Is DeKalb waiting for a “budget fairy” to wave away its money woes?
I hate layoffs but am not sure DeKalb County Schools is serving its employees by pretending it can avoid them in this dire budget crisis.
As one parent said after the school boarded 5-2 last night to instruct Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson to find $20 million in cuts elsewhere, “What are they waiting on, the ‘budget fairy?”
The problem is that it is near impossible for the county to cut $20 million without layoffs at this point.
“If they don’t do it now, at some point during the school year, the numbers aren’t going to match up,” Herb Garrett, executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, told the AJC. “It’s going to be pay me now or pay me later.”
The layoff proposal would have affected 120 paraprofessionals, or teachers’ aides, an unpopular option among some parents especially with a school board election around the corner on July 31.
But DeKalb schools may be out of options. It’s unlikely enough teachers will choose to retire or quit to get to the number needed to balance the budget. The district has already agreed to $60 million in cuts to support staff and programming, and may not be in a position to absorb more cuts.
“She’s got to come up with a different plan, one that does not include reduction in force,” board chairman Eugene Walker said before the 5-2 vote against layoffs. Only Tom Bowen and Jay Cunningham voted for the layoffs, with Pam Speaks and Paul Womack absent.
Throughout the budget process, administration officials had been telling board members that they hoped to avert teacher layoffs. Typically, far more retire or leave voluntarily each year than the number of positions cut from the budget.
Walker and other board members said they didn’t think they’d have to lay anyone off when they voted for the budget. But board member Jay Cunningham said he understood that layoffs were a strong possibility. It’s “common sense,” he said. “If you vote for this, this will happen.”
In recent weeks, teachers have been leaving at a rate of about 20 per week, too slow to meet the requirements of the budget cuts. Laying off teachers once school starts will be more difficult emotionally because children and parents will have developed relationships with teachers, Garrett said.
Some teachers who attended Monday’s meeting praised the board’s decision. So did Lisa Lake, whose child attends a Montessori program affected by the teacher cuts. “They’re saying we need to stop and re-evaluate now,” she said.
Avoiding layoffs, however, is just wishful thinking, said David Schutten, president of teachers advocacy group the Organization of DeKalb Educators. He said the board gave false hope and that he expects layoffs eventually, or else the school system will spend money it doesn’t have and wind up in debt next summer, unable to make payroll.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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270 comments Add your comment
Fred in DeKalb
July 23rd, 2012
7:31 pm
It is also ironic that of all the good stuff I posted at 2:23, you would still attempt to find something wrong. That also shows a lack of humility on your part. I’ve commended you on several posts yet even when I provide factual, verifiable information, you still can’t acknowledge it as helpful to the conversation. What does that say about you?
Dekalbite@Fred in Dekalb
July 24th, 2012
12:46 am
Not only were you as a champion of Dr. Berry. Your number of comments were excessive. One post has 55 comments – 19 of them were from you seeking to deflect blame from the DCSS administration.
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2011/06/tale-of-two-school-systems-part-iii.html
Crawford Lewis
July 24th, 2012
1:03 am
I don’t see any contradiction in the statement I posted….bottom line is a lot of Dekalb’s current problems are of its own mismanagement…when you are trying to keep your cousins and auntee employed what do you expect
Fred in DeKalb
July 24th, 2012
6:29 am
Dekalbite (formerly atl) you are too funny! The same blog you reference has 17 posts from you. If my 19 explained to you and others how Title 1 works while providing links to verifiable information to back up my statements, what does that make you? This is not like the posts about FSC where you repeatedly listed the positions at FSC so many times that many asked you to stop. Whether you were right or not, your message got lost with your obsession.
Ironically that post provided incorrect information regarding the amount of money that was used for Title 1 Part A ($500,000) over a 5 year period. This referred to ALL Federal income to the school district. The Title 1 Part A allocation was under $140,000 for that period. That goes back to my point of misleading information being shared. It was not purposeful but clarity should be appreciated.
There is a LOT of data available on the internet but one must use it in context. Sometimes additional research is necessary. That message seems to have fallen on deaf ears with you. You saying that my having 2 posts more than you in a blog excessive where I provided links is like the pot calling the kettle black.
Fred in DeKalb
July 24th, 2012
7:23 am
Crawford, even DeKalbite could see your contradictions (though would never admit it because it would acknowledge I was correct in my analysis again). Others can read your posts above and come to their own conclusions.
You said, “bottom line is a lot of Dekalb’s current problems are of its own mismanagement…when you are trying to keep your cousins and auntee employed what do you expect” That is something I’ve been saying for a LONG time. These problems have been building since the days of Jim Cherry however have come a a head now. And back then, friends and family of superintendents, Board members, commissioners and others were employed by the school system. Many were qualified and good employees, some were not. Its a pattern found not only in DeKalb but throughout the country. Dr. Atkinson is attempting to clean things up however is encountering resistance. We will find out if the community really wants the change they have been asking for.
I do encourage you to follow the money as I am doing so also. There are legitimate questions about the payroll expenditures over the last few years not decreasing significantly when employee reductions were approved. Unfortunately if someone is benefiting by excess employees, especially at the schools, they are less likely to speak out. After all, its for the children.
There is enough blame to go around…..
Dekalbite@Fred in Dekalb
July 24th, 2012
2:41 pm
“Ironically that post provided incorrect information regarding the amount of money that was used for Title 1 Part A ($500,000) over a 5 year period. This referred to ALL Federal income to the school district. The Title 1 Part A allocation was under $140,000 for that period”
I think you mean $500,000,000 in federal funding – not $500,000 and – $140,000,000 went to Itle 1 Part A – not $140,000.
So much money for negative returns is a problem. The administration hires every single teacher and sets the class sizes for every classroom. They tell the teachers what to teach and when and how to teach the curriculum. They set all policies and procedures for the school system employees and students. They allocate all funds and purchase all programs. They are the highest paid members of the school system. They must accept responsibility for students’ achievement levels. With this much power comes tremendous responsibility.
Fred in DeKalb
July 24th, 2012
5:33 pm
Dekalbite, thank you for correcting my numbers. Obviously I meant $500K and $140K.
I thought principals make recommendations on what teachers to hire? They go through HR to make sure all the paperwork is done properly. Isn’t that what site based management is all about? That’s the way it works in most organizations, the line of business manager (principal) interviews and hires based on need. They may sometimes get a teacher that had already been hired for another school then declared excess but most cases the principal decides who to hire. Why do you think administrators hire teachers? Is that how you were hired?
Through Title 1, Part A, Instructional Coaches were hired. They were supposed to be Master Teachers that helped coach and remediate teachers that need assistance. This is a part of Professional Development. We can respectfully discuss whether this is a good model but that is how it is supposed to work. Surely you will agree that some teachers need help in order to be successful in the classroom.
This is shared responsibility. Teachers have lost their jobs for being ineffective with students. Principals have lost their jobs for being ineffective with their schools. Staff members have lost their jobs for being ineffective in providing assistance to schools. Superintendents have lost their jobs for being ineffective for the school district. Board members have lost their jobs for being ineffective in the eyes of votes. Parents and students don’t lose their jobs but some of the *good* parents may take their children to private schools. Sometimes the parent and/or the student should be fired, especially if they are compromising the learning process for students that want to be there.
There is enough blame to go around….
Dekalbite@Fred in Dekalb
July 24th, 2012
7:02 pm
“Why do you think administrators hire teachers? Is that how you were hired?”
So administrators don’t hire teachers in DeKalb? The last time I checked, the principal is an administrator. But the principals are hand picked cy the Superintendent. The buck really does stop at the top.
“Through Title 1, Part A, Instructional Coaches were hired. They were supposed to be Master Teachers that helped coach and remediate teachers that need assistance”
So where was the teacher buy-in? Did the teachers have a chance to evaluate the effectiveness of the Coach assigned to their school? Where is the performance objectives and the degree to which they met the performance objectives in terms of student achievement increases for these Coaches that cost over $10,000,000 a year? We are laying off teachers who directly instruct students and who can be tied to student performance for these Coaches. What are we getting for them?
“Sometimes the parent and/or the student should be fired, especially if they are compromising the learning process for students that want to be there.”
That is not the attitude that Rockdale and Marietta City have towards their low achieving students. Both of these school systems are demographically similar to DeKalb, but have much better student achievement. Blaming students and parents is not effective leadership. The truth is most of the administrators in DeKalb have no idea how to move low income, low parental support students forward. They resent taxpayers would compare them to more successful school systems who face the same challenges.
Fred in DeKalb
July 24th, 2012
9:27 pm
DeKalbite, you are reminding me of my spouse, always wanting to have the last word (I mean that as a joke). Yes, principals are administrators. I thought you meant central office administrators. An example of how something can be taken out of context when there isn’t enough data.
Also, I never said low achieving students should be fired. That could an any student that compromises the learning process for others. Mainstreaming is one thing but someone has to say it is not fair for some misbehaving students the interrupt learning.
CL
July 24th, 2012
10:26 pm
More waste, fraud and abuse in DeKalb County…case closed!
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/principal-bookkeeper-under-investigation-after-aud/nP3Rb/
Dekalbite@Fred in DeKalb
July 24th, 2012
11:11 pm
“Mainstreaming is one thing but someone has to say it is not fair for some misbehaving students the interrupt learning.”
Then why has the DeKalb administration instituted the no zero policy? Why does the administartion require teachers to accept late work? Why is there such lax discipline in schools? Why are teachers pressured to change grades and give students grades they do not deserve.
The administration sets the discipline policy and also backs or in DeKalb’s case does not back its teachers. The policies the administration has set and the infractions they ignore or encourage has set the tone for poor discipline in the schools. When teachers have their hands tied by the administration when it comes to discipline and grades, then student achievement suffers.
Fred in DeKalb
July 25th, 2012
7:06 am
DeKalbite, you may not realize it but you just agreed with me when you asked, “Then why has the DeKalb administration instituted the no zero policy? Why does the administartion require teachers to accept late work? Why is there such lax discipline in schools? Why are teachers pressured to change grades and give students grades they do not deserve?” All good questions!
Surely you don’t believe educators would instituted such an asinine and counterproductive practices and policies on their own? Elected officials typically pass laws based on requests from lobbyist or particular constituencies. The same applies to Board members and school administrators, they react to the wishes of PARENTS and the COMMUNITY, even if they may not be in the best interest of the entire community.
A classic example is Arabia Mountain not becoming a neighborhood school as it was initially sold to the entire community. Surely you don’t believe school administrators made that change without being lobbied by parents? Why do you think special transportation is such a hot discussion along with closing small schools even if they are not cost effective to operate? Yes, lobbying by parents, students and other members of the community influences some of the decision making by Board and administration members. This is why I’ve consistently said,
There is enough blame to go around…
Thank you for finally acknowledging this, even if you did so indirectly
Dekalbite@Fred in Dekalb
July 25th, 2012
3:11 pm
“Surely you don’t believe educators would instituted such an asinine and counterproductive practices and policies on their own? Elected officials typically pass laws based on requests from lobbyist or particular constituencies. The same applies to Board members and school administrators, they react to the wishes of PARENTS and the COMMUNITY, even if they may not be in the best interest of the entire community.”
Pressing teachers to change students’ grades is against the law so you really can’t blame this on anyone but the administration. Look what happens to teachers who do not want to change students’ grades because the student does not understand the material taught and/or has not completed the work required in the class:
http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/dekalb-schools-investigating-allegations-teacher/vCPZ5/
http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/dekalb-grade-changing-investigation/vCP2n/
So you think the DeKalb administration has instituted “asinine and counterproductive practices and policies” for students because the community wants these “asinine and counterproductive practices and policies” for their children. You are saying that low to no standards are set for the students because the parents and community want low standards for their children.
IMHO – the standards have been set low (no zeros, forcing teachers to accept late work, etc.) is more about pumping up the graduation rate regardless of whether students have mastered the content they need to functioning college or the world of work.
If you blame everything on the parents and students, then you are saying administrators are not really the leaders and cannot affect change. Why don’t we cut most of the administrators loose then and save ourselves a lot of tax dollars since they have so little influence on student progress?
Fred in DeKalb
July 25th, 2012
5:29 pm
Dekalbite, have you spoken to any current teachers recently? If you did, you will find out that MANY are harassed by parents when it comes to changing grades. Tell you what, go on DSW and ask teachers how often they are asked to meet with parents about their possibly changing their grades or providing extra credit work to raise it. Ask them about the low expectations attitude that seems to be prevalent in schools today. It seems like you will be surprised at what you hear. There are some great teachers that are being asked to expect less from some of our students. It is not right because it ultimately hurts the students in the long run.
I have a friend that has children at Arabia Mountain. According to them, when the principal announced mid year they were eliminating the practice of allowing re-tests and make up work, many parents were very upset about it. The real world does not allow do overs when mistakes are made, why should the schools provide that for students, especially if some students make a choice not to do the work the first time around?
It is amazing because again you and I both have the same core beliefs in this area but disagree on the reasoning behind it. I don’t blame everything on the parents and students as you suggest. There are a LOT of great parents and students in our schools. I see myself as a realist and acknowledge there are a few parents and students that make it tough for others. Regretfully their wishes get greater consideration than the majority.
This is a collective problem that is shared by everyone. Cutting most of the administrators will NOT solve the problem with student performance. Ensuring all parties work collaboratively together for the betterment of the students will have the greatest impact. I’d welcome implementing realistic measures such as the growth model to determine if progress is being made over the course of a school year. I’ve said it more than once and will keep saying it,
There is enough blame to go around…
Dekalbite@Fred in DeKalb
July 25th, 2012
6:25 pm
” If you did, you will find out that MANY are harassed by parents when it comes to changing grades.”
There is a world difference in a parent asking you repeatedly to change grades and your principal or a Central Administrator (i.e. your supervisor) pressuring you to change grades.
Read this Georgia law:
“To amend Article 17 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to teachers and other school personnel, so as to enact the “Grade Integrity Act of 2007″; to provide that no classroom teacher shall be required, coerced, intimidated, or disciplined in any manner to change the grade of a student; to provide for an ethical violation reportable to the Professional Standards Commission; to provide for statutory construction; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.”
http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2007_08/fulltext/sb9.htm
“Cutting most of the administrators will NOT solve the problem with student performance. ”
But we will be able to have smaller class sizes AND/OR decrease taxes, a boon to teachers, students, parents and taxpayers. Since student performance is NOT linked to the administration as YOU have stated and achievement scores have shown, we could get some welcome relief for teachers and students and taxpayers.
Highly paid administrators in any organization should assume the blame when their policies fail to meet objectives. If you MAKE the decisions and take home the big bucks in an organization, you should assume the responsibility for success or failure. Failing at your supervisory position as you collect the highest compensation and then attempting to shift blame elsewhere is simply reprehensible. If this continues, the organization will never improve and meet its objectives. Sadly, DeKalb has been experiencing this for years. That’s why the public who is paying the bills is insisting the administrators who formerly ran DCSS must go.
Fred in DeKalb
July 25th, 2012
7:47 pm
Dekalbite, thank you again for sharing the link to the law on the Grade Integrity Act. I know a LOT of teachers that would welcome sharing that with students, parents, and administrators. Heck, if I were still teaching, I’d put it on each teachers bulletin board and in the main office for everyone to see. I still ask you to poll those on DSW to validate what I said.
The reality is that parents start with the teacher then escalate it to the principal. Based on how persistent the parent is will determine what the principal does. Haven’t you gone faster than 55 mph on 285, not because you wanted to but because you felt you had to in order to keep up with the traffic flow? Its against the law but many rationalize speeding nonetheless.
Remember what happened in the MLKing Jr case a few years ago, a brave teacher spoke out and look what happened. She lost her job and probably has a black eye from the perspective of the teaching profession. Yes, the administrator also lost their job (word on the street she was told to either retire or be fired. She retired to keep her retirement. In the APS cheating scandal, I know some teachers felt pressured to help students on standardized tests by their administrators. Unfortunately that did not excuse them from following through and they were rightly terminated. Those that refused went through a type of hazing many teachers are well aware of but at least they have their dignity.
The job of an urban superintendent and staff is tough, that’s why the average tenure is less than 4 years. All children can learn but the measures you use can determine how effective the superintendent will be. Again I say using the growth model will open eyes as to the progress low achieving students can make during a school year. I submit they can have higher growth than those who come to school well prepared, especially in the lower grades. Watch and see….
Dekalbite@Fred in DeKalb
July 25th, 2012
9:30 pm
“Dekalbite, thank you again for sharing the link to the law on the Grade Integrity Act. I know a LOT of teachers that would welcome sharing that with students, parents, and administrators…..Remember what happened in the MLKing Jr case a few years ago, a brave teacher spoke out and look what happened. She lost her job and probably has a black eye from the perspective of the teaching profession. Yes, the administrator also lost their job (word on the street she was told to either retire or be fired”"
The Central Office personnel and principals are well aware of this law. But they think they can get away with flaunting it because teachers do not want to lose their jobs.
In the MLK case you cite, the person on the video below is currently a DeKalb Schools Assistant Superintendent making a six figure income while the math teacher (Georgia Tech graduate) lost her job. Look at the video below. The high school science teacher secretly recorded her conversation. Is this the kind of employee we need as a Assistant Superintendent overseeing instruction for thousands of students?
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2009/07/update-on-mlk-grade-changing-horace.html
It has been speculated that Dr. Atkinson is planning on promoting Ralph Simpson who was involved in the book buying scandal. Mr. Simpson has an ethics violation from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and had his educator’s license suspended for a while. This ethics violation is on his Teacher Certification at the Georgia PSC website.
Alice Thompson stated to the AJC that Mr. Simpson’s salary would be reduced to $89,599. In fact Mr. Simpson who was “demoted” Augus, 2010 was the HIGHEST PAID DeKalb Assistant Principal in the school year 2010-2011 as he made $113,697.
Taxpayers/Parents were told Mr. Simpson had a contract for this amount of money in August, 2010 when the scandal broke, so he could not make an ordinary Assistant Principal’s salary until 2011-2012. When the 2012 Georgia Salary and Travel audit comes out, we’ll see if Ms. Tyson really cut his salary like she promised the taxpayers/parents. And as new principals are named, taxpayers/parents will see if he is indeed given a promotion. Principals and Assistant Principals should be models of ethical behavior for our children. What does it say to children in a school system when unethical behavior is rewarded with job promotions and raises?
See Maureen Downey’s blog post:
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/08/15/dekalb-throws-the-book-at-authoreducators-selling-their-stuff-to-the-school-system/
“DeKalb throws the book at author/educators selling their stuff to the school system”
“Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson said the investigation uncovered a misuse of school funds that was “alarming,” “disturbing” and “unethical.”’…
…Simpson and Miller Grove High School Principal Selina Carol Thedford. They were demoted to assistant principals and had their salaries cut. Simpson wrote an autobiography, titled “From Remedial To Remarkable.” He sold $15,260 worth of copies to six DeKalb schools. Thedford purchased $9,680 worth…..
….The district cut Simpson’s salary from $115,405 to $89,599, and Thedford’s from $105,615 to $93,168, district Chief of Staff Alice Thompson said.”
DeKalb Schools has long been about power – who has it – and money – who makes the most. Students have gotten shoved to the back of the line as “career paths” were established for non teaching employees.
Fred in DeKalb
July 26th, 2012
7:30 am
DeKalbite, I’m really beginning to believe you enjoy this dialogue with me. No problem since we can’t have this on DSW. Their loss.
Hopefully you can agree we want the same outcome for the students and citizens of DeKalb however the sights we’ve seen on our life journey influences our thoughts for getting to that destination. Again I don’t disagree nor make excuses with what you’ve cited above. I will say that the teachers I’ve spoken with in the past about pressures to change grades never mentioned the law you provided, suggesting to me that they were not aware of it. I will do my part to ensure they are so consider that a positive from this discussion.
Any employee that conducts themselves in an unethical manner should be reprimanded. It seems because of the attention DeKalb employees get that they receive harsher punishments than others in government. I think back to some of the recent misdeeds of elected officials. Just an observation.
My belief is still firm that this community hired someone willing to make a change to long standing practices in Dr. Brown. He knew things were not right in this school district. As he began making changes, the powers in school district and community collectively undermined him and subsequently had him fired. Yes, DeKalb Schools has long been about power and regretfully sometimes that power has not been not used for the best of the entire county and all of its students.
Please recall that the original budget proposal submitted by Dr. Atkinson in May provided the least harm to the schools and teachers though it did include a 2 mill increase. Special interests influenced Board members to not accept that recommendation and we find ourselves in the position we are in now. One cannot deny that special interests have long influenced decision making in DeKalb Schools. Again, this is something I’ve seen on my life journey. Yes those in charge ultimately make the decisions but I also like to understand what influenced the decisions. Do you disregard that or have any interests in the motivations of special interests? I ask because I thought I read comments you made about Marshall Orson and his favoritism towards Fernbank. That seems to suggest that you feel it could influence his decision making if he is elected.
On an unrelated matter, that is why I’d like to see changes in the campaign finance laws because as they currently stand, I believe they allow those with money to unduly influence elections. Yes, the buck stops with the elected officials regarding decisions they make but it is interesting to know why they make those decisions.
whatever
July 28th, 2012
9:56 pm
If a position in the central office doesn’t speak to a child during the day>>>they need to be cut. period. we do not need 2 or 3 administrators when one will do. it is this simple. get rid of the bloat, we have been screaming for it for years. get it done.
Crawford Lewis
July 31st, 2012
7:10 pm
@whatever…well said!!!