteers. I don’t see that happening. She is already beholden to the Board because of the “sweet deal” that is being offered. Whatever happened to receiving a salary commensurate with your previous work experience?? Dunwoody Mom is correct: in another year, nothing will have changed. As a matter of fact, based on the information we have and looking ahead, we could reasonably conclude that matters will become worse.
Anonmom
August 23rd, 2011
8:57 pm
I think the puppet master may be Eddie Long or Ron Ramsey or Francis Edwards –one or more of them is pulling Bowen’s strings and may actaually have something on him….
Dekalbite@Business As Usual
August 23rd, 2011
8:58 pm
“I believe that the DeKalb BOE led Ms. Tyson on in a way to tie her hands into hiring Beasley and then into not firing him and others.”
The point is that if the BOE infringes on the superintendent’s duties, she has the responsibility of reporting this to SACS. Has Ms. Tyson lodged a complaint with SACS? She has the authority to let the “Upper Level” staff go who have not performed for students. Taxpayers have not been paying and are not paying her $300,000 a year for the next 18 months to ingratiate herself with the BOE. Where is the responsibility for students in her decision to keep the same personnel in place that have presided over a draconian decline in student achievement? Of particular concern is Audria Berry over the Office of School Improvement because she has been in this position for 6 years since Dr. Lewis promoted her. Student achievement in DCSS Title 1 schools is not only at an all time low, it is very far below every other metro school system.
I know it puts Ms. Tyson in a awkward position with the BOE to do the right thing for students and let these non-performers go, but that’s what she signed up for when she took the position of superintendent of DCSS.
Anonmom
August 23rd, 2011
9:01 pm
TO: Dekalbite@Business As Usual — I agree. I encourage everyone to write SACS and to ask these questions. I think we all deserve answers to them. I also have issues with the fact that DCSS pays SACS $75k per year to SACS and then “this” is the “service” we get for our money… let them know how you feel…. I think it’s insane.
Dekalbite
August 23rd, 2011
9:13 pm
Johnny Brown had his problems with the BOE as well.
Look at this article from 2005 in Atlanta Magazine:
“Dekalb’s schools board is facing an investigation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools spurred by the county NAACP’s allegations that board members have been overly involved in administration. Superintendent Johnny Brown, who ahd a contentious relationship with some board members, resigned at the board’s request in October. Although the student population has been majority African-American for nearly 20 years, the board itself had never achieved a black majority until last year. DeKalb also garnered negative headlines last spring when a study found that the system had overpaid employees by an estimated $15 million.”
http://books.google.com/books?id=sQ8AAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA118&lpg=PA118&dq=johnny+brown+dekalb+board+of+education+and+sacs+georgia+2004&source=bl&ots=FPlLOwmiyD&sig=FQQNp-6mxcWdz8hJn25tLIOfWho&hl=en&ei=hE1UTsGUK8SugQe65Nk2&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=johnny%20brown%20dekalb%20board%20of%20education%20and%20sacs%20georgia%202004&f=false
(See page 122)
Isn’t this the same Compensation Audit that Lewis buried, and Ms. Tyson and “Upper Level” management denied they had any records of until Atlanta Unfiltered got information through a Freedom of Information Act request?
Dekalbite
August 23rd, 2011
9:18 pm
Here is another article about Brown’s troubles with the BOE. It seems SACS avoids all controversy to the detriment of students:
AC article by Mae Gentry:
“The public school system saw its share of contention as well.
The DeKalb school board adopted Superintendent Johnny Brown’s recommendations for new graduation requirements in January, a year after members had come to an impasse over an earlier version of Brown’s high school reform plans. Beginning with the current crop of ninth-graders, students must earn more credits to receive a diploma. Most high schools implemented block scheduling to enable them to meet the new standards.
The district’s leadership also spent months under outside scrutiny from its accrediting agency.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools investigated a complaint from the DeKalb NAACP alleging board members were interfering with Brown’s administration. He was the majority-black school district’s first black superintendent.
As the investigation neared an end, the board forced Brown to resign.
Brown and the board agreed to buyout terms: The district will continue to pay the former superintendent’s $225,000 salary as a consultant through the end of his contract, which expires in June. Then he will receive a $250,000 lump sum payment.
He was replaced by Crawford Lewis, a longtime administrator in the 100,000-student district. On the day Lewis’ contract was signed, officials announced SACS had determined no sanctions were necessary. The agency’s report noted an “unhealthy lack of trust” between Brown and the board.”
http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-97787.html
DeKalb Parent
August 23rd, 2011
9:19 pm
Sheesh I can’t believe all the negativity. I have been involved in DCSS school issues, policy and the schools for 18 years so I am very fed up too. But Dunwoody Mom and several others have already decreed that no candidate can succeed with the current Board; their hands will be tied; this will be another Johnny Brown situation; this will be like what the Board is doing to Tyson, etc., etc.
So why should we even waste time hiring a new superintendent? According to you guys, we could just rotate the over-paid admininstrators every couple months as interim supers until we elect a new board. But that election thing did not work very well last time, did it?
I am ready to give Atkinson a chance. She is not the perfect candidate but she is qualified. DCSS is a train wreck and great candidates will not apply. Loraine’s scores improved in some areas and that is a lot more than I can say for DCSS. And for all you folks counting race, I am white.
Dunwoody Mom
August 23rd, 2011
9:58 pm
According to you guys, we could just rotate the over-paid admininstrators every couple months as interim supers until we elect a new board
I am fairly certain that this particular idea was never put forth.
Anonmom
August 23rd, 2011
10:34 pm
I think if you really look at what happened with Dr. Brown and the buyout of his contract (there wasn’t much left on his contract and the buy out was steep) and when folks started to recently ask him questions about that suppresed 2004 salary audit (he still owns property in DeKalb so he’s around) — he didn’t remember anything. He tried to flatten administration (he had his flaws but seeking to flatten the central office wasn’t one of them). I firmly believe he was bought out because he was stepping on the toes of the power brokers. The taxpayer paid for him to leave (with Dr. Lewis’ help behind the scenes) and he left. We paid dearly for his departure and the puppet strings are still being pulled from elsewhere; the BOE members are still going along the kids suffer the consequences (save for those schools where PTAs and parents fill in the gaps). Dr. Brown has kept his silence.
Mandella1099
August 23rd, 2011
11:30 pm
@ DeKalb Parent – You are right on target. What I always get a chuckle out of is how the DSW crew will go on and on about how the Board members that they disagree with “control” the Superintendent, but the Superintendent never listens to the crusader Board member that they think is such an advocate of the children and their wishes. Anyone who reads enough of their posts can fill in the blanks.
As always, DSW hypocrisy….
Atlanta Media Guy
August 24th, 2011
7:35 am
There is Mandella chiming in! Where have you been? I see no hypocrisy. I see stakeholders who have had enough of the current situation. A situation that should NOT have been allowed to fester so long. Our BOE is full of meddlers. I’m amazed how Mandella speaks of a crusader Board member, but it was the majority of the BOE and the Chairman of the BOE that messed this Super search so badly. I don’t think one person here at DSW had anything to do with the leak, the troubled family members and friends who continue to waste DeKalb taxpayer money. The majority of the people here at DSW want what’s best for their kids. We’re tired of the waste and fraud that DCSS has become. As long as the current “sit up here” staff remains in place, Dr, Atkinson will have a difficult time meeting her goals. This “sit up here” bunch has destroyed the system so much that many of the good teachers have left. The bad ones just get moved around.
If it’s true Audria Berry thinks she was never part of the Office of Improvement, she needs to be fired immediately. Berry is the fraud, I fear she is still on board to keep her from filing a lawsuit against DCSS and her former traveling companion, our former Super.
Lorainite1
August 24th, 2011
7:50 am
Hoodwinked again. Every school in Lorain County did better. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than every school doing better. Obvious reason: the state loosened it’s requirements, Ohio made it easier to get good marks. Good luck Dekalb.
Anonmom
August 24th, 2011
8:20 am
Anyway to check out the most recent post by Lorainaite about Ohio lossening standards? (We know GA does it pretty regularly — that’s why I’m in favoror of using the IOWAs… less ability to tinker).
Question
August 24th, 2011
8:38 am
“She had to physically count heads to see who was employed in the district.”
Gee. How were they paying those folks?
“Lorain was teetering on the brink and she helped lift it academically and administratively.”
Is it true that the system was rated “continuous improvement” when she took over?
Anonmom
August 24th, 2011
9:23 am
Maureen: wasn’t it true that once upon a time some entity like the AJC would have really looked into these types of things?…… That was my understanding of what investigative reporting was all about. I don’t think I’ve seen much of it vis a vis school systems, although the USA Today probe on Rhee was very good along those lines … I wish a reporter here would take on some of these issue on DCSS.
Citizen
August 24th, 2011
9:33 am
@ Lorainite1 I guess this paper is bias as well.
@ Downey here you go..
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2011/08/24/2010-11-area-school-report-cards-superintendents-pleased-with-performances-all-districts-get-‘c’-or-better/
Citizen
August 24th, 2011
9:38 am
@ Question yes they were in CI. But the all the facts have not been told. The district had a huge deficit and laid off 270 of its 500 hundred teachers. The entire cabinet left and Dr Atkinson was left with nothing. She had to bring all those disgruntled teachers back and restore all the programs that were lost. She had to restore confidence back into those teachers and establish the trust that took a big hit by the way the last administration left it.
Dunwoody Mom
August 24th, 2011
9:52 am
Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson has not returned repeated phone calls
So, does she pick and choose which newspapers she speaks to?
Dunwoody Mom
August 24th, 2011
9:57 am
I have made my opinion known that I do not believe Dr. Atkinson has the “tools” to turn around the crisis that is DCSS. I will leave you with 2 links: One is the 2006-2007 Report Card for Lorain Schools (the year prior to Dr. Atkinson’s arrival) and the 2010 – 2011 Report Card just released. Compare these 2 and let me know if you see these great academic gains espoused by the DCSS BOE:
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/reportcardfiles/2006-2007/DIST/044263.pdf
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/reportcardfiles/2010-2011/DIST/044263.pdf
Teacher Reader
August 24th, 2011
9:58 am
The public told the board what we wanted:
1. Someone with NO ties to Georgia/DeKalb
2. Someone who had the guts to clean house and right size the district
3. Someone who would put the the children first
4. Someone who had a track record of improving schools
We are not getting much of what we asked for, and the board had plenty of time to find someone who fit what we, the public tax payers asked for, and also what SACS asked for.
Teacher Reader
August 24th, 2011
10:04 am
@ Just Browsing 8:20
I would go one step further and say that about all children who do not come from privilege.
Citizen
August 24th, 2011
10:10 am
@ Dunwoody mom The Chronicle is not a Lorain paper. Secondly we have the right to answer or not answer. Your extremely negative. I really hope she doesn’t come across you. You seem to speak for all parents in DCS but your one parent. I don’t see them on here. I see five at best with your attitude. Iv’e heard you have 100,000 students so you should at least have 50,000 parents. I don’t see that many parents on here at all. So lets be honest Dunwoody mom and just speak for yourself. You can find one of you in every school district in america. So NEXT.
CTPAT
August 24th, 2011
12:00 pm
Hopefully no one plans to show up at the meeting on Saturday to crucify this woman. Difficult questions should be asked, primarily to ensure that she knows what she is getting into (including questions about how does she intend to work with a meddling BOE). She should be aware of our largest challenges right now. I’d like to know what she’s going to do in the first 30, 60, 90 and 180 days to combat those.
Our BOE has created a bit of a pickle for itself. By sabatoging our superintendent search in an earlier phase when more candidates were likely available and willing to come to Dekalb (my understanding is that severl people self-deselected after witnesses some of the nonsense that went on in connection with the search itself), we’re now left with less experienced candidates and a looming SACS deadline and parents who keep spouting that we need a new superintendent and we need one NOW, not next school year. I’d venture to say that there are few, if any, candidates who are interested and still available at this late date who meet the criteria that people have identified.
If (or shall I say when) Ms. Atkinson is hired, hopefully all of the parents in DCSS who want to see change will contact her and respectfully identify the problems that they see and potential solutions to fix them. I wouldn’t suggest pointing out specific staff members for her to fire. That’s not your choice or mine, but there’s nothing wrong with saying that the Office of School Improvement (as an example) doesn’t appear to be making decisions about how to spend Title I money in an effective manner. They’ve had 6 years to improve and we continue to see a fast decline. Then suggest how you’d like to see the money spent and if you feel new leadership is needed, then say that, but no one is going to listen to you if you just call out Ms. Berry because you believe she had an affair. Focus on the job, the district, the schools and the performance of those as well as your specific suggestions for how to improve and your message will likely be more effective. Our parents and our community have a lot of good ideas. Hopefully Ms. Atkinson will implement some of them as she tackles our large challenges.
MamaH
August 24th, 2011
12:07 pm
@Citizen – Boy, first of all please check your spelling and grammar, c’est terrible! Secondly, your posts seem to come with a real chip on your shoulder. There are a lot of posts (not just this one blog) that all agree with Dunwoody Mom. There are real concerns with this choice. I am sure she is a nice lady and probably has done some good things in Loraine. I don’t believe that she is prepared or suited for DCSS and the issues that exist in this rather large system. Starting with Johnny Brown it seems that the system has been in a free fall and we can’t afford to have it continue.
Citizen
August 24th, 2011
2:14 pm
@MamaH Check your spelling. I hate when people try to correct someone and are clueless. Its LORAIN. One thing you seem to have in check is your experience with run-on sentences. I wouldn’t consider 200 post on this board to be a lot. It seems you may have issues with calculations based off that statement. I would also advise that you NEVER START a sentence with “STARTING” that shows a real lack of vocabulary. One more thing…… PLEASE TAKE OUT RATHER. You don’t need it in the sentence. The first thing she needs to address is a school for parents that specializes in ENGLISH.
MamaH
August 24th, 2011
2:26 pm
@Citizen – LOL! Anger gets you no where. Enlighten us as to what she will truly do for DCSS.
Citizen
August 24th, 2011
3:33 pm
I dont have to. Your efforts have failed. You can post all you want. Your board doesn’t care what you or Dunwoody mom thinks, and after listening to you on here I SEE WHY LOL.
Dunwoody Mom
August 24th, 2011
3:37 pm
Hopefully, you all have taken the time to compare the Lorain district report cards that I referenced earlier today. If you have then you will see that this so-called Academic Improvement under Dr. Atkinson that our Board of Education is trying to sell us is false.
Anonmom
August 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
So if you look at all the ties to New Birth in DCSS and you look at the immense efforts undertaken by the BOE to sabotage Dr. Cox, who is white and would likely not belong to New Brith and to not go forward with Dr. Duran, who is Latino, and likely would not belong to NB, and factor in the enormous raise Dr. Atkinson is getting and the likelihoood the the ties between the office of the superintendent, BOE and New Birth will be continued given the sweet deal she has, the lack of people she has to bring with her, the big raise and items that have come up regarding her prior involvement at New Brirth and with its subsidies, it is very likely that the 10% tithing of salaries by payroll deduction to New Birth will continue with Atkinson so there is a pecuniary basis for the BOE and Eddie Long to favor her over the others and the higher the salary, the better for NB…. If members of his church send their 10% tithe from their paychecks to the church and if salaries of central office personnel and other staff members continue to send their 10% to New Birth, it’s important to NB that the ties be maintained so that New Birth will not lose its access to this flow of funds. To me, this is what most motivates the majority of the BOE and not the underlying qualifications of anyone in the system or what’s best for the kids.
Citizen
August 24th, 2011
4:14 pm
LOL are you really linking NEW BIRTH to this? I think I have heard it all. WOW!
Lorain Father
August 24th, 2011
6:08 pm
Maureen…
Lorain has 16 schools
There are 6 ratings schools can get in Ohio:
Excellent with Distinction
Excellent
Effective
Continuous Improvement
Academic Watch
Academic Emergency
Only 3 schools in Lorain are rated Effective. This is the first time since Atkinson has been here that there is 3. There were 4 before she got here.
3 schools are rated Continuous Improvement.
8 schools are rated Academic Watch
2 schools are rated Academic Emergency.
None are rated Excellent or better.
10 of the 16 are rated at Academic Watch or Academic Emergency.
Using basic math, how does that add up to Continuous Improvement?
We have been graded as NOT MEETING ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS.
How does that rate a Continuous Improvement?
We no longer qualify for the “coveted” “Value Added” measure.
We met 5 out of 26 MINIMUM state academic indicators.
How does that rate Continuous Improvement?
How is that not reported in the Lorain Morning Journal?
You people need to get off your butts and look up the FACTS yourselves instead of reading propaganda in a biased newspaper.
Anonmom
August 24th, 2011
7:07 pm
Apparently Atkinson follows only the rules that she chooses to follow. Question #5 is clear: Yes or No; if Yes, then attach a separate page of explanation about litigation.
Husband’s construction business bankruptcy? Really? Take a look at the bankruptcy papers. Go to http://www.box.net.
Nowhere is the construction business named.
Why is Atkinson’s name the only one on Bankruptcy docket #1? Why is Atkinson’s name the only name on the related adversary proceeding?
Why is Calvary Academy of the King named as a creditor? Does Atkinson send her children to private school? (BTW — a bit of investigation reveals that Calvary Academy of the King also does business as Calvary Revival Church which is part of The Father’s House, a nationwide network that tithes to Eddie Long and New Birth.)
Other creditors include Haynes Furniture, a dental practice, and a resort timeshare to name a few.
Construction business bankruptcy — or personal bankruptcy?
Hmmm … Alpha Kappa Alpha, New Birth connections, changes grades for the well-connected, follows only the rules she chooses, doesn’t take calls from principals, maintains silence and/or half-truths in the face of questions and concerns. Yep. Fits right in with the BOE and Palace people.
Is the tie in to New Birth really that far fetched?
Mandella1099
August 24th, 2011
7:52 pm
@ Atlanta Media Guy – Tsk, Tsk AMG. I see you are back to setting yourself for a hard fall by saying such ugly things about people that you have no idea whether they are true or not (and specifically naming people at that!). The punative damages from the lawsuit coming your way are going to hit your family hard….
Tell me all about this “sit up here bunch” or the “friends and family” group you speak so often about. As I asked one of your fellow DSW mafia soldiers on another of Maureen’s post, which “friends and family” are you a part of AMG – Emory Lavista Parents Council or (my bet) Dunwoody Chamblee Parents Council?
gabuckeye
August 24th, 2011
10:27 pm
Look very close at the numbers from Ohio. Getting to Continuous Improvement is such an odd thing. Only 19% of stat indicators passed but you could forgo that number and also forgo meeting AYP a long as you can get a good Performance Indicator. Of course to get that “good” indicator, you use a formula that discounts underachievers and inflates achievers and accelerated students scores. So while it is within the “letter” of the Ohio formulation it smacks at rewards for mediocrity.
Jackie
August 24th, 2011
10:44 pm
Anomomom, you are one sick person. I hope you are sued for slander because you should be. Do you ever pary? Have you been to this New Birth? If so, please share the names and connections you so often blog about. You need to use your time more wiselyvolunteering in you friend Michelle Baucman’s campaighn. You would be agreat help in explaining how you all are going to lower the gas taxes to $2.00.
Atlanta Media Guy
August 24th, 2011
11:02 pm
Mandella, all you need to do is visit DeKalb School Watch. There you will find all your answers about the “sit up here” bunch and the “friends and family” group, you asked about. The stories discussed there go back over the last 5 to 6 years, though I don’t think the blog has been around that long.
To answer your last question, I am not a part of ELPC or the DCPC, however I have attended a couple of their meetings. I’ve also attended meetings with some concerned parent groups in South DeKalb too. The majority of DeKalb parents want what’s best for the kids, myself included. The waste and administrative bloat (E&Y audit/New audit completed and made public, not lost!) must be cut away and those finds returned to the classroom. The classroom is where the results take place, not at the 50 million dollar palace or wasting millions on silly programs like America’s Choice, a program that has shown NO positive results or a return on OUR investment for several years.
Mandella1099
August 25th, 2011
12:05 am
@Atlanta Media Guy – Maybe you can help with some extra chairs. I know how much DSW is about making sure all meetings are open and transparent. Since these are on OUR property, they are open to ALL of us, correct?
DCPC 2011-2012 CALENDER
September 7, 2011 (Wednesday, 9:15 am)
Meeting Location: Dunwoody High School in the new DHS theater.
Topic: “Update on DeKalb County School System”
Speaker: Interim Superintendent, Ramona Tyson
October 5, 2011 (Wednesday, 9:15 am)
Meeting Location: Dunwoody Public Library Meeting Room
Topic: “College Admissions: Georgia Tech” and “Tips from a College Consultant”
Speakers: Christopher Briggs, Georgia Tech Assistant Admissions Director and Miriam Parker, Consultant with College Counseling Center of Atlanta
I encourage all parents to attend, especially the College Admissions sessions. These colleges will definately want as many applicants as possible to help with building strong freshmen classes from all over DeKalb and metro Atlanta, right AMG?
Since you attend the meetings, you must get the same emails about them as I do, correct AMG? I look forward to YOU publishing all future meeting dates, times, and locations since you want “what’s best for the kids”
Atlanta Media Guy
August 25th, 2011
7:42 am
DSW is a very great blog to find out when the Parents Councils meet all over the county. All meetings are posted at the blog. Just click on over there and you’ll find out when, where and the topic of discussion. Thanks Mandella! Great suggestion! It already happens at DeKalb School Watch! Cerebration also makes sure any meeting that involves DCSS is announced at the blog as well.
MamaH
August 25th, 2011
2:49 pm
So, back to the subject at hand. Sorry, but I don’t see anything that would indicate that Dr. Atkinson is prepared for or qualified for DCSS. For the people in Lorain, maybe the results are good based on where they were but that does not necessary equate to fulfilling the needs in DeKalb. What I hate seeing here are the personal attacks on people who are daring to ask the hard questions that need to be asked. Unfortunately, there seems to be an agenda by a portion of the BoE in order to retain “control”.
@Jackie – this is not a political blog (at least not presidential) but I do believe that there is an “unhealthy” relationship to New Birth and it should be severed. This may be one step that is needed to returning DCSS to a successful system that is not based on family and friends.
To completely understand the challenges in the schools, be a volunteer. It is a real eye opener!
Anonmom
August 25th, 2011
3:52 pm
Thank you MamaH.
Stone Mtn Dad
August 25th, 2011
8:49 pm
Ms. Downey please take a second look a Lorain High School which had a graduation rate of 27.8% in 2010-2011, down from 40% in 2009-2010. The state average for 2010-2011 is 84.3%. Lorain High School is on Academic Watch, met 3 state indicators out of 7, and did not make AYP.