Decision day for DeKalb: State board considers fate of school board Thursday
The state Board of Education will hold a hearing Thursday on the fate of the fractious DeKalb school board, which was the subject of a devastating critique by the district’s accreditation agency.
Last month, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accused DeKalb officials of engaging in bickering and nepotism while letting district finances collapse. SACS placed the district on probation. The probation could lead to full loss of accreditation if the many problems found by SACS in its six-month review are not corrected in one year.
But the school board may suffer more immediate repercussions from the probationary status.
Under a new state law, the state Board of Education can recommend that the governor suspend members of the DeKalb school board and appoint temporary replacements. The state board will hold its hearing at 1 p.m. in the Twin Towers in downtown Atlanta.
Historically, DeKalb has suffered from cronyism, nepotism and racial and economic divides. The current reality of fewer resources has exacerbated those divides, and some board members have exploited them to their own political advantage. The “friends and family” policy — in place long before the current administration came to power — has led to questionable hires and inflated titles.
The constant political gaming has created deep suspicions among the DeKalb parents who pay attention to the board. Those parents, well informed, data savvy and vocal, now question everything the board does or says. The parents do not trust the people running their schools. And the people running the schools have come to view those parents as adversaries rather than partners.
The SACS report outlines clear instances of school board meddling and poor governance. Anyone reading the report would believe that this is a system in decline rather than on the rise even though DeKalb can point to a few positive trends in its academic performance.
While the DeKalb school board doesn’t serve the citizens well, voters keep electing people who are not qualified to run the state’s third-largest district.
That said, I question the SACS stance, also reiterated in its reports on other districts, that school boards should speak with a united voice on most issues. Board members have a right to question and a right to disagree.
Board decisions don’t have to be unanimous. However, those decisions, no matter the vote tallies, ought to be well reasoned and based on what’s best for the entire system. That is where DeKalb falls short.
Serving on a school board requires that elected officials sometimes put aside the desires of their constituents, the people who live on their street and belong to their church, for the betterment of the system as a whole. That challenge is more pronounced in DeKalb where the county divides into north and south factions, each contending the other earns favored treatment and more resources.
Here are some of the most damning passages from the SACS report:
Evidence supported a finding that board members intimidate staff and attempt to direct the activities of staff members. There is a general feeling that many of the board members feel that principals within their respective voting districts are “their” principals, and they treat them as such. In addition to the previously cited example, one instance includes an employee leaving work crying and distraught after an explosive interaction with a board member
Interviews revealed that there have been instances where promotions have been given to individuals who are highly favored by a board member and not on the basis of merit or qualification. Instances have been cited where Human Resource policies and procedures, including salaries, have been implemented in an inconsistent manner leading to distrust and suspicion across the school system. Various forms of evidence confirmed that there is Board interference in hiring considerations.
One example includes an email dated August 24, 2012, from the board chair to the Superintendent containing the subject line: Candidate for TAPP Program. The email from the board chair to the Superintendent read in part, “This is the individual I referred to the program that I asked you about, with his strong background and personal demeanor I feel that he would be a great candidate to work with our kids in our schools while filling one of our critical needs areas. Please know that I have met this young man and he is the brother of one of our Board… I would appreciate any assistance that you could provide.” This email confirms and supports the common belief of many stakeholders that there exists a problem with nepotism and preferential treatment in the hiring practices of the DeKalb County School District.
Based on evidence from numerous interviews, several board members continue to make harassing calls and visits to schools. There was frequent mention of board members who make special requests of district office staff, bus drivers and teachers, making threats to fire them if they do not comply with their individual requests. It was reported that individual board members have made requests to place people in certain positions, hire who they insist should be hired or provide allowances for certain parents.
These interviewees used terms like fear, harassment, and intimidation to describe the behaviors of board members. In one interview, the individual stated that one board member threatened a teacher with getting him/her fired, quoting the board member as saying, “You don’t know who I am.” Those interviewed consistently expressed that board members have created a level of animosity, and that both teachers and principals operate in fear.
Interviewees described a feeling of hopelessness across the district that it is useless to bring issues to the Board and expect fairness and professionalism, when they witness behavior from board members who routinely exhibit unprofessionalism and unethical behavior.
Here is the AJC story on the SACS report:
Students in DeKalb County have to study using worn textbooks held together by glue. Meanwhile, school employees are getting promotions they haven’t earned because of who they know. Such allegations — contained in a damning report by a school accrediting agency — illustrate the dire state of DeKalb school finances coupled with the “extreme dysfunction” of the culture that created the situation.
In the 20-page document, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools threatened to strip the system’s accreditation a year from now, likely damaging the local economy as well as students. “The most important thing to me is the ineffectiveness of the board to govern the system, ” said Mark Elgart, president and chief executive of SACS’ Alpharetta-based parent company, AdvancED.
Should the district lose accreditation, it would be the first time that’s happened in metro Atlanta since Clayton County in 2008. Clayton was the first system to suffer such a severe sanction from SACS since Duval County, Fla., more than 40 years ago. It was a major blow for Clayton, with 3,200 students leaving the district, and surely exacerbated the effects of the economic recession. As many as 20,000 people moved out of the county, the unemployment rate rose and housing values plummeted.
Gov. Nathan Deal has authority under a new state law to remove the DeKalb school board if that’s what the state board recommends. The state board has 30 days from Monday’s release of the report to schedule a hearing on the matter. (That hearing is Thursday.)
The DeKalb system’s budget drew scrutiny in the SACS report. The system routinely has under-budgeted for expenses such as utilities and legal work over the past several years, contributing to its current deficit. (State education officials recently confirmed a $14.5 million deficit at the June close of the fiscal year.)
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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184 comments Add your comment
Moderation
January 13th, 2013
5:05 pm
@ LOGIC
Do you think school board members should be
elected, or appointed across the state?
bu2
January 13th, 2013
5:20 pm
@concerned
Sending robocalls to NORTH Dekalb telling them they are getting a disproportionate share of resources is an indication of incompetence and a poorly run campaign. I didn’t say all challengers were great. But the incumbents have clearly failed and have generally been kicked out.
DeKalb Inside Out
January 13th, 2013
5:30 pm
Board members come and go and nothing has changed. Superintendents and their administrations have come and gone and nothing has changed. We can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results.
I’m hearing more and more about Nancy Jester’s Portfolio District solution. This appears to be gaining momentum.
Concernedmom30329
January 13th, 2013
5:33 pm
Moderation
What is your solution for DeKalb and what issues are important to you?
Bu2
Really, incompetence? I actually thought it was refreshingly honest of a political want to be being honest about their thoughts and core beliefs.
indigo
January 13th, 2013
5:37 pm
Private Citizen – “in the late 60’s thru the mid 70’s, DeKalb was the gold standard in Georgia”
And then, the full effects of ultra liberal social experiments began to kick in.
The net results of this are shown by DeKalb going from the penthouse to the outhouse.
bootney farnsworth
January 13th, 2013
5:38 pm
@ crankee
you could be right, I hope so. my response was based on two SACS visits at GPC. they didn’t want truth, they wanted happy talk. negative input was definitely NOT encouraged, no matter how vital.
bootney farnsworth
January 13th, 2013
5:46 pm
@ indigio
actually, the change in DeKalb was mostly due to the sea change in Atlanta politics brought on by the election of the Godfather, Maynard Jackson.
when Maynard got elected, several things happened almost at once. local systems hopped on the new bandwagon by promoting blacks into positions they had never held before. most were qualified, some were not. either way, it annoyed/scared the middle management level whites who lived in central DeKalb they bolted to Gwinnett. this left a vacuum which was filled politically and numerically with blacks migrating to the new Atlanta and all it promised.
sadly for every good hard working professional which came in, a lowlife opportunist came in with them.
several dominoes later….
bootney farnsworth
January 13th, 2013
5:48 pm
my solution to DeKalb…
big time RICO investigation, with lots of jail time for lots of parasites, and lots of administrative layoffs.
bootney farnsworth
January 13th, 2013
5:51 pm
note for clarification:
white people didn’t have to leave DeKalb. they chose to. justified or not, white flight put DeKalb’s fall into motion
DeKalb Inside Out
January 13th, 2013
6:02 pm
Bootney
What’s the path for cleaning house in DeKalb and what’s the path for putting the right people in there?
Next year all board member seats are up for election. 2 years from now, each district will have their elected person in there. I don’t see how those board members will be any better than the ones we have now.
Even if the current board is kicked out, the governor will have to rely on the DeKalb delegation for recommendations on the new board. The DeKalb delegation is a huge part of the problem arond here.
larry hardy
January 13th, 2013
6:20 pm
This is sad. Without a doubt, many qualified individuals were passed over. I left the system without a deserved promotion in which I was well qualified after 9 years as an Assistant Principal. There were many promoted over me, who soon proved to be unqualified and later were either fired or resigned in same. Many, as myself, decided enough was enough and decided to resign or go to other systems. THE BOARD NEED TO QUESTION AS WHERE ARE THE FUNDS FOR THE STUDENT’S BOOKS. THERE SEEMS TO BE A STINKING AIR OVER 25 MILLION DOLLARS FOR BOOKS THAT OBVIOUSLY HAVE NOT BEEN PURCHASED.
indigo
January 13th, 2013
6:20 pm
bootney
Maynard’s election was one of the products of all the social experimentation that had happened and was happening.
A large number of talented whites left Atlanta because of Maynard’s perceived anit-white attitude.
Atlanta never recovered.
Beverly Fraud
January 13th, 2013
6:24 pm
@Attentive, if what you assert is true, would this perhaps be the reason Arne Duncan came to APS twice to politically prop up Beverly Hall after the AJC blew the lid off the cheating scandal?
The odd thing is, this push to change education in this manner would go completely against conservative philosophy; you’d think it would get more play in those conservative circles.
Moderation
January 13th, 2013
6:26 pm
@ Concernedmom30329
I am concerned about student achievement (not just test scores),
employee morale,community involvement, and the financial stability
of Dekalb County Schools. I’m not from Georgia,but have a great
interest in the state-especially the Atlanta Metro area. I can’t
understand how SACS is given so much power. I can understand
SACS having the power to evaluate the academic integrity of the
school ,but think all financial ,and board disputes should be handled
by sending a state auditor to review the applicable guidelines and laws
regarding financial obligations and board protocols (laws) regarding
operation.
1) Option 1 – Use the democratic process to elect
board members (recall election-not appointed)
2) Option 2 Keep the elected board members,but have a
state appointed auditor in control of the finances
and reporting to both the local community and the
state department of education,as well as the
governor.
3) Option 3 Have the state auditor, district staff, board members
and community members form a district educational
plan as a condition of the auditor returning financial
oversight and authority back to the board.
Beverly Fraud
January 13th, 2013
6:34 pm
“Jester’s lobbying to save her own hide is not disguising her greater ambitions.”
From what I’ve seen, seems Jester wants to shine some sunlight on the mold that is DCSS. Willing to admit I’m wrong however, LOGIC.
Please enlighten.
Camden74
January 13th, 2013
6:46 pm
The voters must be afraid of the Board, they keep voting them into office!
crankee-yankee
January 13th, 2013
7:16 pm
Moderation
January 13th, 2013
4:03 pm
Your uneasiness in locally elected boards being uprooted/circumvented by the state bothers me as well. It reeks of the punitive/paternal view of how to run things we seem to have in this state. On the other side of the coin is the situation Dekalb currently finds itself in, a totally dysfunctional board facing accusations of impropriety, etc., that needs a higher power to step in to help right the ship. I like your idea of an auditor to which the elected school board would be answerable. That way, the locally elected officials would continue in their duly elected role but under close monitoring & guidance of an expert. Yeah, that will happen in GA.
But, I’m an optimist. One of my many faults…
Public HS Teacher
January 13th, 2013
7:41 pm
The “friends and family” policy is not unique to DeKalb County at all. I have taught in DeKalb County and have experienced it, first hand.
It is much worse in Fulton County where the “friends and family” policy is not limited to the School Board. In Fulton County, it is a systemic problem throughout the school system that goes all of the way through every office and every school.
In my opinion, this policy occurs because teachers have no recourse – no where to turn – when a Principal hires their cousin rather than the best qualified candidate. If Georgia had a real teacher union, they would prevent this practice.
crankee-yankee
January 13th, 2013
7:42 pm
Pete Moss
January 13th, 2013
4:24 pm
I, for one, do NOT blame/suspect the rank & file of DCSS’s woes. Knowing some DCSS teachers professionally, I’m sure the kids are getting the best these teachers can offer under the circumstances. My own experience, when I went through a series of superintendent changes and resulting administration changes in Rockdale County back in the early ’90’s, is that the teacher corp plugs on in spite of the upper level turmoil, doing the best they can with what they’ve got. I suspect the same is true in DCSS. BUT, I do know of quite a few experienced teachers in various sub-specialties that have fled DCSS for Gwinnett and other counties when they had the opportunity in the past few years. When good people start to flee, it is almost too late to do something that is not drastic.
bu2
January 13th, 2013
7:53 pm
@concerned
Not clear on what you are saying or asking.
Busting budgets, not realizing admin had ignored the budget, letting Lewis steal, student achievement continuing to decline. Even the prior board chairman said they were incompetent to oversee the construction projects that Lewis stole on. Can’t really blame Jester and Elder too much for the financial disaster and they were after Lewis. But anyone else shouldn’t be on the board anymore. They failed, miserably. They ought to be too embarrassed to continue to serve.
crankee-yankee
January 13th, 2013
8:03 pm
Public HS Teacher
January 13th, 2013
7:41 pm
No argument here. I’ve seen unions in action up north when I taught there and they are not the bogeymen the uneducated believe them to be. I have personally witnessed poor teachers counselled out of the profession and marginal teachers get the support they needed to improve. I know, I was one of those marginal teachers. Collective bargaining is not the sole responsibility of a union, the responsibilities ignored by the union-bashers include maintaining the integrity & standards of the profession. You do not become a member of the IBEW if you do not successfully complete their apprenticeship program. You get kicked out if you consistently do shoddy work.
But it is easier for some to listen to the lies of those with a vested interest in suppressing unions.
Getting a union-hater to research what I have outlined above to verify it is an exercise in futility, I know.
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar
January 13th, 2013
8:12 pm
Beverly-you know I would not write it if I could not prove it.
I think conservative is an ambiguous term but there has been a real problem with accurate info getting out on the Common Core. I think both parties love the access to the trough of taxpayer money and wouldn’t it be nice to plan economies aspect. That’s why I try to tell the economic effects and the likely outcome from comparable measures previously.
And too many Republicans are also caught up in wanting to get these lucrative ed monopoly or service provider contracts as well.
Mostly the Orwellian vocabulary trips people up because they do not recognize defined terms. And that the schemers pay attention to the Implementation knowing too many just pay attention to declared intent and then assume wrongly that’s the actual plan for the classroom.
DeKalb Inside Out
January 13th, 2013
8:27 pm
Auditor
I love the idea of an auditor. SACS insisted Dekalb establish and maintain a clear and direct line of authority between the Internal Auditor and the DCSD Board. I remember the DCSD board consistently asking the administration for this auditor. The administration refused to give the board an auditor.
SACS, in response, reneged on their requirement of the board having an auditor thereby screwing the public and the board saying The Director of Audit and Compliance will report
up through the Superintendent.
WTF SACS? Thanks for nothing!
DeKalb Inside Out
January 13th, 2013
8:47 pm
Speaking of SACS not knowing their ahole from icecream, Mr McChesney has piped in again with inside look at DCSD and SACS titled SACS ADVANCED PART TWO.
DeKalb Teacher
January 13th, 2013
9:05 pm
The Portfolio District
Like Nancy Jester or not, this interesting. There is school choice, autonomous schools and money follows the child. Does anybody have any experience with this model?
Macon is Next
January 13th, 2013
9:13 pm
Sad that with all the problems facing teachers just trying to do their job and students also trying to get an education that many if not most of the problems can be traced right back to superintendents, administrative staff, and inefficacious and meddlesome board members. I have a really hard time even understanding how we ever came up with our educational hierarchy in this country to begin with. In theory it sounds good, an elected an responsive board that can be voted out. A superintendent that acts as a C.E.O. and steers the ship smoothly. But in actual practice that is rarely the case. Other countries seem to do a far better job with a much more streamlined and efficient system.
Here in Macon we have the opposite but no less troubling problem. 5 of our last BOE (out of 8 in total) were rubber stamps to our superintendent. Anything he asked for was approved by the same 5-3 vote. All hell broke lose today but far too complicated to explain but here is the link. Bibb and DeKalb in a race to the bottom. http://www.macon.com/2013/01/13/2314208/bibb-schools-bet-big-on-promise.html
Susan
January 13th, 2013
9:26 pm
Scott Holcomb has a good synopsis of the history of SACS warnings to DeKalb. This has been going on for quite some time now.
Background:
On December 17, 2012, the DeKalb County School District was put on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). This was a consequence of the findings in a report prepared by a Special Review Team. A copy of the report, which is worth reading, can be found by clicking here.
The review was conducted because of formal complaints made against the school district. The school district was placed on “Advisement” status in January, 2011, following a special review that followed complaints. There were two subsequent reviews, in October, 2011, and March, 2012. The final review, which resulted in probationary status, was conducted from October 17-19, 2012.
What did SACS find?
The findings are damning. The report describes numerous areas in which the DeKalb County Board of Education, both collectively and by the actions of individual members, has been failing in its responsibilities. SACS found numerous occasions where Board members have behaved unprofessionally, unethically and beyond the scope of their authority. Despite extensive training in how a competent and professional Board must operate, SACS reports that Board members have persistently acted as advocates for “their own” schools rather than as stewards for the system as a whole, interfered in day-to-day school operations, and engaged in harassment and intimidation of district employees. The report found not only that these violations are taking place, but that they are having serious consequences for the effectiveness of our schools. The report found evidence of declining academic achievement.
The length of the probationary period is one year, during which the governance of the district must improve across the areas cited. Otherwise the district will lose accreditation.
Read the rest here:
http://www.votescottholcomb.com/news/view_news.php?id=115
Kris
January 13th, 2013
9:58 pm
bootney farnsworth 10:53 am
@ Beverly
“”””did you really use the words Deal and integrity in the same sentence?”””
Yeah. do nothing shady deal do something that does not involve shady dealing….
He is saving the rest of his relatives and cronies for high positions in the new charter system…Just my 1 cent.
Thought I would throw this out there….
Warning….Warning,
News Flash, The Georgia legislators.
Come Monday, mothers should keep their small children in the house and all should avert their eyes because the state assembly is in session. Its not safe for man or beast to walk the streets. If anyone drops their wallet in near the Gold Dome, I’d suggest they kick it to Stone mountain before bending over to pick it up.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/georgians-to-legislature-make-job-creation-top-pri/nTt3W/
The Deal
January 13th, 2013
9:58 pm
I am in favor of removing the entire board because I do not think the majority of them have the skill or capability to actually do the job. Regardless of how much oversight or direction they are given, I do not think they can do it. No matter how good the instructions, I could not perform heart surgery. I don’t think this group can do it, and I think the only reason they would want to succeed is to be able to pat themselves on the back and bask in the glory. They are not doing it for the kids. I think any replacement would be better than what we have, and then let that new group try out the portfolio strategy. Walker, Cunningham, Copelin-Wood, and Edler (not sure about the newbies) do not have the skills to turn this school system around. Period.
majii
January 13th, 2013
10:49 pm
IMHO, these problems won’t be solved until the voters educate themselves about the system and scrutinize the qualifications of those who run for positions on the BOE. As a retired teacher, I’ve seen many serving on BOEs who get their positions because of name recognition or due to the status their families have in the community. Few are ever voted into their positions because they’re knowledgeable about education. Some may disagree, but I’d recommend that each candidate who wants to run for a position on the BOE attend BOE meetings and be available to answer any/all questions from the stakeholders. I’d also recommend town hall style meetings in different parts of the county during which the candidates can meet the stakeholders and answer their questions.
DeKalb Inside Out
January 13th, 2013
11:08 pm
Where is the administration’s responsibility in this?
Board Of Education – Responsibilities
The Board of Education is the official policy making body for the DeKalb County School District. They don’t have the ability to jack squat except set policy and approve reports/budgets/expenses, etc…
Question
What policy is this board or some replacement board going to enact that is going to turn this system around?
DeKalb Inside Out
January 13th, 2013
11:19 pm
Why is Scott Holcomb the only one defending the SACS report. DeKalb schools have problems, but the SACS report is more about covering for the executive administration than it is helping children.
Is there anybody out there that can speak for and/or defend Mr Holcomb or SACS?
My2Cents
January 14th, 2013
12:53 am
I’m sure my taxes will be going up as a result – wonder how much? Anyone know what changed for Clayton county property taxes as a result of their debacle?
concernedmom30329
January 14th, 2013
6:23 am
DIO
The board hired the superintendent. Then many of them worked to undermine her. I suspect she wouldn’t be very good at this job with a strong board — she doesn’t stand a prayer with this Board. For the record, the majority of the board hired Tyson as well. And then worked to control her.
There is lots of validity in the SACs report. Could Elgart have picked better examples? Absolutely. With the exception of Nancy, and recently a few others, this Board and previous DeKalb boards, have had their heads in the sand or have been so busy micromanaging that they missed warring signs.
Wilbur
January 14th, 2013
6:57 am
Two things are true.
First, DeKalb has the board it deserves and wanted.
The schools should lose their accreditation if the board can’t get its act together.
Even if the dumbo’s in Dekalb want their schools led by petty tyrants, incapable of real leadership, SACS has a responsibility to hold the schools to a reasonable standard. DeKalb is a disaster and worse is coming if folks don’t wake up and start making changes.
Dunwoody Mom
January 14th, 2013
7:15 am
IMO, there are 2 separate issues here, SACS and the DeKalb BOE. Status quo with this Board and school system cannot continue – status quo is the quickest path to probation and to the destriction of DCSS. Once this mess with the BOE is addressed, then whatever group is left charge of DCSS should be looking for a new accrediting partner.
Sally
January 14th, 2013
7:22 am
Hopefully they will be gone soon. The group that oversaw the downfall of what used to be the best system in the state is not the group to fix the problem. Please sign this petition…
http://www.change.org/petitions/georgia-governor-nathan-deal-replace-the-dekalb-county-school-board-2?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=url_share&utm_campaign=url_share_before_sign
Georgia
January 14th, 2013
7:31 am
D-day for Dekalb. I like that. They get a D, not an A. I hate to drop the F bomb on the discussion, but WTF? Nepotism in 2013? I thought nepotism was what made the French invent the guillotine. So it IS true: all you need to know you learned in kindergarten. The rest is trying not to get torpedoed by the katzenjammers on the school boards. Un-F’n-believable. It makes me want to throw firecrackers down the commode in my own home.and smoke a cigarette while I do it. I’m going to pass notes to my wife at dinner, too, to heck with the Dekalb school board.
Fed up
January 14th, 2013
7:40 am
This board of bozos needs to go! No question, no hesitation, just send them packing.
Michael Shaw
January 14th, 2013
7:44 am
AJC editors: Please do not use that sacred term to describe any situation. My father went ashore on Omaha beach in the 1st wave on June 6, 1944. THAT was D-Day. THIS is not D-Day. Kind regards.
bu2
January 14th, 2013
8:36 am
Atkinson has been taking some small positive steps. But she just seems over her heard. Budgets and school facility plans both came in at the last second. Her prior school district in Ohio nearly got taken over by the state because of financial problems.
DeKalb Inside Out
January 14th, 2013
8:39 am
ConcernedMom
Who undermined the Superintendent and how? It doesn’t make sense that the Walker 5 would hire Dr Atkinson and then immediately work on getting her out.
She doesn’t stand a prayer with this Board? How’s that? Name one thing this board hasn’t let her do.
Where is the administrations responsibility in this mess?
There’s some validity in this report? Really? Where? If Elgart could have picked better examples, why didn’t he? Dr Walker has rattled cages to get people hired, but I don’t see any proof of that being the case here. He just forwarded along somebody’s resume to HR. I agree that hiring practices are a big issue, but SACS totally missed the mark on their example.
Can anybody defend the SACS report or Scott Holcomb??
Lots of whining and no solutions
January 14th, 2013
8:43 am
We have to get back on track to talk about how to get students and teachers what they need. The Board and the Administration ARE the obstacles. Look at legal fees, lack of proper project oversight (SPLOST III & IV) and lack of PAID resources not in the classrooms (read textbooks, paper, soap, etc.)
Point 1 – SACS is the governing body and accreditation agency, whether we like it or not. I agree with many of the comments posted, but there is no disputing the accuracy of their findings. Unfortunately, it is a day late and a dollar short. There is no need to “defend” SACS report because it is factual and “damning” as these elected individuals did not fulfill their obligations as they were sworn to do. PERIOD. I am sure that many of us think we have better ideas than our principal, CEO, etc. but it is not our job to do their job – it is our job to do the job that we were hired to do. Knowing that even the most “esteemed” representative who has a strong blog behind her every word and breath has personally gotten involved in the firing of a principal, secret meetings that she led to circumvent other board members and the representation of their districts to rig the system during redistricting post 2010 census is a good reason for the SACS attacks on her part. Also keep in mind that not only parents went to SACS – employees, administrators and board members went to SACS with facts and evidence. No one is without reproach in this situation. SOLUTION: Have the Governor ask SACS to deliver a Situational Analysis as to how this was allowed to happen on their watch and take steps to close the loopholes and gaps that allowed this to go on for so long.
Point 2 – The prolonged financial issues point to the fact that the state auditors do not do real audits and reconcile the books. Why are there not financial standards for each system in the state? How can we change accounting practices based upon the Superintendent? In a system of unqualified elected individuals, there need to be better checks and balances to protect taxpayer dollars. Instead, we have a tremendous amount of waste. We all need to address this with the state to get more dollars to the schools and not in administrators’ pockets. Our teachers suffer because people don’t and can’t do the job they were hired to do. SOLUTION: Identify where the audits are lacking and make the auditors do their job.
Point 3 – A DCSD Board cannot do its job if the administration is inept. The Board should have an easy job and meet just to approve valid budgets and policies recommended by the administration. They would represent his or her district and ensure that there is logical balance in how things are run. We have a case of “Garbage in, Garbage out.” SOLUTION: Suspend the entire Board, bring in educational policy experts from each district, reconcile the KPMG report to the actuals and clean house in the Central Office. The Board cannot do this, but a mandate from the Governor can force some change to break the “Friends and Family” disease and the employment pipeline that has been built for the inept in DeKalb. Each school needs to be able to provide for the needs of its students. Let me be perfectly clear – each school and student body has different needs. Funds need to be allocated to the schools and we need to build up our principals to be efficient and innovative leaders who connect with the parents and the students. EVERY DeKalb child deserves a decent school that will give him or her a foundation to succeed. EBooks will not give our children that, but teachers will.
I am sad that it has taken this long. I know too many wonderful teachers who have left DeKalb and now we are in desperate need of qualified teachers. We have borne the burden of the corruption and ineptitude on the backs of our teachers who have not had a raise in over 5 years, have been subjected to reviews by students who haven’t even gotten textbooks(!) and we still aren’t talking about the children and those critical teachers who spend the entire day with them.
Ernest
January 14th, 2013
8:52 am
There is something mentioned throughout the SACS report that does not get as much attention as it should. It is regarding the culture in the community of advocating through Board members resulting in bypassing the chain of command. It is mentioned in Required Action #5 (it was also mentioned in the March 2012 report). This has been going on in DeKalb for as long as I can remember. Two specific actions that should have been addressed years ago is to close/consolidate under enrolled schools (especially those not receiving full State funding for all positions) and door to door choice transportation. Various community advocacy efforts have prevented DeKalb from properly addressing these costly perks. Both efforts were done though Board members to the administration.
In my opinion, DeKalb was able to overlook perks like these for years because the budget grew most years, due to a strong housing market resulting in more property tax revenue every year. When the housing market took a downturn beginning around 2007, it required making tough decisions regarding many popular ‘extra’ programs/services along with staff reductions. This contributed to an environment that saw communities fighting communities to protect what each felt was important. Many times this was done through Board members. How many times have we heard about letter/email writing campaigns to Board members advocating for a particular program/service for a school/community?
I’ve said it before but I really believe that if Dr. Brown had been given support by the community, we would not have had some of these problems. He was actively addressing equity with class offerings, specifically AP classes, reserve fund shortfall and the overstaffed central office, all which he inherited. Dr. Brown instituted a dress code because he thought his bosses wanted that done. He also wanted to address under enrolled schools. These were but two of the issues that ultimately led to his demise in DeKalb. He was willing to go against the culture to do what he believed was right for the long term health of the school district however some in the community through their Board members undermined him. It should be noted that the school district he went to after leaving DeKalb collaborated with him on many of these same initiatives and has progressed well.
I believe the culture in DeKalb has contributed to the Board members that we have. I’ve heard this more from educators that came from out of state districts to DeKalb.
Dunwoody Mom
January 14th, 2013
8:52 am
Other than Nancy Jester, can anybody defend this Board of Education? THEY are the ones that hired Lewis, Tyson and Atkinson (Jester, Speaks, McChesney voting no). THEY are the ones that time and time again fail to require the Super(s) to come up with a budget that didn’t not affect the education of the children of DeKalb. THEY are the ones who have just failed, failed, failed. We don’t need a SACS report to know how these board members, new members as well, have constantly meddled where they should not have. We have all heard stories of threats to parents, principals and teachers – it is still occuring. Seriously, I understand the issue with SACS, but to attempt to put this all on SACS is not realistic.
Richard Braswell
January 14th, 2013
8:59 am
A reality is that school boards and students are like plants, the roots determine their health, and grapes will not grow on a corn stalk.
Old School
January 14th, 2013
9:00 am
The solution is simple. If the school board memeber wrote an email advocating the hiring of a relative, get them out. If the school board member berated an administrator to the point of bringing them to tears, get them out. If it can be proven that a board member overstepped their bounds, get them out. HOwever, make sure Deal doesn’t utilize this opportunity to promote some nepotism or cronyism of his own. He has a history of doing just that.
Also, relative to the actual performance of the staff, I think DeKalb should have an objective of turning over 10% of the teachers and administrators every year. There are a lot of ineffective teachers and administrators in the schools, but I get the impression that if they just keep quiet and don’t make waves, they are in no danger of losing their jobs. A 10% turnover each year would allow the system to get the ineffective teachers and administrators out of the system.
concernedmom30329
January 14th, 2013
9:06 am
DIO
Walker is undermining her as is Cunningham. They hired her and then she came in and made decisions and took actions that they didn’t like, specifically getting rid of certain employees and changing salaries. Cunningham’s wife was on WSB TV and spoke at a board meeting criticizing Atkinson about leadership at MLK? Don’t you think she could have found someone else to do that? Of course, she could. Cunningham was sending a message.
Walker has clearly leaked information to writers at other papers as well as members of the state legislature. Who do you think is telling Senator Jones what to file open records requests for?
Copelin-Woods is a constant problem but now that Atkinson has suggested closing more schools, she has gone off the rails.
skipper
January 14th, 2013
9:08 am
The right to vote certainly does not mean the intelligence to do so. Some folks “holler “about better education and management and vote in the same incompetent buffoons. Yes, race is involved, and do not fool yourself or others by saying otherwise. This does NOT mean that any race is not qualified to be elected. It IS saying that whether black, white, or green you should vote in competant people. Negative stereotypes have been GRANDLY re-enforced by some of this stupidity. If the state or SOMEBODY does not take over, it will never be fixed. NEVER-EVER! (And sadly, many of the voters who ACT like their concern is education and nothing else know it!) Who the heck is moving to most (not all, but most) of the school district and sacrificing their kids? The only folks in the system are those with no choice, and they KEEP PUTTING THESE FOLKS IN, and blaming others for the terrible failure!
Rush
January 14th, 2013
9:17 am
Skipper hit the nail on the head…..some parents would rather have thier offspring fail in school but keep someone in office who looks like themselves. Says alot about the mentality of Dekalb voters.