DeKalb under the gun: Raise taxes or make dire cuts, including closing beloved Fernbank

Fernbank holds fond memories for my family. We would travel over 2 hours to spend a day at the science center.

What a shame future generations may not enjoy this treasure.

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I loved going as a kid and my kids love it too but individual schools must come first.

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The kids dread going there. Field trips trigger thoughts of happiness, until the kids hear it’s to Fernbank. A waste of time anf fuel for these field trips. The kids learn little that day and maintain none of it.

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Not a city worker — a school system worker.

This is the third time that FSC has been on the chopping block in about 5 years. Soon this blog will be full of outrage over the possible closure of the center, but not one of those people has stepped forward with any solution to the money drain that the center is to lead an effort to fix the problems.

No other system in GA has the burden of funding a FSC. Next year, my child faces the prospect of nearly 40 students in a class. How can we justify FSC?

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By all means — cut something that supports academics and keep middle school sports. Then complain and sanction schools with low test scores. By all means– cut a center dedicated to getting kids excited and informed about science. Then remind everyone how schools are “failing” in science education and how far the U. S. is behind in getting people to become scientists. By all means… support something nonacademic and then complain about “failing schools”. Just another example of what the public’s and politicians’ REAL education priorities are.

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@Elizabeth, middle school sports cost the district $200,000. Fernbank costs well over $7 million dollars. There is also no data that suggests Fernbank contributes in a positive manner to the Science test scores within DCSD.

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56 full-time employees? I have visited the museum many times and am astounded it has that many full-timers on the payroll. What the heck?

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The last time I went to Fernbank was about 8 yrs ago and I was pretty disappointed. I went on a class trip with my neice because her mom couldn’t make it. Maybe it was because I was in a large group of 3rd graders (who seemed generally clueless and couild not have cared less about being there) but I just didn’t like it. Tellus (in Cartersville) blows it away. Let a private company take it over. They will update it a bit and have it making money in no time. Then it will be a benefit to the community and not a drain on it.

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Maureen,

Both. Ive taken my kids and classes there. Neither groups wanted to return. The classes enjoyed the bus ride and picnic afterwards more than the actual Fernbank visit.

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I’m not going to suggest that DeKalb lay off the hundreds of excess administrators that it has because I never want people to lose their jobs and it’s not good for the economy to have more people out of work. But what I will advise is that the county takes every administrator with on online or diploma mill doctorate (one that’s not from a research university), put them back in the classroom, and pay them $50-60k a year, just like the other experienced teachers with extra degrees. This would benefit students because there would be smaller class sizes, and it would save money because it would eliminate unnecessary salaries for unqualified individuals. I don’t know how far that money would go in saving Fern Bank, but it’s a start.

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Fernbank Science Center is a great resource, used by kids all over the state. Why can’t it be supported by more than one county? We’re constantly hearing about how we need to get kids excited about science. This is a whole facility dedicated to doing just that! If the Science Center is cut, the whole state loses.

Also, I wish the article would point out that raising the millage rate isn’t the same thing as raising the amount taxed – falling property values have meant that people have been getting a lower tax bill, and are sending less dollars to support schools. Raising the millage rate would for most people bring their tax rate back in line to where it was just recently.

When did we decide as a community that our children’s future just wasn’t that important anymore? In DC politicians are carping all the time about the fake deficit crisis, saying think of the children. Well, think of the children, right here, right now. Will we give them the best education we can, or will we shrug our shoulders and say we’d like to give you the same opportunities the kids before you had, but we’re just too cheap.

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this headline is misleading – it is BOTH raise taxes and make dire cuts. The 2 mil increase equates to about $30 million. They still have to find about $50 million in cuts to make this budget balance. I have taken many classes to Fernbank and the kids are always so scheduled in terms of transportation that there is not much time to look at the exhibits.

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If you want to look at opportunities to save money take a look at the GA Dept of Audits salary report and look at the many non teaching “administrator” positions. As a former auditor of this local BOE I am abundantly aware of many postions that are paid just to keep people on staff.

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I had good memories of going to Fernbank when I was in school. I especially loved going to the planetarium. I’d be sad to see it close.

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Matt:

I decided my kids future was important enough for my family to make sacrifices in other areas (no vacations for the past 5 years, 18 year old truck and 12 year old car being driven) to send my kids to private schools. Raise the millage rate and you will see home prices decrease further as it will amount to a zero sum game.

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we would not have a deficite if the leaders of this country would stop giving our tax dollars to foreign countries that hate us and want to kill us all. If our government stopped giving the money away and instead split ti between the states we could rebuild America to it’s former greatness in 3 years and the rest of the world would again stand in awe of the red, whie and blue…

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There is enough dead-weight and new “politically-correct” positions in the school system that if THEY were eliminated, the system might even be close to becoming solvent……too many NOT NEEDED administrative jobs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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When will the county begin to consolidate operations between the school system operations and the county’s overall operations? By this I mean, there is a transportation and maintenance capability at both the county and the school system. Should an overall county worker see a maintenance problem at a school, it has to be passed on to the school system’s maintenance department. That just seems dumb. Consolidate Now!

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If they do close it, DCSS loses ownership of it by terms of the lease. They really should figure out other options to cut costs to give them some time to find some outside funding for the center. If there really is a 1 year deadline, something might happen.

Some people are saying the money could better be spent in direct science education, but the reality is that closing it reduces funds for science education as the programs outside the center will be cut back or lost and those funds are simply reducing the deficit, not being spent elsewhere.

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STT benefits around 200 students per semester – a very small, small percentage of DCSD students.
The enrichment programs for students should be in the schools, not in a separate facility. Why should a school district be in the business of providing summer camps and enrichment programs for adults? Do they pay for these?

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@Ron F – the process of finding grant money or selling the center to a private entity should have occurred several years ago when the economy was beginning to falter, but then again, certain individuals within DCSS led everyone to believe there was plenty of money in the bank. We know now that wasn’t the case.

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If Dekalb is in such a dire situation why do they have all those adminstrative jobs posted on their website—chief of staff—salary of $165k? Those seem like fluff in a system that is 70 million in the hole and laying off bus drivers, adding students to already overburdened classrooms and making teachers take yet another pay cut. They have also posted a director of leadership development position–maybe they need that position—it’s certainly clear that leadership is in short supply in Dekalb county!

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Lynn Hamilton

The IMAX is not part of fernbank science center. The fernbank museum of natural history is a different facility altogether. Before you start a petition, please get your facts straight

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I grew up in Dekalb Co Schools and by continuation, I grew up at Fernbank Science Center. It would be such a shame to close it. I learned a great many things there and have taken my own child many times since Gwinnett Co does not visit the Science Center. He enjoyed it/learned more than the Fernbank Museum which has all the funding and honestly, I don’t get the big museum other than a trendy place have to have Martinis and Imax.

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We need a full accountqbility form all government on how the moeny was spent and where prior to rasing any taxes and if any improper spedning was done, then those that were in charge should be charged, fired with no benefits…not just put on leave of absence

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Waste of Money for years. Good riddance.

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I can’t help notocing that at least two patrons, “Teacher&Mom,” who traveled two hours, and Gwinnett resident “Veronica,” don’t actually appear to live in the county taxed to support this entity.

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Instead of closing “Fernbank”, fire all the “Idiots” in the system. Be ’bout even money wise…….

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I personally think that they should NOT raise our taxes in DeKalb County! Taxes are way too high now. They JUST raised it last year and 9 years in a row since I purchased my home in DeKalb County! They need to cut the new superintendent’s pay in half. She is NOT a good person for the school system. As a tax paying citizen, I do not appreciate the fact that DeKalb County Schools are constantly defending her, but it has been proven that she is NOT the right person for a job like that. The school system she came from is doing worse since she has been there. She has brought it down. At the same time her pocket is getting fatter. Cut her salary..in fact just put an interim there and get rid of her all together. I want to have the right to vote for a new Superintendant…

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As Mark, a previous poster pointed out, Fernbank is about much more than field trips for 3rd graders. STT and Advanced Studies absolutely changed both my kids lives. Those programs were directly responsible for their interest in science. My daughter is about to enter a very prestigious PHd program and my son is planning to study physics in college. Without STT and Advanced Studies, I have NO doubt, they would not be where they are today. There are 2 astronauts from Dekalb County schools that both participated in STT and both attribute that program to kindling their interest in science that led them to where they are today. Yes, I realize that not everyone can particpate in those programs. Why bring everyone down the the same level, rather than trying to raise up those we can? Make parents responsible for transportation if they want their kids to participate. That will save a lot of money, time, and gas. There is SO much waste in DCSD, legal fees, etc. etc. It is disgusting!!!

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Carol

The article is misleading. We need to cut 73 mllion dollars. The maximum tax icrease would only raise 3O million. We need Huge cuts.

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I’m a former Dekalb student. I have a close friend whose father is one of those 56 employees. I’ve also been through their Scientific Tools and Techniques (STT) program in high school along with multiple elective after-school classes. I owe an extraordinary amount to the dedication of that facilities staff. I’ve never met a group of teachers so focused and encouraging of their students anywhere else (including college). Their staff goes beyond what is expected of any other teacher. They work nights and weekends continually to work with their students. I can proudly say that I would not be in the field of study (IT) I am in today without their help and dedication. It would be a shame to let these teachers and their workspace go.

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Former Student, I aplogize for my comment about the empolyees, if they are truly that dedicated. The beaurocracy behind them was probably the problem, the same way teachers unions use over half of the education budgets intended for local schools.

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Can it not be absorbed by the non-profit group running the Natural History Museum?

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I’m a Fulton county resident, our system doesn’t have such luxurious facilities such as Fernbank. Let me take a stab at saving all of the whining on both sides. First what is the real value of the center to the educational system. Are students test scores in Science boasted by trips to the center? If not, then the value is being over stated. If so, then there is one reason to save the place.

1) 56 employees? Seven in Administration? All that’s needed: Director and Secretary/bookeeper. Nine in Instructional Media? Cut to a Designer and 2 Techs. 28 INSTRUCTORS??? Assign them to schools. Need only Two Physical Scientist and Two Life Scientist (teamwork people, science teachers should teach during visit and not watch). Four in Reception? One needed. One in Media Center? That’s all. Three in Security – Contractor it out at significant savings. Six in Grounds – I know DCSS has Grounds folks in the system use them. Four Custodians – need two
There’s 15 full-time folks. The savings is about $2.7 million. The cost is now $2 for admission and $5 for Planetarium FOR EVERYONE INCLUDING SENIOR (especially SENIORS) and raise another $300k in admissions
If not shut it down or see if Fernbank Museum, Bernie Marcus, Ohthur Blank, Tyler Perry or some other entity wants it. Holler.

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There is much good in DeKalb, including Fernbank, some of the Magnets, and most of the teachers. If we lose them now, we’ll never get them back. Look elsewhere- the salaries of folks in non-teaching, non-school based positions should be one target. That anyone involved with public education makes a 6 figure salary is absurd, except for the super and a handful of other folks with real responsiblities.

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Matt, I don’t know why, but my Dekalb home has decreased in value by about $80,000 and the tax assessment has decreased by about $40,000 and my property taxes haven’t decreased one penny. If the tax rate is increased, I will be paying MORE than ever before.

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Here is an assignment for those who believe that the school district should continue paying for Fernbank because we need actual data and facts behind your assertions:

1. Number of students who visit the Science Center per year and what activities do those visits entail.
2. How many students participate in the STT per year along with the costs of providing STT.
3. Provide a correlation between the Fernbank offerings and Science scores in DCSD.
4. Provide the number of students that take AP offerings at Fernbank.
5. Provide the number of students that actually utilize the additional offerings at Fernbank.
6. Provide the schedule and lessons plans of the teachers that suppposedly visit the schools in DCSD.
7. Provide the actual itinerary, including school and classrooms that each Fernbank employee visits per school year.

Thank you, I’ll be waiting.

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@Dunwoody Mom good post

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Close it. It is worthless. Many times schools bring in the Atlanta Zoo to talk about animals and science. Fernbank is a waste when you have snobbish employees who fail to understand that the science center’s purpose is to assist with developing young science minds. Weekly trips for Fernbank ES? How did those weekly trips help DCSD? They did not, only a select group.
Glad SEMAA is gone., It was impossible to get your children in because space was wasted by the “friends and family” plan- holding for a select few.

Sell it to Tellus to be its Atlanta campus. Tellus is magnificent. I love transportation day! My teens love going to Tellus, even if we have to drive over an hour. Lesson is taht if you give a great product people will come.

For the school system to have a reserach and grant department that did not bring in grants, but monitored what hard workding teachers submitted. Retool that department to mandate that every employee in that department is required to bring in at least 4 grants annually or lose your job!

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What a tragedy! Who’s going to take up the responsibility now for indoctrinating school kids in the latest evolutionary fantasies? Oh, right, there’s always the public school system. Tax money well spent.

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Dunwoody Mom: They were busy using reserve funds and everyting else to keep up appearances. It’s sad to see the collateral damage now. They’ve made it hard for all of us in public education to have a good reputation. Guess I better get the kids up there soon before they shutter the place for good.

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In this case the cost is the value. This school district is in dire financial straits – we have to quit thinking emotionally, but fiscally. Until someone can provide proof, datawise, that Fernbank is worth the money that is pumped into year after year, I have no problem with it being closed.

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First, get rid of 2/3 of the CO staff (and not by moving them to the individual school budget). Then, look carefully at the third that are left and cut all those with “questionable” degrees. THEN, consolidate job descriptions so that 1/2 of the remaining are gone. THEN, we will look at other savings. There is NO GOOD REASON to have so many non-teaching staff!

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Fernbank brings the Starlab portable planetarium to many schools every year. Fernbank is also vital to the Science Olympiad programs and Lego Robotics teams. I guess these things also have no value or not enough value. Better to put our money toward legal fees, scripted lessons and paper pushers. When this is all said and done, Dekalb will have run off everyone who can afford to move or send their children to private schools. The “equity” we will be left with will be below our current level of mediocrity.

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New motto: DeKalb, the NEW Clayton County

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Public-private partnerships are one solution, along with small tax increase, and employee & program cuts. How about offering a major company the naming rights to Fernbank in return for a fee, eg. Coca Cola/Fernbank Science Center, staffed by a few paid mgrs. and a force of volunteers and students seeking math/science degrees, partner with GA. TECH, UGA, GA. ST to staff with interns. Ask all teachers who want to continue employed to volunteer a small pay cut + small increase in class size, in return, we get Schools of Education to offer interns to help. We go to major corporations to sponsor schools, in return, students are mentored by company volunteers as a partnership, these are just a few ideas, I am sure with some thought we can come up with many more, the main idea is that we have to change our education model…….rethink our systems….and if necessary relieve the burdens put on by teacher unions…..We need major sweeping innovation, not bandaids which eventually will result in more of the same……..Think about it!!!

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WoW—I thought for sure EVERYTHING in the Dekalb School System would be soooo much better when they renamed all the schools!

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@Dekalb taxpayer – I agree with your comment 100%! A tax increase will more than likely drive more people out of their homes because they are struggling as it is. Once more people lose their home the taxes will decrease even more. How does this help? On top of that if the TSPLOST passes (hopefully it won’t be), Dekalb and Fulton residents will be paying 2 cents and everyone else will pay 1 cent! DCSS should start the cuts at home – in their main office.

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The latest Facility Assessment report indicates that FSC also needs about $1.6 million in repairs.

http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/www/documents/vision-2020/facility-report-fernbankScienceCenter-(2011-09-13).pdf

Also interesting, how does one operate a computer lab in this day and age with no wireless connectivity?

Technology Readiness->Electrical Power
Less than half of the instructional spaces have sufficient electrical power requirements and outlets for the minimum number of computers.
Technology Readiness->Cooling The rooms do not have adequate year-round cooling and ventilation.
Technology Readiness->Drops Almost all instructional spaces have only one drop.
Technology Readiness->Wireless The majority of the main building has wireless capability, but the computer lab does not. The annex building does not have wireless capability.
Technology Readiness->LAN-WAN Performance Internet connectivity is available, but it is very slow for the needs of the school and its program.

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One of budget recommendations is to do away with transporation for STT students. How many students will take part in this if they have no transportation to Fernbank?

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Fernbank (bless it’s heart) dates back to a time in DeKalb County when the school system reached for the stars and had the money to do just that. Let’s not forget that Perimeter College first opened as DeKalb College and was operated by the DeKalb School system. That was then, this is now. The population in DeKalb has largely (not completely) shifted from white middle and upper middle class communities to white middle and lower middle class and minority communities. The entire southside of DeKalb has probably suffered more of a decline in property values than any other part of the metro area. So, we are dealing with a system not necessarily in a quality decline but simply in a money decline. I am not sure what the soluition to that may be other than to cut out such lovely old programs as Fernbank. It breaks my heart, but it is a fact of our current economy and DeKalb demographics.

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It is funny that one of the reasons for Dekalb’s shortfall is declining property values. In other words, a person’s house may go from $300,000 value to $150,000 so they pay half the tax they used to. Then they look to increase property taxes 2 mils, which might increase their tax by 10% (over the cut amount) and people are going nuts being against “increased taxes”. Their taxes are 40% lower but they think it is a tax increase.

REminds me of what happened to me in Cherokee County in the late 80″s early 90’s. The State had mandated that properties be reassessed. When the new assessments came out everyone was up in arms because their taxes went up. But the County Commissioners said, just wait, don’t file an appeal, we will adjust the millage rate so there is no net increase in taxes. After the time period expired for appeals, the County then announced that their finances were in worse shape than they thought, and they would not be able to roll back the millage rate. But when election time rolled around, every single commissioner campaigned on the premise that “they never voted for a single tax increase”. All good Republicans, of course.

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In 8th grade a threw a quarter into an opening on the Apollo capsule for good luck during a field trip in december the last day before christmas break that year. If you sell off the assets, I want my quarter back.

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Mountain Man

I live in a part of DeKalb which hasn’t seen such huge value drops and my home is worth only slightly less than its appraised value. I have yet to appeal, because the difference is small, but if DCSS raises the millage rate, you better believe that will be an incentive to appeal — along with all my neighbors. Parts of Central and N. DeKalb never had the huge drop that S. DeKalb did. Most areas have had maybe a 20 percent drop….

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It saddens me that many people are obviously uninformed about what Fernbank Science Center provides our students, teachers and community. Do you realize that, in addition to teaching at the Center, the Fernbank instructors teach in the schools every day? They also teach evenings and weekends.

Many students come after school hours, to take rigorous classes that are not available at their schools. As a result of these experiences, they become involved in internships and receive college scholarships that would not have been available otherwise? Some of them, not originally college bound, actually decide to attend college as a result of taking some of the Fernbank classes. Older students become mentors for younger ones through programs such as Science Olympiad, First LEGO League Robotics, Chemistry Days and Science Night Out.

Fernbank students have gone on to become teachers, doctors, scientists, pilots, engineers and even astronauts as a direct result of their experiences at the science center. How do you measure that in dollars? Students who are inspired to pursue STEM careers are likely to earn in excess of $100K per year soon after graduating from college.

When our nation is actively promoting STEM, why would DeKalb eliminate its academic jewel that rivals any program offered by any school system in the country? If Fernbank closes its doors, they will not be reopened. Where will the public school students go for these opportunities?

Those who have lived in DeKalb and surrounding counties for a long time know the reputation of our district. Would closing Fernbank Science Center enhance science education for our students? Will our schools be more attractive to potential new residents? If your children have not yet experienced the special programs and courses at Fernbank, I hope they do not lose that opportunity forever.

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When our nation is actively promoting STEM, why would DeKalb eliminate its academic jewel that rivals any program offered by any school system in the country

As has been pointed out, other school systems have higher science scores and do not have a FSC.

Would closing Fernbank Science Center enhance science education for our students

Looking at science test scores, it hasn’t so far.

Will our schools be more attractive to potential new residents?

What does this have to do with Fernbank? No one would pick a school in DCSD based on what is available at Fernbank.

Fernbank students have gone on to become teachers, doctors, scientists, pilots, engineers and even astronauts as a direct result of their experiences at the science center.

Students at all DCSD schools have gone on to become teachers, doctors, scientist, etc. – you do not need a Fernbank to accomplish this.

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@ Trisha It’s luck, not every child in the magnet, theme and other programs that are expensive to run are gifted. They are lucky to have had their names pulled for the lottery. There are many kids whose names were pulled who are at their home schools.

We cannot afford these programs and they need to go. I want EVERY child in DeKalb to receive a quality education, and not just those in these special programs.

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I’m so thankful we have the ability to homeschool our kids.

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@Patrick Edmonson,

The science center sits on only 6+/- acres. The “old growth forest” you talk about is not owned by the DCSD. DCSD has a lease that ends at the end of June and will not be renewed.

Whether the science center stays open or not… the forest is history.

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How much do the panacea SEX OFFENDER Registries cost? That much money alone, every single year, would easily pay for Fernbank.

Further, if the SEX OFFENDER Registries are actually useful and wonderful, then there are zero excuses for not having many more Registries. In fact, many other types of Registries make much more sense than SEX OFFENDER Registries do. We “need” more Registries and they will cost plenty more.

It is way past time to acknowledge reality regarding the Registries and for people to stand up and say that the emperor has no clothes. It is way past time to tell the nanny big governments that we do not believe their propaganda campaigns about “protecting children”.

The Registries, and especially the adjunct idiotic laws that they have enabled and cultivated (e.g. Banishment), are unnecessarily and negligibly beneficial. The minor benefits that we receive from them are easily obtainable by means that we all ought to be doing anyway. That is, if we actually are trying to “protect children” as the Registries lie.

That would not be so bad except that the Registries and the adjunct laws cost a fortune. Additionally, experts do not support the witch hunt and testify that it is counterproductive. And it is. The witch hunt is also immoral, un-American, anti-factual, anti-religious, often idiotic, and often illegal.

Unamericans who support these big nanny governments who love the SEX OFFENDER Registries need to step up and pay. We are tired of carrying you. We are tired of education, public facilities, transportation, etc. suffering because of the cost of your witch hunt.

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I think Fernbank is a gem that should not be closed; however, it should not be a jobs program for friends and family. DCSS should NOT be paying for Montessori schools. No questions those should go.

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I guess I’m still confused as to how Fernbank can be called “gem”, when so few students are really affected by its presence.

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“How do other system’s that don’t have FSC (not even close) have such better outcomes for far more students, of all races, economic levels, etc in science than DeKalb does?”

I think this is the most telling question throughout this thread. Data-driven, emotion removed. Is it worth it for ALL of our students–and used by ALL schools?

I too experienced the Fernbank of the late 70’s and early 80’s. I loved it–I have a specific memory of being introduced to skunk cabbage in the forest. I hate to see it go.

But clearly, the center is not serving the county. My children have been in elementary school for 4 years collectively; they’ve never been to the forest. They have only seen the planetarium, and it has been the same program each year. It makes me sad that my children aren’t being given the same FSC experience that I had–but it’s clear that closing the center is not the cause. The experience changed. And yes, my children are behaved and highly motivated…so whoever did it before, don’t start accusing another mom of not parenting their children adequately enough to visit.

I love the idea of Tellus-Atlanta. Hopefully someone can reach out and move that idea towards reality.

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The solution is easy. Do what the rich do..FOUNDATIONIZE it. Turn the center into a Foundation that could receive money from Parks and Rec, Fernbank Natural History Museum, and Jamie Dimon could drop a cool $4.7 million into George Soros’ TIDES FOUNDATION so it could make its way to Fernbank (wink, wink). That way, the IRS can take a tax hit.
This isn’t rocket science. Gwinnett figured this out several years ago with its Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center.

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I am hoping that those referring to Fernbank Science as being a “gem” are referring to the Natural History Museum, which is going no where. The Fernbank Science center is outdated and has little to offer in the way of exhibits. It’s mostly classrooms.

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@ rex,

what part of DeKalb do you live in?

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@Mountain Man (1:56) Please check your salary info. I’m not aware of teacher pay anywhere close to 100k (even with benefits)! New teachers with a B.S. start around $35-37k or thereabouts. When you count “benefits,” be sure to subtract all the payroll deductions made to pay for those benefits. Hence, not much of a benefit.

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something else which needs to be said…

DeKalb back in the day was managed by a competent good old boys network who were smart enough not to kill the goose laying the golden egg.

today DeKalb is managed by an incompetent good old boyz network who have proven unwilling or unable to restrain themselves. they killed the goose, cooked it, ate it, and then complained somebody hasn’t given them a new goose

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The Fernbank Science Center is simply tired and does not appeal to today’s students. Check out below how bloated their payroll is. It is unfathomable they have so many well-paid exhibit designers, despite the exhibits rarely changing. The exhibits are an embarassment. There are some quality teachers there, but as is the DeKalb Way of Gene Walker/Tom Bowen/ex-Supt. Crawford Lewis/Ramona Tyson, FSC festers with a beyond bloated bureaucracy. FSC should be affiliated with DCSS, but it really, really needs to be a seperate non-profit. Now.

Administrator – Director, Fernbank $98,568
Administrator – Administrative Coordinator $91,884
Administrator – Administrative Coordinator $91,884
Support Maintenance $56,402
Support – Technical Support $66,088
Support – Support Services $6,790
Support – Security $48,093
Support – Security $47,150
Support – Security $46,929
Support – Secretary $39,427
Support – Secretary $39,427
Support – Scheduler $43,516
Support – Photographer $67,380
Support – Media Specialist $91,320
Support – Maintenance $47,150
Support – Maintenance $34,276
Support – Maintenance $44,836
Support – Maintenance $33,616
Support – Maintenance $32,426
Support – Maintenance $39,276
Support – Head Custodian $52,091
Support – Geologist $75,430
Support – General Administration $50,520
Support – Gardener $44,836
Support – Exhibit Designer $77,892
Support – Exhibit Designer $69,516
Support – Exhibit Designer $84,720
Support – Exhibit Designer $63,576
Support – Designer/Photographer $66,096
Support – Custodial $31,048
Support – Custodial $29,310
Support – Custodial $31,048
Support – CTSS $49,194
Support – Clerical $7,679
Support – Clerical $37,485
Support – Bookkeeper $27,707
Teacher – Science $75,888
Teacher – Science $45,467
Teacher – Science $52,688
Teacher – Science $56,662
Teacher – Science $70,913
Teacher – Science $77,467
Teacher – Science $75,888
Teacher – Science $67,488
Teacher – Science $93,192
Teacher – Science $42,084
Teacher – Robotics and Engineering $98,556
Teacher – Physics $49,728
Teacher – Physics $66,424
Teacher – Meterology $71,543
Teacher – Ecology $81,504
Teacher – Ecology $61,692
Teacher – Ecology $91,320
Teacher – Ecology $57,714
Teacher – Ecology $98,556
Teacher – Earth and Space $81,504
Teacher – Chemistry $56,695
Teacher – chemistry $61,752
Teacher – Botany $76,089
Teacher – Botany $50,227
Teacher – Biology $71,556
Teacher – Biology $74,674
Teacher – Biology $83,112
Teacher – Astronomy $98,556
Teacher – Agriculture $87,876

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damn

I shoulda been working at FCS.
they pay really well

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OK, lets try it this way….

cut FCS, cut football.
time to choose

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@ Donaldo, The public has come up with solutions, however those running the system (Board Members and Superintendent) do not want to make the cuts needed. They do not want to let employees in the Palace and throughout the district that have been shown by an independent consultant as not being needed go. They do not want to cut programs that their children are apart of, that cost more per pupil to run and only benefit a handful of kids. Those running the system do not want to make the necessary cuts or to control spending.

Those running the district do not understand needs vs. wants. We want magnet programs, Fernbank Science, Montessori, theme schools, but do we really need them? No we do not need these things and need to focus on educating everyone well, and not just a chosen handful.

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DCSd has had all of these “choice” programs and have created “pockets” of successful schools, but overall these “choice” programs have done nothing to move the overall district forward academically. So, I have to ask, why does the district continue down this road? In my view, it is time to reassess why we are spending all of this money and seeing few results.

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Teacher Reader: I must be confused then, I was under the impression those you refer to are public employees subject to taxpayer approval. I guess my suggestion of organizing to change is landing on deaf ears, if public employees are not meeting the needs of the public, then it is your duty to organize and take steps to correct, however organizing and combatting a system which has been described is not easy, I know, been there, done that. My question would be, does the community have the will power and fortitude to take action, because whatever has been done to date does not appear to be working. Just an observation, former educator, parent of 2 Cobb grads, taxpayer, independent businessman, most of all someone who does not go down easy.

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The instructional coach program and all parent centers are being dissolved for the upcoming school year. The coaches have to reapply for other positions. I learned a lot from America’s Choice and it made me a better teacher.It was not a scripted program. I embraced the program and it worked for me and the children benefited. Components are Reader;s Workshop, Writer’s Workshop, and a Skills Block. When school started the students were tested using the DRA, an indivualized assessment. During reading, I had a 15 minute mini-lesson followed by a work session. During the work session the students met with me for their reading group. We had a book room with leveled readers funded by TItle I. Every student was taught on their specific reading level. These are all best pracitices. During Writer’s Workshop the students leaned about the different types of writing and they wrote everyday. During the Skills Block I taught Daily Oral Language, Grammar, and Phonics. All of these components are or should be included in college level education courses.
Success for All is a scripted reading program. It will work it teacher embrace the program and work hard. They may feel stifled. I am familiar with it but I haven’t used it.
Fernbank…I have taught in Dekalb for 14 years. I think Fernbank is wonderful but most years my students get to only go one time to the planetarium. I have had classroom visits for about four or five times in those years. The teachers are wonderful. I really don’t think that it does enough to impact all the students in Dekalb. Cut the program.

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In Gwinnett the special education teacher handles a lot of the testing and the student moves through the SST process in a more timely manner. We have students that get bogged down in the process and are never tested when they truly should be served in special education. It really helps when a parent requests testing. There is federal law that states that when a parent asks for testing it has be to done if a specific time 60 or 90 days…I can’t remember. A parent has to be their child’s advocate. I think that Dekalb needs to looks at how Gwinnett runs their program. I had both of my student’s tested in Gwinnett and it didin’t take long. Now many teachers don’t want to refer their students because of a new federally mandated process called RTI. Many administrator and teachers feel that many students will not be served because of this process.

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I think children enjoy going to Fern Bank. I always hear good comments when they come back to the bus. I don’t think we should raise taxes there must be other avenues.

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I enjoy going to the movies, but my budget can’t afford the $10 ticket. Just because the kids enjoy it, doesn’t mean that the tax payer can afford it. This way of thinking is what has many individuals in debt, and is not the way that I want those making decisions on how to spend the money that I send in for taxes to make their decisions.

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What does the FSC do? They excite children and their families on the importance of nature and science. They show kids that science isn’t just rote memorization from a book, but it is all around us. This type of center is exactly what is needed to engage kids. What does it do? Take a look at just part of a class, and hear the excitement, EXCITEMENT, of the kids looking at nature.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXFIfktx4NQ&feature=g-upl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhFIb7O7zvg&feature=g-upl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AogMVl8GLWw&feature=g-upl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALIiojSJPrA&feature=g-upl

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I will absolutely not support a tax increase if class size goes up even by one student and Fernbank stays open. Move the teachers into the schools. (Though I hear they really don’t want to go.)

DO NOT INCREASE CLASS SIZE WHILE LUXURIES LIKE FERNBANK STAY OPEN.

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DCSS can afford to spend over $400,000 a year to maintain science exhibits, but we can’t afford science teachers for the schools that teach science content every day to the same students, and we can’t afford over 50 cents a student a year for science equipment and supplies for science instruction in our schools.

Look at the Fernbank Designer salaries (they maintain the relatively few Fernbank exhibits) – from the 2011 state Salary and Travel audit:
Designer $77,381
Designer $63,360
Designer $84,073
Designer $65,827
Designer $69,178
Total: $359,819
With benefits – $431,782 for five Fernbank Designers.

And why are we paying $56,000 a year in salary and benefits for a Cabinetmaker.

DeKalb science scores have declined even as those 28 teachers have been hard at work providing “enrichment” for some students in the schools because most of our students do not know even the most basic science content. Our students cannot master the basics of science content from 2 or 3 visits by a Fernbank science instructor no matter how good the delivery. MASTERY of science content can ONLY be achieved by daily science instruction delivered by a competent science teacher.

Look at the 2011 science scores for DeKalb:
Science % FAILED by Grade Level
3rd grade – 30.9%
4th grade – 33.6%
5th grade – 35.2%
6th grade – 42.2%
7th grade – 31.9%
8th grade – 49.9%
Almost half of our 8th graders do not know the most basic concepts in science.

Fernbank Science Center is good for enrichment, but our students MUST have the basics. That is what we expect for our tax dollars.

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Trade the renouned Fernbank Science Center for a scripted, failed program ( Success for All) and wat for more wasted dollars and no positive results.

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“Those living in the Fernbank Neighborhood will do EVERYTHING in their power to keep their beloved Fernbank Science Center open. Those with opposing view points need to be heard by the school board, just as loud if not louder than those wanting to keep it.”
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/letter-from-fernbank-elementary-school.html

The Fernbank community is arguably the most powerful group of parents in the metro area – bar none. Look at this open letter from the Fernbank Elementary School Council to the DeKalb Board of Education urging them to close neighborhood schools while protecting Fernbank Science Center from ANY cuts.

Marshal Orson signed the open letter to the Board of Education. He is now running for the DeKalb County Board of Education.

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@ @Teacher Reader
It scares me that Orson could be on the school board, as he appears to only care about Fernbank and his own, and not the good of the entire district. I think of what he said about SPLOST and shutter at how he gave false information and scared people into voting for it. WE need people on the school board, who care more about the greater good of the county and how we can better educate ALL children and ensure that ALL children receive a quality education. We do not need any more on the board that are laser focused on what is best for their neighborhood.

Knowing that the Fernbank Community has a Save Fernbank Science Center blog/web site going, should make everyone in DeKalb go HUM!!!! If Orson is part of this group, those not living in Fernbank, but able to vote for/against him, should also take some time to think about who is the best candidate for bettering our school system. We do not need any more candidates/school board members who are not willing to make difficult decisions for the betterment of our entire system and who are focused only on their immediate area of the county.

@ Melanie, Success For All is paid for with Title One funds. Title One funds cannot be used to run/pay for Fernbank. I do not like Success For All or any packaged plan that claims to be the end all be all in educating our children. As a former teacher, packaged programs encourage our teachers and students into being useful idiots and do not allow creativity, enthusiasm, and excitement. Most package programs have “success” shown with “research” paid for by those creating the program. Such data holds no weight in my book, as it’s like letting the fox in the hen house.

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@Lynn Hamilton – You are so confused. You actually started a PETITION to SAVE FERNBANK when you think that the IMAX is there? This is NOT about the museum – it’s about the old Fernbank Science Center – with the planetarium – located next to Fernbank Elementary. Geesh! My lord. I think you should use the moniker “Miss Leading”!

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So Fernbank Science Center, at $4.7 million per year divided by 95,000 DCSS students per year = $49 and change per student. DCSS BOE allocated $.50 per student for science materials. Perhaps if Fernbank’s money was instead allocated to science equipment in all the DeKalb schools, the science teachers already in those schools could inspire all those potential STEM students who only caught the science fever from Fernbank and a few more.

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I think it’s funny that the Science Center is deemed a luxury. I think the real luxury are the standardized tests students are put through every year. Sure, you get to know how your kid ranks in filling in bubbles compared to other kids, but is that something we really need? How much money is wasted buying tests, buying test prep materials, and using teacher time to prep for tests? When is a kid supposed to learn independent thinking, cooperative problem solving, and a healthy intellectual curiosity when they’re constantly cramming for tests? I’d wager the county could save millions by getting rid of that luxury.

Life is not about filling in bubbles. Filling in bubbles is not a skill you can use outside of school. Filling in bubbles won’t solve a math problem, fix a car, or even mow the lawn. If the entire school district is the best in the country at filling in bubbles, is that really something to be proud of? You’ve taught kids to cram information in and regurgitate it. Alas, they can’t remember 95% of it anymore, because they never actually got the chance to learn anything – to really grasp a concept, work through it, analyze it, bounce it around in their head, see how it applies. But good God, they’ll know for the week of the big test that Georgia was founded as a penal colony by James Oglethorpe and that a^2 + b^2 = c^2!

The Science Center is something to be proud of. Inspiring kids to reach new heights is something to be proud of. It’s true, you can’t measure inspiration with a bubble metric. That hardly makes it a luxury. If we’re not sending kids to school to inspire them, what are we sending them for?

If it does get the axe, I do hope some philanthropic company or citizen helps keep it going. We need more science centers, not less.

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The parents need to beat the drum for a simple solution. Please read all the way through before making a decision. It’s going to take parents being professional, but persistent to make the changes necessary. Please do this to save our schools! We want to restore the pride in DeKalb, but others stand in the way.
1) CUT positions at the district level. Rearranging personnel still keeps a bloated payroll. At least half of the positions are not needed. There are too many layers in a rotting onion.
2) Eliminate summer school! Re-teach and enrich after testing. Give the re-test the last week of school. Other districts do this and have saved millions!
3) Go to a four day school week. This has been suggested for summers, but the real savings comes from not running the buses. It would only add 75 minutes to the school day to still meet state requirements. For those who think of school as daycare, schools could voluntarily provide a modified program to accommodate parent needs. If parents know a year ahead of time, they can make plans. The savings from not running buses one day a week, paying cafeteria staff four days a week, paying for fewer subs, and not paying bus drivers five days would save millions each year.
4) Stop purchasing new textbooks for a while. Just because the state has an adoption cycle and approved vendors on a list does not mean DeKalb has to act. Teachers can teach the skills using other resources.

We need parents to also fight to keep our custodians. DeKalb piloted an outsourcing program about ten years ago and the results were not good. The contractors do not pay for background checks, so you will not know who is in the building. The outsourced custodians do not report to the building principal so there was no real work being done and there was high level of property stolen. Schools also need at least one fulltime librarian. They teach lessons on how to do research, locating information in texts, technology instruction, etc. They do more than check out and shelve books.

If more parents spent time fighting for the schools rather than against them, we might actually right the sinking ship and complete this journey together. I teach because I love kids and want to make a difference. I do not do this job for the money, although paying my bills is important. Someone needs to stand up and help. The new teacher evaluation will help administrators clean out mediocre or poor teachers. I’m proud of my portfolio from the pilot. It was rigorous, but in my opinion, what good teachers should be doing anyway. Raising the taxes is not going to solve the problem. There is still a deficit and unjustified expenses. I am also a taxpayer and do not want my money wasted any longer.

If parents would push this list, within three years there would be enough money to make employees whole and even “catch them up” for the years without a raise or step while keeping all programs in place. I have a full day with excited children & need to go to sleep. Please find out the numbers from DCSD and calculate the savings for yourself. It will surprise you!

Thank you.

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I see the Fernbank PR Machine is in full force!! Marshall has gotten to the media as well.

You know Fernbank “people”, if you fought as hard and passionately for the students of the entire school district as you do for anything with the name of Fernbank, progress could be made across the entire district. But, sadly, your view of the world and what’s good for DCSD does not extend beyond Fernbank Elementary and the FSC. Tragic, really.

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you guys gotta accept a basic reality.

you’re broke. beyond broke.

DCSS has been spending beyond it means for years. the bill has finally come due.
the county is not as affluent as it once was
the quality of education is not nearly what it once was
the economy is so bad there is no money to be had from new taxes, even if the citizens
would allow them.

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Mixed feelings on Fernbank. My class went 3 times to the planeterium this year. 4 hours out of the classroom for 30 minutes of “slide shows” broadcast across the “sky”. If what is learned on the field trip is not reinforced in the class, the students forget the lesson. We had one on-site visit that was more beneficial to the students than the 3 we left the school for 4 hours. I have never been with a class to “other” areas because that would cost money for my title 1 students. Reorganization of the center and updated lessons is the only way I see to benefit the students of Dekalb. Since we have to pay for special exhibits going private might make it worth the trip and cost.

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@Dunwoody Mom

Not only do I agree with you, but I will be sending a donation to McChesney! And I almost never give political contributions, but Marshall Orson will not make things better in DeKalb.

Let’s dispense the educators at FSC into our community schools for next year, and keep the planetarium open so that we meet the terms of the lease agreement. That gives all of Fernbanks’ supporters 9 months to figure out a better way.

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Here are a few ideas that I believe no one here will like however, in times of desperation such as this DeKalb needs to place all its cards on the table to ensure that its educational standards are not compromised and needs to evaluate everything as Dr. Cheryl Akinson has done. I applaud her skill as the new DeKalb Superintendent, inheriting a system with deeply-rooted issues and massive needs of reform at the central office. However, Akinson needs to approach a deficit nearing $79 million with a no-nonsense attitude. Below are a few of my recommendations as a former middle school assistant principal and currently a specialty high school guidance counselor, I have experienced budget cuts ALL of my years in administration – there needs to be a more perdurable solution to budget woes.

CLOSE SCHOOLS TO FILL EMPTY SEATS
ES captivity: 52,073 *this does not include the captivity of the closed ES sites: Atherton, Forest Hills, Glen Haven, Gresham Park, Medlock, Peachcrest, Sky Haven, or Tilson.
ES enrollment: 49,596
Seats available: 2,477
>>With the average captivity of DeKalb ES at 652 students, the district is looking at a possible closure of only 3 or 4 schools, saving 16 million.
>>select from Austin ES, Fernbank ES, Gresham Park ES, Pleasantdale ES, Peachcrest ES, Rockbridge ES, Smoke Rise ES as these schools are up for replacement in SPLOST IV (see end)

MS captivity: 21,622 *this does not include Avondale MS
MS enrollment: 21,188
Seats available: 434
>>No recommendations for closure at the middle level

HS captivity: 29,575 *this does not include Avondale HS, Heritage School, Hooper Alexander, Arabia Mountain, or Briarcliff Open Campus
HS enrollment: 26,818
Seats available: 2,757
>>With the average captivity of DeKalb HS being 1,107 students, the district is looking at a possible closure of only 2 or 3 schools, saving 20 million.
>>select from Clarkston, Columbia, McNair, Miller Grove, or Towers as these are the lowest HS in population and/or growth potential
*all information retrieved from GA Department of Education and DeKalb Schools

END EXPENSIVE AFFILIATIONS
The International Baccalaureate program is a wonderful curriculum and instructional mindset that all of children have been fortunate enough to have gone through however, it is a pricey affiliation with the elementary and middle grades as IB charges a ƒ $3,100 annual fee for a school to bare its name. I propose the district transition its IB programs at the ES and MS levels into “Global Studies” programs which will offer similar courses instead. Essentially the program will remain the same, the only changes will be in the name. The high school IB programs would remain unchanged. Transitioning IB programs at Druid Hills MS, Avondale ES, Fernbank ES, and Midvale ES will saving the district $12,400. Also, IB candidate schools Salem MS and Tucker MS would save almost $46,000 as application fees have risen to to a total of $23,000 per school! Please also be aware that the largest commitment of IB schools budgets is teacher training as IB requires that all IB instructors be certified by IB and these costs include the IB fee for the seminar, travel, lodging and sometimes car rental expenses. Global Studies would allow for teachers already IB certificated to coach and counsel those who are not. Typically this is a variable of $20-60,000 per year average. http://truthaboutib.com/howmuchdoesibcost/ibfees.html

CONSOLIDATE SPECIALTY SITES
Another area for investigation to ease budget woes would be specialty educational centers. DeKalb should consider consolidation based simple administrative costs as the average principal earns $93,106 annually. http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/School-Principal-Salary-Details-Atlanta-GA.aspx
*Consolidation of Eagle Woods Academy, Margaret Harris, Coralwood into a single Specialty Learning Center
*Consolidation of DeKalb Alternative Night School, DeKalb Alternative School, DeKalb Transition Academy into a single Conduct Correction Center
*Consolidation of DeKalb ES of the Arts at Terry Mills and DeKalb School of the Arts
*Consolidation of Elizabeth Andrews with a comprehensive high school
*Consolidation of DeKalb Early College Academy with a comprehensive high school
*Consolidation of DeKalb HS of Technology South with a comprehensive high school
*Consolidation of Warren Technical School with a comprehensive high school
Elimination of 9 principal positions will save $0.837 million.

SPLOST IV PROJECTS ELIMINATION
Of the SPLOST IV Project List the following can be omitted to pay off a deferred debt once funds become available and allow the district to build a contingency fund to manage future debt:
-$10.6 million, Coralwood Diagnostic Center Addition (as the school would be consolidated with Eagle Woods Academy and Margaret Harris)
-$2.9 million, Wesley Chapel Early Learning Center (use existing campus)
-$2.5 million, Demolition “Repurpose and/or demolish surplus properties as needed.” (simply sell surplus properties and land bank one site where student growth is paramount)
-$16.0 million, Henderson MS Renovation/Addition (if system closes 3 high schools, it can repurpose one as a replacement for Henderson MS)
-$37.4 million, McNair MS Replacement (if district closes 3 high schools, it can repurpose one as a replacement for McNair MS)
-$82.3 million, Replacement Elementary Schools (if the district closes 4 of the 7 schools due for replacement)
Elimination of the above will save $151.7 million.

LAND BANKING FOR FUTURE GROWTH
If the district closes 4 ES, 3 HS, and 9 specialty sites it will have 23 vacant schools sites – including 7 currently closed sites.

*new schools needed within the next decade: when a clusters’ enrollment at particular grade span surpasses 120% utilization a new school should be build followed by another at 150% utilization
supercluster (school type and year when additional school needed)
SC1 (ES 2013, MS 2014, HS 2015)
SC2 (MS now & 2018, HS now & 2021)**

*schools that need to be closed within the next decade: when a clusters’ enrollment at particular grade declines past 65% utilization a school should be closed
supercluster (school type and year when one school should close)
SC5 (ES 2013, MS 2014, HS 2015)**

In total the district will need 1 new ES, 3 new MS, and 3 new HS all in the northern half of the county away from SC3-5 where schools would close. Therefore it would make sense for the district to sell all surplus sites as they are located in low-to-no growth areas. The 3 HS could be reused as replacement MS and by selling 20 school sites the district saves $32.16 million.*
*this total was generated using the appraised property value of Tilson ES
http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/PropertyAppraisal/realDisplay.asp?PID=15%20150%2015%20028
**this was suggesting using http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/www/documents/vision-2020/super-cluster-enrollment-projections.pdf which indicates the only areas in need of future sites will

SUMMARY
Deficit = $79 million
Closing 4 elementary schools = -$16 million
Closing 3 high schools = -$20 million
Transition from IB to Global Studies at MS and ES = -$0.138 million
Reorganization of 7 principal positions = $0.837 million
SPLOST IV Eliminations = $151.7 million
Selling Surplus Sites = $32.16 million
Layoff of 131 Assistant Principals = -$10 million *read my responce to a privious post on the
blog: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/04/27/could-dekalb-schools-survive-without-129-assistant-principals-could-any-metro-system/?cp=2

FINAL SURPLUS OF $151.84 million to be used as a “rainy day” or contingency fund to rebuild reserves however, the SPLOST IV eliminations will lead into a mess of legal issues that the district will have to face. Still without those measures the district will have a surplus of $140,000 – much better than the current fiscal year’s $6 million shortfall.

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Loving Life,

What about Livsey? It has a very small enrollment. What about DeKalb School of the Arts? It has a small enrollment.Let’s see your plan is to close special ed centers, schools on the south end of the school system. Not mention any small programs on the north, but of course keep Fernbank Open? Is there any reason that you missed the small enrollment of North end schools? Suggestions like yours are why there is so much division in this system. People only want to save things that benefit them,not what may help everyone.

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“SPLOST IV Eliminations = $151.7 million
Selling Surplus Sites = $32.16 million”

You have some good idea. but you do realize that SPLOST IV cannot be used for anything but capital improvements – i.e. buildings, air conditioners, technology, etc. It cannot be used to pay teachers’ salaries or keep Fernbank personnel employed. So that is out as an option. We are facing 40 to a classroom, and SPLOST IV by law cannot be used to hire any additional teachers.

Selling the spare land also sounds good, but this is a one time proposition. We may be able plug the hole this year (real estate is not really doing so well in DeKalb so it will probably bring much less than you predict), but what about next year. Property tax rates may be up (as high as the state law allows and then no more ability to raise rates), but land value is predicted to go down (almost certainly if tax rates go up because more people will appeal their property assessments and will win since we are still greatly over assessed).

You can’t just sell off land and cross your fingers next year will be better. This is called poor planning or no planning for the future.

Annual expenditures must be cut. Annual expenditures are what makes up the General Operations Fund – i.e. that is what pays for the teachers, administrators and support personnel that are necessary to run the school system (90% of the annual recurring cost of the school system is personnel – expenses SPLOST cannot be used for and expenses a one time sale of land will not address next year).

Once you take away the $151 million (no legal) and $32 million (one time shot so not practical) then you have taken away most of your “found” revenue.

This is a complex issue and there are no easy solutions. The only solution students should not have to accept is 37 or 38 or 39 other students in their classroom. They will not be able to physically move in the classroom, and they will not get any individual attention when they do not understand a concept. Student achievement will drop, and quite frankly student achievement is the ONLY reason we have a school system and pay taxes.

You must not have been an assistant principal in Georgia if you don’t know the state law regarding SPLOST funding.

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@dekalbite, you are right I was teacher in GA and an AP in FL however, GA SPLOST funds can be used to pay off general obligation bonds ie if the district was to take out a loan today which is all contingent upon the credit quality of the district. “$32 million (one time shot so not practical)” The reason I selected Tinsely Elementary for the base property value is simply because it had one of the lowest appraisals of the schools I targeted yielding a very low estimate because of the uncertainty that exists in the market. Of course I agree that the cuts should occur at the personnel level as 90% of the districts budget goes towards supporting salaries (insanely high). How could this problem be solved? Offering early retirement agreement to veteran educators and hiring fresh-faced college students to replace them at much lower salaries? Consolidating the 5 Area Superintendents into 3 or 4? I would love to see DeKalb adopt a charter schools model as Fulton and other districts have done. The empowerment of parents through strong involvement within their children’s schools will ignite fundraising efforts and additional funds at the site level where cuts are felt the most.

@Cigi, the reason I omitted Livsey (and other smaller programs in the north) is due to the data showing that SC2 (which Livsey is apart of) has steady growth at the elementary level and closing a school might result in a shift that will cause overcrowding and the need for a new school in the future. If the district where to redistrict and pull students from the north to the south that would be good stewardship for using existing facilities however, it would increase transportation costs (with the fluctuations in the flue market Im not sure if that is the best plan).

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“GA SPLOST funds can be used to pay off general obligation bonds ie if the district was to take out a loan today which is all contingent upon the credit quality of the district.”

Is this legal in Georgia? Can you redirect tax money meant for capital improvement into annual personnel salaries (90% of the annual operational expense for the DeKalb County School System)?

Perhaps more importantly, can you redirect tax money that the voters voted on for capital expenditures into personnel salaries?

I’m no lawyer, but perhaps you are. Here is the weblink to Georgia SPLOST:
http://www.gasplost.org/

What is the likelihood we will pay off a loan if we have not gotten our financial house in order? What is the likelihood citizens will be amenable to more debt? I do not believe our credit rating is AAA.

“The reason I selected Tinsely Elementary for the base property value…”
DeKalb does not have an elementary school named Tinsley.

Perhaps a bit of history is in order. In the 60s and 70s we had a lot of growth in north DeKalb. In the late 80s and 90s we had growth in south DeKalb while the northern students aged out of the system and the northern retirees stayed put. Schools were closed in north DeKalb and opened in south DeKalb. Retirees in north DeKalb moved out and new families moved into the north in the 90s and 2000s. Meanwhile, those south DeKalb students aged out of the system and the south DeKalb retirees stayed put. We now found we needed quite a bit of that “vacant” property in the north. We now have vacant property in the south. What will we need when those south retirees move out and new families move into south DeKalb? We don’t need all that property now, but we have to be careful about selling off all vacant property only to have to buy it back in the future when the cyclical influx of students comes. How do you equalize this out in a system as geographically large as DeKalb from North to South bisected by three very busy Interstate highways?

Selling off all our vacant property to meet short term debt obligations will be “kicking the can down the road”. This has happened with our reserves until we alone among all school systems in the metro area have no reserves.

Dr. Atkinson and the BOE must get this financial house in order. I’m all for providing incentives for older teachers to retire early if we can hire younger and cheaper teachers. But what will this cost us? The state of Georgia severely penalizes teachers who retire with less than 30 years and less than 60 years of age. A teacher can retire on half pay at 25 years, but if he/she is 55, then the penalty will be 35% of their retirement but for the rest of their life. For example, if a teacher retired with his highest two years as $60,000, ordinarily he would receive $36,000 the rest of his life with a 3% COLA every year. If he elects early retirement at 25 years and he was 55, he would receive $19,500 the rest of his life with a 3% COLA. Since you can’t force teachers to retire and you can’t legally discriminate on the basis of age, exactly what kind of incentive did you have in mind and what obligation would taxpayers be under?

Should we be balancing the budget on the backs of our teachers when we are having such a difficult time getting competent and quality instructors? DeKalb must make it attractive to be a teacher. 40 in a classroom, no Social Security payments (lawsuit still to be decided on the TSA that took the place of Social Security and was eliminated by the past superintendents – Lewis and Tyson), and a decrease in pay to come to a system that has many low income schools and the lowest achievement in the metro area is not really all that attractive. If you don’t attract high quality teachers, then property values decrease even further. Property values are driven in large part by the schools in metro Atlanta. Perhaps that’s not so in Florida.

Demographically comparable school systems have much less ancillary employees as a percentage of personnel. They don’t have the special programs, schools and centers DeKalb has. Their compensation in the non teaching areas is less than our system. A compensation audit in 2004 (never followed even though this audit done by Ernst and Young showed at that time DeKalb was overpaying 2,500 non teaching personnel by $15,000,000 a year) and the most recent compensation audit showed the same situation.

A lot of your ideas have merit, but this is a very complex situation. Dr. Lewis and Ms. Tyson used simplistic methods to balance the budget – eliminate the teachers’ TSA and increase class sizes while leaving the non teaching force intact at the same pay as well as protecting the special programs and schools. Look where an absence of deep critical thinking skills and a hard look at the future of the economy of DeKalb got us. It got us into this mess.

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SPLOST funds and the projects associated with them are really unrelated to our immediate needs (with the exception of being able to close schools.)

DeKalb has had a half dozen committees and blue ribbon task forces over the last 20 years. Almost without exception, the work of these groups has been hijacked by the members (parents) of the committees who have their own special interests to protect — ie magnet programs, Fernbank Science Center, etc

What we need is strong leadership making difficult and unpopular decisions that will put us where we need to be to face the financial hardships now and the new financial realities coming down the road. Barring a very unlikely change in state funding, it will be forever before DCSS has the kind of revenue that it had even 5 years ago.

My believe is that the property value drop in parts of DeKalb will never recover, at least not for 20 years. We must start living within our means.

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“Someone needs to get the current administration this report because large scale reductions are in order in the district”

The report is missing. Open Records requests failed to produce it. The minutes of the BOE meeting during which Jim Landry, the Ernst and Young consultant gave his summary are missing as well as the summary which should have been an attachment. Taxpayers paid $341,000 to Ernst and Young for this report and yet the Interim Superintendent could not produce it.

http://www.atlantaunfiltered.com/2011/02/07/dekalb-school-audit-found-bloated-salaries-then-what/

http://www.atlantaunfiltered.com/2011/02/28/despite-the-law-dekalb-school-minutes-vanish-without-a-trace/

$15,000,000 a year in corrected overpayments to 2,500 non teaching staff over 7 years would have yielded $105,000,000 in savings.

Meanwhile SACS does nothing but try to delay any probationary status even after our former superintendent and his second in command were indicted on racketeering charges, and the DeKalb Board works very hard to protect all those “family and friends” in non teaching positions.

Taxpayers kept pushing until the last Interim superintendent said the BOE would do yet another compensation study. It said much the same thing.

You can see why taxpayers are so angry that Dr. Atkinson is not following the most recent study. Deja vu.

If ever a school system needed to be put on probation and the governor needed to appoint another one, this would be the one.

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@ N. GA Teacher,

We are a BROKE district. We have no reserves, have outstanding lawsuits that God only knows what they will cost to continue and if we loose how much more money we will end up paying.

Fernbank Science is a great concept, but we really don’t have the money. We need ot be making cuts where ever we can and getting all expenses to the bare bones. It’s like when a financially responsible person is laid off (or at least this is what happened in my home growing up when my dad was laid off), they cut out all unnecessary expenses. They look at each expense and determine if it’s a need or a wants. Wants automatically get stopped. Needs get evaluated and prioritized.

Expenditures in our county need to be drastically cut. We have no money for a rainy day. We have a top heavy administration and central office, and we have programs that are expensive to run that only serve a few students, while many, many more are in over crowded classrooms. This has to stop.

DeKalb is a county of great divide. North vs. South. Black vs. Whites. Those feeling that others have and they have not. Citizens worried about their piece of DeKalb and not the entire picture of the education of the children across the county.

There are ways that we could have the programs at Fernbank without the expense of upkeep on another building and over $1,700,000 for salaries, plus benefits for the support personnel at the Center. Currently Fernbank has 5 Maintenance workers, a head custodian and 3 other custodians, 5 security guards, 1 director, 2 assistant directors, a media specialist, a photographer, a photographer/designer, a scheduler, 2 clerical workers, a bookkeeper, 4 exhibit designers, a general administration, a CTSS (?), support maintenance, a support services person, and technical support, besides the teachers who provide the classes and instruction. This type of administration/support cannot be kept in our current financial state. The salaries for many of these individuals is staggering. The fact that tax payers are footing a bill in excess of $1,700,000 for support for the programs offered by Fernbank shows me that we need to retool the Fernbank Science Center, and get the programs offered into our schools if they are deemed to be a good value for the money spent.

Right now, the citizens of DeKalb need to focus on providing a quality education for ALL children attending school there and to make cuts to programs that are not a good value for the money spent to run the program vs. the number of children receiving benefit and the quality of benefit received. The values of our homes will not raise, until the quality of education rises. This should be the priority and mission of the board of education and the superintendent.

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I like the science center. My kids and I have been there twice….but 4.7 million and seven administrators? Someone is milking the heck out of it. Cut overhead. I’ve beenn to the science center — it is tiny. seven ADMINISTRATORS? It needs ONE at most.
Keep it open — with less overhead.

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That $4.7 million doesn’t include the transportation costs for the door-to-door service given the STT students. There are other costs as well such as materials and healthcare and other benefits. The total cost really is closer to $7 million.

http://dekalbschoolwatch.wordpress.com/dcss-spending/the-cost-of-fernbank-science-center/

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I don’t know if the money is there, but I wonder if its possible to keep it open for six-eight months while they find corporate sponsorship

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Closing FSC would lead to a significant financial liability for DCSD in the form of contracts that must be voided – and penalties paid – because the facility is no longer present to hold the planned activities. These activities actually generate revenue for the center, and furthermore, FSC itself produces small amounts of revenue. Closure is permanent; there is no stepping back. If we close it today, then we will lose the opportunity for CONTINUED investigation into securing non-DCSD funding for FSC. While FSC’s primary purpose has always been to provide exceptional STEM education to all students in DeKalb, it has primarily benefited those who have no other access to this type of education. A centralized, consolidated location for this great resource is necessary to ensure economies of scale and the most efficient use of resources. It is an essential part of our school system’s curriculum, without which, I’m not sure what we will have.

I see who comes and goes from the Science Center every weekend. The parking lot is PACKED for various programs. During the week, buses are in and out, bringing kids to the center. On top of it, personnel are constantly out in the schools doing special science teaching. These curriculum enhancements do not begin to touch on the specialized training given to all science teachers across the county and even from outside the county. Do the finances need to be evaluated? Certainly. The answer, however, is NOT to cut funding today. Doing so would not only (as I mentioned earlier) result in a much smaller cost savings than the line item would indicate; it would also throw away the significant investment already made on behalf of the county in FSC.

Bluntly, the BOE has a fiduciary duty to the citizens of DeKalb not to throw away an investment in the significant and impressive facilities and also to maintain its current level of investment to give FSC the opportunity to thrive and grow.

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“Closing FSC would lead to a significant financial liability for DCSD in the form of contracts that must be voided – and penalties paid – because the facility is no longer present to hold the planned activities”

Be specific. What planned activities? I think you are confusing it with Fernbank Museum.

Do you think it is fiscally responsible or educationally sound to have 28 admin and support for 28 teachers and spend $500,000 for five Exhibit Designers and a Cabinetmaker while the regular science classes where science is taught every day has a grand total of $50,000 to spend on equipment and supplies (50 cents per child per year)?

Do you realize that Fernbank Science Center needs $2,000,000 in renovations? Where do you think the money will come from? The center is outdated and has needed renovations for years. With science, you can only continue along the same vein for so long. At some point you need to make a substantial investment in equipment and supplies and update the technology or the quality degrades significantly. The forest is gone so the building is all that remains.

Keep the best of Fernbank Science Center – the teachers – and let the rest go. It is time to move on and look at a way to serve all students in DeKalb in the regular classrooms – goodness knows we need to do this.

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Frenbank Neighbor

Every other system in GA doesn’t have a FSC. Excluding Clayton and Atlanta, the minority children in the metro systems out perform our poor and minority children in DeKalb in science. It isn’t working.

In fact, because of FSC, most AP science courses aren’t offered at local high schools, which actually reduces access to FSC.

I suspect you are as worried about what Fernbank Inc might do with the property as you are with education.

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@SaveFSC; once again, read this blog report on the actual cost of Fernbank Science Center. It’s objective. And it’s thorough.

http://dekalbschoolwatch.wordpress.com/dcss-spending/the-cost-of-fernbank-science-center/

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Could we divvy up the science equipment and have north/south magnet programs at Arabia and Chamblee? Give each one an electron microscope and split the rest of the equipment and teachers. We could have TWO excellent math/science/high tech magnets in this county within the confines of TWO excellent high schools with no additional travel costs. Also, Arabia has a huge leg up in this as they have access to so many natural resources to explore with outdoor learning. Wasn’t that the stated purpose of the Arabia program? It’s a VERY long drive for students in north DeKalb, so offering a mirror option at Chamblee would be effective.

Then get working on a super wonderful vocational tech school for people who aren’t interested in STEM programs but are interested in preparing for a solid life in the working world. And improve ALL high schools so that students are actually college ready. There are students with ALL ranges of interests and abilities in this county. All of their needs should be met.

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SEMAA is gone — NASA isn’t funding it anymore. It ends this school year.. The Center will stay open through July 31st end of fiscal year so no problem with hosting the camp.,

Please understand that the money isn’t there this year and certainly won’t be there in the future to operate FSC. What is your solution?

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In response to a few posters:

I apologize for the misunderstanding. Obviously the Fernbank community has an interest in keeping the Science Center, I think there is no arguing the point. The point I was making is that I and many other families that use the Center do not live within the Fernbank neighborhood. I could really care less what Fernbank Inc. does with the property, though I think the less affluent people in Dekalb will suffer for it. My concern is that it is a loss overall, for all county residents. I recognize that they can trim, but losing the Center itself would a travesty for many families.

I think Dekalb School Watch (DSW) has missed the boat on this one. You cannot measure the services, officially and un-offically in terms of raw student numbers. I see FSC as a community service much like the Fire and Police department. I feel strongly that the positive impact FSC has is so great that if anybody, including DSW, feels not enough students are served then they should EXPAND not contract services. I feel that too many parents see public education as daycare and could really care less what they learn as long as they pass that meaningless state test and bring decent grades.

The world has changed and we are competing with talented individuals from around the World, not the US, GA, or Dekalb. Any person from a third world country can learn what our children learn. What truly matters is HOW we think about science and innovative thinking. Unfortunately, this is something that cannot be taught in public schools because of the 1) number of students, 2) US regulations (teach the test), 3) parent/teacher apathy 4) disruptive students, 5) unequal ability in students etc, etc .etc… The list could go on and on.

The idea is that our children, in Dekalb, part of metro Atlanta, the leaders of the southeastern U.S., should and get a superior education if they truly desire it, irregardless of their financial situation. I truly believe that.

Again I do not live in the Fernbank area, and you will not see me throwing money/buying influence simply because I don’t have it. I have been donating my free time and energy to save the Center because I see the big picture and see the positive impact the FSC has on kids. I would like to invite parents and their children to Exploring Nature with Your Child Class to see what I am talking about. If you are interested about the class, I have uploaded videos ( the links are above), somewhere.

I do not have any connection with the Center I am just a supporter.

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I 100% support science education as a core curriculum in DeKalb County Schools, Fernbank is the key to that. Cutting Fernbank Science Center would affect every single student’s science education in this county. Those of you like DeKalb Mom/Paige must have some agenda.

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Comments that imply that the science center staff have resisted change are completely off the mark. The FSC teachers and staff report to LEADERS in the county office, all paid the big bucks, who make all big decisions about how the science center is run. quit blaming the staff. The teachers at the science center are paid according to the same salary schedule as all teachers in the system. Many have advanced degrees (real degrees in an actual science, not a bogus doctorate in education) so are paid a bit more. The staff are not empowered to make decisions about restructuring the science center. The overpaid county office folks should be held accountable for failing to make the center more efficient.

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Why would a school system need to employ exhibit designers and cabinet makers?

DeKalb use to be a very affluent county, perhaps the richest in the state. Not now, not at all.

My frustration isn’t with the staff at FSC (though the director, current and past, knew that there were funding issues on the horizon or should have known) but rather with all the people who fought hard to keep it open during the major budget cutting and then did nothing to make it more self sustaining.

Some DeKalb children are suffering because FSC exists. The salaries paid to the designers could cover the salaries of 5 teachers.

I know that everyone sings the praises for FSC, but really, I don’t think it benefits the majority of children. And those are the ones who we need to worry about at this time. Right?

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Is it the loss of instruction that people are worried about or is it the facility? If it is the instruction, as a system, we would be better served to use two or three high schools in the county to house the in class instruction and then disperse the teachers into the elementary and middle schools.

For larger presentations, like the 5th grade health talk, the instructor could meet all the students from one cluster at one school. Much shorter transportation and much more efficient.

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@The Deal: Not true. I did recognize that trimming and restructuring is needed in previous posts. That is not the issue though. The issue is to close or not close. My vote is not to close the center.

To the previous concerns about the students in the lower income schools: Please re-read my post. I do address that. To add to my previous reply though, closing the center will not benefit lower income students one bit, nothing. Keeping it open though, gives the opportunity for the talented students to overcome their socio-economic background and get a superior education. I am not saying it is cheap, it isn’t. Having scientist teach students isn’t cheap, just ask any college student.

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“Not true. I did recognize that trimming and restructuring is needed in previous posts. That is not the issue though. The issue is to close or not close. My vote is not to close the center.”

The issue is the administrative and support bloat at Fernbank Science Center. No one has ever suggested the Center employs too many science teachers. TWO years ago it was pointed out that FSC had way too many admin and support personnel, but the Fernbank community asked for no cuts and that’s what we got – virtually no cuts. Now there is no forest, no SEMAA . All we have is an outsized admin and support group the size of the teachers who are increasingly in the schools anyway. The main reason it’s protected is the Fernbank community likes it in the middle of their community.

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DCSS should consider selling the 6 mansions on Ponce, near the Fernbank Museum, the old Briarcliff High School, Avondale Middle School, and other prime realty to pay some bills, since all those places don’t look like they are being used. I would volunteer at the Fernbank Science Center to keep it open. Many of our DCSS students went through there, and learned a lot.

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It isn’t so bad seeing Dekalb County Schools bleeding to death. Public education was a bad idea to begin with and at best only indoctrinates our children into godless liberals with blind allegiance to the so-called “scientific experts.” Someone has to stand up to these un-American godless “experts” who teach hogwash like global warming and evolution. (We saw recently what happened when the un-American Obama “evolves” and wasn’t that an ugly thing!) Glad to see the Science Center on the chopping block. And if the corrupt school board members vote to increase my taxes to avoid such cuts, I for one will appeal.

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Dave, your comments about science education and public education in general make me wonder what exactly you would like for our children to be taught.

Leaving that aside, I might point out that a millage increase is not the same as a tax increase. Consider an economy in which real estate values are continually on the rise. In such an economy property taxes will go up along with real estate value, and the populace would reasonably expect the school board, and county to reduce millage rates to avoid collecting more revenue than is needed to operate. If the Dekalb school board did not reduce the millage rate when they should have, say ten or fifteen years ago, and instead allowed the system to become bloated with unnecessary positions and unreasonably high salaries, does this mean we should punish the children of today for the adult excesses of yesterday?

Dekalb schools has cut personel each year for the last few years. The staff numbers at Fernbank, though they seem extreme to some here, are greatly reduced from what they were five years ago. Maybe the school system has eliminated enough jobs already. Could the budget be balanced by lowering salaries that should never have been as high as they are? If the most valuable employees are the teachers, and if $50,000 is a proper salary for a good teacher, then what about across-the-board cuts in salaries for all school system staff making more than $50,000? I would like to see the board at least crunch the numbers to see if such adjustments in salaries could result in a balanced budget.

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Once again another misinformed blog. FSC costs DCSS .6 of 1 percent of the total budget. Come on people do you really think that money is going to come back to the classrooms. The instructor serve 160,000 students every year. Moreover, every teacher is given the opportunity to sign up for a planetarium show. Other school systems can and often do bring their students to FERNBANK as well for a fee. Come on people are you really going to sit back and let them make DCSS into an APS or Clayton county. We need experts teaching and supporting our teachers in science and math.

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@@Alan

$5000 in property tax for a modest home? Whoever you are, are you sure your modest home isn’t within the city of Decatur, where school taxes really are the highest in the metro area?

And I am right about cuts at Fernbank. They have reduced staff by at least five in the last few years. I believe the staff was reduced by ten positions one year, so while the system as a whole may have bloated during the last decade, the science center staff has actually gotten smaller.

Are you saying that appeals drive down realestate value? That’s an interesting theory. And what about all those high salaries at Dekalb? Are you at least interested in seeing them reduced to market levels? It sounds to me like what interests you most of all is closing Fernbank Science Center. What is that all about?

Alan

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The Science Center and the Museum are NOT the same thing. The Science Center actually does real science and not entertainment science. It is one of the few places where everyone can go and see how their tax dollars are being spent and get use out of them even if you do not have a child in school. The Center hosts affordable events for master gardeners, Girl and Boy Scouts, college classes and has the area’s largest telescope. We have the Science Center because a group of dedicated educators, parents, county residents and school board members worked together to create a place to come and learn about science in a cross disciplinary setting approximately 40 yrs ago. This kind of initiative is what made DeKalb County Schools some of the best at the time and turned out astronauts that wanted to give back to their community not mention many others. The dedicated educators there now are still doing those same things. We currently have a shuttle commander who is connected to the Science Center. I wonder how many of you can trace your love of science back to the Science Center? It was here before SciTrek or the Fernbank Museum or Tellus (wonderful job filling the void of a physical learning left by Scitrek) or the Gwinnett Environmental Heritage Center. OK we don’t all love science but we all benefit from the new ideas coming from those who do love science and we sometimes forget that some things we do love really are science (cooking, gardening, photography, bird watching, honoring the Tuskeegee airmen, honoring women scientists and leaders, taking time to enjoy the night sky, robots, watching coins spiral down to the bottom of a cone).

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I was currently accepted into one of the Fernbank’s programs and it’s sad to say due to budget cuts I may not be able to do what I’ve been dreaming about all year

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