They’re out. Governor removes all six DeKalb school board members. Bring in the lawyers.
Setting the stage for a court battle, Gov. Nathan Deal just announced at a press conference that he is removing all six veteran DeKalb school board members.
He has created a nominating committee to find replacements. The committee includes former DeKalb Schools administrator Garry McGiboney, who is now with the state Department of Education, state board member Kenneth Mason, former state board member Jim Bostic, Sadie Dennard, education chair, DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, and Alicia Phillip, president of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
Former state and DeKalb school board member Brad Bryant will be liaison between the district and the governor’s office. (Interesting that both McGiboney and Bryant were mentioned to me as possible superintendent candidates before Michael Thurmond was hired two weeks ago.)
Deal was apparently not moved by a last-minute appeal from Thurmond who testified last week at the state Board of Education hearing that he could work with this board and that its removal will make his job harder. Nor was Deal moved by some in the DeKalb delegation who sought alternatives to the controversial removal of elected officials.
Deal’s actions could still be reversed as there are two court hearings this week on lawsuits filed by the school board. A federal judge has already said that Deal can suspend the six, as he chose to do today but he can’t name replacements, pending the outcome of a Friday court hearing. A Superior Court judge will hold a hearing Thursday.
And Deal acknowledged the precarious nature of his DeKalb decision today, saying, “Certainly, the final determination by either the Superior Court or the federal court could affect the final disposition of this matter. But we don’t know what that will be at this point. I feel it’s my responsibility to act as the current law stands.”
So, DeKalb remains in the legal limbo that we began discussing Sunday here on the blog.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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244 comments Add your comment
concernedmom30329
February 25th, 2013
3:25 pm
My2cents,
It almost sounds like DCSS won, since DCSS agreed not to seek attorney’s fees…
DRS
February 25th, 2013
3:25 pm
Considering the county’s sad inability to educate its students all those with kids in the system
(or who pay taxes) ought to be cheer leading the gov. actions. Time start over with new
people — competent people who actually care about education.
Dekalber
February 25th, 2013
3:27 pm
@Dekalb Mom. Your idea is genius. For the venue I suggest the Mountain Industrial complex
Concerned for children
February 25th, 2013
3:28 pm
Coming from a former Congressman who resigned in the middle of the night to avoid serious House ethics violations, now he becomes the moral compass for justice. Give me a break. As stated, this will be struck down by the courts and it opens the state entities involved to possible civil and voting rights violations. Where in the hell has the state been as our children in these low performing schools have and still suffers to this day. They do not give a damn about the children, its about control of these multi-million dollor budgets. If not so, then take on the low academic achievement of these children that are trapped in these school. The first one up for rejection should be SACS. They are an out of control entity that also do not give a damn about the children.
gsmith
February 25th, 2013
3:30 pm
Here are some possible candidates for future school board members or any government office in DEKALB COUNTY
jesse jackson jr
victor hill
bill cambell
rev al sharpton
any of these men would win election in dekalb easily
Ronald Reagan Parkway
February 25th, 2013
3:31 pm
Concerned for children
February 25th, 2013
3:28 pm
I agree with you 110%.
Done with Dekalb
February 25th, 2013
3:32 pm
Sad it has taken so long…I have already put two of my children in private school and am applying the third to a school with small class sizes. It is not because we can “afford” it, it is because we cannot “afford” not to do it. (I love my night job at Target!I. I have two children with attention deficit issues and one child who was “gifted” who received the poorest education with the exception of one awesome foreign language teacher. My elementary aged child has 34 children in his class. Is that working well?
DeKalb County parents and children: I pray for all of us. We ALL deserve better!
Alan
February 25th, 2013
3:32 pm
Ahhhhhhh it sure is nice to not live IN the city with that fantastic “leadership.” Atlanta Mayors, Atlanta Police, Atlanta school board members, etc. See a pattern at all? I feel sorry for the fine folks in Dunwoody.
Bill & Ed's Excellent Adventure
February 25th, 2013
3:33 pm
I nominate @MiltonMan. His commentary is always so insightful and constructive. I just know he’d be the right guy to turn DCSS around!
Whatevs
February 25th, 2013
3:34 pm
gsmith, your comments to provoke, raise ire, and stir the pot are duly noted, but… shouldn’t you be in class? Grownups are conversing now.
DeKalb Rising
February 25th, 2013
3:34 pm
Brad Bryant should have refused to serve. Remember he was a candidate for the superintendent’s job.
gsmith
February 25th, 2013
3:34 pm
can we get a refund on our property taxes !! im tired of paying for other peoples day care
Dekalb Mom
February 25th, 2013
3:35 pm
DeKalber, how do we get this going? I just emailed Betsy Parks to see if she was interested in getting something going. Think we could pull this off for this weekend? Is Saturday or Sunday afternoon better for something like this?
Maureen, do you know if we would have to get permit for something like this at Mountain Industrial? It is huge and could handle a lot of people and would have plenty of parking.
Maureen Downey
February 25th, 2013
3:36 pm
To all, Also, former DeKalb Schools administrator Garry McGiboney is also on the nominating committee. He is now with DOE.
Maureen
LOGIC
February 25th, 2013
3:38 pm
@Concerned for Children
Performance has been sustained and is now starting to be impacted – a testament to the strong system we had prior to the chokehold these “leaders” have brought upon our district. Now that the “stuff” has hit the fan and SACS could no longer turn a blind eye as it does for many, we finally have a way to make some in-roads to fixing a school system that doesn’t have any checks and balances through representation to protect our tax dollars.
The property tax $$$ for the school system is meant for the children and NOT for legal fees and definitely not for running an illegal deficit. All of this screams at the negligence of this BOARD as a collective body.
Shrek4259
February 25th, 2013
3:38 pm
@gsmith -actually Livsey has the Jay-z lyrics hanging in the classroomI
http://eagnews.org/update-georgia-school-posts-vulgar-jay-z-song-lyrics-for-black-history-month/
who cares
February 25th, 2013
3:41 pm
How about putting the cutest little communist in Dekalb on the school board???? Cynthia McKinney, anyone????
Private Citizen
February 25th, 2013
3:43 pm
nominate @MiltonMan hahaha He’d tell them to all move to Cherokee County, and which dealership has the trucks on sale. whuh haha. ha ha ha. Hey MM, what-cha-going to do when your neighbors on one side are the Mullakhails and your neighbors on the other side are the Woldeabs, and the family across the streets are the Sengtavisouks? Start taking language lessons and being a good neighbor?
Just Sayin.....
February 25th, 2013
3:44 pm
At least we have a legal path to (hopefully) end this drama. It is just too bad that Dekalb county voters are just too stupid to do for themselves what the governor has done.
LOGIC
February 25th, 2013
3:44 pm
We already got Crazy Cynthia out once, bite your tongue on even allowing her back in the district.
HENRY A. TURNER, ATTORNEY AT LAW
February 25th, 2013
3:45 pm
Part of the problem (certainly not all) is the fact that SACS has made clear that it expects each BOE Member to represent the interests of the entire County. Yet, the Dekalb system has the election process set up by Districts and only those in a particular District can vote for their respective Board Member. Time to scrap District voting and make all the BOE seats “At Large”.
LOGIC
February 25th, 2013
3:46 pm
Amen, Henry!
chug
February 25th, 2013
3:46 pm
maybe Deal will get rid of the clowns in Cobb county next!
bu2
February 25th, 2013
3:47 pm
@Maureen
Is it Kenneth Mason? He is connected to KIPP Academy and is on the SBOE.
Keith Mason is a partner with McKenna, Long & Aldridge, who I believe is one of Dekalb’s firms.
Black Conservative
February 25th, 2013
3:47 pm
@ Dekalb Mom – the DeKalb Spring is for the voters in Dekalb County! They were the one’s who voted these folks in office with out doing research on each of them. For their to be school board members who do not have college degrees reflects really poor on the voters. Status quo will not longer be tolerated. Some of these 6 idiots will fight this in court, only again proving they are not responsible stewards of the mantle they were given. To whom much is given, much is expected and they have fell short with respect to the 99K school children. Now if we can only find a remedy for the sorry parents who consistently fail in their responsiblities of preparing their children for school.
Leo
February 25th, 2013
3:48 pm
I’m no supporter of Nathan Deal but finally we have an adult who is willing to make the “hard” but “right” choice for our students. Now, if only the other adults would make that same choice . . . .notably, per the procedure used to remove them, each individual board member has the right to appeal the decision to have them removed. If any of the current BOE members who have been slated for removal disagree with the decision and feel that they are in the best position to do something good for our system, let them appeal through that forum. But leave the hiring of lawyers to question this move in state and federal court to others. This is certainly not how I want my tax dollars spent. I would much rather them be directed to my children’s school and the staff which works directly with students daily.
Leo
February 25th, 2013
3:49 pm
Eugene Walker is what you get when folks are elected “at-large” in Dekalb County. I shudder at the thought of entire board comprised of Eugene’s.
bu2
February 25th, 2013
3:51 pm
Others
James Bostic, a former Georgia Pacific executive
Sadie Denard, external affairs for Georgia Power and formerly on the Atlanta BOE, on Dekalb Tech’s board
Alicia Phillip, Atlanta Community Foundation
All seem to be pretty well connected.
Packed Colon
February 25th, 2013
3:51 pm
They have a genuine and legitimate concern.
You don’t really want the governor over ruling the citizens votes, which is what he is doing here. Now, I agree the overwhelming majority want these hose bags removed, but at what point can the governor no longer remove elected officials? What if it is a personal vendetta? How, as voters are we to answer to that?
Maureen Downey
February 25th, 2013
3:52 pm
@Shrek, Read all the lyrics. A couple may cross a line, although the song is mild mannered compared to many on the playlists of most kids today. Here are the lyrics that the school posted on one bulletin board. Don’t think they warrant the hysteria of the linked article.
Rosa sat…so Martin could walk.
Martin walked…so Obama could run.
Obama ran…so our children could fly.
Maureen
who cares
February 25th, 2013
3:52 pm
The moochers realize that elections have consequences. If the providors have had enough, vote with your feet and MOVE!!!!!! That’s the only way the moochers will realize their failures.
Eugene Walker Must Go
February 25th, 2013
3:53 pm
Of all the poorly spent money used on lawyers by DCSS, I hope the Board sues and wins against the State. The Board are our elected officials and if we want them removed, we should do it. 100% behind the lawsuit. Sue the State!!!!
james
February 25th, 2013
3:53 pm
It’s back to the 30s,40s, and 50s for Blacks in Dekalb County ga
OriginalProf
February 25th, 2013
3:53 pm
**Formerly Prof for more than a year on this blog, I find that someone else has registered under that name with AJC–not me. So now Prof is OriginalProf.**
Very good idea to delegate the responsibility of the replacement appointments to a nominating committee. Takes the onus of choice off the Governor. As some here have noted, excellent choices of the committee members: 3 present or former state board of education members, one a lawyer (Keith Mason); members with DeKalb business ties; one a former member of the DeKalb board of education. I note that at least two are African-American (Jim Bostic and Sadie Dennard), and that too is a plus in this racially charged situation. Godspeed!
Private Citizen
February 25th, 2013
3:54 pm
Shrek, the only problem with Black History Month is that it supports the year around “all about me” that is promoted for US black culture, and there is no counter balance. Morgan Freeman has posted some great video on the subject. He does not want “Black History Month” and he says to stop talking about race. I think it is a disservice to the kids to assume they are so helpless that they need Black History Month to give them self esteem. They kids are smarter than that. The only message it sends to them is “I can play the race card, if need be” and plenty of them do it. It would be different if there were 11 other “cultural history months” to go with it, but it is basically unethically role-modelling an unethical way of doing things. The kids pick up on this, too. For example:
Teacher: “Okay, high schoolers, here’s your homework!”
Student: “You’re racist!”
This is not a fiction. I’m reporting real event to you. Hey, take your Black History Month and put it back in the toy box. It sure does not teach young people how to succeed in the business world. All those black inventors they talk about sure did not have “Black History Month” in their formation. You can be certain of that.
Just wondering
February 25th, 2013
3:55 pm
Bu2
They may be connected but all (I can’t speak to mason) are well respected. I am impressed that they aren’t the same ole faces (with the exception of Bryant) that we see all the time in DeKalb.
Maureen. What is Masons day job?
Shar
February 25th, 2013
3:55 pm
The next thing that should happen is for the DeKalb delegation to redistrict DCSS into 7 board seats, to comply with the existing legislation that the current corrupt board chose to ignore and to improve governance efficiency.
Black Conservative
February 25th, 2013
3:55 pm
Funny how certain people on this blog claim to be concerned about the children, offer no constructive thought… These people like gsmith and who cares are just as self serving and destructive as the people Deal just dismissed.
Maureen Downey
February 25th, 2013
3:56 pm
@Bu2, Just fixed that. It is Kenneth Mason.
Maureen
concerned voter
February 25th, 2013
3:56 pm
Why should the governer have the right to silence anyones vote. This isn’t something that happened overnight this has happened across at least 2 election cycles and the people still voted for these people.
I know changes need to be made but I dont think he should have the power to remove them. This was placed on the ballot in the wake of Clayton counties board fiasco and people voted for it. I remember when it was on the ballot and I voted against it. Governor Deal is a crook in his own right. I wish we could remove him also. What happens if these people run again in a few years and get voted in again then what.
Mountain Man
February 25th, 2013
3:58 pm
Maureen – I have a question and thought you might be able to run down the answer. It is against the law for a school system to run a deficit, but DCSS did so last year by $14 million. Since they have no borrowing power, how were they able to pay their bills to keep the power on and pay salaries when the money ran out?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Inman Parker
February 25th, 2013
4:01 pm
Unfortunately, like in so many areas of modern American life and politics, it ain’t over until some nitwit judge has his/her say. What a mess, that so many kids and families are so ill treated by that team of fools called the DeKalb School Board.
LOGIC
February 25th, 2013
4:01 pm
@Maureen
I have to disagree with you on the lyrics – we need to provide the right role models for our elementary school students. When Ludacris sang “paint the White House black” and Jay-Z sings how Obama is “half right” because he is “half white” – these are the hateful things we do not want to expose our children to. Our own president had these people perform at functions and did not call them out on these types of lyrics; however, if a white performer did the same about the likes of any African-American criminal or stereotype, it would be considered pure hatred.
In any case, making it about your skin color is wrong and lauding individuals and holding them up as role models as posting their lyrics in a school is wrong.
OriginalProf
February 25th, 2013
4:02 pm
@ bu2, February 25th, 3:47 pm.
I too wondered about Deal’s choice of Keith Mason who is a lawyer for that firm connected with the DeKalb Board… If it is Keith and not Kenneth Mason, this could be the shrewd forestalling of any future opposition to the choices of the nominating committee.
Fred ™
February 25th, 2013
4:03 pm
I don’t know what to think about this. On one hand, those fools needed to go. I (and my fellow voters in my district and two others) did MY job. I voted the incumbent out. Six other districts failed to do so. Something had to happen.
On the other hand, the Governor decided that he was smarter than the voters of the six districts and wiped out the democratic process. That is also troubling.
I appreciate the comments today as MOST of them are really good. This is definitely a thorny issue and I am proud of my fellow Dekalbites (you can go screw yourself MiltonMan) and others who are concerned about this and offer valid viewpoints. Thank you.
Maureen Downey
February 25th, 2013
4:04 pm
@Original, Kenneth. The governor said he was a member of the state Board of Education, and that is Kenneth Mason, not Keith. I thought I misheard Deal when I wrote down “Keith,” but two people told me that they heard him and he said “Keith.” But he meant Kenneth. Here is the official release:
HENRY A. TURNER, ATTORNEY AT LAW
February 25th, 2013
4:04 pm
TO LEO: As I recall, Eugene Walker had no opposition for his “At Large” position (could be wrong on that fact). Regardless, if all the positions were “At Large’ there would likely be a lot more competition among all the Candidates to get votes from all the Dekalb voters, not just those in their District.
OriginalProf
February 25th, 2013
4:04 pm
However, bu2, I guess I was giving the Governor credit for too much Machiavellian planning. Maureen informs us that it is indeed Kenneth Mason.
Packed Colon
February 25th, 2013
4:05 pm
The point I was trying to make is I think the DeKalb BOE has a legitimate concern with the governor being able to remove elected officials. It can be a slippery slope. I understand that the majority of the citizens in DeKalb want these hoe bags removed, but at what point does the governor stop? What about personal vendettas that my fuel removal of elected officials? Maybe not this governor,but any time in the future if a precedent has been set.
Fred ™
February 25th, 2013
4:09 pm
@Dekalb Mom: While I applaud your idea and enthusiasm, those six knew they were damaging our children all along and just don’t care. They only care about themselves and their “power.”
They know they are losers and don’t care. As such, they won’t stop and will waste every penny of our money that they can.