Rather than slash 10 days, could DeKalb schools shut down for month of July?
I watched the DeKalb school board meeting long enough today to hear the school chief announce that the state DOE said DeKalb could cut its school year by additional days.
With an $85 million deficit and no reserves, a proposal is on the table for DeKalb to slash 10 more days.
Paul Womack wants to cut an additional 10 days from the school calendar.In approving a tentative general fund budget, the board had already voted to reduce the school calendar for students by two days. Four furlough days approved for teachers in prior years would also remain, but they would not affect students.
Officials said it costs the system $3 million a day to operate, so the proposal could save $30 million — enough to balance the budget without a tax increase. But they needed time to check on the details, so the budget deliberations were postponed until 6 p.m. Thursday.
But Lisa Morgan, a teacher and representative of the advocacy group Organization of DeKalb Educators, said Womack’s proposal wouldn’t save as much as he thinks. Womack wants to make up the lost school days by lengthening the rest of them. Another county in Georgia tried that several years ago, Morgan said.
“Because teachers were providing the equivalent of 180 days of instruction, they had to be paid for 180 days,” she said. The proposal, Morgan said, could still save money on utilities, gasoline for buses and pay for support personnel, such as bus drivers and cafeteria workers.
Womack threatened to cut teacher pay if his colleagues don’t find some other way to avoid new taxes. “I’m going to get $30 million somewhere,” he said. “I’m not going to vote for a millage increase.”
Here is another idea on how DeKalb could cut costs from a reader — she suggests that DeKalb shut down its whole operation for the month of July.
I think parents would prefer this alternative to slashing instructional days (And I don’t think those lost instructional hours can be mitigated by adding 10 or 20 minutes to the remaining days.)
Please note that several posters have said this idea would not save much money because many DeKalb employees are on 11 month contracts already. In that case, could some of them go to 10 months?
From a reader:
A school-level administrator posited an interesting, creative idea for restructuring the DCSD budget that I thought I’d pass along to you. DeKalb now has 12-month employees (principals, some assistant principals, custodians, and the central office) and 10-month employees (teachers and elementary assistant principals). The idea is to make the 12-month employees into 11-month employees and shut everything down for the month of July.
This administrator explained that everything that schools need to do over the summer to get ready for the next year can be accomplished in the month of June and in that first week or so of August (this year we start back August 13). CRCTs are back and reported in June; AYP has been certified, etc. The buildings can be prepped and planning can be done in June.
And the same goes for the central office — with a competent BOE, get the budget approved by the end of May and then work efficiently and effectively through June.
Yes, it’s a cut in pay for non-classroom personnel, but that should be the priority — cut pay there before you cut teacher pay or increase class size.
This kind of idea has plenty of precedence elsewhere. Back when I worked full-time, a major car manufacturer was a client (I was a lawyer). It shuts down for four weeks a year — from the highest level corporate executives to the assembly line workers at each and every plant. Shut down. Period.
It’s done in the last two weeks of July and the last two weeks of December, and employees are not paid during that time. It saves the company a substantial amount of money.
In these dire financial straits, an idea like this merits at least a try for a couple of years — who knows, we may find that the work gets done just fine and we have actually built up reserves. We need innovative, creative thinking like this, and not the constant bickering that this BOE gives us.
The other suggestion this administrator had was as follows: Have middle and high schools designate one “lead AP” who is the now 11-month employee who works the month of June to prepare for next year.
In reality, many of those assistant principals right now are sitting idle — there’s simply not work for them to do. Anyway, just thought I’d pass these ideas along in case you thought readers would find them interesting to discuss.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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131 comments Add your comment
Starik
June 20th, 2012
8:30 pm
The DeKalb school system is beyond redemption. I’m moving.
Teacher2
June 20th, 2012
8:35 pm
It is very telling that DeKalb County School System is willing to consider any reduction EXECEPT reductions in staff at the county office. These positions have the highest salary and have little to no impact on student achievement. DCSS paid for an audit to find waste and when the results were the excessive county office staff, the results were ignored. The county office will not propose cuts that affect THEIR pockets but everyone else is fair game. Why is the school board also ignoring the county office staff for cuts? Taxes do not need to be raised in order to balance this budget, simply slash the county office staff; no one will ever notice the difference!
Dekalb Alum
June 20th, 2012
8:43 pm
EASY FIX!!!
Increase the day by 45 mins….
Shorten the week to 4 days.
The excess day can be used for dr appts, study halls and etc… Even Half Days and it would still equal to more than the amount of days they are proposing to cut and give kids a real break from learning while maintaining the option for engagement.
However MOST parents will complain that it will increase crime… or quite possible force them to be responsible for their children for 5 hrs when they are not in school..
Serious Question
June 20th, 2012
8:45 pm
What exactly does an assistant principal do?
zeke
June 20th, 2012
8:46 pm
seems with property values going down, a homeowners taxes will go do. raise millage rate on average by 75% of lost revenue from property digest (on average taxpayer gets some benefit) and require the rest from cuts, days, staff, whatever. and hire some staff that can add and subtract, multiply and divide. sounds like a bunch of baffoons. cut pay of top administrators and finance folks who are partly to blame. kick board members out who have been there long enough to have been part of the problem.
augustus
June 20th, 2012
8:48 pm
I am a veteran teacher. As far as the comment about cars, I drive a 2003 Mazda van purchased at Car Max. It has 158,000 miles on it, one door sticks and it has numerous dents. I cannot afford a new car. My school is located in the northern end of the county so geography is not as issue. There is a young teacher in our school who makes 32,000 and has not had a raise since she started, she is living with her parents and has two other jobs. She has student loans to pay.
Keep in mind, that teachers will not be receiving all of their Social Security. The county suspended paying into the investment firm that was in lieu of that several years ago.
imjustsaying
June 20th, 2012
8:50 pm
one word sums up the comments posted – FRUSTRATED. If one reads beneath all of the race bating, stone casting, and accusatory statements, they will see that we all want the same thing whether White, Black, Asian, Latino, or Indian or a North DeKalb, Central DeKalb, or South DeKalb resident – we want a quality education for kids. So, here we are wanting our kids educated so they can compete in a global economy, complaining about the BOE, yet last time I checked there were 4 seats up for re-election in 2012 and only 12 people running of which two of the races have only 2 people each – one incumbent and one challenger. In 2010, of the 5 seats up for re-election, there were only 2 new members elected. Folks complain about DeKalb leadership and then when its time to put up, no one pays their money and qualifies. Imjustsaying…
bu2
June 20th, 2012
8:52 pm
Atkinson had some time in Kansas City. That was a red flag for me.
CA
June 20th, 2012
8:53 pm
I’m curious about all those who say that President Obama brought us to this. School systems make their own budget decisions. States make decisions regarding schools. What has the current administration done to bring this on? Georgia is Republican state, so please explain how the Republicans are not to blame for this, but Democrats are. It is not a party issue. It is an issue of those being in charge making poor decisions.
Sick and Tired
June 20th, 2012
8:54 pm
Sick is the only word to describe what happen today. I am praying for DCSD. Mr. Womack you need to resign. You have no respect for the Superintendent you hired. It is your way or the highway. I am grateful to have 25 years in DeKalb.. It is time to move on.
What do you expect?
June 20th, 2012
8:59 pm
It’s Dekalb County! One the most corrupt county governments in the nation. Penny sales tax increases year after year and the myth of smaller class size while the system becomes more bloated with “administrators” and fat cats. Fernbank being open makes no difference in your child’s quality of education. You’re paying teachers who can’t be fired and don’t teach while money disappears meant for students. Until you get a hold of your county government and oust the teachers unions, NOTHING will change. Then again, this is the county that elected Cynthia McKinney and Hank Johnson. Enough said.
Solutions
June 20th, 2012
9:10 pm
If the parents on this blog really want a quality education for their children, one that will allow them to compete in the global economy, then you need to be brutally honest with yourself. Are your children taking the summer off from school and from learning? If the answer is yes, then you are not serious about wanting a quality education. I can assure you, the East Asian children, both in the US and overseas, are not taking the summer off. Did you know the average freshman SAT score at tech for Fall will be over 1400? Did you know a significant number of Freshmen will be of East Asian Extraction? Why? Because they earned it. There are a multitude of free opportunities to learn this summer, from the khanacademy dot com to the free MIT lectures and I believe Harvard has put a lot of their course ware online for free. If your children are not spending at least a couple hours a day using this free learning material, which is far better than most classroom instruction in public schools, then they are falling behind their competitors.
d
June 20th, 2012
9:15 pm
@what…. When is the last time DeKalb increased sales tax? It’s been at 7% for as long as I can remember. Besides, sales taxes can only support capital improvements. There has been no increase in school tax rates in nearly a decade. Please check facts before posting stuff like that.
Foreclosure S. Dekalb
June 20th, 2012
9:19 pm
I agree Solutions and Blah Blah Blah. It’s all in all about a better way to educate the kids, right? A better education starts with a soild family. The Dekalb system amoung others is nearly broken, and at wits end. The school system is broken and so is many an American family. Why do students in Connecticut score so well on the SAT and kids in South Dekalb so poorly? Kids in Connecticut know where there father is, right at home. That is one of the two reasons.
d
June 20th, 2012
9:20 pm
@what… Also, letting teachers go, even with fair dismissal, is quite easy if a principal is doing his or her job. I say this as an ODE/GAE/NEA member. We don’t want bad teachers next to us. We have helped bad teachers transition out of the profession. Please stop blaming unions for the problems of education. We want very much to be part of the solution, but ignorance like what you are spreading here is what perpetuates the problem…. As has been pointed out here several times, highly unionized states tend to rank at the top in educational rankings, so why not give us a chance?
Lark
June 20th, 2012
9:23 pm
Teachers are highly educated individuals trusted with some of the most important times of a child’s life. Close down for the month of July – work harder in June and August and vote in new school board members.
Taxpayer and Teacher
June 20th, 2012
9:27 pm
@Solutions–You first need to be able to read, write, comprehend, count, spell in order to even consider taking the SAT. These students are not QUALIFIED. Not because the teachers don’t teach, but because learning is not important to many of them. To those who are interested the system has been organized to teach test related materials only. Eastern philosophy is a part of the life of Asians. Personal responsibility is not emphasized for many Dekalb natives. Again I repeat, I did well on my tests and have other skils that I possess, so teaching may become a fond memory. You are comparing apples to oranges. The United States public school system was created to train workers, not thinkers nor visionaries. That is the mission of liberal arts institutions. Asians are taught entrepreneurship, however citizens in the U.S. are taught to become workers. Asians have a common cultural mission. There is no common mission and vision for Americans. We are a hodge podge of cultures. Those who hold true to the values of their original cultures are more successful. America is a nation of if it feels good do it, without repercussions.
Jerry
June 20th, 2012
9:39 pm
I have a friend who is a Dekalb teacher and she just retired after 30 years. She’s 55. My understanding is she retires with 60% of her pay for the rest of her life. In my profession there is hardly anything like that. Given this economy and the loss of real estate values the way they are, and many facing the chances of no retirement ever, a teacher is making pretty darn good money after all. Hey I work 12 months per year and not much time off, work nights often, often just long weekends for xmas and Thanksgiving.. When the boss says we’re working overtime, I’m working overtime. What is all that about poor educators working too hard or can’t figure out which MONTH to take off?
d
June 20th, 2012
9:45 pm
@Jerry, educators are willing to take a much lower salary now in exchange for our retirement benefit, which, by the way, is not free to us. We pay into the Teacher Retirement System to fund that pension. I also pay into a 403(b) since I am not in Social Security.
Claude Pottshogworths
June 20th, 2012
9:46 pm
I am glad I got wisdom and was smart enough to move the HECK!!! out of disfunctional DEKALB KOUNTY and their PUBLIK SKOOL SYSENEMA.
valid questions
June 20th, 2012
9:50 pm
@Jerry, As a parent in DeKalb, the issue is now that every system (including Clayton) in metro Atlanta pays better (much better, in some cases) than DeKalb. Who will want to work in this system? Keep in mind that Fulton is actually hiring teachers. Cobb and Gwinnett and Atlanta will all bounce back faster than DeKalb.
The best and brightest teachers are already bailing. I know of 10 teachers who have left DCSS to go work for Fulton.
Anonmom
June 20th, 2012
9:52 pm
I’m not so convinced the $2 mil tax increase is going to get us anywhere in DCSS …what percentage of that $2 mill will go elsewhere with equalization? What percentage of the $2 mil increase will actaully be collected? What percentage of that $2 mil increase will actaully see the kids and not go to central office and special programs/projects? I understand that in DCSS I’m paying a fraction for public schools that my “brethern” pay in Mass/NY/NJ — I ultimately lose when I add in my private school tuition — but — and big but — we’ve got many more dollars lining pockets than going into the classroom on a percentage basis.
Voice of Truth
June 20th, 2012
9:55 pm
Shutting the school system down for a month in July IS NOT FEASIBLE. The budget can be balanced if the BOE reviews it closely (line ite by line item) and trims some of the fat.
Jerry
June 20th, 2012
9:58 pm
@tax payer and teacher….good points but the “not visionaries” part is not entirely correct. Remember Apple-Jobs, Microsoft-Gates, NASA, Steven Spielburg and movie arts, American colleges and med schools where students come from all over the globe to attend, American leadership in medicine, post graduate education, science, information and technology, satalite and communications, ideals such as Facebook for freedom lovers in China and Syria, defense technology, very advanced aircraft and subs,the leading global scientific community in many disciplines, NASA moon walking (not too un-visonary) Hey don’t cut down my girl “America” too much, she stumbled but she hasn’t fallen just yet. Our kids are the brightest and the best. That’s why everyone in the world wants to live here and go to school. Hey American car visonaries? Ever heard of a Corvette ZR-1? Google Utube ZR-1 versus Lambo……Just saying…..
Jerry
June 20th, 2012
10:05 pm
Sorry to get off point but I had to vent…
Geogia and education not compatible
June 20th, 2012
10:10 pm
@ Jerry Thank you, there are far too many people drinking “public school education is bad” kool- aid.
I have a lot of friends that teach in South America and all over the world. They all say the exact same thing and they don’t know each other and that is, any family (most often well to do families) WANT an American High School diploma. Families in China, that can afford it, want their kids taught in an American school setting. They think it’s the best.
I almost fell on the floor when I heard that. In addition, in China, there are businesses that “lie” for “clients” just so that they can get into an American College. True Story…check the New York Times if you don’t believe it.
However, that board meeting was laughable and caused headaches for many concerned. Start cutting from the top Womack!
Finally, America love it or leave….
Gone Fishin'
June 20th, 2012
10:19 pm
Jerry seemed to hit a raw nerve……I would also add to his comments the fact that those teaching in private schools (private industry) make far less than their peers but yet they refuse to go into public schools. Why would that be?
More of the same
June 20th, 2012
10:22 pm
Just like Dr. Lewis, this superintendent is demoralizing the current administrators. During this week’s leadership seminar, several new principals were introduced who have worked under Dr. Atkinson or whom she’s known previously. She’s showing that she has little respect or value for the current administrators in DeKalb, therefore she’s brought in her own people even though the budget isn’t balanced instead of promoting the assistant principals that are already in the system. Furthermore, regardless of a school’s performance she’s moved many administrators around to other schools. Can someone found out what the rationale for this is? There are some great leaders and teachers in our schools. They just need to be left alone and provided with the resources and support from the central office to do their job.
historydawg
June 20th, 2012
10:22 pm
Can we please place the blame on the Perdue, Deal, and the state legislature?
Jerry
June 20th, 2012
10:23 pm
Gone Fishing, tell me, I don’t know. give us a hint
Taxpayer and Teacher
June 20th, 2012
10:24 pm
@Jerry and @Georgia–These people utilize the good in the system. @Jerry you are speaking of “What Was.” @Georgia–There are possibilities however, you get out of anything what you put in, and unfortunately as I see it with my own eyes on a daily basis, the natives are NOT putting in what they used to. Sure we have what is valuable to everyone else, but WE DON’T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. So, as the saying goes, “A prophet is never recognized in his own land.” That which is of value, just like freedom is never missed until it is taken away. Our business acumen is fierce, but our own students are not prepared to read let alone comprehend the structure or the importance of what is being presented. Unless, someone intervenes quickly, the psyche of our own citizens will be permanently damaged. If everything is handed to you, i.e., welfare to EVERYONE regardless of need why would we create? Necessity is the mother of invention. If you don’t need, as in the case of many of our poorest citizens, you don’t imagine. I am a true capitalist. Work, do not allow people just to be handed things. NO MATTER WHAT COLOR THEY ARE. Train citizens to use their brains, as in logic and reason, then apply these talents to correcting this train wreck. I think it is time to apply the business principle of deconstruction.
Dunwoody Dad
June 20th, 2012
10:36 pm
Hey Jerry- Are you handcuffed from 8 to 4 everyday? Can you go to the bathroom anytime you want to? Do you have more than 25 minutes for lunch, and do you have to babysit 11year olds while you eat? Are you expected to teach 5 classes a day, plan for the next day, contact parents, grade papers, make copies,meet/plan with your fellow teachers at some point, counsel students, coach a sport, be a club advisor…etc…etc…etc…..everyday, 5 days a week for 180 days? I’ll bet not.
I was in Corporate America for 18 years. Layoffs from 3 Fortune 500 companies pointed me to a much more rewarding career…… Teaching. But, I will say, teaching is BY FAR the hardest job I had ever had…and trust me. Having the 2 months “off” in the summer is far from being “off”.
You folks who have never taught have no idea how difficult the job is….But I know from being on the other side of the fence how easy it is to be duped into believing that teaching is a cushy job.
d
June 20th, 2012
10:42 pm
The last day of school was May 24. Not counting weekends and Memorial Day, I have had exactly 2 days off so far…. and actually, I administered the SAT and ACT this month, so that offset those 2 days. By the way, only 4 of the other days I worked were for any compensation.
Taxpayer and Teacher
June 20th, 2012
11:00 pm
@Georgia-Just noticed your comment Love It or Leave…The uber rich are leaving…they don’t want to pay the taxes. That’s why HGTV international is one of the most popular shows on television. Make the money and go. And as you mentioned, Facebook…one of the co-founders renounced their citizenship or haven’t you heard. You also said people come here for an American education, but they go HOME and use it. If something is not done soon, America is going to suffer the same brain drain as other so-called Third Word countries. Make the money and run…Now, I’m just saying.
Geogia and education not compatible
June 20th, 2012
11:04 pm
@historydawg Would that be a GA dawg? If so, hello fellow alum.
I do place 90% of the blame on the General Assembly. The State Constitution says that Georgia is supposed to pay for public education k-12. They have never fully funded education. Hence my blog name Georgia and education not compatible.
@Taxpayer and Teacher I do agree that without discipline there won’t be education… Dr. John Trotter
AGOG
June 20th, 2012
11:05 pm
After seeing that circus of a meeting today it is evident that the crisis in DCSD will not improve with the current board. At BEST the dynamics can only be described as dysfunctional with more than a trace of belligerence. This problem can no longer be solved on a local level. Womack was right about one thing: calling the state. It is past time for parents, teachers, and concerned citizens to do the same. Mr. Womack is on the board and even he thinks an investigation is necessary. So why is the District Attorney dragging his feet? He has been advised to do so, yet nothing has happened. Then to make things worse, irresponsible voters either vote for the incompetent incumbents or don’t vote at all, so the chaos continues. I say give ME the money alloted for the education of my two children and let me do for my children what the board apparently cannot do and does not even seem to be willing to do: PROVIDE FOR THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN.
PAC
June 20th, 2012
11:29 pm
The problems with DeKalb are too long to list. What is going on now is a by product of years of corrupt school officials and politicians. As well as a population that des care about education, getting ahead or actually working for what they want in life. Parents let their kids do what they want, talk back to teachers, skip classes, disrupt classes, etc. The fact that you have to go walk through medal detectors to attend a football game should tell you something about the state of DeKalb county.
Old teacher
June 20th, 2012
11:44 pm
Thank you, Dunwoody Dad!
Anyone who believes “teaching in a public school is an easy job”or “teachers are overpaid” is sadly misinformed!
Also, I agree 100 percent with Jerry. I have always said that I would put our best students ( in the USA) against any in the world.
In our country, we try to educate everyone, but some of the students don’t want to be educated–that’s where the problems are. These students come to school to socialize with friends or because they are required by law to do so. Many of these students “Christmas tree” the tests–and now they want to pay teachers based on the test scores!
Money for Nothing, Chicks not Free
June 21st, 2012
12:06 am
I pay for the education of Dekalb “school children” yet I have no children in public schools. I decided to take the most important job a parent can have upon myself rather than leaving it to the incompetent school system known as DCSS.
Double Jeapordy
June 21st, 2012
12:14 am
Who in their good mind, would buy or rent a house in DeKalb? I am an educator who works in a Dekalb School and unfortunately lives in Dekalb as well. My pay has been cut….thousands of dollars, my insurance is going up, I’ll have limited funds in my retirement account because Dekalb stop paying into the private account, haven’t received a cost of living increase in years and they are expecting me to be able to pay additional money in taxes? Where am I to get that from? I agree that the mil rate should not be increased but teacher salaries should not be cut either. They have already been cut to the bone! Teachers are always the first to get the cuts but they do most of the work! I am still waiting to hear Dr. Atkinson or a board member say, “We’re cutting administrator’s pay and that includes Dr. Atkinson’s pay”! I am troubled that although we have a huge shortfall we are still hiring people from outside of the county at 6 figure incomes. I am also troubled that I have yet to hear Dr. Atkinson or anyone from her county office staff who do not directly work with children and make and excess of 160,000 plus(for some) not volunteer to take a pay cut. I’d like to hear them say, “We’re cutting Administrator’s Pay and leave the teacher’s salaries alone! Several previous Area Supers were reassigned which created positions that could have received a hiring freeze. The work of those positions could have been allocated to the remaining Area Supers. Instead, they opted to hire additional people for those positions at 160,000 plus. Where are we getting this money when there is a budget shortfall, teacher’s salaries have been cut but additional county office staff were hired! Also, if you notice our calendar, our last day of school for the students for the 2013 school term is the day after Memorial Day. Who does that? When parents leave for the Memorial Day vacation or send their kids to relatives for the summer, they don’t come back and certainly not for one day! Total waste of money. The last day of school for all students should be before Memorial Day. With an increase in taxes, teachers who live and work in Dekalb will be forced to move elsewhere and walk away from their homes. That would mean even less money will be collected in taxes, Good teachers would be forced to leave Dekalb for other counties who appreciate teachers by paying them what they are worth! Who would want to work in Dekalb? If I had more than 8 years to go before retirement, I’d run for the hills. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing if the state took over this school system since we don’t seem to have the financial knowledge to do so.
alm
June 21st, 2012
12:25 am
Longer school day is a bad idea for elementary students.
Tom Yarbrough
June 21st, 2012
2:50 am
I guess that $60 Million plus Sembler offered for that property on North Druid Hills is looking pretty good about now. . . .it seems Paul Womack opposed that deal also.
Just wondering
June 21st, 2012
2:56 am
Can someone tell us where our contracts are? Do we assume we have a job with a salary to be cut?
aziolko
June 21st, 2012
5:24 am
Maybe if they had some of the money back that they are spending on prosecuting the folks that ran the schools…or if the new superintendent didn’t need such a large expense account…so many “maybes” when they should definitely be education for our children. Don’t blame it on the President…blame the citizens who are complacent in times of plenty.
Two Cents
June 21st, 2012
6:42 am
Wait until after Labor Day to start school.
kris24datl
June 21st, 2012
7:20 am
The budget crisis is the result of two divergent issues that converge with the School Board: the lack of over site by the Board – failure at cost control when times were flush, corruption by past leadership, infighting among its members, and inability to anticipate falling revenues in light of property values plummeting; and lack of leadership – leadership to get ahead of the problem, advocate a unified vision and guide us to a better future.
Educating the students of DeKalb is a societal responsibility. That can be done either through public funding/family choice of schools OR through publicly provided schools. Either way, there is a minimum amount of funding needed to get the job done.
I am not advocating increased taxes, just smoothing out the way education is funded. The cost of educating our children does not automatically drop just because our property values did; so why would we assume that we should pay a lower amount to the school system – because to do so adversely affects the students (whether by reducing programs, decreasing teacher pay, or whatever else is surreptitiously proposed without much thought).
The DeKalb schools budget may well have too much fluff in it, but that is a different argument than the hurried decisions to balance year to year. There must be a way to smooth out the revenue stream – say propose a budget and then assign a millage rate to meet that target. In my example, year one requires $750 million and a millage rate of X; then in year two, property values drop, but we still have the same number of students so the financial need remains at ~ $750 million and a millage rate of Y.
All residents benefit from the funding of schools. If we don’t pay for education publicly, then are we willing to pay higher prices in the private sector so that each job has higher wages for families to educate our children? The trend in our society is a BIG NO to that question. The next issue is whether we are willing to suffer the consequences of inadequately funding the schools – failure to retain good teachers, lower student retention, more crime, and less economic vibrancy – again the answer to that is NO.
Is there fluff in the school budget? YES, where is it I don’t know; but in the such to meet a budget, neither does anyone else. That is a longer term structural issue that needs careful study. Drastic drops in funding source have not alleviated demand for services. In this case, the public sector is not like the private (where loser revenues mean less need for inputs because of lower demand) and we cannot propose solutions that mirror the private sector.
In the short-term, retain revenue at same rate as previous year so as not to short change our students. Then in the longer term, let’s REALLY define what is essential and build a solution that is lasting.
LOGIC
June 21st, 2012
7:40 am
There is absolutely no excuse for not being able to educate our children with an average spend of $9K+ per year per child. The heart of the matter is where the money is allocated.
Without a reputable educational system, this metro Atlanta county will become the next large metro ghetto in the United States. This is a proven fact. We have 98K in this school system, a substantial budget, yet we can’t figure it out. It is a pure embarrassment to be the home of such outstanding organizations as Emory and the CDC, yet our county and BOE leadership makes us look like the most ignorant and corrupt county in the state.
The budget needs to be tied to goals that will allow us to grow and correct areas that are causing us to fail our children. The pandering to the North and South “line” needs to turn into conversations of fulfilling critical needs for that particular school. Some schools need basic supplies because the areas are so impoverished. They do not need promethean boards and we have to have everyone reach acceptance of what the real needs are for the very different areas that make up DeKalb.
I am tired of Atkinson’s political pandering (eBooks for All!) and lack of drive towards real results. She has been here a year and we still have Ramona on the books (another stupid contract negotiated by this Board) I have completely lost faith after the calendar debacle, the band debacle, the new administrators who are making $150K with pending raises (see below) and the ignorant approach on how to create a budget to generate results and not just plug holes.
BOE To Do List:
1. Cut non-teaching employees pay by 15%
2. Eliminate proposed salary increases – esp. Atkinson’s inner circle that are slated to go from $150K to $160K (line item on last posted budget, folks)
3. Eliminate Regional Superintendents
4. Eliminate Asst Principals
5. Eliminate the 330+ positions recommended by the Audit (140 is not enough)
6. Cut Superintendent’ s monthly stipend above the salary
7. Eliminate contracts – Georgia is an employment at will state
8. Eliminate LIFO (last in, first out) – great teachers are being “reassigned” or let go to protect the status quo of tenure
9. Eliminate bussing to non-home school locations
10. Eliminate BOE perks, travel, education – elected position and we all know that several of these folks milk their local constituents for perks in return for favors (just look at the S. DeKalb church connections)
11. Eliminate the “special” program funding allocations – Montessori, Magnet, FERNBANK
12. Give the schools a fixed budget and let principals run the school again
13. Eliminate non-Title I school preschool programs – results show that private, lottery-funded pre-k programs have the same results, so parents who can afford the childcarepay for the childcare
14. Keep our tax dollars in the DeKalb – get informed on where our tax dollars are going and how the calculations work to rob DeKalb
15. Put the state to task to help close our gap – their lack of oversight has contributed to the fact these idiots have driven our county into the ground and squandered 70%+ of the county’s tax revenue
16. SELL vacant properties ASAP
17. Fire SACS – they are completely worthless and if this series of events doesn’t show how worthless SACS and our state oversight folks are, I don’t know what does
18. Get ELLIS OUT OF OFFICE. Kasim Reed helped save APS and Ellis has been MIA from redistricting and is STILL MIA. DeKalb needs real leadership and at this point, we need to have someone assigned to our county because DeKalb’s election track record is abysmal
19. Eliminate the Office of School Improvement and reallocate those federal dollars to programs that will drive results faster
20. Cut legal fee allocations
21. Cut programs supported by the school system for truancy ($40K average per student is the current cost)
22. Evaluate charter school budgets more closely – a boondoggle is occurring with some of these charter schools and I think we would find a lot of money in places like Arabia Mountain
23. Look at changing the Coralwood model – average spend is $22K per child – great place, but we can’t afford this
24. Close the school system for the period of time where teachers’ benefit from the time away (i.e., they can keep their summer jobs for a longer period of time or for an uninterrupted period of time).
25. Implement a plan to get the teachers’ their pay and time back on track. The additional days do not improve morale, but incite teachers to start looking elsewhere for both a job and a place to live.
26. Have a plan to get our teachers where they need to be financially and professionally. Commit to developing the teaching staff and not the admin staff!
DO NOT LIST:
1. DO NOT touch the teachers. We have already put ourselves at a disadvantage by demoralizing our teachers with 4 furlough days on the books, decreased retirement benefits, larger class sizes, increased healthcare costs
2. Don’t raise taxes until you have cut to the BONE. The system is broken, capping out the millage rate is not going to fix the problem and we will be here next year. This is not a Dem v. Rep issues, but a budgetary issue. All of the imbedded perks in the contracts that are negotiated in an “AT WILL” state. Why are the administrators able to insulate themselves from the economy and any ills that may impact them, yet our teachers have to accept erroneous, short-term contracts with pay cuts? Stupid business case if you ask me.
NTLB
June 21st, 2012
7:59 am
The problems in public education are a reflection of the problems in this country’s societies and values. Eastern and European societies are built on communal values, therefore, they are going to work and support each other to survive, succeed, and thrive even in education. They also value the family unit.
We do the complete opposite. That’s the main problem with public education in this country.
MiltonMan
June 21st, 2012
8:01 am
“I choose not to blame others for not sharing my values, your job as parents is to convince those less willing to participate, that it is worth their interest to get involved and be active parents to encourage active learning.”
Wrong. My job as a parent is to ensure that I raise my kids in a loving home & provide the tools to enable them to become productive citizens.
MiltonMan
June 21st, 2012
8:10 am
@Jerry, educators are willing to take a much lower salary now in exchange for our retirement benefit, which, by the way, is not free to us. We pay into the Teacher Retirement System to fund that pension. I also pay into a 403(b) since I am not in Social Security.
Teachers in this state are provided a pension (something most private companies have done away with) and teachers are also paid for unused sick pay which once again is not heard of in the private sector.