Does Clayton mess reveal a larger truth: School boards don’t work any more?
Haven’t we been here before with Clayton County? (And other counties as well, including several in rural Georgia.)
Did we learn anything from Clayton’s earlier woes or does the latest friction point to the larger problem of having citizens run school systems?
The AJC has a news story about the Clayton County school board chair suggesting that the governor intervene and remove some school board members to save the school system from losing accreditation again.
“We’ve had troubles on the board. We’ve had troubles for a long time,” Chairwoman Pamela Adamson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday.
Jacob Vigdor, a Duke public policy and economics professor whose writings I have run on the blog, issued a statement yesterday on the antics of the Wake County, N.C., school board, which fired its superintendent.
I thought Vigdor’s comment applied here:
When contemplating the ongoing soap opera that is the Wake County School Board, it is important to bear in mind that Wake is one of the 20 largest school districts in the United States. There are more than 17,000 districts across the country, the vast majority of them much smaller than Wake County. If the nation’s largest districts, those we might think of as having the best shot at professional management, can’t take care of themselves, how can we expect anything of the thousands of tiny districts across the country?
The United States delegates important education policy choices to over 17,000 local school boards and administrators. The overwhelming majority of these officials have minimal expertise in policy analysis — and clearly some have penchants for political vendettas that trump policy analysis. This has to be considered one of the key reasons American students lag behind those in other developed countries.
It’s time for a discussion of whether school boards work any more, given the complexity, costs and consequences of education today.
Consider the Clayton saga: In 2008, Gov. Sonny Perdue intervened after Clayton lost its accreditation and ordered the removal of four school board members. The district got a new board and a new school chief and regained accreditation.
But now, Superintendent Edmond Heatley departs tomorrow, and the district is again on shaky ground with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for school board governance issues that could jeopardize accreditation. The issues include board member conflicts and attacks by some members on the school system and its personnel, wrote Mark Elgart, president and CEO of AdvancED, the parent company of SACS, in a letter.
Adamson said a majority of the school board members are working diligently to help the school system, which regained accreditation in 2011. But “certain board members have caused trouble almost since Day 1,” she said. Adamson declined to identify the school board members, but said one board member sent about 1,000 emails to Heatley in a 20-month period.
“He was so inundated he couldn’t do his job,” Adamson said, adding that a majority of the school board voted to change its protocol for how board members should communicate with the superintendent.
The board also has issued reprimands and imposed sanctions on individual members. Board member Jessie Goree was barred from serving as board chair or vice chair for two years and from collecting expense money for conferences and other travel, according to information on the school system’s website.
Goree was rebuked twice by the board — once for making derogatory remarks about board members and the superintendent and once based on a complaint by Heatley about her conduct at a meeting with parents, according to news reports. Goree acknowledged some friction on the board. “It’s normal stuff that happens when you have nine people trying to have a discussion,” she said. “There’s no perfection here.”
New SACS scrutiny comes just as Clayton is losing its superintendent. Heatley leaves the school system Friday after three years. He was in his office Wednesday but did not respond to requests for interviews.
Asked whether his departure is related to conflicts with some board members, Adamson said: “I wouldn’t be surprised. I know he has endured constant attacks since he’s been here.”
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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114 comments Add your comment
jd
September 27th, 2012
1:36 pm
Now, that is a question worthy of considerable discussion (i.e. more than the 10 minutes allowed for committee hearings) in the General Assembly.
Beverly Fraud
September 27th, 2012
1:36 pm
Does Clayton mess reveal a larger truth: School boards don’t work any more?
As much as anything, it reveals SACS is more than willing to play politics with the lives of children.
Aren’t these are the same guys who praised APS when it was actively covering up the largest cheating scandal in United States educational history, and if THIS paper is to be believed actually try to strong arm the APS board into keeping in power the board member who worked hardest to coverup the cheating!
And even as foolish as the citizens of ClayCo have shown themselves to be, we are supposed to trust this report?
“There are reports that individual board members are operating independent of the school system and under the influence of outside agents,” Elgart’s letter said.
And of course he can’t name them; is it the Illuminati?
ABC
September 27th, 2012
1:37 pm
I’ll go with that, but what’s the alternative?
Beverly Fraud
September 27th, 2012
1:45 pm
“The AJC has a news story about the Clayton County school board chair suggesting that the governor intervene and remove some school board members to save the school system from losing accreditation again.”
Gee, a school board member wants to work with an organization long known to place petty partisan politics over what’s best for children in order to strike back at a political opponent?
Yep, perhaps citizens CAN’T be trusted to run school boards.
Beverly Fraud
September 27th, 2012
1:59 pm
“Did we learn anything from Clayton’s earlier woes or does the latest friction point to the larger problem of having citizens run school systems?”
Well, ASTUTE people learned. They learned that not a SINGLE child is in the REMOTEST danger of leaving Clayton County schools with an unaccredited diploma.
Now they may not be able to read what’s written on the diploma, but it WILL be accredited.
gsmith
September 27th, 2012
2:00 pm
school boards do not work in certain areas and clayton county is one of them.the govornor should take over dekalb clayton and fulton counties for obvious reasons. until the electorate is considered capable of electing people in powerer they should not be given the opportunity to elect school board members. the problem with districts with a majority electorate of low income families is that they elect crooks and hacks based on race and not on compitence. the black officials voted into office are incapapble of doing th e job then they proceed to steal from the county and hire friends and family members to jobs they are not qualified for.
Just A Teacher
September 27th, 2012
2:12 pm
“School boards don’t work anymore?” That is far too easy. Teachers work. Custodians work. Principals work. But no, school boards don’t work. They sit around and make bad decisions which have a negative impact on those of us who do “work.”
Know A Little Something
September 27th, 2012
2:16 pm
Dear Just A Teacher,
You said it all, the posting can stop at his point!
Mortimer Collins
September 27th, 2012
2:17 pm
LOL…nice try. Clayton County is a wreck and the citizenry just re-elected Victor Hill as their sheriff. Thats all one needs to know.
Chuck from Waycross
September 27th, 2012
2:20 pm
Don’t get mad, get busy.
Solutions
September 27th, 2012
2:24 pm
Do I sense a PhD dissertation in this topic? Taxpayers could save a bundle by eliminating entire school boards and their associated staffs, with the functions assumed by the State. Hmmm, but what about local control, what do we lose in surrendering local control to the State? Come on PhD candidates, collect the necessary data, analyse, and report!
teacher&mom
September 27th, 2012
2:42 pm
This is typical of so many education issues. We ignore the successful districts where school boards are working. We lump everyone together with the dysfunctional boards and throw them over the cliff in an effort to “fix” everything.
Just because a few school boards are bungling idiots, we should not dissolve all local school boards.
Besides….what is the alternative? Hand over more control to the state and/or federal government?
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar
September 27th, 2012
2:59 pm
Actually under the SACS/AdvancED standards both the school boards and the local governing councils have an obligation to defer to the super or principals in case of a dispute. In Georgia the supers have close to dictatorial powers as long as they are doing what SACS wants them to do.
http://www.invisibleserfscollar.com/who-is-really-in-charge-the-school-board-the-super-the-accreditors-or-unesco/ is a post I wrote back in June after attending the training session for prospective school board members or state legislators put on by GPEE and GSBA. (Yes I do get out and away from reading reports for action research). Jessie Goree sat at my table and asked me some questions about what was really going on in American and global education.
And honestly Professor if you are not aware of the real causes of the declines in American education we should talk. What a stupid statement given the facts.
Maude
September 27th, 2012
3:01 pm
Why is noone talking about the damage done by Heatly??
Old timer
September 27th, 2012
3:09 pm
I think most school boards do work. You can look at the areas with high achieving schools…..see the SAT list. It is when uneducated voters go to the polls and make decisions based on no real knowledge of the people running you get this mess. Clayton Co. In general is a mess. One of the ladies governor Perdue removed from the school board is a state representative. I. Annot imagine who would vote for her. The county commissioners may be improving. Hopefully some new blood on the school board will improve things.
northern neighbor
September 27th, 2012
3:15 pm
SACS bears most of the blame for this. The accreditation process and audits are not rigorous.
School board training, although well intended, is inadequate. The legislature passed a law requiring training, but it is inadequate as well.
There are many very good school systems with very good school boards. I hate the alternatives to a local school board. Those that have difficulty are salvageable. A mandatory board mentoring program would be a good start. Mentoring would include guidance on the role and limitations of the school board, how to conduct meetings, how to conduct board business, how to hire a qualified superintendent, and how to effectively evaluate the superintendent’s performance.
bubba
September 27th, 2012
3:16 pm
School boards are far from perfect – like everything else in the universe.
Yet they are necessary and for the overwhelming majority of districts – they get the job done.
The more relevant question is:
Does Clayton mess reveal a larger truth: Clayton County don’t work any more?
Time for North Fulton to become Milton (SSprings, Ros, JCreek, Milton, and Dunwoody) followed by South Fulton and Clayton Merging with hopefully? a broader brain pool to pick from for both County and School government.
Ron F.
September 27th, 2012
3:17 pm
Clayton’s board only proves that any idiot who knows enough people can get elected. I’ve seen elections where only a few hundred votes total were cast in a Clayton BOE district. Boards work where’s there higher voter participation in elections and in smaller systems where the board members are well known in the community. In larger systems with lower total voter participation, they tend to become dysfunctional groups of selfish people on power trips.
ABC
September 27th, 2012
3:31 pm
But I still don’t understand what the alternative could be. The governor (oh gawd forbid)? The federal DoE? I don’t see what could be done different. Clayton Co is run by idiots elected by bigger idiots, but that doesn’t seem to be the case everywhere.
MAY
September 27th, 2012
3:31 pm
I think many boards get too caught up in the politics and forget they’re there to serve the children. The reason there is a charter school amendment on the ballot in November is because most of the school boards in Georgia will not even consider allowing one of these schools of choice to exist….even with the proven community support for such a school. Charter school petitioners need a place to appeal (just in case their school board didn’t giving them a fair shake).
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
3:52 pm
Can someone tell me what school boards do? In my own experience, they mostly instill fear in people, in workers. I know there is a component where school board members can exploit commercial real estate in the building of a new school. This is what I know of them. They are like some outside entity that meddle and intimidate. Considering the work load, lack or resources, and responsibility that teachers have today, I have little humor for it. School boards seem to fit the mode of deeply, and I mean deeply, entrenched local person who are prone to meddle and toy with people, the real working professionals. They develop real estate and every once in a while feel compelled to make a public humiliation of someone with their private “school board court.” That, and they feed the local newspaper in a sort of circular systems where the two work together to support each other, because most local newspaper both thrive on gossip and are pretty close to obsolete with the advent of the internet.
If anyone knows what a school board does that is productive, I would not mind to be enlightened. What I’ve seen are very arrogant deeply rooted local people who do a lot of favors for their own and sometimes are profoundly abusive to education professionals. It usually the good education professionals who have planned, and gone places, and done things, and gone into debt to get a professional education, meanwhile most of these local power persons have gone nowhere, do not put themselves out there on the line, tend to be far less educated than the professionals they sometimes harass. Invariably, these local persons have done one thing: stayed home in the town/city where they were born and made unbreakable networking and bonds with their friends, and obviously this quality of friendship is reserved for the few, the local who must “do something” to set a marker and make their power.
Marcus Dyer
September 27th, 2012
4:25 pm
What have we all learned from this isuue? I think that I’ve learned not to EVER move to Clayton County, it seems that every school board member has their own personal agenda. Instead of doing what’s best for the children they are finding ways to move their own political future forward.
Football Widow
September 27th, 2012
4:33 pm
So, the board is supposed to just allow the superintendent to do whatever he wants and not correct him when he is wrong? I thought the board was supposed to represent the people who elected them – the parents and students of the county. I also thought the superintendent is an employee of the board who is hired and fired at its will.
It’s interesting to me that Elgart chooses to step in now when Heatley has lost his new job. He had no interest in CCPS when Heatley was filling all of the principal and administrator positions with his fraternity brothers. It was well known that if you were not a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, you were not getting promoted and no help would be given to you.
The insinuation that black people cannot govern themselves is ridiculous and ignorant. Elections are open to the public and they can cast their vote for any reason they want. Bush was President for two terms, right? There you go.
Sandy Springs Parent
September 27th, 2012
5:18 pm
The real problem is with these huge districts. Wake is number 17, too big. The ones in Metro Georgia are too big. I grew up, up North in the high performing districts, where a large district consisted of 2 high schools, with 1,500 students each and their feeder school. The board are not paid, but elected. The problem is with is when people think they can make being a board member their primary job. They then are a “Power Broker” they use their paid position for shake downs for Real Estate deals, book deals, software deals, family and friends deals.
There is none or very limited when it is volunter positions and you only have 1 high school and their feeder school districts. There are no big contracts to let. Their are no Family and Friends posititions to hid in administration.
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
5:37 pm
Football Widow,
You’ve got it, you tell it well. “board was supposed to represent the people who elected them” and “the superintendent is an employee of the board who is hired and fired at its will.”
In a professional work environment, you have just described … agitators and trouble makers.
What exactly is to be “represented?” I’m genuinely curious. Do you want to work somewhere where your boss is hired and fired at “will?” What does that mean, the super serves at “the pleasure” of “the board.” It sounds perverse, but even more so, dysfunctional. And you do this “in the name of the children.” Sounds like a crazy-house to me that leads to systematic “child abuse.”
Wow, this is sick. If I had a say in the matter, I would vote that the school board system of management is not the best way. The economist from Duke is right. And mainly, I think if you look at international comparative education, as the principal from the high performing school in Finland stated, “I run this school. No politician tells me what to do.” Well, his country makes the Nokia phone (that I use), meanwhile in the U. S. A., Motorola is pretty much out of business.
Schoolboards – bad. Please keep up the good work on this weblog.
And Football Widow, have a good day and it wouldn’t hurt you to look up some books or internet video on international comparative education. My alma mater is 175 years undefeated in football. That’s because they don’t have a football team. They have a research hospital instead. What are your priorities? I know what mine are.
bu2
September 27th, 2012
5:39 pm
Sounds like Clayton County doesn’t work. Shut it down and fold it into Fulton. And then you automatically expand MARTA as well.
Dr. Monica Henson
September 27th, 2012
5:53 pm
Many (most?) district school boards operate jobs programs for adults and call them “schools.”
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
5:54 pm
If school board members “use their paid position for shake downs for Real Estate deals, book deals, software deals, family and friends deals” and a superintendent is “filling all of the principal and administrator positions with his fraternity brothers,” then these are ethics violations that should be defined and addressed through rule of law and real courts, just like any other type of graft. Maybe a weakness of the “school board system” is that it does not adequately define legal code or enforce same in an ethical manner.
Reminds me a person who works in government public health care and “does so much good,” meanwhile the U. S. A. stills does not have universal health care, is the only modern country without universal health care, and people still get $1900./month insurance bills, $3000. co-pays, $20,000. invoice for 2 days in the hospital uninsured, and some hospitals in Georgia seize people’s homes and sell them if they are unable or unwilling to pay the medical invoice. Treatment is withheld until the paper work is signed to enable home / property to be seized. But my friend, “does a lot of good.” In context, I don’t think so. Just an opinion, but when you see it done differently outside the U. S. A., it grinds a little.
catlady
September 27th, 2012
5:54 pm
I blame SACS to a large extent for many of the problems. In our area, the board is scared witless that it might transgress, so it does little to “lead” and “direct” the superintendent.
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
6:00 pm
If you have to “lead” and “direct” a superintendent, then you are incapable of hiring / choosing a professional to do their job, or are unwilling to allow the person to do their work without harassment. At this point, it should be clear the level of amateur hour antics has no place in a productive environment. How about “lead and direct” UPS or Delta Airlines? Any capable manager will not appreciate this type of interference and if they’re any good, will be unwilling to work in such an environment.
bootney farnsworth
September 27th, 2012
6:12 pm
I think its not so much that school boards can’t work, ours choose not to.
obviously the minimum criteria for service needs evaluation and updating, and we desperately need some kind of watchdog group to help keep school boards and regents in line.
its an unpopular thing to say, but I stand by it. until the citizens of a system stop voting their skin color, gender, political affiliation, and vote instead for qualified canidates…..same crap, different day
bootney farnsworth
September 27th, 2012
6:14 pm
oh, and they desperately need guidelines to keep them in line. too many are far too focused on getting their “rewards” and social engineering than to do any real work
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar
September 27th, 2012
6:38 pm
Private Citizen-I don’t want to hear about high performing schools in Finland. Coincidentally I just finished reading a John Hattie interview of Pasi Sahlberg. I guess because it was in Australia Pasi was pretty honest about how different the schools are in Finland in terms of goals than what any taxpayer or parent thinks they should be getting from schools.
Plus I know a lot about PISA is actually measuring.
And honestly most supers insist on being addressed as Doctor to obscure their ignorance. Classic Appeal to Authority Fallacy. Too many are parasites without enough knowledge to know the policies and practices they are mandating to get their next promotion will kill the host. And then where will they be?
The world is just full of alternative possibilities for the erudition of an Ed Leadership degree.
crankee-yankee
September 27th, 2012
6:41 pm
You cannot take a scatter-shot approach to this. I think it is a poorly worded headline. Clayton County is a mess, I know an excellent, highly lauded teacher who has worked there for decades who, when given the opportunity, fled to greener pastures at the start of this school year. He cited the administrative mess as a primary reason for his decision.
If you believe representation is a reflection of the electorate, just look at whom the electorate has put into power recently in that county. I’m glad I do not live there, I’d have to move, take a loss on the house & everything. The county, as a whole, seems to act as if it is dysfunctional, or, at least, certain sections of the county. So why would we expect some of their elected officials to act any differently?
But Clayton is an outlier, I have not seen any hard numbers on what percentage of boards are considered to be operating poorly, either statewide or nationally. The outliers get the headlines, the seeming majority, who are doing the job to which they were elected, do not make the news.
As I remember, were not many superintendents in this state elected in the past? Perhaps this is still part of a learning phase for some communities who switched late in the game away from supt. elections. I don’t know, just throwing it out there.
I would not want to make a blanket statement about elected Boards of Ed based on a few schizophrenic examples that seem to repeatedly make headlines.
Cobb History Teacher
September 27th, 2012
6:49 pm
How about Cobb’s board? Anyone remember the calendar fiasco? The board votes to change the calendar to “balanced” calendar for three years ostensibly to collect data on whether it would improve student achievement. Citizens get upset elect four new board members who promise to change the calendar back before we even get through a year of it.
To the credit of the board (this may have been the idea of the remaining three board members) they decide to send out a survey to gauge the public’s sentiment towards changing the calendar back. Eighty two percent (in the de-rigged poll) are in favor of keeping the balanced calendar and what does the board do? They vote to return to a “traditional” calendar. On top of that when a board member brings it up at a board meeting the next year the four board members immediately vote to table the discussion for that year.
Talk about an establishment that has outlived its usefulness. Why don’t we just leave education up to the professionals?
Hillbilly D
September 27th, 2012
6:49 pm
Bad cases make bad law, so they say.
School boards have their drawbacks but I’ll still take that over some appointed state or federal person running things. The people can always vote them out and if they don’t…….well, they get what they deserve, don’t they?
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
6:52 pm
The world I know does not use “leadership” degrees. Leadership is a quality, not a content area. You do not get degrees in human qualities unless you are a propagandist. How about a Kindness degree? Or a degree is Courage?
I say run for your life from anyone with a “leadership” degree.
Are you telling me that a Master’s of Public Administration is not the correct credential for government management position? Are their any good MPA programs? I think I know of two, one at the Kennedy school at Harvard, and the other at the LBJ school at UT/Austin. Now, with the national condition of higher education, I am neither recommending or endorsing Harvard or UTA, and methinks I would prone to avoid either, but is there not a correct path of credentialing for those who manage government work, be it the Highway Department (that makes roads) or the Social Security Administration (that looks after the infirmed and disabled)? Why should someone be embarrassed about their job and why do you insist on the concept of harassing them? For not caring about education in Finland, you sure seem to know a lot about it.
I’m having trouble interpreting your post, what is sarcasm and what is serious. To reduce, do you support politicizing education management? I suggest that it is counter productive.
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
6:54 pm
(post addressed to: Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar,)
Maureen Downey
September 27th, 2012
6:59 pm
Crankee, Atlanta, Randolph, Warren, Coffee. Montgomery and Appling were on accreditation probation last year.
This year, Miller and Sumter were placed on probation. And Gov. Deal ordered the entire Miller school board board removed from office because of fighting among board members.
Major cause of all these actions in all these places: School board governance.
Maureen
Beverly Fraud
September 27th, 2012
6:59 pm
As foolish and ignorant as members of the Clayton County School board have been, you are talking about an organization, SACS who according to THIS VERY PAPER (Maureen can correct if this is in error) tried to strong arm the APS school board to keep as board chair a person who tried to cover up cheating.
How can you take seriously the ETHICS of an organization who, (again, according to this very paper) ACTIVELY tried to keep cheating enablers in power?
Yes, I know this doesn’t fit the “narrative” of this story, that the ClayCo school board is foolish and ignorant.
But we already knew THAT; heck what do you expect from people who voted Walking Small back?
It still leaves the question, who holds accountable the organization that, at least indirectly, was complicit in trying to whitewash the nation’s largest cheating scandal?
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
7:05 pm
Hillbilly D, What do school boards do? What is there function? They certainly do not protect anyone from having to go along with the “state or federal person running things.” In fact, it is local school boards who act as the enforcement to make local persons go along with the state and federal mandates, as you say. This is part of the problem. By signing on to “Race to the Top,” the school systems who have done this have just exempted themselves from any management competence other than to act as the enforcement portion of the national mandate complete with its various payout provisions for for-profit testing companies. This is “big money” going to these testing companies and the local school boards are co-opted to force the local workers to follow these mandates to a “T” whether it takes 10 instructional days out of the school calendar or 40. It is the local school boards that are co-opted to enforce on teachers this bizarre Mao Tse Tung era official “self criticism or you will be sent off to be re-educated.” This is right out of communist China circa 1954. The local school boards certainly do not protect the communities from state and national political mandates the directly instruct this intrusion into local education.
And I hope everyone know that in the recent Chicago teacher union strikes there was a conflict of interest because the parent company of FoxNews owns the testing company that is in use by Chicago Public Schools. So go figure that out, any specialists in corporate mono-culture.
Beverly Fraud
September 27th, 2012
7:13 pm
“Crankee, Atlanta, Randolph, Warren, Coffee. Montgomery and Appling were on accreditation probation last year.”
When the school board was marching in lockstep to cover up cheating they were “award winning”
When a majority finally got fed up and, in an action a judge ruled perfectly LEGAL, made changes to expose the cheating, SACS put them on probation.
What’s the greater crime against children, the antics of the ClayCoClowns, or the schemes of SACS?
Beverly Fraud
September 27th, 2012
7:23 pm
Maureen was I in error to state that your paper reported that SACS and Mark Elgart tried to strong arm the APS school board into keeping as board chairman a person who again, this very paper DOCUMENTED, actively conspired to cover up cheating? (By deleting the Porter report.)
Is this an erroneous conclusion to draw about your paper in this particular matter? And if not, what does that say about Mark Elgart and SACS?
Wilbur
September 27th, 2012
7:28 pm
I don’t think that the Clayco Mess de Jour proves anything about school boards. It might though, indicate something about schools systems in general. As the rough congruence of values and aspirations of parents in our communities has broken down, its increasingly difficult to educate the children. Some level of social consensus is needed for schools to function effectively. When this underlying congruence is gone, it’s impossible to make and sustain the priority decisions needed for education.
This is one reason that the age of public education in the US is drawing to a close. One size no longer fits all. Not even poorly.
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
7:30 pm
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serf’s Collar,
“The world is just full of alternative possibilities for the erudition of an Ed Leadership degree.”
Okay, I get it now. You are saying that persons in management who are credentialed with this degree are basically in the business of promoting and advantaging themselves. It does seem like there is a weird pattern of many education management positions being a brief stop on the turnstile. With the crashed economy, there may be less of this, less places to go for the “up up and away” “in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon.” Collar, are you saying that a “leadship degree” is actually a metaphor for “My beautiful, my beautiful balloon?”
What ever happened to the days when a regular capable person was one principal at a school for a long long time? And one capable nice people-manager person was a superintendent for a long long time until they retired and then after they died, someone named a building after them? What I have seen from local “school boards” is that they move principals around like they are playing checkers and every time there is a good team accomplishing something, the team gets split up and reassigned to meet some “need” or “concept” usually from a principal who has been there for no longer than a year or two. The degree or instability is frightening. Corporate spouses of teachers are shocked at what they are told are some of the management moves and modes. As if… the manager says to themselves…. “Well, if I can’t get moved up the ladder to even more power or pay… I’ll just move everyone else around me.”
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar
September 27th, 2012
7:32 pm
Private Citizen-Education Leadership is the “coursework” that is the basis for many an administrator insisting they are a Doctor. I find education management a misnomer because it is not your money and there is no real downside.
Of course I know what is going on in Finland. Heck, I know what is going on most places in ed but it gets held out as the model. Plus Maureen and I had an ever so much fun game of link to the sources in a debate over Finland.
I know some wonderful supers who care deeply about each student. But I also know the model and a fair number are essentially Fifth Columnists with a political agenda they are not being honest with the public about. I don’t say that lightly or without a tremendous amount of documentation.
I am merely pointing out that in this day with the various unappreciated incentives in place trusting a Principal or Super to be guided by doing right by the kids and taxpayers is a dangerous thing.
We have a Transformational game afoot and ed is merely a tool.
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar
September 27th, 2012
7:34 pm
PC-the term is Gypsy Principals and Gypsy Supers. And yes I did invent it and I did it to draw attention to an expensive destructive pattern that hurts kids. Especially ones without recourse from home.
claytondawg
September 27th, 2012
7:36 pm
Oh, well. “Clayco Clowns” is a very appropriate name for Clayton County. I do not see it MERGING with Fulton to help with (as someone above stated it) “brain power.” All Boards of Education are directly proportional to it electorate. Society has created its own mess with education and government; in fact, government is why education is in its horrendous state now. I say: let Clayton County’s Board be run with no more than five (5) retired teachers, each with 25 years or more of classroom teaching experience. Wild? Yes. At least someone knows the needs of both the classroom and students.
claytondawg
September 27th, 2012
7:38 pm
grammar problem: sorry “proportional to ITS…”
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
7:40 pm
“Beverly,” I think you’re going after the wrong scapegoats. Saturation testing may be the problem and it may due to a very smoothly orchestrated political control that sends a lot of money to certain companies. This same sort of thing is happening in the lesser universities, except that it is one or two publishers and “a single textbook” from them for each course. Yes, there are added readings and internet discussion activities, but the single book publisher sets both the tone and content of the university course and it tends to be the same publisher or two over many many courses. For public K-12 schooling, you might look into who are the testing companies, how much are they walking away with, so to speak, per student or per school district. I suggest this is the cause of many of the things that you are concerned with and upon examination, you may find a pretty full scale marauding is taking place involving very few “players.”
Beverly Fraud
September 27th, 2012
7:41 pm
But I also know the model and a fair number are essentially Fifth Columnists with a political agenda they are not being honest with the public about. I don’t say that lightly or without a tremendous amount of documentation.
@invisible, thank God we have the Broad Academy to counteract that trend LOL
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
7:43 pm
“let Clayton County’s Board be run with no more than five (5) retired teachers, each with 25 years or more of classroom teaching experience.”
When you get the address of this dream, I want to go there.
Blue dog
September 27th, 2012
7:51 pm
The entire public school system needs to be ran by hired professionals serving under a single state education official, similar to the university system. Also, public schools should be funded totally by state revenues, not partially from property taxes. This would eliminate the disparity between poor and affluent districts. The other major change that has evolved in the last decades beginning with integration, is discipline. Urban schools suffer the worse. Those school administrations of mostly black schools, have lost control over discipline, fearing over zealous black parents who view any knock against their child as simply racial intolerance.
Put cameras in ALL classrooms….challenge all parental attempts to “soften” enforcement of bad behavior and start to become what the private schools now have….control of the students. Only then will the public schools be able to attract “good” teachers.
Talk to private school teachers who make half the salary of public school teachers and they will tell you…the ONE REASON they teach private school for less money is RESPECT. They do not have to put up with a student cursing them out with impunity.
Bring back discipline……..fund all schools equally…and GET RID OF LOCAL CONTROL!!!
Then….we may be able to elevate the education for the children in this state.
momintheknow
September 27th, 2012
7:54 pm
School boards with relatively small districts represent their community well. They work well with superintendents that probably reflect those districts too. When you get a large area things start to break down. The divisions we are seeing are natural. If our constitution provided for the breaking away and re-forming new counties and school systems then we would not see these governance problems. Our state, for reasons that are confusing to me, won’t recognize this. It continues to glue together communities that don’t have anything in common. A superintendent in a relatively unified district is going to have an easier job. A superintendent in a district with diverging needs is going to have a rough go of it. Systems should be able to break apart at this time just like we allow cities to form.
From Inside The Community
September 27th, 2012
8:00 pm
You can blame the school board all you want. The real problem is that they hired the wrong person for Superintendent, Ed Heatley. Superintendents look upon school districts such as Clayton County as one they can prey upon. Dig deeper people. If it weren’t for Jessie Goree protecting the citizens of CCPS, this crook would probable still be ripping off the citizens of this county. $349,000 a year salary. Puleezze! On another note— WE WEREN’T BROKE UNTIL THIS CROOK AND COMPANY CAME AND TOLD US WE WERE BROKE! NOT A BUDGET POSTED FOR PUBLIC VIEW SINCE HE TOOK CHARGE. DIG DEEPER!!!
Teachers for CCPS
September 27th, 2012
8:02 pm
Step down Pam Adamson!
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
8:07 pm
Collar,
You certainly get to the point. “a Transformational game” You’ve given me pause. I would like to see an outline, a map and destination. I agree with you that the treads on the tank are squeaking and rolling. I wonder, what is the “end game?” It would be nice to know so as to know have to play along with shock at every step along the way.
Hey, I learned something recently. Andre “the Giant” Roussimoff “was driven to school by playwright Samuel Beckett, a neighbour. Roussimoff was a good student, but he dropped out after the 8th grade since he did not think having a high school education was necessary for a farm laborer. He then worked on a farm, completed an apprenticeship in woodworking, and next worked in a factory that manufactured engines for hay balers. None of these brought him any satisfaction.”
Okay I get it now. Andre’s dilemma for his morning commute was the basis for “Waiting for Godot.”
No, that can’t be it. Beckett was probably there outside the house waiting for Andre. Wait a minute.
Mrnumbersman
September 27th, 2012
8:13 pm
School boards can work. But, political school boards that have to be elected have serious issues. If we don’t have school boards then we will have government boards ruling the school district from afar. We already have enough government intrusion into the inner workings of schools without any more need of further intrusion.
atlmom
September 27th, 2012
8:15 pm
No, they don’t really work. even where you people are citing they ‘do’ work – yeah, well, great. What I said a year or two ago was – great…go recruit wonderful great hard working school board members for APS – since all of them are pretty incompetent. Go ahead, find the best you can.
So great – they get elected.
Then four years later – or 12 years later, or whenever, you’re going to eventually have a board of incompetents again. it’s just the way it works. What needs to happen is LESS oversight, not more…because, well, whatever we’ve been doing( and by that I mean, nationwide, everywhere) is. not. working. It just isn’t. The ‘good’ school systems are great because of the parents and the kids and the neighborhoods. Take the ‘lower socioeconomic’ kids with different parents, etc, and put them in *that* school system and it would be a disaster. Completely. because they aren’t even set up to deal with kids who don’t behave or who threaten or who don’t want to (or don’t know that they can) go to college.
Our school systems are a mess, then we keep thinking that making that ‘one small change’ (like, oh, i don’t know, ‘new’ cafeteria menus – that have our kids throwing away so much food it is disgusting) – and we’ll be fine.
it doesn’t work that way. we need new and different ideas and TOTALLY new something. Charters are a step in the right direction, but only a small tiny step. not anything that is the whole story.
South Georgia
September 27th, 2012
8:18 pm
To become a teacher requires four years of college, passing standardized examinations for certification, proper credentials, back ground checks, all at a minimum. To become a board member to govern the educated employees requires one uneducated idiot to get a bunch of other uneducated idiots to vote them into office.
Old timer
September 27th, 2012
9:11 pm
A great Ga educator and historian died today,,Ted Key you will always be my kids favorite teacher and a wonderful college to work with. You encouraged all of us in CC to learn more about our area and to includ it in our teaching. Anna the kids you got involved in Historicical Jonesboro are wonderful….
Old timer
September 27th, 2012
9:17 pm
Best educator in the old Clayton county died today..RIP Ted Key…you gave me so much…that yellow. Us driving through GA tea hen us teachers about ou state…and my kids loved your classes the best ecer
High School teacher/parent
September 27th, 2012
9:18 pm
Has anyone realized that the school board ,embers do not have to have ANY background in education. In order to be on the American Bar Association, you must have a law degree to advise lawyers. American Dental Association-a dental degree, but a school board to advise schools can be comprised of an angry elderly person, who runs to keep kids off his lawn and a lady who hates children.
claytondawg
September 27th, 2012
9:30 pm
@Old Timer–I knew Ted Key and his wife. Both are/were terrific people, in addition to being true teachers.. Ted’s students were not only taught, but they experienced Georgia History; he knew his subject and his students learned. RIP, Ted. For those of us who knew you are better stewards of history and appreciate your skill and love.
GTJohn
September 27th, 2012
9:38 pm
In order for a school board to work, we must have parents ( electorate) that are intelligent enough and caring enough to elect members who care about the kids and what they learn.
I would bet the majority of voters do not actually know any factual information about those for whom they vote. To get info on the local elections is not that easy, but doable. On the national level it is easier but it does not come from things that state – and I approve this message.
That is why none of it works today and why we will lose our way of life unless it changes.
GTJohn
September 27th, 2012
9:46 pm
An unqualified electorate will never elect qualified servants.
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
10:05 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CLdY9AAqI4#t=6m16s
66yrs/99pct
September 27th, 2012
10:11 pm
If this doesn’t indicate a need for Charter Schools, I don’t know what does. This county, as well as all the others in metro Atlanta – including Fulton, are being run by a bunch of egomaniacs who care more about their prestige than any other thing in the universe (except their paycheck).
WE pay them and get NOTHING in return other than a “review board inquiry” to see if our children may or may not be attending an accredited school. If this is my tax dollars at work – I demand CHARTER SCHOOLS because these yahoos don’t know how to do the job they are being paid for and I’m tired of preparing my kids a decent lunch and carrying the school board’s sorry butts in the process!
Private Citizen
September 27th, 2012
10:14 pm
“Why do you have so little testing in the first place?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CLdY9AAqI4#t=12m47s
S
September 27th, 2012
10:18 pm
People of Clayton County it is time to wake up. Now that “Egghead” SACS fearless leader has lost his pick for super he is threatening accreditation again so that he can force us into hiring yet another cronie from the Broad Academy of Stupidintendents. We need to stand up and take our county back. Pam Adamson and Mary Baker need to go with Heatly. Jesse is the only one with that I saw researching and questioning actions that weren’t right. The rest of you went along with whatever Heatly wanted like good little brainwashed puppets. I can tell you right now Pam that there was no crying going on among staff members at the announcement of his leaving. And tears won’t be shed when you leave. I just haven’t figured out yet why SACS wants control of tis county. Whatever is happening with the board has nothing to do with the great things going on in the schools with the students and staff and to threaten all that they have worked for over stupid politics is asinine. To destroy children’s futures is a crime. People of Clayton County please wake up.
Rick L in ATL
September 27th, 2012
10:24 pm
You can’t argue that school boards are untrustworthy AND argue against the charter amendment. This is precisely why people need to vote YES in Nov.
I will put our bunch of APS BOE clowns up against Clayton’s any day. Have you forgotten LaChandra Butler Burks’ “Blue Ribbon Panel?” or the REPEATED credit card abuse by Courtney English? Or the stammering, stuttering (but unrelenting) support of the disgraced Bev Hall by Cecily Harsch-Kinnane? I sure as hell haven’t.
These people can’t be trusted to make even inconsequential decisions; how can we even consider giving them absolute authority to decide yes/no re: charter schools? Sure, we elected them–that’s our bad. We’ll remedy that soon enough. In the meantime, we have to do damage control, and minimize their negative impact on our scandal-plagued, broke-a$$ system.
Teachers for CCPS
September 27th, 2012
10:31 pm
Welcome Luvenia Jackson, Interim Superintendent of Clayton County Public Schools. She is an upstanding as well as outstanding educator who Ed Heatley and Stefanie Phillips DEMOTED quickly upon their arrival for no apparent reason! “FUNNY HOW TIME HAS A WAY OF BRINGING ALL THINGS FULL CIRCLE.” I promise you citizens of Clayton County, the fat lady has not sung YET!
bootney farnsworth
September 27th, 2012
10:37 pm
lets face it- we’re sunk
Dr. Johh Trotter
September 27th, 2012
11:09 pm
I just stumbled on this entry upon this blog. I actually wrote an article about the latest diatribe of the reincarnation of Ericka Davis, Pam Adamson. Both apparently were/are control freaks who if they can’t get their ways go running to little Markie Elgart of SACS, the same man whom I have challenged on dozens of occasions to meet me in a public debate. The proposition: SACS arbitrarily and capriciously applies its so-called Standards. I will gladly take the Affirmative and Mark can take the Negative. He is, in my opinion, the greatest educational hypocrite in Georgia.
Queen Pammie cries: “Help me, SACS, help me! I’m trying to cut off debate, discussion, and dissent, but folks like Jessie Goree on the school keep asking questions! Who do they think that they are, elected officials?!” Markie replies: “You’re right, Queen Puppet, and we will send a letter and work everyone up into some fit — while we let Atlanta get away with murder! You are right indeed! Who does the school board think that it is by trying to actually hire a superintendent on its own?! How is Glenn Brock’s august search firm going to make money if the actual elected officials do what they are charged by the Georgia law to do?!”
The comical ones are actually Pam Adamson and Mark Elgart (and Glenn Brock, as I am confident that he is lurking in the background). Goof balls. Political goof balls. They are to be pitied. This is like members of the Soviet Politburo getting mad that political prisoners (like the Clayton County Board of Education is to SACS) actually complaining about their treatment in the Gulag.
You can read my more detailed musings at the following site >>>
http://www.georgiateachersspeakout.com
Burroughston Broch
September 27th, 2012
11:11 pm
Let’s take a look from 30,000 feet. If the school boards and administrations were acceptably performing, there would be no outcry for charter schools. Instead, the outcry is all over the state and not only in those areas were the schools are in the SACS doghouse. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
I am conflicted about proposed Amendment 1. On one hand, I like the idea of keeping the Constitution as it is and retaining local control of schools. On the other hand, so many dysfunctional school boards are defaulting on their reponsibilities and ruining our children’s educational opportunities. I don’t believe that those who wrote the Constitution envisioned the mess we have today. I am still sitting on the fence.
Wheeler Mom
September 27th, 2012
11:34 pm
I don’t know if school boards are an institution whose time has passed, but after watching the Cobb board for the past couple years, I think I can pinpoint two problems (at least with that one).
First, the position should be non-partisan. Party politics should not be a factor in the education of children.
Second, there should be an “at-large” position representing the entire district, as well as the separate district representatives.
I think changing those two things would make a fairer, more representative board.
PArt of the calendar fiasco came about because the three newly elected board members thought they had some kind of voter mandate, when in truth, the total number of votes wasn’t even close to the number of students in Cobb County Schools. They were voted in partially due to the oddities of partisan politics and an off-year election.
Dr. Johh Trotter
September 27th, 2012
11:42 pm
Maureen: You have this thing totally wrong. It’s not the school boards which are out of control; it’s SACS that is totally out of control. School boards are simply part of the messy process called democracy. The voters can clean up any mess, if the voters so desire. Look at the “mess” in Congress. Are we to jettison Congress because we don’t like the “mess”? Until Mark Elgart started acting like he was Zeus sitting atop Mount Alpharetta, things were rocking along fairly smoothly. The culprit is SACS, not the school boards.
By the way, I was attending school board meetings in Clayton County all through the 1980s and 1990s when there were almost knock-down-dragouts between school board members…between Democrats and Republicans and even between factions on the school board. The new interim superintendent, Luvenia Jackson, used to attend these meetings, some of which lasted after midnight. There was constant acrimony in the air. But, guess what? SACS never got involved, and the teachers kept teaching and the students kept learning. It wasn’t until, I hate to say, that African Americans took over some of these school boards that SACS all of a sudden wanted to get involved. White folks, I don’t care if you get mad that I say this; this is just a fact. The Clayton County Board of Education members act like shrinking violets compared to the Clayton County Boards of Education under the leadership of the following Chairs: Margaret Haynie, Lindy Krebs, Andrea Calloway, Judy Taylor, Dr. Abner Moore, Linda Barrett, Mike Barnes, and Mark Armstrong. I am not pointing down these eight Chairs any more than I would put down the partisan leaders in the U. S. Senate, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell. This is just how politics works.
Only when Clayton and DeKalb Counties had African American majorities on their respective school boards did SACS get so holy and concerned. I have said over and over that SACS stands for Still Advocating for Cronies and Superintendents (SACS). It is a phony, money-grabbing private company (with no accountability to the voters of Georgia) which makes its money by scaring the daylights out of local school board – and then the local school boards still have to pay SACS all kinds of money. This private company gets it feed from the country trough. It is a union for the superintendents and an enforcer for groups like ALEC which want to exert influence in public education without undergoing the elective process. I am wont to say that SACS is the agency of those who feast on seared Salmon and asparagus and imbibe on fine Merlot at the Piedmont Driving Club but who would never deign to get the dirt of local politics under their pampered and manicured finger nails.
The Georgia General Assembly should cut the cords between the school systems and SACS. The elected State Superintendent should administer an agency set up by enabling legislation in the General Assembly and signed by the Governor. The agency would simply be called the Georgia Schools Accreditation Agency (GCSS). It would ultimately be accountable to the people. The State Superintendent could appoint the members or they could appointed by the Governor based on Congressional Districts like the appointed Board of Education. But, SACS (and especially Mark Elgart) have out-lived any usefulness that it may have had at one time in Georgia. SACS now causes much more harm than any good that it may do.
So Sad...
September 27th, 2012
11:47 pm
I don’t know if the SACS letter was pre-planned or if they were watching last Monday’s board meeting when Goree told the new CFO that she would have to get used to his “White voice” and then laughed it off. If a White board member had said that to an African-American staff member, it would have been ALL over the news. She is the albatross that is pulling the district into the abyss. The worst part is that she doesn’t care.
Lou
September 27th, 2012
11:58 pm
@Maureen…my friend’s mom is a teacher in Clayton County. Her mom said that after going to a teacher’s meeting they are postponing the Superintendent leaving until the last week of October…have you heard about that?
crankee-yankee
September 28th, 2012
6:49 am
OK Maureen, so the count is 8 boards across the state that are under scrutiny. Methinks that is a small percentage of the state’s boards and does not constitute a trend. What are the numbers from other states across the southeast, the nation? Are we above the norm? How do those numbers compare to historical data? Once those numbers are known, this discussion will have something to gnaw on.
Bartow Citizen
September 28th, 2012
7:51 am
I think this is a valid question.
Bartow County is also a mess, with several board members and taxpayers at war with each other constantly.
Just this week, one board member released a web site that contains a recording of another board member berating a teacher over some personal issues. That teacher was moved and her principal demoted to teacher after personal issues with this board member. Text messages from this board member were also released. At last Monday’s board meeting, the same board member publicly discussed personnel issues and threatened people. You can see it all here:
http://www.bartowforabetterboe.com
http://cartersville.patch.com/articles/sound-off-school-board-members-address-website-accusations#youtube_video-11482047
Dr. Johh Trotter
September 28th, 2012
9:01 am
People are concluding that school boards are a “mess” simply because Mark Elgart and SACS have declared that they are a “mess.” But, who died and made him the Zeus of Public Education. School board members, like other elected officials on City Councils, State Legislatures, the U. S. Congress, etc., will argue over policies and practices, and this is actually good. Robust discussion and debate is great.
Mark Elgart and his so-called SACS Standards are bull sh-t, if you will. Total bull sh-t. Elgart wants school boards to sit around holding hands and quietly intoning banal niceties to each other as the “professional” attorneys and the gypsey superintendents make all the decisions with input, of course, from key and connected business “leaders” in the community. This is Mark Elgart’s ideal school board, a school board which gets elected by the people and then sits on his collective rump and says nothing and does nothing.
Oh, by the way, did I say that I thought that SACS’s so-called Standards are bull-sh-t? Well, if I didn’t, I do.
Dr. Johh Trotter
September 28th, 2012
9:07 am
Typo: its collective rump, not his collective rump. Sorry.
Clayco Survivor
September 28th, 2012
10:58 am
WHAT?? SAY IT AIN’T SO! Could this be a way to keep Heatley in place and pacify SACS??
Dr. Johh Trotter
September 28th, 2012
11:54 am
@ Clayco: I think that this is what this ruse is all about. It’s all a game >>>
http://www.georgiateachersspeakout.com
C Jae of EAV
September 28th, 2012
12:50 pm
The 1st thing that immediately comes to mind after reading this blog is DCSS Board Member Nancy Jester’s recent editorial blog “ The Myth Of Local Control”. Essentially, your blog serves to support to some degree Ms. Jester’s premise. Furthermore, little is being spoken to the Gov’s Office being leveraged to instigate the removing of duly elected board members. How exactly does that fit into the “local control” narrative that’s often thrown up to defend againest any all public policy initatives aimed at providing enhanced “school choice”. Should not those served by these elected officals we covet so much have a say in all this?
Bottom line I would say that by and large school boards work as intended. The difficulty in Clayton County seems to stem from board members who have misjudged the true nature of their role (goverance/oversight vs day to day operational authority). Equally as alluded to by Ms. Jester a lot of Superintendant’s believe the Board serves at their pleasure rather than the reverse. Hense there is friction when Board members object to how policy directives are being manifested. The functional responsbilities of both parties (Board vs Super) are necessary and will have to be executed regardless. The question becomes how wide a span of control . In other words purhaps these uber large districts should be broken down into multiple smaller one’s. It’s a slippery slope..
DeKalb Teacher
September 28th, 2012
2:17 pm
Ms Jester’s editorial in full
http://whatsupwiththat.nancyjester.com/2012/09/26/the-myth-of-local-control/
C Jae of EAV
September 28th, 2012
4:02 pm
@ bubba 09/27 3:16pm – Your suggestion for the formulation of a Milton & South Of Atlanta (South Fulton/Clayco) districts strikes to me more like socio-economic segregation of schools. Personally I don’t see how your proposal resolves the concerns cited in Clayco. @Mary Elizabeth if you’re out there, since you have often spoken to your concerns about charter schools manifesting segregation within the public education sphere, what say you of what @bubba is proposing?
@Sandy Springs Parent 09/27 5:18pm – I believe your thought has some merit. I would be more apt to reconfig local districts no larger than 4 HS clusters. I think at that level your able leverage economies of scales from an operational perspective, yet keep local districts at a managable size to avert some of the other buracratic concerns that have been noted in the blog.
@Private Citizen – as perverse as it may sound as a right to work state, virtually every person in GA who works for someone else as an employee works/serves at their employers pleasure. Such is life, don’t like it work for yourself and even then you still work at the pleasure of your customer base. So it is what it is. The problem for public education comes where the employee (i.e. Super) figures they are above the employer (ie The Board).
C Jae of EAV
September 28th, 2012
4:13 pm
@claytondawg 09/27 7:38pm – There needs to be a more balanced approach to the composition of any board of governance. Your suggestion doesn’t necessarily fix the problem its likely to only generate new problems by creating a situation where all the decision makers come from one prism of thought. Many local boards have significant presence from former educators doesn’t seem to matter much one the whole. Stacking the deck completely that way isn’t like to improve those odds.
@GTJohn – By george I think you’ve idenified the elephant in the room. People don’t put much into how local school board members are vetted when they run so often people are elected that offer little value.
C Jae of EAV
September 28th, 2012
4:17 pm
@Dr John Trotter – I appreciate the history lesson
3schoolkids
September 28th, 2012
4:34 pm
I had read Ms. Jester’s blog earlier today and think it is very funny she points out the school board heirarchy doesn’t mean parental choice but voting yes on the charter amendment will change that. Yet she doesn’t mention ONE charter school that contains a governing board with a majority parent representation. Unless the governing board of the charter school-any charter school, has a majority of parents on the board there is no parental power.
I do think the timing of the Dekalb and Clayton SACS notifications is very convenient given the upcoming vote on the Charter Amendment. Won’t AdvanceEd have MORE clients if it passes? And why haven’t we heard of an SACS investigation into Georgia Cyber Academy’s IDEA compliance issues?
For those interested in investigating any correlation between size and number of school districts and school performance please see report below:
http://www.nea.org/home/44479.htm
Yes it is an NEA report, but check the references if you don’t like the source.
DeKalb Teacher
September 28th, 2012
4:35 pm
The race below, which I’ve posted before, is not atypical of the races across the state. I posit that the electorate was well aware of the candidates and voted for the person they felt more comfortable with. Like Chris Rock’s skit, the educated person isn’t valued.
DeKalb District #5 BOE Race in 2010:
Kirk Nooks – B.S. and M.B.A from Mercer and Ed.D. from George Washington
Jacques Hall – Perimeter College student
Cunningham – functional illiterate and convicted felon with high school education
2010 BOE election results
Jay Cunningham – 64%
Jackques Hall – 24%
Kirk Nooks – 12%
HLS
September 28th, 2012
4:53 pm
Elgart is a coward. He should say what he means. He should not paint the entire board with the same brush. He should not elude to a un-named outside influence. The history lesson here – is what happened to the Clayton BOE 12 years ago with the Trotter influence 5 led by Nedra. Then the next BOE with the arrogant 4 – led by Trotter puppet – Noreese. Let there be no confusion, when Elgart talked about “outside influence” that is raising its ugly bearded face again is none other than our own infamous Mr. Trotter. And if you would only watch the tapes of the BOE meetings – you know that the “disruptive force” at the meetings is its present member – the well-meaning but – ” I have a forum , where you gotta listen” – Ms Goree. I must say seeing Goree and Trotter on the same side is not a surprise.
Since John Trotter is strolling back into play, he will be supporting candidates – the voters need to take a good look at the new candidates for the open seats of the BOE. There is some hub-bub right now about a disruptive – you know who – board member — just wait until Trotter again has 3 instead of 1 supporter on the board. If that happens Clayton WILL lose accreditation. Oh- yeah – UN-welcome back K(Tr)otter. One thing you can be sure of – if Trotter is putting someone down – then they must be speaking the truth and certainly not paying into his retirement fund – MACE .
One more thing – if you read the rules and regulations for Board meeting you would know Goree is not following them — would someone please explain them to Goree.
Jessie Goree
September 28th, 2012
5:07 pm
@ So Sad – I usually just read and not comment; because every one is entitled to their opinion. However, at the Board meeting, I said that I would have to get accustomed to his “Barry White” voice. Barry White is the singer with the very deep bass voice. We have had a female CFO and Dr. Phillips giving the financial reports. I’m sorry if you are unfamilar with Barry White. I guess I need to check with the CFO to see if he understood. I was just having a moment of fun. Sorry, if you heard something different. This week I’ve been blamed for everything but I wouldn’t dare make a racist statement about an employee. @Lou – Ms. Luvenia Jackson will be sworn in at 8 am on Monday, Oct 1. She will be our Interim Superintendent until the Board that is in place in January launches a search. By the way, we had our very best Retreat on Saturday. One session was on “Selecting a Superintendent” and was conducted by our Attorney Glenn Brock. He explained the law and requirements to conduct a search and mentioned that SACS would want to see us “fully involved”. We discussed holding forums to engage our stakeholders which SACS added to our mandates in 2009, We never said that we were doing a search. We were just trying to be proactive and follow the SACS mandates.
mojo
September 28th, 2012
5:15 pm
@3schoolkids, I think you miss the point Ms. Jester is making. Parent power comes from the fact that they CHOOSE to go to the charter school. If they don’t like it, they can leave. The school has an interest in delivering a valuable product for the parents. In traditional schools you are trapped and can only go where an administrator lets you go. There is nothing to prevent parents from being a majority of a governance board. The real power is in the hands of the parents because they can choose.
Clayton Teacher
September 28th, 2012
7:57 pm
@Jessie Goree, I want to say thank you for having the courage to question the bullying and non-transparent tactics of our FORMER superintendent, Ed Heatley. I know you have taken more than your fair share of flak for simply questioning his plans and tactics and actions–actions which if performed in Berkeley, CA, where he so smuggly thought he was headed, would have put him out the door–most probably in jail–before he had led for a school year.
Heatley, the high-heeled, high-horsed, bullhorn- holdin- handed FORMER superintendent of Clayton County Public Schools was a graduate of the Broad Superintendents Academy. Google it. Read their agenda. Look back on his record here and see how adroitly Heatley rammed that agenda down the throats of the hardworking students, families and educators of Clayton County. Notice, too, that he omitted that critical affiliation from the biographical blurb he gave the Berkeley (CA) Unified School District.
Jessie Goree, thank you and thank you to God, that you dug your heels in and tried to question this man and his Broad Academy agenda.
People, so you know, Berkeley wouldn’t have him after they read of his antics and the similar stuff he pulled in Chino, CA.
Pam Adamson, do you read, Ma’am? I heard through the grapevine that you were an excellent, on-the-ball educator. But, Ma’am, do you read.
Google. Read. Read differing opinions. Look for the “hidden” items that come up.
Regular folks on the internet with their humble insights will reveal more than any paid search team ever will.
Come on, Clayton! Rise up!
Private Citizen
September 28th, 2012
8:15 pm
Regarding the “transformational” agenda:
“American K-12 education, or what Rupert Murdoch, Walden’s distribution partner on “Won’t Back Down,” lip-lickingly calls “a $50 billion sector in the U.S. alone that is waiting desperately to be transformed.” http://www.salon.com/2012/09/27/the_corporate_education_agenda_behind_wont_back_down/?fb_action_ids=226063094188505&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582
Realistically, what Georgia is probably looking forward to is how to sort of these new education entrepreneur companies and separate the wheat from the chaff. Sort of like when “Emerson” privatized schools dive-bombed. This folks have a lot of nerve, naming their exploits “Emerson” and “Walden.” Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau would beat their butt with a hickory bough. Re-reading Thoreau, it is frightening and harsh book in a lot of places. He didn’t think much of many people.
What I want to know is who is going to be the first bunch of building contractors smart enough to open a vocational tech charter school and get some of that money while educating teens.
Trash talk
September 28th, 2012
8:22 pm
Thanks Jesse for setting the record straight.
Private Citizen
September 28th, 2012
8:26 pm
Jessie, You’re in Georgia. Everyone knows who Barry White is. What you need to see is Gerald Levert wiping the sweat off his brow with a teddy bear and throwing it into the audience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZxzj08Iwss
Maybe the Ying Yang Twins will open a charter school in College Park and get some of that money while teaching the production arts, how to make records and video.
Private Citizen
September 28th, 2012
8:34 pm
If the Luvenia lady is good enough to be the “interrim,” then make her the superintendent and stop with the “searching” and cult of personality and get back to work in the classroom teaching kids.
Private Citizen
September 28th, 2012
8:38 pm
Faulkner couldn’t spell, either.
Private Citizen
September 28th, 2012
8:43 pm
Maybe Jimmy Carter will open up a charter school specializing in government. Either that or how to farm or drive submarines.
Private Citizen
September 28th, 2012
8:44 pm
… he could do it at the Carter Center. They’ve already got a cafeteria.
Teacher in Clayton
September 28th, 2012
10:49 pm
As a teacher in Clayton County, I would also like to thank Jessie Goree for standing up to Heatley and the board members who were more than willing to rubber stamp whatever he wanted. Heatley is absolutely hated by the teachers of this county, his awful policies have made our lives so miserable. When Heatley forced us to attend a “pep rally” type event (which took hours of much needed planning time away from us on the last work day before school started) at one of the county stadiums, Ms. Goree was cheered by the staff members in the stands-not Dr. Adamson or Mary Baker who were also in attendance. The teachers and other staff know what is going on in the schools because of Heatley and the board members backing him. We are thrilled that he is gone. Only wish the board would not go on one of these nationwide “searches” for a super, we will only end up with another, as Dr. Trotter puts it, worthless and greedy “gypsy superintendent.”
Mary
September 28th, 2012
11:31 pm
The real problem with the Board of Education in Clayton County is a serious lack of good candidates. Often times, there are one or two people running for each seat. People keep waxing philosophical, rude, and downright racist about how poorly Clayco voters do at the polls. Heck, look at what we generally have to choose from. In most cases it’s a choice between No and No Way. But, we get blamed for voting stupid.
Will some honest, open-minded, concerned citizens in Clayton County please start stepping forward to run for these school board positions? We will support you if you come into the position with the students’ needs at heart – not your own interests and agenda. I know alot of good folks who would love the job. Unfortunately, we’re all currently employed in Clayton County Schools and therefore ineligible to run for a seat. So, we keep waiting for someone to step up and lead the way to a BOE that commands some respect and makes sound decisions.
With all of the business owners, community members, and parents out there who are so sick of how Clayton Co schools operate, we can only scrounge up 20 or so candidates for all 9 districts in these school board races? My numbers may be off, but as an educator AND resident of Clayton County, I can see that we need more options.
If you live here, stop complaining and STEP UP! If your lifestyle won’t allow you to hold a BOE seat, encourage someone else to run for a seat – someone with integrity and tenacity. We’ve got to take this bull by the horns.
Beverly Fraud
September 29th, 2012
9:44 am
“Let there be no confusion, when Elgart talked about “outside influence” that is raising its ugly bearded face again is none other than our own infamous Mr. Trotter.”
Well yes HLS why NOT have “no confusion”? Why won’t Elgart be SPECIFIC? And why won’t YOU address Elgart’s agenda?
After all, is this not the guy who, if THIS very paper is to be believed worked to ACTIVELY whitewash the largest cheating scandal in American educational history by attempting to keep in power a board chair who conspired with the Superintendent to cover up evidence of cheating?
This is your educational hero, who would restore “ethics” back to ClayCo?
Private Citizen
September 29th, 2012
11:01 am
Does anyone want to revisit the topic of “focus schools” and schools being formally stigmatized and publicized as lacking because they are community schools that house both high flying professional family kids and kids with disabilities under one roof?
My point is that with this degree of intrusion and meddling, I do not think there is a school board anywhere that can protect or guide their own schools. You can make up a school board of MLK and the Kennedy’s and it does not stop the outside meddling and mandates. This morning I thought of this “focus school” harassment and I thought of some of the SPED kids, the ones with serious disability sitting in their softly lighted room happily doing art and “light” activities and feeling loved and doing this under the same roof as other kids who will go on to study particle physics or be a shoe-in for law school or other professional training. So someone comes along and decides this is a bad thing and sprays some money at it like pest spray. It seems no school system will refuse money, whether it is attached to “focus schools” or “race to the top” (a horrific cheap name) or if it is attached to Mata Hari or Jeckll and Hyde, they’ll take the money and make the staff line up and play along. The net result it that no school likes to be called out or publicly humiliated. The easy answer is to stop “focusing” on educating all of the children to their best abilities. Focus on destruction. Get out the big hammer and flatten everybody out, forced equilvency. Some on this blog once mention the Kurt Vonnegut story “Harrison Bergeron.” “Focus schools” is this science fiction story made real. And the interesting part is that no one knows who authored it or where it came from, but the citizens of Georgia are set to obey. Georgians, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
I am someone shocked to review this blog article on the “focus schools” circa March, 2012 and there is so little uptake at the time at how bizarre and destructive is this type of intrusion. And it is reported that the designation came from the state DOE. Well, it didn’t. It came from the federal department of education as part of NCLB. But any and all school boards merrily dance along and maybe the state is the worst at this “redelivery” business. When it comes to mandates, school boards do not protect or shephard anyone. And in this regard it does not seem to matter who is one the schoolboard, whether they are a felon, a person with a GED, a caring activist, or a competent .phd. End of Rant.
The Vonnegut story is five pages long. Read the first sentence. http://www.wordfight.org/bnw/bnw-unit_packet.pdf
DeKalb Teacher
September 29th, 2012
11:07 am
I echo Mary@11:31’s sentiments. I have begged and pleaded with people across my county to run for BOE to no avail. What can we do?
Dr Walker, BOE chair in DeKalb, is retired,bored and likes the attention so he calls meetings 2 or 3 times a week. Only retired people can respond to that schedule. BOEs should only meet twice a month.
Would we get candidates if we paid more (currently 20k ish)? Isn’t that why we pay astronomical salaries for administrators?
Otherwise, I don’t see why we keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
Mary
September 29th, 2012
1:14 pm
@Dekalb Teacher:
Maybe we should start an exchange program. We can get some DeKalb residents who teach in Clayton to run for the board there in DeKalb and some Clayton residents who teach in DeKalb to run for the BOE here in Clayton. Both sides of us are sick and tired of what’s happening in our schools and how bad we are being made to look, when it has nothing to do with what’s going on in classrooms and schools.
Now, clearly some past examples have shown that just ANYONE who is an educator won’t make a good candidate for the BOE. But, those of us in the trenches know what kind of people are needed.
I personally think retired educators are good candidates. I guess they just have to realize that board members with full time jobs don’t have all day every day to attend to board issues. So I challenge some more of our retired educators to give some serious thought to stepping up to the plate. If you’re retired and bored, or just have some extra time to give back to the schools and community, give this some serious thought. I can think of several retired or resigned Clayton educators who can and should think about this for future elections.
Arghhhhhh!
September 29th, 2012
7:31 pm
@Pride and Joy, THANKS. @Beverly can we just allow this child this time to shine. What that watusi does your comment have to do with the story. People can we please STICK TO THE STORY AT HAND! You all talk about kids – GEES!
To those asking where was the board and teachers, etc – you try being an educator with the empty kids there are today. I wouldn’t teach for all the gold in the US Mint. Sadly when I read comments posted in response to the AJC’s stories it doesn’t surprise me why some kids are as empty as they are.
Congrats to this young lady.
Arghhhhhh!
September 29th, 2012
7:32 pm
Dangit wrong response board – oops!
Dr. Cletus Bulach
September 30th, 2012
11:49 am
In the 14 years I was a school superintendent, I had two good years with a school board that worked together. I became an expert in conflict management. Visit my website for more info at http://www.westga.edu/~cbulach
Maude
October 2nd, 2012
7:27 am
Yesteday was a great day for the children of Clayton County. Finally they have a superintendent even as an interim superintendnet that cares about children and public education. My question is how long can we keep her as an interim?? Will she have time to help the children and employees of Clayton County Public Schools?
Dr. Cletus Bulach
October 2nd, 2012
10:52 am
I would be willing to provide training for any school board that wants to work more effectively as a team. Conflict management is always an area where school board members need training. School board meetings can get extremely heated. The biggest problem with school board members, however, is in the area of interpersonal communications. There are five basic interpersonal communication skills. I can do a seminar that teaches each of these skills. The most important skill is 1) paraphrasing, 2) description of feelings, 3) behavior description, 4) non-verbal behavior, and 5) is giving and receiving feedback. With training in how to used these basic communication skills, many conflicts can be avoided.