State board rejects DeKalb’s ‘deathbed repentance.’ Votes to suspend six DeKalb veteran members
After 14 hours of testimony, the state Board of Education voted tonight to recommend the suspension of the six veteran members of the DeKalb school board. The discussion was short and sweet, and the vote came fast. The recommendation now goes to the governor who is expected to quickly concur.
However, the matter may not end with the governor as the DeKalb board has filed suit to overturn the Georgia law that allows school board removals. There are court hearings scheduled next week, assuring that this drama will drag on for a while.
(At one point in the lengthy hearing, a state board member asked the DeKalb board members not to sue if they were ousted, but Gene Walker said he was not going to relinquish his constitutional rights.)
If you want to read the blow-by-blow on today’s hearing, go to these three blogs: Morning, Afternoon and Evening segments of the marathon hearing.
Only a few state board members spoke prior to the 9:43 p.m. unanimous vote to suspend all six veterans on the board. That vote came despite a final plea from new school chief Michael Thurmond, “I need this board.”
The state board simply did not buy the DeKalb board’s claims it had seen the light and was now going to work together for the betterment of the troubled district. The state board vote spares the three newly elected members of the DeKalb board, Jim McMahan, Melvin Johnson and Marshall Orson, who have only been in office seven weeks. They will retain their seats.
State board member Mike Royal said, “Would I want my two daughters in DeKalb County Schools and the answer is no. There are nearly 100,000 kids with only one chance.”
State board member Larry Winter called for a fresh start, saying that it would be easier to begin anew than for the current board to unlearn past bad practices. Brian Burdette, agreed, saying that it is an extreme measure to oust a board but DeKalb is facing extreme problems.
State board member Scott Johnson said, “This board has run from crisis to crisis. When I look at the long continuum of time, I see seven or eight days of improvement. It smacks of a deathbed repentance. When it is down to no other choices to make but good choices, I give you credit for making some.”
The two attorneys in the state Board of Education hearing on the DeKalb school board delivered their final arguments at the end of the grueling hearing.
Bob Wilson, speaking on behalf of the DeKalb Board of Education, made a moving closing statement that we will probably hear again in some fashion. The deposed board members have already sued. Wilson will be in court next week seeking to overturn the law allowing the state board and governor to oust school board members.
In his closing, Wilson said Thurmond has the strength of character to turn the board around. He also said it was a drastic action to undo the will of voters.
“I am asking you take a look at how all these people got here. I look at that flag back there and I think about the young men and now the young women who lost their lives defending it. For what? Freedom of speech, the right to vote, they are right at the top. Somebody wanted these people to be here. They were sent here by the voters. The ballot box must be given huge, huge deference in this county. If it is not, we are lost.”
“Keep in mind, every single solitary one of them was voted on by the public to be their representative for their school system. Before we do something rash — the recommendation throw them out – think long and hard.”
“I asked you when we stared to give us your attention and you have. I asked one other thing: Deal with what you have here and just be fair. Everybody in this room who has been here all day has had a certain evolution of learning about each other, about where DeKalb really is.”
“I am not going to sit here and trash the SACS report, but you know there are things in there that aren’t correct. They didn’t ask the right people the right questions. It is not an investigative report. This is a report to a system, to tell a school system what its problems are. It doesn’t have to get every one every thing right. They messed up on the books. They messed up on the wireless.”
DOE attorney Jennifer Hackemeyer won the night as the board followed her recommendation. (Frankly, it seemed that the state board had its mind made up before the 14 hours of testimony based on the speed with which it voted to suspend.)
Hackemeyer said DeKalb board lurches from crisis to crisis. “You heard promises of commitment. You heard we turned the page. Is there any evidence of sustainability, with all the hard work we know they face to turn this system around? I asked, based on all the evidence, that you make recommendation to the governor to suspend with pay.”
And they did.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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107 comments Add your comment
LarryMajor
February 22nd, 2013
4:05 am
What part of HB283 do you find objectionable?
redweather
February 22nd, 2013
6:09 am
If we don’t change the way (assuming that’s possible) we elect people to the school board, we will get more of the same people running for seats in the future. Board members should have to run county-wide. In other words, at large. That way they won’t (might not?) feel beholden to a certain district. However, there may be unintended consequences of doing this.
Private School Guy
February 22nd, 2013
6:27 am
For the rank and file voter the position of school board members is down there with Clerk of the Court and the tangle of judge candidates that are fill up the bottom of the ballot. I would say the majority of voters have no idea who any of them are. Unlike the judges who may be required to have earned a JD or be a member of the bar, there is no requirement for those who seek the lowly paid position to sit on a BOE and make decisions effecting thousands of employees and hundred of thousands of taxpayer dollars. Often times those elected do not come from votes made by an educated electorate but more so by the endorsement of a mega church or a professional organization representing the employees that work under the board. Without oversight an elected board can be a disaster. Boards should be appointed.
Cindy Lutenbacher
February 22nd, 2013
6:31 am
@RAMZAD–your generalizations do not help this discussion and just put more hatred in the air. Please stop.
Now, then, questions–does anyone know what the county BOE members are paid?
Is there anything that can be done to keep all these lawsuits from draining the school system’s budget?
Where will we find good folks to run against board members in the next election?
Can we appeal to Deal to suspend without pay?
Thanks, Maureen–you’re a champion to sit through and record the meeting.
Starik
February 22nd, 2013
6:33 am
Some PhD candidate could produce a terrific doctoral dissertation from the evolution of DeKalb and its schools – no, several candidates. And the dissertations could turn into books, good ones,
George
February 22nd, 2013
6:50 am
DeKalb Board, Atlanta Public School debacle, police protecting drug dealers, state government funds mismanagement, special interest groups..how is this working for us Georgians? We are sliding into the status as a third world country.
TeacherMom
February 22nd, 2013
7:00 am
And the teachers and the kids still get – what? The ones who pay the price for all this are first the kids who will continue to sit in grossly overcrowded classrooms and the teachers who will continue to see their lives upended. Will someone finally speak for the people who sit in classrooms all day long – the CHILDREN and their dedicated TEACHERS???
Wilbur
February 22nd, 2013
7:03 am
The law that allows the state BOE to recommend removal of these board members arose as the state watched in helpless horror as Clayco descended into the hell of a politically driven bar fight. Clayco residents were begging for intervention and until the law was changed there was nothing that the state could do.
DeKalb is on the same path. I hope that SACS and the state will keep the schools there from getting even worse. The real test will come at the ballot box in the next election. Will the voters of Dekalb elect a different sort of board member or will they embrace more of the same. In the end, if the voters don’t see the light the county is lost and will truly descend into hell.
Jack ®
February 22nd, 2013
7:04 am
Suspending the members may give the illusion that at least something positive has happened. However, those members facing suspension didn’t get a seat on the board without the approval of the county voters; voters that will vote for the same kind of incompetence again and again just to prove some kind of liberal, Democratic induced fanaticism.
East Dekalb parent
February 22nd, 2013
7:10 am
Hopefully, this boondoogle is finally over. The state should add a new law that the governor can call special election in cases where a board is sanctioned by SAC. That way it is still in the voters hand and out of the courts.
fondu
February 22nd, 2013
7:14 am
“Whether they realize it themselves or not, they now have become the oppressors”. Where is Paulo when we need him? The saga is not over, more $$$ will be robbed from the kids to defend these clowns.
AP Teacher
February 22nd, 2013
7:15 am
This is a report to a system, to tell a school system what it’s problems are. It doesn’t have to get every one every dang-um thing right. They messed up on the books. They messed up on the wireless.”
Wow…thats how lawyers talk in a hearing? Dang-um? The BOE doesnt have to address problems in the school system? Good luck at trial DeKalb…NOT
AP Teacher
February 22nd, 2013
7:16 am
@Starik,
I wonder if those 8 that are getting their PhDs for FREE in Dekalb could write this for their dissertation.
Outraged Mom
February 22nd, 2013
7:18 am
@Cindy, the board is paid $18k plus an expense account. I’m tired and I know that some of these members that were removed will fight to the bitter end. In the end good teachers will leave the system, the bad will stay and kids who do not want to learn stay in a classroom. We need vocational program
Ms for some of these kids.
Zane Smith's Teeth
February 22nd, 2013
7:31 am
The real winners: Law firms getting a piece of the upcoming battle, private schools in the metro area for those that can afford them, Housing prices in Henry, Cobb, Fayette, North Fulton and anywhere else that still has a functioning school system.
The saddest thing is that the people who are being harmed the most have no idea. They elected these a## clowns.
V for Vendetta
February 22nd, 2013
7:57 am
While not technically relevant to education, this story does provide a window into the types of kids we are expected to teach and the impact of home life upon them. Check it out:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/20/us/new-york-strippers-teen-party/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1
BehindEnemyLines
February 22nd, 2013
8:05 am
I think the most telling quote of all came from Wilson “Somebody wanted these people to be here. They were sent here by the voters.”
At least he’s willing to point out the biggest problem of all. What’s broken may very well not be the board, it seems likely that the problem is DeKalb itself.
Pardon My Blog
February 22nd, 2013
8:07 am
Just remember, Melvin Johnson is no peach and has some baggage and ties to the Clew crew and others. I personally think all nine should have been removed and the new three have to pass a “smell” test prior to being placed back on the Board.
markoo
February 22nd, 2013
8:09 am
I would have supported Michael Thurmond until he said “I need THIS board.” (emphasis added) That statement alone shows me Thurnmond has no idea what he is doing. Until he said that, I thought he might do some good in that position.
Pardon My Blog
February 22nd, 2013
8:13 am
I know, since we pay their salary and we have said “You’re Fired”, lets get the locks changed at the Palace and shut them out, just as they have done to the taxpayers for years!
Uncle Boris
February 22nd, 2013
8:21 am
Paid suspension doesn’t sound like an appropriate punishment for these reprobates. Public flogging and condemnation to a dungeon might be a bit extreme, but probably more appropriate.
DeKalb County Grad
February 22nd, 2013
8:26 am
As a graduate of DeKalb County Schools when they were envy of every school system in Georgia, it is hard to believe what all has happened to a once proud system. The BOE lost focus of the real mission of our schools – educating our students. The teachers should have the support of the BOE to do an excellent job. Instead, the BOE squandered our tax dollars on legal fees for C Lewis and his gang of thieves ( “fill up your gas tank “ Lewis). Bribes for construction project. Missing text books. Poor IT administration. Nepotism. Employees at the County Office (the Palace) who are not qualified to teach classes but earn over 100K. Some of those well paid relatives do not even show up for work! Wilson doesn’t need documentation, we all know about it. Look at the list of employees and check out their relatives that are serving or have served on the school board. Then there are the affairs of the “heart” that have led to well-paid positions. Religion – we have that as well. Friends of Eddie Long? Job? No problem! Do you belong to a special black fraternity or sorority? Jobs Program Recruitment Opportunity! Teachers know about the cronyism and they are leaving. This is worse that the teacher’s lottery in the 1980’s. DeKalb has struggled through so much because at one time it was the envy of every school system. Roger Mills stabbed it and almost destroyed it. The US Supreme Court had to make a decision that saved it for a short time. Then South DeKalb decided that North DeKalb had the better schools so they wanted to drain money and resources from those schools. Still, the school in the northside of the County had higher test scores and higher graduation rates. Concerned and involved parents, hard work, high expectations, dedicated teachers and PTAs – cannot be transferred from one side of the County to another. The BOE members slowly destroyed DeKalb over the last ten years by draining funds and morale by poor decision making and incompetent leadership. Throw down that race card and sue again. What has it won the students of DeKalb? The BOE members should resign if they really believe they work for the students. Show some integrity. Let’s get moving and rebuild DeKalb by establish requirements for the Board. They must be college educated. They must sign a code of ethics. They must swear not to hire a relative, friend or anyone that Eddie Long supports. They must put the children’s education first – ahead of all political motives. I believe such people exist and I hope Gov. Deal can find them to serve.
Fed up in DeKalb
February 22nd, 2013
8:34 am
Finally! Now, can we get the corrupt, bloated, and ineffective DeKalb County government thrown out too. Living here is a farce and the amount of waste and bureaucracy that is present in the school system (and government) is ridiculous. These people may have been elected, but they were obviously elected by a uneducated voting block that had no idea who they were or what their qualifications were. They just checked off a box. Thankfully, there is an agency that conducts these types of reviews and can supply the uneducated voter with the information it needs to know a change must be made. An audit is the best way for checks and balances and to make sure that officials are doing what they are entrusted to do. I don’t think it is about race at all, especially if they reviewed 1,000 school systems (at least one other was probably a minority district too – have you seen the national demographic data lately?). This is simply a case of power hungry and self serving individuals who don’t give a lick about the children and community they serve being told enough and you need to go!
CompetenceNotDiversity
February 22nd, 2013
8:36 am
There’s still lots of money to be wasted on the upcoming legal battles, but let’s assume for the moment that Gov. Deal does get to appoint 6 new BOE members. He needs to be completely transparent and up front about the selection process he will use and the critea/qualifications for selection. I sincerely hope that he focuses on a measurable track record of actual accomplishments in related fields/endeavors as the primary criteria for selection. I hope he completely ignores (and prayerfully doesn’t utter the word) diversity. I don’t care if all six are black, brown, tan, red, white or purple. They damn well better be competent. I want proven performers, not some PC Hallmark card Rainbow Coalition.
Cindy Lutenbacher
February 22nd, 2013
8:37 am
Thanks, Outraged Mom. I’d thought that the salary was very low. I wonder if there are limits on the expense account. So if the ousted members fight to keep their jobs, there must be something else at stake.
And I do wish that folks would try very hard to avoid over-generalizations, labels, and name-calling.
As for the voters, we DeKalb folks need to have some good choices. We need really smart, honest, energetic folks to run for the BOE.
Dr Seuss
February 22nd, 2013
8:39 am
From an outside perspective, the decision seems to be harsh but given the history of the board it appears to be in the best interest of the students and County. Much of the talk by school board members centered on their self preservation and not the best interest of the kids, this mindset is what led them down the path to this end.
Last comment, “suspend with pay”, WTF?
markoo
February 22nd, 2013
8:41 am
Cindy Lutenbacher wrote
“Thanks, Outraged Mom. I’d thought that the salary was very low. I wonder if there are limits on the expense account. So if the ousted members fight to keep their jobs, there must be something else at stake.”
$18K a year, even before the expense account, is a lot more than minimum wage. And given the talents some of these board members exibitted, they probably wouldn’t even be worth minimum wage in the private sector when they might really have to work.
catlady
February 22nd, 2013
8:45 am
Wait a minute–suspend with pay? Is that just until the Governor does his thing?
indigo
February 22nd, 2013
8:48 am
This whole thing is a mixture of race, politics and money.
This is always nasty.
Digger
February 22nd, 2013
8:52 am
I keep trying to get in the room to comment, but it’s too crowded. There’s a huge elephant in there.
Aquagirl
February 22nd, 2013
8:55 am
For the rank and file voter the position of school board members is down there with Clerk of the Court and the tangle of judge candidates that are fill up the bottom of the ballot.
Counties are anachronisms left over from the days of travel by wagon. School boards in large districts are the perfect storm—a very few votes grants access to huge stacks of money and power. It’s time to re-think this entire system.
Cosby
February 22nd, 2013
8:55 am
Government Schools at their best…but wonder who is paying the lawyers for the suit …the board members personally or the Tax payers??
School vouchers are the best answer to date…except mayber make parents responsible for having their kids ready to learn and turn the schools into leaning facilities and not baby sitting service.
TM
February 22nd, 2013
9:15 am
@ All Commentors
(Maureen I hope this is kosher; if not, delete with my apology)
So…(assuming a transition at some point, hearing dependent),what are your top 3(only) early indicators of a well functioning DeKalb BoE, and how much time will you give them?
living in an outdated ed system
February 22nd, 2013
9:17 am
The six board members suspended better rethink their actions to sue. Now it is up to the residents of Dekalb to support this action. The only way this ends with minimal collateral damage is for the six board members to be “isolated.” They must not be allowed to claim that the voters support them. Lets see if the polling is true, that they wholeheartedly support removal. If not, then this circus will continue to prevent this school system from improving, and the children will continue to suffer.
What an embarrassment.
Double Zero Eight
February 22nd, 2013
9:18 am
Don’t be surprised if Dunwoody and Brookhaven explore the
possibility of starting their own city school systems.
bu2
February 22nd, 2013
9:19 am
Thanks Maureen.
Colonel Jack
February 22nd, 2013
9:25 am
@Cindy Lutenbacher … Someone in another related thread said it best: These people fight to keep their BoE positions not because of the salary it pays, but because of the political control of almost a billion dollars a year in budget.
Maureen Downey
February 22nd, 2013
9:29 am
@Double, Dunwoody clearly wants to do so but there is a state constitutional prohibition to overcome.
Maureen
AnonMom
February 22nd, 2013
9:30 am
going to qualifications — everyone votes for BOE– anyone can run… even ones with criminal records and bad credit — so we have (really) BOE members with bad credit and criminal records who win the races because they are charming (most con artists have mega charm) and they are paid in these jobs. They win on “low turn out” races. They don’t need any type of degree — no minimal amount of college — not even an associates degree. For a while — I think a few weren’t even graduates form high school (but I could be mis-remembering). They direct a budget of a billion dollars. The voters don’t know really what they’re doing. They can be guided by preachers and ministers and others they respect. Elections are won and lost on slim margins (200 votes and less) and on 20,000 votes in a county with many more citizens than that — the voters don’t really know what is at stake. These races don’t get that much attention. The real well qualified folks (in my opinion– biased) oftentimes scare the public (they are too well educated themselves) or they don’t have the time available to commit to what has become a full time job for $20k a year. Those who can afford $20k a year in employment aren’t (in my opinion) really “good” for the job — compare to a system like Decatur where it is run properly — BOE is volunteer and the job isn’t full time. If you can afford to take a $20k a year job – you are (a) independently wealthy; (b) spouse can support or (c) its the best you can do — if it’s not a part time supplement…. so I really agree with the comments about the BOE needing to be appointed. The BOE have “worked” the position (in my estimation) to make it into much more money through “friends and family” and other “goodies” and that’s how it’s become so entrenched and destabilized. I also firmly believe that the way “accreditation” itself is handled needs to be reviewed and revamped …. I don’t’ like the “prongs” and what the seem to be looking for — I want a system that looks for fiscal integrity, responsibility and integrity and for academic success — improvement, achievement and resources in the classroom — I don’t really care if the BOE ‘gets along’ — I care that they have an ability to listen with respect and develop a plan for what a first laid out for the real important goals.
bu2
February 22nd, 2013
9:37 am
@Voice of Truth
I’ve got to agree with your assessments of the 6 board members. Jester nominating Speaks for chairman which Speaks declined was very divisive and unnecessary. I think the 3 new members do have those consensus building skills.
But I’m concerned about what comes next. Speaks and Jester did put children before adults. Edler does have children in DCSS. I don’t know what the 3 new votes are going to prioritize.
Atlanta Media Guy
February 22nd, 2013
9:41 am
Hey Cindy! This is not about the $18k salary, this about about power, family and elitism. So many DCSS employees got their jobs through the F&F network and so many do NOT have the know how to do those jobs. Like @Grad said, these F&F folks are entrenched and will not give up their lively hood very easily.
The F&F snake must be cut at the head and Ramona Tyson would be a great start. Chosen by the indicted Clew, Tyson makes mistake after mistake, can not account for millions and yet she still runs the district. How can an employee talk candidly to the new boss, when the old F&F boss is sitting in the room….. Thurmond would gain a lot of trust with stakeholders if he started to show everyone from the CLEW Crew the door. No moving forward for DCSS until the past is totally forgotten. I fear the F&F network will try to sabotage any good the selected BOE does. No more F&F!
Name One
February 22nd, 2013
9:46 am
It is simply time to break up this school system. The administrative bloat and paralysis is forever unmanageable. Time for a East DeKalb/West DeKalb school system.
If Dunwoody/Chamblee/Brookhaven want to start their own system, let them be. Decatur has an incredible school system. A Dunwoody/Chamblee/Brookhaven system helps narrow the focus on the rest of the county’s student population.
And we can no longer allow so many administrators/managers who make over 80k, 90k, 100k, etc. It needs to be about principals, teachers, and in-school staff, and everything else is support staff for the classroom.
bootney farnsworth
February 22nd, 2013
9:46 am
while this is good news, in many ways its the smallest and easiest step. the real issue to be dealt with is the mindset of DeKalb voters who kept putting these morons in office despite their obvious flaws and incompetence.
did they do it because of political party?
race?
promise of goodies?
apathy?
doesn’t really matter, fact is they did it. and there is little to suggest they won’t do it again. as I said once before, DeKalb is at a crossroads: do they want to be Sudan, or South Africa? Jesse Jackson or Martin King?
I have my opinion, and its not a high one. most people when offered a chance for greatness chose to pass in favor of quick fix gratification.
Who stands for the children?
February 22nd, 2013
9:51 am
Suspend with pay? Please—-give us taxpayers a break. As with any other employer firing an employee, severance is enough. Haven’t they squandered enough of our taxpayer money on unnecessary legal fees (from what we are seeing here, the biggest part), along with other unnecessary expenditures. Then, the most critical part: parents this is your child we are trying to save. Please, get involved and in future elections go to meetings and scope out the person who is asking for your vote. Ask questions and demand answers.
Oh, well, A pipe dream, I suppose. I guess I can dream for what used to be. At one time DeKalb County ranked among the best. But, then, it appears the same voters who fell for Cynthia McKinney’s act also fell for Eugene Walker and Sarah Woods, among others. If you don’t care about the children, at least think of YOUR money being wasted.
DeKalb Home Owner
February 22nd, 2013
10:20 am
Here is hoping Gov. Deal follows the lead of the state BOE and removes the six. I honestly don’t know if those six are totally to blame, but the long timers like Copelin-Wood and Walker need to go. This board has never been about the kids or education. It has been more about political power, entitlements and taking care of “friends and family.” Why else would the county administration be so bloated for the size of district? Why else would we still be using education money to provide magnet school transportation when no other district does? If a kids wants to go to a magnet school, then it should be his parent’s responsibility to get them to and from said magnet school. Come to think of it, instead of allowing a select few to escape their lousy neighborhood schools, why not fix the lousy schools in the first place?
This board has a terrible record on hiring superintendents. How much money has been wasted on golden parachutes and legal fees?
And yes, DeKalb voters, much of the blame for all of this is on you. You elected these clowns and re-elected some of them multiple times. Obviously, you are either tuned out or too dense to be paying attention while this board raises your taxes, while lowering your property values and destroying the education system.
Filing lawsuits to keep their positions truely shows the motivation of this board. It is not and never has been about the kids or the education in DeKalb County.
TLovely
February 22nd, 2013
10:46 am
I love what my Pastor said this past Sunday and agree whole heartedly.
” The teachers are scared of the Principals, the Principals are scared of the Superintendent, the Superintendents are scared of the School Board, the School Board is scared of SACS and the kids are not scared of ANYBODY!”
The Deal
February 22nd, 2013
11:00 am
The law says “with pay”:
State Board of Education shall conduct a hearing in not less than ten days nor more than 30 days and recommend to the Governor whether to suspend all eligible members of the local board of education with pay
Teacher
February 22nd, 2013
11:09 am
How does a private company have a right to provide oversight function to an elected body?
sawitcoming
February 22nd, 2013
11:16 am
The state board got it right. With the recommendation that was made from board, let us throw our support behind the new super. He would not have been my first choice but, now he deserves our support. We can’t have it both ways. We cannot continue to hire a super with the expectation that they should make changes, then let them go when they do. Let us not blame people we hire for problems which existed long before they came on the scene. The children deserve better. If the truth is told, we have been on this trajectory for a long time, more than ten years.Dr. Lewis may have perfected friends and family but, he didn’t start it. Perhaps he observed it from previous administrations. Let us put our resources behind competent, caring adults, for the good of the students. That means support for effective, results driven teachers in the classroom, not warm bodies.We have to honor the teachers who get the job done. We all share equal responsibility, without excuses. Solid governance should align with and support student acheivement.
Dan
February 22nd, 2013
12:21 pm
Unfortunately the only real winners here will be the attorneys for both sides. Losers will be the taxpayers again paying attorney fees. There is something very wrong with that.