Does a split vote undermine new DeKalb school chief?

A 6-3 vote works for me. I wish Dr. Atkinson and Dekalb County Schools much success.

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The people who voted against her and those of us who were not in favor of her selection will not be doing the “underming”. We care enough about the children of DCSS that failure cannot be an option and we will support her as long as she follows through on the things she promised on Saturday.

Now, my guess is that if Dr. Atkinson goes against the wishes of Tom Bowen and Eugene Walker, well, that might be where the undermining will take place.

It is imperative that the voters of DeKalb remove these BOE members that continue to want the status quo to continue in DCSS.

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If you are a parent or concerned citizen that wants to support Dr. Atkinson’s execution of her vision as set forth on Saturday and ensure that the Board backs every piece of this vision, then connect with us at http://ParentsForDeKalbSchools.org.

Together we will make a difference and ensure the best possible education for all of DeKalb’s children.

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What do you want, a fake unanimous vote just for appearances or board members who vote their conviction? I prefer the latter.

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I was very disappointed that my representative, Paul Womack voted for her. Just as North Dekalb did in voting Redovian out, I look forward to working to vote Womack out. Dekalb County Schools will not change until we replace people like Womack, Bowen, Copelin-Wood, Walker, and Cunningham with people like Jester. We will have that opportunity next year.

In the long run, it probably doesn’t matter. If the Atlanta and Georgia economies, then the Atlanta and Dekalb County School Systems must improve drastically. With Republicans solidly in control of State Government and the Governor’s office, I expect to see a revision of our Constitution that will redefine school districts. And with a new Republican President, I wouldn’t think there would be much of a challenge to such a change. You cannot force people to pay taxes into failing systems that they abhor for any sustained period of time.

So be it, for now.

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The clock starts now to see how long before the buyout or indictment appears for this latest DeKalb leader. Good luck.

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Now that the politics are out the way, it’s time for some old fashioned teaching and learning to commence. It’s a new day in Dekalb.

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@howdy1942 – You already have a Republican Governor that obviously has some very serious ethic issues. I don’t particularly care for Walker, Cunningham or your “Wonder Woman Jester”. Your Republicans have been in control for a while and look where we are as a state; at the bottom of the education barrell. We won’t even talk about the mess that your former Republican President “W” got us in, but sensible voters remember and will surely NOT elect one in 2012. You’re not in charge anymore so get with the program and cut out all of this constitution revision crap. This is a new day and people are not going to just sit by and let you revise a constitution to fit “your needs only”.

Dr. Atkinson was not my choice either, but it is what it is and she has to be held accountable and make a positive difference.

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@David – Beverly Hall & Kathy Augustine are from the north. The last thing DCSS needs is another “northern pirate” to run its school system. At least Dr. Atkinson has some southern experience and I’ll take that any day over a northerner like Beverly Hall or Chicago’s Delores Cross (former Morris Brown College President) who destroyed the college.

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I lost one child in the DeKalb School System, what’s one more. Right?

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If you showed the Dekalb School Board a shiny red apple, half would swear it was green just to undermine the others. There are reality TV families less dysfunctional than our board, and they’ve elected someone who does not foster much faith for Dekalb’s immediate future. Why do we care about the board, someone asked, when the teacher is the most important person in the child’s education? Because the board holds sway over the opportunities that teacher has to connect w/ our kids. When your County is close to losing accreditation because of the behavior of people such as principals, superintendents, and administrators, you have to care about more than just the role the teacher plays in your child’s education. It all rolls downhill, and our kids are at the bottom, unfortunately.

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@Calling Buffalo Chips; THE MOST IMPORTANT factor in a student’s success is neither the Superintendent nor the Teacher, it is the PARENT(s). A child’s parents (or parent) are/is the most important key in child’s educational success. Involved, educated, responsible and loving parents are the absolute key to a child’s success!!! So many so-called “parents” need to stop treating school as daycare and expecting the school system to “raise” their children!

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The only thing the board has to do is offer a lucrative consulting contract to Dr. Elgart to ensure SACs goes along with the selections and the vote.

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Thank goodness, no Brad Bryant for Jester , McChesney , Speaks and Cerebration to
” CELERBRATE” ! I say anybobdy butt Brad is a winner for DeKalb.

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Thank goodness, no Brad Bryant! Anybody but Brad has to be a winner. Speaks, McChesney, Jester and Cerebration can continue to block Atkinson but she will prevail with the real parents.

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chillywilly: A lot of the people who have reservations about Cheryl Atkinson are, like you, Democrats. Many, if not most in some areas, of the white people in northern DeKalb County, particularly those whose children attend public schools, are Democrats. And much of the white in town Democratic population is “from the north”. And these white in-town Democrats are increasingly disturbed by poorly run local government, schools, and other public institutions that are primarily run by blacks in metro Atlanta. It’s not just Republicans.

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I noticed she seemed to great pride in the fact that she made staff reapply for their jobs at the end of the year. My question is then, “Why does she get a three year contract?” More educational administrative BS. Man am I glad I am retired.

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Dekalb’s school district is in a ditch and likely just dug it a bit deeper ! The Board needs to step up, shut up and manage up this lady – The kids deserve some serious leadership and accountability form the Board. good luck Dr. Atkinson !

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It seems she is fully qualified look at her track record and look at the last two super’s.

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Wont be long until she leaves with a nice payout. Then we wont be able to attract many qualified candidates as this board is a joke!

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only time will tell for the kids of Dekalb county , just pray for the best for the kids

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how much money have they set aside for the inevitable buyout of her contract ??

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Hey APS, dont feel bad we here in Dekalb just got us a Bev Hall too. Looks like we are the new leaders for “Who can embarass the city of Atlanta?”

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She stated that she will have a 5 year game plan in place in 90 days. The report said she starts at DCSS in the middle of September. That gives her until the 2 week holiday break in December to get her plan in order. We will see what is in store for DeKalb by the holidays.
Good luck Doc.

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chillywilly, its not racist Republicans that has harmed our so call kids in the systems, its liberals, unions, black liberals and Democrats. What has the bigotry Republicans offered, school choice, charter schools and vouchers all opposed by Democrats, union teachers and liberals. Atlanta skool systems, Clayton and Dekalb all ran by majority black influnce and what do you get, probation, resignation with buyouts, poor SAT scores and cheating scandals.

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Tommy and Willie say that she goin’ be O. K. That’s the word from the Street Committee. The word is that she ain’t gonna change much, but she ain’t gonna wreck much like Hall in Atlanta. Ain’t this what the majority on the school board wants?

What’s the odd on the Dogs and the Broncos this Saturday? I’d say that ole Gene & Gang ought to escort the new supe to the Chick fil-A Classic. Several players from DeKalb County will be playing for the Dogs. This will be more fun for her than trip to the much-vaunted and very boring Fernbank.

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@Tiger – If “white in-town democrats” like you would stop voting for republicans like Nathan Deal, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. Sitting on park benches, sipping lemon extract & sprite, hugging your dogs and complaining won’t solve a damn thing. So would you like to fire all of the blacks and replace them with whites?

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The AJC reporting on the meeting is inaccurate; please ask the reporter to check with someone who was actually in attendance and correct this article. Jester, McChesney, Walker and Copelin Woods spoke prior to the vote, and Speaks afterward.

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So Jester still wants Cox. Excuse me, please, Cox didn’t want DeKalb. She used us in contract negoiations. Yet, the contracts of Cox and Atkinson are very similar. No problem with Cox, huh, Jester but BIG PROBLEM with Atkinson. The majority of Dekalb County has been represented and the majority is pleased. I am please with one of my Board members and can’t wait to get the other one out. Bye Pam!

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Looks like the (liberal) “In-town Democrats” are deluded. They don’t know that no matter what they do, they will never be perceived as “being on their side”. How entertaining they are.

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First APS, now DeKalb. Wake up people, lets stop throwing our money down a rat hole!

If public education is not working, lets open it up to competition. The world has changed!

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Dr. King, Sometimes it’s good that you don’t get what you think at a time that you want. You’re much better off with the good folk of Rockdale County. They seem to appreciate a good leader. Good for you!

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When will DeKalbers stop electing clowns for BOE?

Jay Cunningham
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-school-officials-record-690212.html

Gene Walker
http://www.accessnorthgeorgia.com/detail.php?n=150517

Zepora Roberts
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/08/09/saltzman-vs-roberts-wouldnt-be-a-fair-fight-but-the-tv-reporter-asked-a-fair-question-about-nepotism-in-dekalb-school-board/

Paul Womack
http://championnewspaper.com/news/articles/852tiff-leads-sen-jones-to-file-ethics-complaint-against-school-board-member-852.html

Sarah Copelin-Wood
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2010/04/sarah-copelin-wood-look-at-her-as-why.html

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@ Write Your Board Members – it is my understanding that first of all, one of the SACS criteria is that the Board be pared down to (not sure if correct) five. I think there should be qualifying criteria to even be put on the ballot, in other words, no criminal background, higher education degree, and a knowledge of business (actual experience would be great). That way we have people there that really understand what is put in front of them and are good stewards of the DCSS. As far as districts, there needs to be equal representation from the North side of the county as well as the South side with maybe one being an at large candidate or better yet one appointed by the State. This might work not just for DeKalb but for all school boards in Georgia.

I applaud the three members that voted against Dr. Atkinson because they appeared to be the only members who truly did their homework. Again, Dr. Atkinson is a pleasant person with a wonderful personality but was not qualified to be named the Superintendent. She strikes me as a “yes” person who could be easily manipulated or swayed when it comes to certain individuals or situations. She also strikes me as an individual that will let her personal bias’, opinions, and agenda dictate policy.

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“Im gonna go out on a limb”

You are not going out on a limb, you have been planted there for a long, long, time.

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@The Deal…I had the same question. SACS put APS on probation for the behavior of their Board. It appears to me that the DCSS board is “behaving badly” in the same manner.

Here are a couple of Board Member Code of Ethics Requirements that this Board has ignored:

3. Board members shall work with each other in a spirit of harmony and cooperation even when there are differences of opinion. Board members shall interact with each other in a respectful and professional manner. Disagreements among Board members shall be handled in a professional and non-confrontational manner.

17. Board members shall not disclose to anyone confidential or privileged information, including information discussed and documents distributed during executive session.

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This is like entertainment, she totally snowed your community and you all fell for it. She thinks she’s starting with a clean slate that all her “issues” in Lorain were swept under the rug but this woman hasn’t changed she’s still the do nothing talk a big game money hungry individual she was in our district. I’ll be watching from Ohio. People don’t change, she isn’t suddenly going to work wonders. She talks a good game until you figure out that all it is all talk and then she moves on. She did it us she’ll do it to you. I promise I won’t come back and say, told you so. Ok I lied I will, you were warned about her you just didn’t listen.

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@Dunwoody Mom, do you think there is any point to contacting SACS with a copy of the ethics and the actions that have been violated in the past couple of months – and the inaction of the Chair related to these incidents?

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I have seen them all up close. Clayton. Atlanta. DeKalb. Cobb. Gwinnett. As far as a school system is concerned, Atlanta is the worst hands down, especially under the Dark Ages of Beverly Hall. Khaatim El tried to reign her in, but her connections in the business community (lucrative contracts, you know) targeted Mr. El and made his time as Chair quite miserable. Erroll Davis’s first big hire, Karen Waldon of Henry County, was a bad choice, in my personal opinion. She’s been known to be a little heavy-handed and drew out MACE’s only picket ever in Henry County…at Austin Road Middle School a few years back.

DeKalb. Full of nepotism. The school system really does look like a jobs program for the well-connected — or perhaps even an extension of Eddie Long’s New Birth Baptist. Right now, you have a gang of thugs running the board and school system. They didn’t want an excellent superintendent. They had one right next door, Dr. Samuel King, in Rockdale County, but they were very content to reach up to Lorain, Ohio to bring down a rather mediocre-at-best supe. I hear that there is a New Birth connection.

Clayton. Erick Davis and her little fiefdom got all upset when newly-elected board member Norreese Haynes began to shed the light on the now infamous Land Deal and other very dubious practices…like the illegal contract between the school board and attorney Dorsey Hopson. She hooked up with Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell to make Mr. Haynes look like the bad guy. But, Davis and the rest of the board members either resigned under duress or were removed from the school board shortly after illegally removing Mr. Haynes from the school board. Mr. Haynes has been vindicated. They did to him what the same thing was done to Khaatim El in Atlanta.

Cobb. Well, SACS won’t mess with this mess, I am sure, because of the apparent close connection between attorney Glenn Brock and SACS’s Mark Elgart. But, this board argues and rants and raves about the pettiest things…like school calendars. Perhaps they ought to turn their attention to arguing over using Dixie Cups in the PTA because change is a’comin’ in Cobb. Well, it’s already here. Half or more of their students are now minorities, and only one of seven on the school board is a minority.

Gwinnett. Talking about minority students. Over half the students in Gwinnett are now minorities. Over one-half. But, there is not a single minority on the school board. A real recipe for disaster. One lady of the five-member school board has served for nearly 40 years. My guess is that her fellow board members will talk Louise into resigning mid-term so that they can appoint a docile black person to symbolically take her place. Gwinnett has nearly a million people, and when there are only five school board seats, it is almost financially insurmountable for a newcomer to wage a costly campaign for the school board. Incumbents keep getting elected, and this is the problem. Because of the size of this county, the legislators in the General Assembly from Gwinnett ought to push for this school board to be expanded to sever or nine members, but this won’t happen.

My name is Hydrogenized Protein, and I am bad for your health. I am a member of Booger’s Cousins Writing Syndicate.

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@ Hydrogenized Protein – You are absolutely right about DeKalb. The pattern not only applies to the school system; however, it applies to the county government as well. Dr. Atkinson does indeed have a strong connection to New Birth and “Mr. Eddie” probably ensured that once she was rejected by APS that she would be considered for DeKalb. Afterall, the more members that he can get into positions the more money and power (either real or perceived) he will have. That is why we have a bundle of non-performing schools because a lot of the teachers and administrators that are questionable at best. The central office is filled with non-performers and a lot of positions have been created so certain individuals could have a “job”. Crawford Lewis started all this and was allowed to employ at will. Remember, the same Board members that voted for Dr. Atkinson also gave Dr. Lewis their 100% support, even after proof of wrongdoing came out (and I know there is more to come).

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@Dunwoody Mom – Who do you think Mark Elgart is? The Grand Wizard? He’s a worthless bully that pick and chooses his battles based on the financial gain for himself. No one is afraid of Elgart. Contact him if you wish.

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Appears MamaH has the sillys. SACS is a joke, period! You need not look any further than APS. We need a “legitimate” organization to keep SACS on the straight and narrow because right now, they are very crooked!

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And you’re using APS as an example that SACS is a joke? Really? Wow! Okay, young chilly, have you been drinking that “milk”? Seriously though, there are enough indicators that there is trouble in DCSS. For the Board to do a release late on a Friday like that truly indicates that there is something to hide. That is SOP for any business and does not give people time to research, etc. That fact that it was put to the citizens of DeKalb that this was the choice, period, and you don’t have a say so shows that there are issues. Also, the process at the meet and greet (the standard now in DeKalb thanks to Dr. Lewis of writing questions on cards for preselection) ensures that they can gloss this one over, or so they think. If I were Dr. Atkinson in any other system, I would be worried not having a 100% vote. But clearly she has received the assurances from the “Bishop” that any “problems” would be taken care of.

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MamaH, you are posting a LOT of BS! Can you show some proof of a connection to Eddie Long? I’d like to see what you have. Is Charles Stanly also

SACS does not have a criteria on Board size but legislation passed during the last session will reduce DeKalb down to 7 Board members. SACS should focus on whether a school district is providng an adequate education for its students. Citizens should be the watchdogs for Board members. They can either vote Board members out or recall them if citizens feel they are not doing the job.

Lorain voted to accept her resignation after she was approved by the DeKalb Board. That is SOP for how this is handled in Ohio.

What difference does it make what time the press release went out? GA law says you must wait 14 days before approving the hire. For all we know, they could have agreed to the parameters of the contract late that evening. Nothing sinister about negotiating late into the evening.

If sharing the negotiation terms of Cox’s supposed contract was a leak, was it a leak when Atkinson’s draft contract was released? After all, it was still being negotiatied yet several citizens submitted Open Records Requests to see it before completion. Couldn’t the same thing have happened with Cox’s preliminary contract?

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Dunwoody Mom, would a superintendent from a district that is succeeding want to come to DeKalb? I’m sure there are better superintendents out there but how many of them would want to come to DeKalb? The dysfunction of the Board definitely whittles down the pool of likely candidates.

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Fred

We had no way of knowing that Cox was the finalist for the position. Atkinson had been announced.

We are you defending the actions of certain members of this board?

There is clearly something wrong with personnel in DCSS. You seem to be in denial about how poor quality the system is.

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Hydrogenized Protein looks like John Trotter or one of his “cousins” who are fairly transparent. Well…at least Trotter tells the truth. He doesn’t really care who he offends.

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I think a very good superintendent would do their homework and wait a year before trying to come work for DeKalb. The board is so dysfunctional…at least by waiting a year, there would be the potential to work for 7 new board members as opposed to the crew that’s there now. Maybe that’s why others have stayed away…

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Fred is getting awfully defensive! Maybe Fred can ask his bosses why they would wait until 11pm on a Friday, to release the biggest news at DCSS, since Clew and Pope were arrested. The second the Executive BOE session ended and Dr. Atkinson agreed to come, it should have been announced. Friday’s are the graveyard for media releases. Why? The powers hope the story gets buried in the weekend chatter and clutter. Go figure! Seems to me that late release was not very Open and transparent, but DCSS is famous for that. Last year, DCSS sent out an email after 5pm on a Friday, asking parents and employees for ideas on the ethics policy. The deadline for submission was that Sunday at midnight. I remember being sent those links to the old policy, they were over 20 pages. Cere, remember when this happened? I think they extended the deadline after the public outcry. Hopefully, Dr. Atkinson is here to change that perception! She has a whole lot of perceptions to change. Welcome aboard Dr. Atkinson. I hope you succeed. You’re in for one wild ride at the Palace.

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@Fred – not sure why you singled MamaH out. Nothing in those comments were different from many more on this thread and others. Perhaps you have not had the time to read the others but it seems many are in agreement with MamaH. You seem to have taken things personally.

Dr. Atkinson is not the answer for DCSS based on her resume and application. What is the answer? Perhaps looking at someone who has real world business experience along with education experience. Just a suggestion @Fred less you read more into this other than my opinion.

But I digress. There were “no” votes for a reason and that should have given Dr. Atkinson pause (I know I would have) prior to signing the contract. There is alot of unrest due mainly to incompetence from the Top all the way down to the bottom and a total “housecleaning” is probably in order. I sincerely hope that Dr. Atkinson will surround herself with the most qualified individuals in a pared down central office (irregardless to race, religion, etc.) and then do the same at the schools. If it is truly children first, then accept nothing but the best teachers for DCSS.

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“Everyone knows that given the current state of our schools, there is enough blame to go around.”

That’s you standard reply, but the blame rests on the shoulders of Lewis and the “Lewis Group”. Teachers have taught the literal scripts from the multimillion dollar scripted learning programs, spent their time on Word Walls and posted the curriculum. They’ve lost plan and instructional time in meetings and meaningless paperwork. Their numbers have been cut by 600 in 2 years. They have been placed under the guidance of too many highly paid and ineffective non-teaching personnel (Instructional “Coaches” and “Coordinators”) who have no idea about the subject matter they teach and many who have scant classroom experience.

These are all administrative decisions. DCSS has been mismanaged and that is so evident if you compare our students’ achievement with other metro school systems witH comparable demographics. Every other metro school system (even APS) has better student achievement. Look at Clayton and Rockdale to name other systems with high poverty rates. The entire “Upper Management” must be replaced with competent personnel. I hope Dr. Atkinson is up to the task.

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@Dekalbite, if the only measure you are using are the results of the CRCT, you are absolutely correct. I actually speak to teachers, especially in Title 1 schools and ask if there has be growth over the year for their students. In most cases, teachers say yes however students still fall short of the necessary cut score to make AYP. You should read the blog by the superintendent from Mitchell County that Maureen has posted for what most educators think about high stakes testing.

In your world, there are simply winners and losers, those that make AYP and those that are labeled failures. I’m willing to give a little more latitude than you. I’ve taught students in the past that were VERY low academically yet I found ways to reach them. I could take a child that barely read then finish the year reading simple chapter books. Deep down I was angry that parents could bring children so ill prepared for school then expect me and my colleagues to teach them. We did not hold it against the child and gave them our all. In today’s high stakes testing environment, those same children might fail the test but we know they were better students than when we first got them. These tests don’t measure the motivation of a student.

This meaningless paperwork you keep talking about is for YOU because you are asking for accountability. Teachers must record everything to show how instruction is being delivered with hopes of determining where problems exist. If you know a way to demonstrate accountability without paperwork, every teacher in America wants to know. Our word alone is no longer good enough, you must show documentation.

I posted two superintendents in the metro area earlier than have had success. Do you believe either would be interested in coming to DeKalb? Sam King may have had interest but he has ties to DeKalb although it was earlier in his career. Citizens indicated they wanted an outsider with no ties to DeKalb so that eliminates him.

Also, DeKalb has not fired any teachers, like other areas of the country. I posted several earlier but you still want to ignore this fact, class sizes in this country have increased as a remedy to shrinking education budgets. This is not unique to DeKalb.

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@Dekalbite, the only measure I’m aware of is the CRCT. If you are aware of measures such as the ITBS, NAEP, or something that shows student growth, I’d like to see it. If you are putting all your eggs in the CRCT basket as the only way to evaluate student performance, then I question your method of evaluation.

You also said,
“We do not have inferior students, teachers or parents.”

I would not use the word inferior but you can speak with ANY teacher to verify that all students don’t enter the classroom at the same level. I knew some kindergarten teachers that had student that did not know their ABCs while some could read at a second grade level. Not all teachers are effective in using differentiate instructional strategies when there is a wide variety of abilities (I was a strong proponent of ability grouping). I did my best with students that were deemed behind grade level. Have you been to a PTA meeting at Title 1 schools? Not to paint a broad brush but teachers regularly outnumber parents at the meetings I attended years ago. This is not to say the parents did not care but many worked multiple jobs and did not have time to help their child because they were focused on keeping a roof over the family head.

Teachers now have classroom resources many from my day would envy. The class sizes are large but I’ve had 35-40 in a class. Teachers give feedback through the school improvement plans, which are online. I pointed them out before when you thought local schools did not determine how Title 1 Part A funds were spent.

It takes a combination of MANY people working together to make a school system work. Singling out one part serves no purpose. I guess you will be one of those that will want to use the results of the CRCT to evaluate teachers. It is sad to think people like you don’t understand the results of this one test does not tell the full story of student performance. Again, I refer you to the blog by Jim Arnold.

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RE: Daniel Beauregard’s Interview with Cheryl Atkinson in “The Champion”

DB: “Is there anything that you see in the system that you think needs to be addressed?”

CA: “Not yet, I’ll certainly look at it with greater detail as I come in.”

Seriously? Atkinson sees nothing in DCSS that needs to be addressed? Does she read? As predicted, Atkinson will be more of the same.

DB: “Do you support charter schools?”

CA: “I have always been a public school proponent but I also understand…like public schools, there are very good private and charter schools. Then there are some that have the same challenges of being able to meet with student success. So, I think it’s about the right fit for children in the right circumstances.”

Hellooooo? Charter schools ARE public schools. It’s scary that Atkinson doesn’t even know the basics. BTW, by Georgia law, charter schools must be treated no less favorably than traditional public schools. Like that’s going to ever happen in DCSS with current management!

Too bad Beauregard did not ask Atkinson about why she sent her sons to private school when she was a public school administrator. (Calvary Academy of the King, run by Calvary Revival Church, part of The Father’s House, the nationwide network of churches that tithe to Eddie Long. It’s right there in Atkinson’s personal bankruptcy papers — go to http://www.box.net.) Does she still plan to choose private school — perhaps New Birth Christian Academy?

The rest of “The Champion” article is filled with eduspeak babble and the empty promises that have, for far too long, appeased the South DeKalb crowd who keep returning the likes of Tom Bowen, Sarah Copelin-Wood, Jay Cunningham, Gene Walker, Pam Speaks and Donna Edler to the BOE.

Wasting another one, two or three years, “giving Atkinson a chance” when she so clearly is uninformed about DCSS is not acceptable. This is not a science fair project, folks — not an experiment. For the children who lose these one, two, or three years while Atkinson continues status quo, this is a serious loss. Three to nine graduating classes likely will be lost. Those lost years will never come again for those students.

For efficient management, cost savings, effectiveness and successful education purposes, it is time to split up DCSS and allow South DeKalb to go their own way — which they seem to so desperately want — and North DeKalb to do what’s best for them. These areas are primarily made up of two very different cultures who perceive education and education management very differently.

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Your statement that no teachers were cut belies the fact that over 600 teaching positions were eliminated in DCSS in 2 years under first Lewis and then Tyson. This administration actually thought they could eliminate teaching positions and raise class sizes to historical heights and not impact student achievement. The ones paying the price for their mistakes are the students.
Here is a quote from DeKalb School Watch:
“@ Cerebration 2:35 pm

Looking closely at the budgets in 2009-10 and 2010-11, it looks like Dr. Lewis and Ms. Tyson eliminated around 600 teacher positions. What kind of an impact did eliminating all these teachers have on DCSS student achievement?

It was interesting to take a close look at the proposed 2010-11 budget sheet you provided. According to my calculations, Ms. Tyson pegged the cost of a teacher at $65,000 in salary and benefits.

Example #1:
Ms. Tyson recommended reducing Magnet Points (a Point means a teacher) by 20 points for a savings of $1,300,000. $1,300,000 divided by 20 = $65,000.

Example # 2:
Ms. Tyson recommended eliminating 8 DECA (DeKalb Early College Academy) Points (Teachers) for a savings of $520,000. $520,000 divided by 8 = $65,000.

Example #3:
Ms. Tyson recommended eliminating 8 Single Gender Points (Teachers) nets a savings of $520,000. $520,000 divided by 8 = $65,000.

Example #4
Ms. Tyson recommended eliminating Target Assistance Points (extra Teachers for schools that need additional help for students for various reasons) for a savings of $3,965,000. Divide $3,965,000 by $65,000 (cost of a teacher) = 61 teachers.

You can see how Ms. Tyson assigned a value of $65,000 as the cost of a teacher throughout the budgetary process.

Adding the number of teacher positions eliminated in Example #1 (20), Example #2 (8), Example #3 (8), and Example #4 (61) = 97 teachers.

Now look at the Increase in class sizes (highlighted in blue). Ms. Tyson recommended increasing class sizes by 2. She assigns a value of $14,000,000 in savings. If you divide $14,000,000 by $65,000 (value of a teacher), the additional number of teaching positions eliminated = 215.

Now add the 215 additional teaching positions eliminated to the 97 already eliminated in Examples #1, 2,3, and 4, and this equals 312 positions eliminated for the school year 2010-11.

This comes on top of Dr. Lewis eliminating 275 teacher positions the year before (see BOE meeting notes Executive Summary 4-13-09). Eliminating teacher positions was the largest portion of saving for fiscal year 2009-10 (we didn’t have as big a deficit at that time). See quote from BOE 4-13-09 BOE meeting below:
“Further proposed reductions include an increase to class sizes. The increase in class size will still keep DeKalb Schools below the state maximum requirements, prior to the state’s increase. This action will save $18.1 million and will reduce the staffing needs by 275 teachers. ”

Of equal concern should be that 600 teachers left the system in the last 2 years. Ms. Tyson stated that she did not cut teacher personnel. She only eliminated teacher positions through attrition. Obviously she and Lewis felt confident that the attrition rate is in the hundreds every year. This points to an enormous teacher turnover rate. Studies show that a high teacher turnover rate has the effect of decreasing student achievement for Economically Disadvantaged students, a group that has a difficult time showing the same progress rate as their more affluent peers. DCSS Economically Disadvantaged students mainly reside in our Title 1 schools.

Do you know if Ms. Tyson proposed increasing class sizes this year, and if so, did the BOE approve this?

It’s disheartening that Ms. Tyson and the BOE not see the relationship in decreased teacher numbers, increased class sizes and decreased student achievement in DCSS.”

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I remember all of it, AMG. Every single initiative that this board wants swept under the rug, or ushered in under cover of darkness, they “announce” through the fewest vehicles possible, following the very edge of the law. The cell towers are the latest example. I have no idea why they do it either. Anyone who is proud of their actions and their decisions, would certainly announce them from the highest mountains in the brightest part of the day, wouldn’t you say?

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I tried to warn you people.

I tried to keep her here in spite of her obvious shortcomings…your kids deserved better.

Just ensure her contract is kept PUBLIC for all to see. BEFORE IT’S APPROVED.

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Dekalbite,
“It’s disheartening that Ms. Tyson and the BOE not see the relationship in decreased teacher numbers, increased class sizes and decreased student achievement in DCSS.”

Do you really believe any superintendent, school board or community wants to to increase class sizes or lay off employees, knowing it can impact student performance? Maybe you have not had to make tough decisions in your life. You probably need to look around the country at other school systems. especially those with unions, to see the decisions made in those area.

As I recall, over $100 million dollars was cut from the operations budget a few years ago due to a major drop in property tax income. The employees laid off were central office employees such as the drivers ed, copy shop and PR department (saw recently that Julie Rhame will run for school board again in Decatur. Good for her.) among others. The information is in the HR reports.

Yes, they also laid of some paras for the early grades. Board members tried to protect those positions knowing the importance of these people. Tough decisions were also made on several locally funded teacher positions that some thought only benefited a small number of students. Something had to be done.

It would be interesting to see what you would have done if your operating budget decreased by $100 million dollars, over 10% in one year. They had a smaller decrease the next year but it meant also freezing salaries and requesting furlough days. No one likes doing things like this but your are seeing this around the country. You can cut the people but the work needed to be done remains the same. Would you shift some of the responsibilities central office staffers perform to the local schools and teachers?

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“Do you really believe any superintendent, school board or community wants to to increase class sizes or lay off employees, knowing it can impact student performance”

Look at this statement in the Approved budget 2010-2011 budget document located on the DCSS website:
“Similarly, less than 10.0% of the budget is dedicated to central office. This means that if all central office staff were to be eliminated, a reduction of less than $73.5 million would result. ”
See page 8 – paragraph 4:
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/www/documents/budget/approved-budget-(2011).pdf

It’s hard to believe Ms. Tyson felt she could not eliminate Central Office staff yet she can cut hundreds of teaching positions and not realize this would not impact student achievement in our low income schools.

To get to the Central Office to Teacher ratio of 8:1 that Marietta City Schools ( a demographically similar school system with superb achievement) has, Dr. Atkinson needs to cut around 400 Central Office positions or 30% of the Central Office staff (still leaving 800 DCSS Central office personnel). This would yield around $22,000,000 in savings. Although $22,000,000 would not completely fill the gap, it would certainly be an excellent start if we plow that back into the classrooms. At $65,000 per teacher (Ms. Tyson’s statistic on the cost of a teacher position) that represents 338 teaching positions we could have saved for directly instructing students. Strangely enough that is about the number of teacher positions Ms. Tyson eliminated. Student achievement, and she still doesn’t equate that with lowered student achievement. Meanwhile she’s moving on with NO responsibility for decreased student achievement.

I have seen Ms. Tyson quoted many times as saying eliminating the entire Central Office would not solve our fiscal problems. As if that absolved her from making any cuts to the Central Office – a very poorly reasoned excuse. Tens of millions could be wrung from the Central Office and re-invested into direct instruction for students in the classroom.

DCSS has so many problems in the fiscal management area that the new superintendent needs to do a heavy duty house cleaning in a number of areas. DCSS problems are the problems of “Upper Management” yet they refuse to take any responsibility for the steeply declining results. Instead of assuming the accountability for their decisions, they insist on blaming students, parents and teachers – anyone but themselves. No accountability has been disastrous for DCSS low income students in Title 1 schools. Parents in Title 1 schools must demand changes from Dr. Atkinson and their BOE members and hold them accountable. Otherwise, the decline will continue.

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Here is another article about the budget cuts from 2010 in DeKalb. It also includes preliminary recommendations from other metro area school districts. No DeKalbite, DeKalb was not the only school system to make staffing, salary and program cuts along with having furlough days to address the shinking budgets. Tough decisions were made by many school districts around the county.

http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-committee-moves-to-406520.html

This is also a blog that has an interesting discussion between Dunwoody Mom and Maureen about the suppression of dissent and information by Gwinnett schools. DeKalb deserves the scrutiny it gets however this is more a case of a willing media shining the light in an area where there are many leaks. It is hard to write a story when no one is willing to comment. Take a look at the conversations beginning on 3/2/2010.

http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/03/02/for-dekalb-lots-of-questions-about-continued-spending-despite-budget-crisis/

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“DeKalb was not the only school system to make staffing, salary and program cuts along with having furlough days to address the shinking budgets. Tough decisions were made by many school districts around the county.”

You can’t compare our teaching position cuts with other metro systems like Gwinnett, Cobb, etc. DCSS has more low income students than these systems. Low income students are the very ones that studies show need low class sizes. Lewis and Tyson did not have the luxury of cutting personnel positions that provide direct instruction to low income students like the other more affluent systems did. They could have cut the Central Office personnel by at least 30% ($22,000,000 in savings), close Fernbank Science Center or ask this center to find its own funding ($7,000,000 in savings) and eliminate America’s Choice ($8,000,000 in savings). Those 3 moves would have given us around $40,000,000 in cuts so we could have retained 615 teachers – funny how that is what Lewis and Tyson cut in 2 years. Instead Lewis and Tyson and the BOE balanced the budget on the backs of students and then Ms. Tyson wonders why our student achievement went so low.

I’ll say it again – low income students need low class sizes the most. Dr. Beasely should have known this if he reads the literature. Did he share this with Ms. Tyson?

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Lewis and then Tyson balanced the budget on the backs of students and now the student achievement has fallen to the lowest in metro Atlanta. Those are the facts. As head od Teaching and Learning, Dr. Beasley should have told Ms. Tyson her actions would result in a drop in student progress.

Can you see the fallacy of arguing that all these expensive learning programs and non teaching personnel are needed when the retention of these programs and personnel have resulted in less teacher, higher class sizes and lower student achievement? Marietta has more poverty schools that we do – in most schools 100% of their students are low income. Yet they do not have the level of non-teaching personnel DCSS has. Marietta has a much lower pupil-teacher ratio and much higher achievement. They also have infinitely less non-teaching support personnel as a percent of employees.

Dr. Atkinson is right in that she needs to evaluate every job and program and if it is not producing results, let it/them go. Many of the non-teaching support personnel could be placed back into the classroom to directly instruct students.

Just because it has been accepted practice to hire friends and family on DCSS does not make it ethical. Moving Ms. Guillory to another protected department before you let go of the employees in the department she has always been in is not right either. Moving low paid bus drivers under the Central Office department so you can cut them and claim you have cut the Central Office is misinformation for the public IMO.

DCSS has many entrenched areas that need to be addressed by Dr. Atkinson and SACS. Moving the entrenched and connected bureaucracy out of the positions they are in is necessary for her to implement real change. Dr. Brown sent many of these personnel back to the schoolhouse and moved to institute a retirement “buyout” for others. He did not move quickly enough and he was replaced by Lewis who promptly filled those vacant “bought out” positions and added many more. I hope Dr. Atkinson learned from his mistakes and will move swiftly while she has the momentum to make wholesale changes. The public will not accept another “buyout” so she will not have that lengthy process to consider. She will gain much good will fom taxpayers if she dulls the Central Office and many of the redundant personnel on the support side of the house.

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This is not a racial issue unless you want to recognize that black students in South DeKalb are saddled with a disproportionate number of ineffective non-teaching personnel and programs. Many South DeKalb parents care desperately about their children’s education. That’s why you see so many flocking to theme, magnet, charter, and other special program schools in addition to applying for AYP transfers. Does any parent want to transport their child to a school an hour away? That’s a reflection on the problems in the neighborhood schools. Parents all over DeKalb need to see that they cannot be divided. It is critical that they come together to address the issues of equity and academic progress. The organization Parents for DeKalb Schools is a good step in the right direction:
http://parentsfordekalbschools.squarespace.com/

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