What are Nathan Deal’s options with DeKalb school board? Are parents now more fixed on exit strategies than reform ones?
Gov. Nathan Deal has pushed back his news conference on the DeKalb school board mess to 2:30 today, suggesting that he’s seeking legal guidance on his options in this quagmire.
To recap: On Thursday, a unanimous state Board of Education, under an untested 2010 law, voted to recommend the suspension of six veteran DeKalb school board members. On Friday, a federal judge, while not stopping Deal from suspending the six, prohibited him from replacing them, pending a hearing later this week on the validity of the law.
That put Deal in a bind as ousting the members without replacing them creates a worse-case scenario for DeKalb, no closure, no quorum and no chance that new school chief Michael Thurmond can move quickly on whatever plans he has for the district. (And we have yet to see any real plans.)
Protracting this melodrama will only fuel the increasing push by Lakeside to form its own city and Dunwoody to form its own school system. In the end, DeKalb County could be so fragmented as to be unrecognizable. There has been a surge in notices of community meetings and town halls around issues of winning independence from either the county or the school district.
Such discord makes a unified school vision impossible and hampers any real change if parents are more focused on creating an exit strategy rather than a reform one.
And, in some breaking news, the AJC’s Greg Bluestein just reported:
Gov. Nathan Deal has not yet made a decision on whether to suspend members of the DeKalb County school board, lawmakers who were briefed by the governor said after emerging from an hourlong meeting Monday.
Members of the DeKalb delegation said the governor was weighing several options, including a compromise that would that would avoid a court battle. Under that plan, the governor’s office would closely monitor the school board’s progress if the legal challenges were abandoned. “We don’t know what he’s going to do,” said state Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta.
Here are some possible scenarios for Deal, none of which help DeKalb but do give the governor political points for at least trying.
•If Deal suspends the six members and can’t replace them, he essentially cripples the DeKalb Board of Education which, with only three legitimate board members, would lack the power to do anything.
•To create a quorum, Deal could choose to suspend only four of the six, with the likely two remaining Nancy Jester and Pam Speaks. Then, DeKalb would have a five-member board, which would provide a quorum.
However, Deal would certainly provide even stronger legal ammunition for overturning the law since picking and choosing members to oust supports allegations that the law is arbitrary and capricious. In addition, Deal would then be suspending only African-American board members, which would lay open the racial tensions that this whole process is revealing.
Nobody is clear what the law means when it says the governor has to suspend all “eligible” members. We saw that last week when the state reversed its January position that the governor had to oust all of the DeKalb board members or none of them.
That “all or nothing” explanation was given at the January hearing in response to protests by the three newly elected DeKalb board members that they weren’t even on the board when the district was put on accreditation probation. A month later, the state reversed itself and agreed with the trio, saying Thursday at the state board hearing that the newly elected DeKalb board members were exempted and would retain their seats.
•If Deal doesn’t suspend — which seems highly unlikely to me — he will come under criticism and undermine the state board’s credibility.
Any other feasible scenarios out there today?
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
123 comments Add your comment
Chamblee Dad
February 25th, 2013
3:06 pm
@Mountain I’m not walking with blinders on, I’m not letting malfeasance slide, I want change as much as anyone. For now I’m fighting in the system, keeping an eye on all this. Lose accreditation = huge problem. Getting a new board & quality permanent super.could go a long way to avoid that, or turn it around if it happens. If my kids were older – in high school, I would think with more urgency, I’ll concede. If we can hold off SACS while balancing all this, then we’ve got a chance. Why not at leat take it.
alm
February 25th, 2013
3:08 pm
North Druid Hills is looking into creating a city too. Their borders make a lot more sense than Lakeside’s. They don’t cross I85 to try and hijack commercial properties from other communities.
Pardon My Blog
February 25th, 2013
3:09 pm
@Ms Georgia – Many of us “folk” in north DeKalb could not stand Lewis either and saw his friends and family program from the get go but people like Walker protected him at every turn. Personally, I don’t think we should be paying for any of his legal fees as he has committed crimes against the district.
BTW – how is that “lunch mob”!
Pardon My Blog
February 25th, 2013
3:13 pm
I don’t think more cities is the answer because all I see are an increase in taxes which would not solve the school issue we would just be feeding the pig more. Charter districts may be the best answer!
Starik
February 25th, 2013
3:13 pm
Chamblee dad, would you feel the same way with a kid in high school in Tucker?
Mountain Man
February 25th, 2013
3:21 pm
“In terms of a deficit budget, is DCSS the only one?”
As far as I know. Do you know of another school system running a deficit?
Mountain Man
February 25th, 2013
3:22 pm
It is against Georgia Law for a school system to run a deficit.
Private Citizen
February 25th, 2013
4:19 pm
DeKalb Inside Out, Cue political cartoon with Governor Deal dressed as Pontius Pilot.
bootney farnsworth
February 25th, 2013
4:19 pm
God spare me from politicians, pimps, athletes, and faux outraged “Christians” appealing to God
Private Citizen
February 25th, 2013
4:21 pm
(Pilate) Looks like I’m not the first nitwit with this idea.
bootney farnsworth
February 25th, 2013
4:24 pm
it would take too long to list them all line item, but how about
-corruption
-abuse of power
-improper hiring
-abuse of employees / violation of civil rights
-fiscal irregularities
-graft
unless all this somehow does not apply to the DeKalb BOE…..
bootney farnsworth
February 25th, 2013
4:25 pm
@ mountain
doesn’t matter if 1 system or 100 systems are running a deficit. its still illegal.
Truth in Moderation
February 25th, 2013
4:37 pm
Tim’s update:
Home school Blues…
ht tp://w ww.youtube.com/watch?v=7wu0R_8rH00
vietnamvet
February 25th, 2013
5:02 pm
Something is wrong when legally elected representatives can be removed from office for reason other than violating their oath of office or breaking the law. The Governor should not have the right to undo an election without due cause. It will be a sad sad day if the Supreme upholds this law. Yet, they most, likely will.
OriginalProf
February 25th, 2013
5:11 pm
So, Truth, what is the specific number of the home schooling bill you want us all to protest, and just why should people protest it? What will it change?
JOB
February 25th, 2013
5:22 pm
Why do we continue to elect anyone to serve on our Board of Educations. All professions physicians, nurses, lawyers, beauticians; are governed by their peers. Educators would be more aware of the needs of the schools and how better to aid and make improvements. They would have a vested interest in adequately educating of our children and making the schools more conducive to learning. They would also be better able to select qualified leaders for the systems. This should be a requirement for anyone applying to run for membership on a board.
Truth in Moderation
February 25th, 2013
5:58 pm
@Prof
Someone keeps deleting my post. The TRUTH is dangerous. All the info is in my original post. If you can’t read it an understand it, don’t call.
Truth in Moderation
February 25th, 2013
6:37 pm
@PC
Thanks for your college pics of the Candler Mansion. Even though that is not the home I was talking about…Lullwater Mansion, also belonging to the original Candler. I vaguely remember it’s sad degeneration in the 60″s, as with many Grand Old Atlanta homes. After my research on MKULTRA, its even creepier. If those tunnel walls could talk……
And don’t forget, NEW BRAINS FOR ALL in 2023!
Truth in Moderation
February 25th, 2013
7:59 pm
@PC
Did you mean “Pontius the pilot and the flight to Egypt?”
slobberbelly
February 25th, 2013
11:25 pm
Yeah I’m fixed on exiting these a$$ clowns off the school board. But now that Deal dumped them, bring on the appointments. And to all those DeKalb parents “horrified” at Gov. Deals’ decision, where in the he!! was your “horror” as this clown show trashed our school system. I happened to hear Cunninghan try to use the Constitution to defend his intention to fight his removal. He couldn’t even pronounce the word, constitution. Gov. Deal could appoint 6 tomatoe plants to the BOE and they would do a better job that the 6 buffoons he dropped. He won’t off course. Deal’s smart enough to know that a healthy school system is the key to economic growth and increased tax revenue through higher property values. Lose your accreditation and watch your child’s chance of attending college go the way of your plummeting property value. I only wish the majority of DeKalbs’ voters understood that.
Joe
February 26th, 2013
8:27 am
I am sure glad that I sacrificed and put my kids in private schools. They are at or headed to college with a great education and foundation for college. The racial claims are ridiculous and missing the boat on why your kids are not getting the proper education to propel them to a higher learning. We are not a democracy which is “Mob Rules”. We are a democratic republic which is “Rule of Law”. The governor has “Due Process” to throw the bums out, if they are not doing there job. In this case, being put on probation by SACS is not doing your job. Whether you like SACS or not they have the oversight on our education system and that is the law of the land. The fact that they are going to pay 150k for governance training, shows that they are not capable of doing the job!
kevin
February 26th, 2013
8:41 am
Governor Deal has cause more harm then good. Watch the court come in and say so. Gvt Deal should have stay far away from this issues….he is showing a side of himself that he too…has problems and it is not conceiveable that his action toward others mirrows that he is not perfect. Deal is also not looking at facts; but hearsays. He should move against SACS for destroying Georgia School Systems, Clayton and Dekalb for the sake of money. Watch, it is all about money that is driving this whole thing. Regardless what people and comments are saying…..it is not the interest of the children per sey, it is about the money and the people whom SACS and perhaps Deal do not like.
senseandsensibility
February 26th, 2013
1:36 pm
The rumor is a good percentage of qualified teachers and veteran teachers have had enough and are leaving.. many are applying out of state for jobs that actually pay more and treat you better..This leaves Dekalb with many holes.. poor quality teachers, no leadership on the school board.. a ruined reputation and a even farther slide into the abyss.. teachers are fed up.. they are leaving the sinking ship before they go under as well..