Here are bios of the six new DeKalb board members. Impressive credentials by any standard.

Wow! They have really raised the bar on credentials. I am impressed.

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Impressive resumes from them all. Hopefully they can work together to turn DCSS around.

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Jovan Miles

March 13th, 2013
11:26 am

Impressive resumes from them all. Hopefully they can work together to turn DCSS around.
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I like the unique aspect of having an expert on mediation/conflict resolution on the board

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Thank you so much Maureen for all that you do!

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So far so good -hard to tell what these folks are like, but what’s written down sounds hopefu. ‘Trained mediator’ – that is certainly a good skill to have….

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This does look like an accomplished group. Why did they apply? Have they family employed by the system? Hopefully they will ask the right questions, and push their superintendent. Also, they seem to have strong resumes for leadership. Will they be able to meet SACS definition of “successful”? ie, no dissention, rubberstamp what your superintendent says? Or will they push for REAL leadership?

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Even the NAACP should be somewhat happy the ousted person was replaced by a person of the same race. The qualifications of these people look great, so let us hope they can work together and get things straightened out.

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They look awesome on paper. I am very optimistic!

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This looks to be a great group of well-credentialed people who are concerned about improving DeKalb’s public schools. Good job by Governor Deal and the screening committee. We could definitely use more than a few like them on the Atlanta Board of Education.

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OK – Trotter and the rest of the nay-sayers – no more discussion of sterotypes. How petty to discuss tap dancing as if that is some domain of one particular race – shades of Ann Miller and Fred Astaire! Let us focus upon educational values. Let us focus on encouraging our teachers and empowering them to lead classrooms of motivated students. Let us re-establish discipline in the classroom. Let the BOE take care of the budget, hiring competent people, auditing and fixing the mess that exists at the Palace. Let the BOE work on re-establishng the accredidation of DeKalb. SACS should be happy that Deal moved this fast and made education of children a priority. Focus upon the education of our children over race-baiting one-upmanship. I was disappointed to see out of all the qualified women on the original list that only two were chosen. I am just thrilled they are all so well-qualified. Thanks to Maureen and the AJC for working so hard to keep us informed.

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Four of the six appointees have spent their careers in the business arena. Education envisioned a as business? I hope not. However, education foreseen as a business model may well be the thinking of Georgia’s Republican governor.

As a dedicated, educational career teacher and instructional leader of 35 years, I do not think education will flourish, for students, when it is run as a business model – the high calibre of these candidates, now DeKalb County’s educational board members, notwithstanding.

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Did I read that right only one has a child in DCSC currently ?

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Dr. Trotter, please. We need to give these folks a chance. They seem well-qualified, and heaven knows we need the kind of leadership and expertise that are reflected in these people’s resumes. They have a hard job ahead of them; and just for taking on this challenge, they at least deserve open minds.

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Tucker is screwed. We already have McMahan from Lakeside and Orson from Fernbank : Both part of Emory-Lavista Parent Council. Now we have SuperDistrict Karen Carter also from Lakeside and Thaddius Mayfield as the co-chair of the SPLOST IV campaign of deceit? Does anyone care that the “Friends” of DeKalb lied to the media and everyone else by telling voters they had to vote yes on SPLOST if they wanted to reduce the school board from 9 to 7 members and make them all stand for re-election in year? None of that happened, but they got their money. Now they will be controlling it, too. All hail the new Lakeside City, being ushered in on the backs of our students and with the money from taxpayers all over the county funneled straight to Womack’s backyard. Does anyone care that Fernbank (Orson) also had their district specifically drawn to ensure their man would be elected during the Summer and they didn’t even have the headcount to justify their own elementary school just a few short years ago. Now they are getting a multi-million dollar brand new school which will force others around them to close in order to supply them with enough kids. And how did they manage that? By electing EUGENE WALKER and then voting to spend tax dollars defending him. And by making the NAACP fool everyone else into thinking “South DeKalb” put Walker in office. Big scam taking place right before our eyes. I’m shocked, saddened and packing my bags. There is little hope left unless you live inside the perimeter and have enough money to finance someone’s campaign in 2014. Yuk! Uk! Pooey! Bllleeeeak! Booooooo!

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Dr. Trotter, stop…you have no stake in this and your continued race-baiting is not welcome.

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Well, they made sure to keep the racial quotas intact. Now maybe the NAACP will go back to whatever nether region they came from.

While the new board members have impressive credentials, we’ll soon see if we get status quo or real improvement.

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im sorry but i have no hope for change in dekalb, ….. i have mine in private school and i am in the process of selling my home.. It’s a shame because Dekalb ( Atlanta) used to be such a nice place to live, but those days are long gone…… Forsyth County is calling because its time to get out before this city turns into Detroit

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Isn’t it interesting that SACS waited until YESTERDAY to say wait a minute Gov., you should let the process work.

By the way, I know one of these new members. Has good qualifications. If the others are anything like him, then they made a good choice. Although I STILL don’t believe it should have been handled this way.

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Disenfranchised, Carter does not appear to be an active parent in the Lakeside community. (her bio simply lists PTA membership.) No one seems to know her.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. I am just pointing out that she isn’t really a Lakeside advocate from what I can tell.

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I find it very suspicious that Joyce Morley looks like she very well could be Michael Jordan’s child. Maybe we better do a DNA test before we get too far into this.

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Have they ever been in a classroom? What do they know about students with severe autism or with learning disabilities. What do they know about teaching students who are homeless?

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Dr. Trotter, Maybe these folk will be smart enough to recognise your “SACS concerns” and you are certainly not the only person questioning what is going on with this organization. The minstrel show type comments are inappropriate. What next, depression era Pollock, Italian and Irish jokes (there were plenty of them)?

Hey Dr. Trotter, you know why the Brits do not make computers? Because they can not get them to leak oil. Only wish it was a joke (ha ha). PS Really, I fail to understand your love affair with the prior DeKalb group, as well as the whole “school board is holy” syndrome. I just hope the state keeps going with it.

“As a kid I was made to walk the plank. We couldn’t afford a dog.”

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I wish they’d remove a lot more school boards. We’d have a stronger democracy.

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I have to make one direct rebuttal to Dr. Trotter because I think he will NEVER be satisfied with reforms. I found his comments to be arrogant and disrespectful. He is not the person that needs to be satisfied anyway – it’s the parents of the students who attend Dekalb Schools that need to be satisfied.

You have to be impressed with the qualifications of these appointments, and give them a chance to make a positive impact. If this group can’t help improve the governance of the Dekalb School System, than no one can! If they do a good job, then the election process will commence in the next cycle. And if this efforts proves successful, it will speak VOLUMES on the need to completely reform public school governance structures in the 21st century.

My initial reaction is that the selection committee did an outstanding job selecting strong candidates.

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Too bad business MBA training does not apply to human students.

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@ Private Citizen: My “love affair” is not with the former DeKalb School Board. My “love affair” is with democracy.

@ DeKalb County Grad: What “name-calling” and “mud-slinging”? May I not use metaphors? May I not just tell the truth? I told a colleague a few minutes ago that some of you guys don’t really want me to get very blunt. I could tell you what is really happening to the Voting Rights Act in very colorful language. But, some of the posters don’t give a heck about the Voting Rights Act…mainly because you have always been white and have never needed it. But, my immediate family and extended family have “children of color.” And I also know what happened to my ancestor who fought for black people in the Georgia Capitol. DeKalb County Representative Robert A. Alston was murdered in the Capitol on March 11, 1879. What was at stake? Money. The Convict Lease System. It’s all about the money.

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Joyce Morley “. . . has a doctorate in Counseling, Family and Worklife from the University of Rochester. She received her specialist’s and master’s degrees in Counseling Education from the State University New York College at Brockport, and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the SUNY College at Genesco”

Not my district, but this Southerner married a Yankee – a beautiful lady from Brockport, NY and based on my knowledge of the high quality of education available for teachers & all in the education field throughout Western New York, she is most likely VERY QUALIFIED to serve on this board. My wife, mother-in-law (retired principal from Brockport), & virtually all aunts & cousins have education degrees from these schools &/or other SUNY nearby, and all are super-sharp. Saying that for real, not likely they’ll read this. This is somewhat due to fact that there are few jobs in Western NY for a super-educated work force other than education (death of Kodak & many more – taxed to death too). And partly the reason my wife is here, could be why Morley is as well.

I’m 99.9% certain we will not have a SCW or Zepora Roberts with her. Let’s hope her electorate warms to having such a qualified representive. At first glance the others look very good as well.

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concerned mom, thanks, I guess that is helpful. The “never heard of her” part, not the PTA part as that only means she is well acquainted with McMahan who is a puppet for Orson and Womack who have been working with Walker to deceive the public, protect Crawford Lewis, save their own real estate investments, scare the families out of Tucker and chase them over to Lakeside so they can justify the property values or build more McMansions. I would rather let Thurmond run the whole thing and have the nominating committee serve as an interim board whenever he tells them that he needs more money. Georgia Power is now involved? Is this because Nancy Jester caught on to how much we were funneling to them for electricity over budget and after closing multiple schools so now they need their own guy on the board to do PR damage control?

Well, as they say in the state-sponsored, poorly funded, under paid depressing pre-K program that is the model for the nation, “You get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit.” But, I really do feel like pitching a fit right now. I really, really do.

Dr. Trotter, can you tell me how they managed to have an election here in DeKalb in July when the state law clearly states that the school board elections are to take place in November? Did they change the law and not tell anyone? We didn’t even have final maps for the school board districts at the time that they stopped allowing any new candidates to register. Talk about the end of voting rights. I don’t consider it much of a right when the candidates are rigged against me no matter whom I select at the ballot box and someone decides to place a school related election in the middle of the summer when no one is thinking about school and most families are on vacation?? And then they let the ones who did not win re-election sit around and stew in their anger for 5 more months before having to actually give up their thrones? A lot of damage can be done in that 5 months… like some “leaks” to SACS, don’t you think?

I suspect the July 2014 election will be as poorly covered and poorly attended as every other election held here. People do not care because it truly does feel like a lost cause. Just wish we didn’t keep sending troops to other countries to risk their lives if we have nothing but a sham to hold up as an example for freedom anyway.

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I work at a school in another county but I grew up in DeKalb and currently live there. I have a young child and we have debated leaving, but we really love our home and community. I have decided to be optimistic (while trying not to be naive). At least on paper, these candidates seem highly qualified. In my opinion, it is not as necessary that they have teaching experience, but rather, that they are people who know the importance of LISTENING to the teachers and ACTING on behalf of students. I am happy to see the combination of life experiences listed above, and I am hopeful that we will see change slowly start to happen. It won’t be fixed tomorrow, but I believe it CAN be fixed.

On another note, I am so tired of hearing about the “dumb, stupid voters of DeKalb.” Please keep in mind, that voting for most school board members is not done at large – we are restricted to vote only for the people running in our districts. Some incumbents WERE voted out, but we did not all have the chance to do this! I am making a personal pledge to get more involved in the next election in my district, to make sure that my friends and neighbors are informed voters. I am sure I am not the only one.

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Are we to assume that the people whose photos did not appear are white? Ugly? Camera shy?

Will any of these people, all of whom appear to be smart, competent, ambitious, etc., be able to understand the challenges faced by teachers and administrators who are dealing with students who do not share those qualities? Who will speak for the personable, polite, kind and generous student who is not academically talented in any way?

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Hey “living,” you have to satisfy the voters. Is this concept foreign to you? By the way, I don’t give a rat’s behind if I can across arrogant to you or anyone else. The height of arrogance is taking away the voter’s right to choose their elected officials.

No one is doubting these appointees’ credentials. I am not. I would not care if Governor Deal had appointed Junior Samples or Mitt Romney or David Axelrod. This is not the point. The point is this: The voters’ right to choose was summarily taken away. This is wrong, and I don’t give two cents what anyone else thinks. I don’t care if I am the only one on this blog or in this State of Gerogia who is willing to state this…with my own name attached to it.

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You folks should do like I do and just skip over Trotter’s comments. I also skip Mary Elizabeth’s comments. Anyone who writes as much as they do are probablenarcissists looking for ego reinforcement.

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Oh, my computer took a long time to load the other photos! Nobody is ugly.

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CONGRATULATIONS to Governor Deal. I am impressed with his selected officials for the new board. I am also quite pleased with the way the Governor did not cave to the radicals of the black community to give them the right to select their own black members. Racism is still rampant in Georgia and Nathan Deal has dealt with the outrage of these radicals in an effort to bring stability and excellence to the new board. He deserves great credit for the board that truly represents the makeup of the school population. Perhaps this change will give Dekalb County Schools the jolt it has needed to get out of the quagmire it has built on its own. Great leadership and innovation by the new board could significantly enhance the educational experiences of every child in the system. My hat is off to Governor Deal and to the exceptional cast he has created on the new board.

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@ Dr. John Trotter, 11:37 am: “I presume that the Governor has found his “good black people.” Let’s see what they can do. Can they tap dance? Sing upon demand? Or, at least do the electric slide? …I hope they will be independent but I seriously doubt they will be.”

Don’t you have strong ties to some of the former DeKalb school board members from the days in 2007-8 when Clayton County disposed of its school board members and you were prominently involved? Curious, rather racist comments (as Private Citizen implies) here about these newly appointed Board members, whose appointment only will last till the 2014 board elections.

From their biographies, these board members seem like highly trained professionals who will most likely go back to their day jobs once the next board elections take place. One a certified public accountant, another a trained counselor and mediator, another with a law degree, two college faculty members; two with Master’s degrees, two with Ph.D.s Their professional skills seem to have been much needed by the former board, and I’m very glad they’re donating them to the county now.

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The purpose of business is to turn a profit.
The purpose of government is to serve its people.
Both require management, budgeting, and stellar performance across the board to be successful but the different motives do change the animal.

Don’t dwell on the fact that these new board members have strong business backgrounds. Hopefully the real benefit is that they are all intelligent enough to see the problems that Dr Trotter presents to us time and time again, and do what is necessary to correct them.

Dr Trotter’s style may turn off many posters but the substance of his message is valid. What difference does it make how good these people look on paper if their performance is more of the same? I don’t live in Dekalb but I’m pulling for them to rise up just like I’m pulling for Clayton County.

Like I said yesterday, the biggest problems with schools nationwide are inside the classrooms. Students need to be motivated and well-behaved, parents need to enforce discipline at home and will it upon their kids to remain respectful away from home, and administrators need to support the teachers and allow them to teach.

In the business world, when there’s a problem only one of two things happen. 1, executive management empowers line managers to make proper adjustments to address the problem. 2, executive managers line their pockets and fortify their golden parachutes while letting the chips fall where they may with the organization.

Companies fall apart all the time and it’s not always because people just don’t want their offerings.

Let’s hope this group is like those in the first scenario.

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I’m pleased with the make-up of the group, and it’s great to have some people in place. They need to make policy and budget properly, and I hope they can do this. But, of this very moment, HR is doing a terrible job. A certified teacher just hired agreed to take a position as advertised as the retiree rate, but just prior to signing, HR told her that she would have to accept $25 an hour, which he is already making with Title I. What HR did this school was “bait and switch.” They hired fully certified part-time teachers, advertised the positions on PATS for two months, but at contract signing time, decided to declare these teachers “tutors.” HR cut the salary to $25 an hour, about half what a PT retiree should make. Until the Supt gets his ship righted and the departments straightened out, nothing really is going to change. The new board cannot set out kicking___. Please, Supt Thurmond, put the salary of teachers where it should be. It’s going to take your doing, because HR is doing whatever it wants to and calls it “consistency..”

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When does the National Organization for Women – or Dr. Trotter – start protesting the fact that Deal replaced two of the suspended female members with men?

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Dr.Trotter, if indeed you are a Dr.-The NAACP is nothing more than a race baiting org. that has outlived its purpose. The Gov. stepped in to save teh school system from being discredited. Just like in the national election, when you let low informed/uninformed people who vote with their skin color, the out come is “elections have consequences.” Garbage in-garbage out. School is not a place for GIGO! We have schools that are being run by the inmates with the principals afraid to do anything to the bullies and we have kids failing in the system. We need a TOUGH school board to help the kids learn, and to toss the bullies into AEP/BootCamps/Military school. Next election, I hope people vote with facts and not just the person who has the same skin color. We have seen THAT experiment blow up in our faces already.

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Darn! I didn’t see John (NAACP) Evans name anywhere.

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Thad Mayfield had a child to graduate from Southwest Dekalb High School. David Campbell is a very good, well respected person. He’s very qualified for the board and the kind of person that everybody wish they had as a next door neighbor. I don’t mean to bash Jay Cunningham, but Campbell is LIGHT YEARS more qualified to be on the board than Cunningham. I’m surprised that Nancy Jester was not replaced with another complaining white woman.

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I really don’t think the voice of the voter is all that Dr Trotter and others make it out to be. Citizen voters don’t always make good choices. After all, entire states have voted to outlaw gay marriage and without the court system we would still have segregated schools. The voters of the US couldn’t even come together and ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

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what stands out to me is that the selection of John Coleman does not meet Dekalb County residential status. A reasonable thinking person and voter would have thought that this would be an obvious required qualifying issue?

Granted he is educated but surely out of ALL of thousands of candidates, you mean to tell me there was not another who could meet a similiar educational level and live in Dekalb County?

I smell a HUGE RAT already!

In Light of the Numerous North dekalb residents who are already dissatisfied and frustrated with this system. Surely one of them could be have found to fill this slot! A selection with that thinking in mind would have been a GREAT offer of an Olive Branch saying, We hear your concerns and we want your direct involvement,participation and representation.

Just maybe that was truly not a concern and it sends a meesage go ahead and follow through with your plans for you have the EAR of the Governor! This is
just another ACT of smoke & Mirror of Georgial Political SHENANIGANS at work. Right before your very EYES! Surely King Nathan is quietly Laughing and smirking saying such FOOLS!

Such purposeful action in SILENCE, is another long held form of Communication in the South. A signal has been given to those who are ready supporters of this Governor and his actions. they are needed for his successful re-election. No way would The Governor offend this GROUP even if it is at the expense of the Thousands of Dekalb County democrat registered residents would never, ever support his return as Governor. This selection was the WINK! to North Dekalb…saying “I have YOUR BACK!”

SHAMEFUL!

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May I not use metaphors?

There is a limit. College students are removed from campuses for writing a joke on the wall of the type of some of the “metaphor” you be slanging. For example, a female rape victim is not going to be too cool with your use of “sluts” for go-along-to-get-along principals. You could also say “prostitute” which is not so sexist and associated with trailer-park abuse talk. A black man who has been racially harassed by police with not appreciate the tap-dance comments, and a many would get real hot about it. So, yes, there are some lines to this type use of language on a discussion.

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Dr.John Trotter….”This is not the point. The point is this: The voters’ right to choose was summarily taken away. This is wrong, and I don’t give two cents what anyone else thinks. I don’t care if I am the only one on this blog or in this State of Gerogia who is willing to state this…with my own name attached to it.”
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Gee all these posters trying to dance around the major point that you have stated are either ignorant of democratic procedures or just autocratic in their thinking!!!

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It appears to me that all these folks are very energetic, which is what is needed after years in the doldrums. Dig in, guys, and get to work. Start your first meeting now. Cut off the legal fee payments. Begin to find out what is needed for the children to be successful. Direct your superintendent to do extensive input sessions from the teachers!

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So, a guy that knows about FISHERIES is relevent because…??

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@ “insider”: I am well aware of what the Founders intended. I understand the argument between “democracy” and “republic.” You may want to consult Richard Hofstadter’s American Political Tradition for detailed discussion here. But, are you willing to go back to all of the Founder’s original intent. Do we want to allow the General Assembly to select (not elect) our U. S. Senators? What about just returning to slavery and counting the slave’s a 3/5 of a person for Census purposes? I don’t think so. What proves too much proves nothing at all, “insider”?

@ “war eagle”: Two real doctorates…UGA and Mercer Law. Thinking about going back for a third. Perhaps Auburn. My dad earned his undergrad degree there in 1948. I grew up an Auburn fan, but gravitated to the Dogs when I earned two degrees there. I appreciate your concern about my education, “war eagle.” You see? We do have something in common.

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This is an example of good black leadership the kind that should be voted in. These people do not have to pull the race card to get elected. They are about quality. Many blacks have this but they do not want to get in the nastiness of politics that unfortunate abounds when either the black or white card is pulled.

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Here’s the question for DeKalb residents: If you have a concern or complaint, which Board member do you approach? And why do you think any of them will be responsive to your concerns rather than the Governor’s concerns?

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One more question – what if Walker and the others run for re-election . . . and win?

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@ Private Citizen: If you are going to engage in any exegesis of my writings, please try to get it right. I have never used the phrase “sl-t” to describe any principals. I reserve that very apt and descriptive word for the superintendents (males and females) who traipse around the country, jumping from one school board bed to the next, depending on what the school boards are willing to pay them. I also coined the phrase “gypsy superintendents” many years ago.

No, the school principals who seem to delight in inflicting pain on other human beings (mainly teachers) are called “b-tches.” Again, this is a very apt descriptor of how these principals (males and females) act.

Exegetical analyses are tricky. Please quote the person correctly. Thanks.

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cautiously optimistic @ 1:14 pm – I ask of you is that the issue here? You may be right it is possible, I agree. can you or anyone provide any clarification otherwise?

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I just love reading all these comments. What a wonderful world we live in! We can all have our say, whether it be positive or negative. Therefore, leave Dr. John Trotter alone; he’s just having his entitled say. I wish all of you had been so active before. Let the comments flow, Maureen!

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Linda, all BS aside, do you think that in this lifetime you would ever deign to stoop so low so as to actually refute a single thing that I have said, O Thou Wise Lady?

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Wow, very impressed that the new Board member qualifications – non look like politicans ! This Board has true promise for the students of Dekalb.

Wish we had this type of talent leading the Cobb School District -

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@rlm – I certainly hope that Nathan Deal is not what you consider to be an example of “good white leadership”. If so, then we all are doomed. I still do not agree with the decision to let the governor appoint our leaders. Hell, I didn’t appoint his representatives.

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living in an outdated ed system With you on organisational redundancy = sponge money, not to mention inefficient operations. Even an old lady brought it up to me recently, just out of nowhere. Friends and family apparently is everywhere in Georgia governance. And it is a terrible thing trying to deal with these thieves and them wanting to “make lots of rules” for people.

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@ Private Citizen, I have no desire to go to Stanford or any other weeny campus or other location where my rights as an American Citizen are abridged. In fact, I don’t too often pull for the Stanford Tree even in sports events. I like teams like the Idaho Vandals. Ha!

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LOL – Dr. Trotter – I neither refute nor support what you say, because I don’t read it anymore. I recall from the past that you’ve said that lack of student discipline one of the main problems for teachers today. I agree with that perspective, and that’s why my child is no longer in public school. As a resident of DeKalb, I care about my friends whose children go to public school here. That’s why I read about it.

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Why don’t the naysayers understand that these highly educated, or ‘MBA trained’ replacements have spent more time going to school than many others. As a result, they understand the value of a good education, and have seen examples of good teachers as well as bad ones. So the business education vs. school admin. experience argument is ill informed.

I’m sure they are all very opinionated on the type of education they would want their own kids to have, perhaps more like their own, and therefore are MORE qualified to serve in these roles. As someone mentioned, the resumes of the fired board members were embarrassing at best, and really more of a joke.

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2 PHD’s, 2 MBA’s and CPA .. WOW!

Sure beats 1 felon, 2 worthless S.Deklab high School degrees, and a delusional “man of God”

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These school boards are an example of why true democracy is such a bad idea.

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Thus speaketh, “Dr.” Trotter, whose idea of democracy is using MACE and union dues to buy off school board members in the name of “teachers’ rights.” He’s mad because he can’t do that with these appointees. He has already helped bring down Clayton Schools. To him “teachers’ rights” = No Teacher Accountability. Please stay out of DeKalb.

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I need one of them to help me balance my checkbook! Kudos for raising the bar.

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Chamblee Dad @ 1:45 pm – One can only proceed based on what is written and provided. I believe or I think or I suspect, or I assume does not properly provide the answer to the question raised! would you not agree?…We are not talking a mail delivery issue here?

Just another deflection….The smell is WAFTING NOW!

If you throw a Rock in the middle of a Group of pigs, the one that Yells is the one you HIT.

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@ OriginalProf: I loved being called “the Svengali.” The AJC editorials called me that on more than one occasion. Called me even more comical names, but then, all of a sudden, the AJC apparently erased this data base from its digital archives. Perhaps the AJC began to realize that it wasn’t this “white puppet master” after all who was causing the problems in Clayton County. I just helped people (black and white) get elected in Clayton County…to many different offices (school board seats were minor and pretty easy for me to help them win). I liked the Clayton News/Daily columnist who wrote that I had “hypnotic powers.” So, I warn you…you better watch out and not read too much of what I write. I am sort of like Rasputin, I suppose.

Oh yes, and Mark Elgart and SACS have done wonders for the economy and aesthetics of Clayton County. Now Southlake Mall, the only anchor mall in Clayco, is in foreclosure. Lowe’s, Publix, and Piccadilly Restaurant have closed on Highway 85 in Riverdale. Yes, yes. This Saintly Messiah from the Heavenly Alpharetta descended with grace and mercy to save the little school children of Clayton County, and now the community is just wonderful. Now wonder the voters voted back in the crimefighter, Victor Hill. The thugs had taken over, and the voters needed their own thug, Victor Hill, to get the street thugs back in line. Had I still lived there, I too would have voted for Sheriff Hill. Yes, Markie Mark Elgart, your solution is wonderful. Let’s save this community by bombing it. Call in the Napalm! We want to help DeKalb like we helped Clayton! The sewage pipe is busted on 23rd Street. Let’s nuke all of 23rd Street. This ought to cure the leak!

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I stand corrected….but Like Reagan says …VERIFY!

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Good Job Governor Deal!!! The NAACP can say nothing about these well educated,reputable educators and business people!!! Finally something good happening to the Dekalb County School Board!!! And for the uneducated people out there,you have to have business backgrounds to run a school board because you have to budget millions of dollars for the educational systems of large counties,so get a clue!!!

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I will guarantee that most of these 6 presently or in the past sent their children to private schools. And who could blame them. You could put Einstein, Ghandi, Confucius and other great minds of the past and could not fix these schools. Walk down the halls of most of these schools and you will see they are a travesty. You can only solve a problem with the elements you have to work with. And they dont have too many elements. I am sure they will improve things but my children will never set foot in one of these schools,or zoos. Whichever you choose to call it.

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I am very happy with the selection of these six people based on their credentials and experience. For all you people piling on, let’s give them a chance to see what they can do. On paper, we have been given a tremendous upgrade in education and leadership skills compared with what we had.

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BigBill, Maybe they will come up with a “charter school” overlay map and do a take-over. It might be better than the slow-motion denial of services, the status quo. I email my friend up north one of the in-house training memo’s from DeKalb (the type thing familiar to anyone in the government schools across the state). This is his reply:

……..high performance learning environment……..

Even Orwell couldn’t have known it would be that bad.

I’m sure (academic coodinator- source of memo) is highly qualified.

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@bigbill As a resident of District 1, you might be right that Coleman’s political views are where you suspect, maybe not. But how he acts on the board might not necessarily mirror that. Perhaps he wanted to join a board of a system he wants to dismantle, but I’m not wiling to jump to that conclusion.

In fact, you can’t avoid that there is a “business” side to running a $1B public school district – one that has been mismanaged beyond measure – well at least until an accurate & thorough audit is performed. And his business & administration expertise might very well serve us well in that regard. I’m going to take at face value, at least for now, that those are the tools he intends to bring to the table.

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To the person who said the “voters”right to choose has been taken away. Well, the house and senate can Impeach the President and have him hauled away. They can have re calls. But this law is on the books. Germany would have loved to have had impeachment/recall laws on the books inthe 30’s. They would have been spared their country’s destruction. In some instances, Government knows best. Rare cases, but this is one of them. Atlanta City council and Mayor are another example. People keep voting in the same people and they get the same results that they are complaining about. All b/c they are afraid of being called an “uncle tom” or not black enough. How about being “Smart Enough?” By being smart, everyone wins. Gov. Deal was smart enough to pick people who would be able to dissect the problem and come up with some solutions.

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Thank-you maureen…then my original comment was an overeaction. I apologize!

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Maureen–
Please look into giving Dr. Trotter his own blog.

Dr. T–you do have a valid point but it would REALLY help you to remember that brevity is the soul of wit.

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I’m a black mother…I don’g give a hoot the color of these folks!!!! They could have been all purple. WE HAVE GOT TO GET PASS RACE! So what the Govenor made a bold commnet in the NAACP meeting! Sometimes the truth hurts! Get over it! It’s not about he adults…it’s about OUR kids = no matter what color!!!!!! I’m fighting for ALL our kids because they ALL deserve it now let’s get on the good foot and get our doggone accrediation back! Goodness!

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http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1341911

Michael Erwin on Rate My Professor.

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Sadly, many of the people attacking Dr Trotter’s posts remind me of Jim Jones’ “followers”. Remember, once you swallow the kool-aid, it’s all over.

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@ Decatur Dad: Thanks for your encouragement! Some people are probably saying that I have quit preachin’ and have gone to meddlin’! Ha! The truth hurts. Didn’t St. Paul ask the Galatians: “Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”? Gal. 4.16, if my memory still serves me correctly.

Madge: Thanks for your encouraging word too. I too think that people know that I am just telling the truth. But, sometimes, people just don’t want to hear the truth. It is too inconvenient or too indicting. None of us is perfect. But, the good Master has taught us to treat others like we would want to be treated, right? How would the good people of Hall County feel if a governor (far be it a governor of a darker hue!) removed the duly-elected school members up there, regardless of perhaps some lack of college degrees and perhaps some crude mannerisms, and some occasional spit-spatting on the school board? How would these people feel? You would see chicken feathers flying all over Lake Lanier! Heck, the Governor Deal would have to marshal a State clean-up crew to remove the feathers from the lake…because it would be hurting the State’s tourism industry. DeKalb Citizens are no different. They too want to be treated with respect.

@ About Time: I knew nothing of Mr. Royal on the State Board. It was an unintended pun. Perhaps I am writing not “by inspiration” but by intuition. Is this splitting hairs? Ha! I am actually hunger now and about to head for lunch. This has almost been as fun as yesterday’s picket. And, just think, had I not asked Mr. Haynes for a one-day delay in another picket (tomorrow instead of today – I am getting a little too old for consecutive pickets!), I’d be on the picket line now and not conversing with my good friends in Maureenland. Life is good, and I amazed at how much fun I have every day!

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What other human being has the right to tell me who is a “good” or “bad” candidate.
The same people saying Deal or government has the right to replace elected officials are SCREAMING like cats in heat when it comes to gun control.

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@Doc Trot I like the cut of your jib. No one wants to speak about the truth of the matter and unfortunately we live in an age that it seems the truth is more blasphemous than the smoke being blown up many people…I can see another instance of areas with more $, breaking away to form their own systems while this mothership comes crashing down. I never understood mixing private people for a public service. I see what its all about though and you eluded to much of it already. Clayton is a prime example. DeKalb if not careful will follow suit. The writing is on the wall. I guess I was/am cautiosly optimistic from an emotional standpoint but logically and from what Ive seen through experience, things dont look good.

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John W. Coleman and his wife, Jackie, live in Atlanta, 30341, in a 2700 sq ft 2-story house. His 2012 property tax was $5450. However, recently deposed BOE member Donna Edler and her husband, Darryl, live in Stone Mountain in a much newer, but similar, home of almost the same size (2400 sq ft 2-story) and her 2012 property tax was $1717. Go figure!

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Sadly, many of the people attacking Dr Trotter’s posts remind me of Jim Jones’ “followers”. Remember, once you swallow the kool-aid, it’s all over.

Exactly!

@Emma – You are believing in the 3-Card Monty/Shell Game. IMO this supposed, “conflict” is nothing more than a well thought out systemic plan to defund Public education and hand those funds over to “corporate” schools.

The more i read, the more I’m amazed at the continued, (can one even say deliberate), steps that are being taken to take away our right to free public education.

Here’s how I see it:

1) A few malcontents can call the Accreditation people at any time to lodge a complaint.
2) Token perusal and review is given to making sure that the complaints are legitimate before
3) A district’s accreditation is held hostage.

Has Dekalb’s schools graduation rates went down in the past few years? Have their schools success in the Georgia testing system become abysmal and needed a complete overhaul? Have they been disrupting the education of students by their “in fighting”?

I’m gonna answer “NO” to all the above. So exactly WHY is their accreditation being held over the fire and held hostage?

This is the long game folks. This is a plan that has been hatching and brewing for the past 10+ years and has now come to fruition with a stroke of the Governor’s pen.

Get ready — no one ever really wins in 3 Card Monty. You may win a few dollars here and there, but eventually you’re gonna end up broke and all your money scammed out of you.

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By the way, Ned, I have some websites too. When we were in junior high and high school, we used to create our own publications (spoofs, of course). They were a hoot. The Boogerville Babbler. There is actually an area of Columbus, Georgia called “Boogerville.” The kids from this area of town attended my high school. In fact, I wrote a play spoofing Bibb City, Georgia, one of my favorite locales in Muscogee County. My professor in college wanted me to type it up. She wanted to submit it for a contest. I never did.

In law school at Mercer, we created our own law review for three years, The Malum Law Review. It was a real hoot! Much more lively and fun to read than the real and arid law reviews. Believe it or not, I have had very prominent lawyers asking for copies of The Malum Law Review. Not to read for much erudition but for entertainment, though many morsels of truth were hidden within the levity.

Ned, I just like to write. Bear with me. Be patient. I also like to tell the truth, and I certainly don’t mind stirring up the pot.

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@Another That would be me that praised Morley (not Carter) as the Western NY education product. While I would 100% agree with your general appraisal of education in the area – and that was my point, I hope she is not so full of herself to think she has to show us “less-educated” Southerners how to do it right. And I’m pretty sure she won’t, she’s lived here 22 years & educated her own children here. We must be doiing something right.

Yes my education relatives & their friends are very sharp, but so are my family & friends down here. The challenges they face as educators in Western NY are different. Small districts – yes – somewhat based on a system of villages & townships – kinda quaint. And that can help. Also helps to have very little movement from system to system by the student population – except for those that move South, which they have been in droves for years – failing economy, killer taxes & crappy, crappy weather. Also helps that the student populations, outside the cities of Rochester & Buffalo are very homgeneous & almost never change, the challenges of diversity in DeKalb simply aren’t there.

And I don’t think that after knowing/living/visiting with these nice Western NY educated folks that they are better educated than I am, no way, as the product of Georgia public schools, no less. But I’ve never had a conversation that left either of us thinking “wow – Northern gunius – Southern idiot.” Well, at least that they let on. Perhaps they’ve sometimes left with the impression that Northern elitism can rub me wrong, and they’d be right. When I went to Emory, I was somewhat fearful of how I would measure up to my Northern-educated & Southern private-school educated classmates. Turned out I was fine, didn’t feel like a yahoo, because I wasn’t.

So not knocking your education, it was most certainly excellent. Mine here in Georgia was too. Maybe your experience with Georgia-educated people is not the same. The education my Northern nieces & nephews right now is excellent, but the education my children are receiving in DeKalb is no less. You hit a button, as you see.

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@ Dr. John Trotter “Ned, I have about 15 blogs” You must be the faster typist on the planet! Type away, fine with me, although I will admit about 5 sentences in you either suck me in, or I move on. I suspect many do as well, and I suspect you don’t care. If I miss some good stuff – and I probably do -my loss.

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Oops that should be “taken” not take! Sorry

======

I am delighted the board has business savvy in lieu of an education background. The education background board members just refused to see that pouring more money on everything made things worse! With a humongous near billion dollar budget, there was plenty of room for thieves and criminals.

P and J I’m amazed that you would say this! ^^^ I mean if i were to take what you said at face value, then there are absolutely NO CROOKS in the business world!

I don’t know for sure but i fear the people who had their retirement investments in the following companies / business people, may not agree with you:

Enron
Bernie Madoff
Merrill Lynch
etc.

To name a few…………….

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Dr. Pam Speaks credentials tops all of these clowns. What a freaking joke…

You fools deserve what you get….

Her bio :

Dr. Speaks is a retired DeKalb County School System (DCSS) educator who has served students in many capacities over the past thirty years.

Dr. Speaks began her professional career in education after she earned a Bachelor’s degree from Boston University. She continued her education and earned a Master of Arts from Northeastern. She also earned a Specialist in Education (Ed. S.) from Jacksonville State University. Finally, she earned a Doctorate in Education (Ed. D.) from Sarasota.

Dr. Speaks taught physical education and special education in Brookline, Massachusetts and in Boston, Massachusetts. She moved to Georgia, and for twenty-five years, Dr. Speaks worked in the DCSS as a special education teacher, as a specialist for the Regional Assessment Center, and as an administrator.

As an administrator, Dr. Speaks earned the reputation as being one who demonstrated high standards of excellence and expected the same from the teachers she was assisting to earn their certification. Consequently, teachers in schools across the district credit Dr. Speaks with helping them become effective classroom teachers. Additionally, she supported teachers as an Instructional Coordinator. Finally, she ended her career in the DCSS as Title I Director. In that position, Dr. Speaks was responsible to oversee the federally-funded program that provides additional funding to schools that serve economically disadvantaged students.

She has two children who graduated from the DCSS. Her daughter is a 1994 graduate of the DeKalb School of the Arts and her son is a 2002 graduate of Lakeside High School.

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@Dekalb74, good list. I would also add make sure class sizes are lowered.

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Their credentials impresses Maureen but again I read where the 2yr science degree is outperforming in the workplace. I think it is a state of mind rather than credentials.

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Wow!!!!! Governor is not playing and thank God. What a list of professionals.

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As a DeKalb teacher and property owner, I am thrilled with the selections. On paper this looks to be a huge win. I know there will still be pain ahead, but hopefully with this board and super, DeKalb is turning the corner.

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Deal deserves credit for this move.

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Dr. Trotter: Glad you are having fun today; however, this situation is not comical as you suggest. It’s about our children, and that, sir, is as about as serious as it gets.

You mention democracy in one of your missives. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t the voters of the State of Georgia in 2011 give the governor the right to oust Board members if the situation warranted such? Is a law passed by the voters not democracy? Where, pray tell, did the voters’ rights (those in DeKalb County) get trampled on?

You are a teacher’s advocate, are you not? As such, do you not advocate for the students? You made the statement (quoting from the MACE bio)…”You cannot have good learning conditions until you first have good teaching conditions.” Yet, one of the major concerns (among many) was the fact that this dysfunctional Board was, by its own ineptness, hampering the good learning conditions (remember the $12 mil textbook fiasco) and hampered good teaching conditions by interfering with “their” district schools, overcrowded classrooms (due to not knowing how to run a budget), and so on and so on…..let us count the misery.

This Board had been given warning upon warning, yet by all reports they continued to show disrespect to each other at meetings, hampering getting the necessary work done; by running up incessant legal fees, by blatantly allowing nepotism, and so on and so on……let us count the misery (heaped upon the students, yes, Dr. T., your membership of teachers, and the taxpayers).

At the hearing before the State School Board, these DeKalb Board members were given their time at the podium to defend themselves. Mr. Walker stated, “I don’t get the impression they want to help us improve governance.” Huh? Say that again! What do you mean improve governance? As long as you have been a member, do you actually mean to tell us you don’t know governance by now, or School Board policy. We taxpayers are given to understand there is a policy manual that specifically outlines your duties. One DeKalb Board member admitted….”we kinda got sidetracked…” No comment there. All of the above caused one State Board to lament there were no good answers.

So, please again tell us how this is comical. Are you a DeKalb County resident/parent/taxpayer? If you are, then as with about 98% of the good residents who approve this action and who have suffered through this, let us move on and do whatever we can to assist these appointees to get this thing back on track. If you are not a resident, well, then……

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Ohhhhhh: no Piccadilly, Publix or Lowe s in Riverdale anymore. That was the bst Piccadilly s in metro Atlanta.

Anyway, we ve got some folks that look great on paper and I believe that they can and will do the job. Let s support them folks…..Also, you don t have to have children presently attending DeKalb schools to know what the deal is…..Let s get started on the right foot. The Common sense foot.

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Thanks, Maureen, for your 2:07 PM response to my earlier comment about whom and what ideas John Coleman might be representing in his new role, i.e., whether they might include corporate individuals and their public school privatization financial interests. I completely agree with the Deron Boyles quotes you provided, especially this one: “What this ultimately sets up is a system wherein teachers are forced to follow mandates that have essentially been dictated by chambers of commerce.” And that “(i)t’s not that schools shouldn’t prepare students for their futures, but students – not business interests – should determine what their futures include.” Well said indeed.

The writer Adrienne Rich addressed this subject in her book, “Arts of the Possible – Essays and Conversations,” where she said on page 162:

“Universal public education has two possible-and contradictory missions. One is the development of a literate, articulate and well informed citizenry so that the democratic process can continue to evolve and the promise of radical equality can be brought closer to realization. The other is the perpetration of a class system dividing our elite, nominally “gifted” few, tracked from an early age, from a very large underclass essentially to be written off as alienated from language and science, from poetry and politics, from history and hope, toward low-wage temporary jobs. The second is the direction our society has taken. The results are devastating in terms of the betrayal of a generation of youth. The loss to the whole society is incalculable.” Also very well said, I believe.

I found Ms. Rich’s quote on an education blog website maintained by Furman University education professor P.L. Thomas whose book, “Ignoring Poverty in the U.S. – The Corporate Takeover of Public Education,” addresses many of the poverty vs. public school education concerns which , as our fellow commenter Mary Elizabeth also believes, to a great extent underly the discussions here about the DeKalb School System and most public school systems across the country. Professor Thomas’s blog address is: livinglearninginpoverty.com. I recommend his book and blog to all who comment here.

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The appointees have very impressive credentials… Now here is my question. Why did it take all this garbage to get a board like this in the first place? Maybe it is money or apathy, but if Dekalb had this type of talent, then why was it wasted for so long? Not to pick (or maybe so), let’s take Sarah Copelin-Woods. She’s been reigning over District 3 snce 1998. Let’s take one quote from her old Dekalb BIO -

Sarah Copelin-Woods

“Ms. Wood is a native Georgian and has lived in DeKalb County for the last 30 years. She is a student at Morris Brown College and is working to complete her Bachelor’s degree.”

https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/AboutBoard.aspx?S=4054#6192

Um, she’s WORKING TO COMPLETE HER BACHELOR’S DEGREE AT A SCHOOL that DOES NOT EXIST ANY LONGER (for the most part)…

Now, Let’s compare that to her replacement – Michael Erwin

Erwin is a U.S. Navy veteran and has been a research assistant at Duke University Medical Center and the University of South Carolina. He has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Services and is past chair of the NOAA fisheries committees on fish species and fish diseases in Maine and South Carolina. In 2008, he earned a Ph.D. in Biological Science from the University of South Carolina. He has been a member of the faculty at Georgia Gwinnett College since 2009 and teaches undergraduate students in biological science. He graduated from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s in Biology and a master’s in Biological Science. Erwin resides in Decatur.

HE HAS A DOCTORATE versus someone who is STUDYING FOR THEIR BACHELORS…

I know that a higher degree does not mean everything, but this is a position for the BOARD OF EDUCATION… I want them to be educated.

I blame us all. I blame us citizens for accepting less from our candidates, and I blame the right citizens for not stepping up until now. I would have voted for Michael Erwin if he had ran. This is a shame.

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Here is a link to Furman University Professor P.L. Thomas’s education blog:

http://livinglearninginpoverty.blogspot.com/

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@ who stands for the children? I simply don’t think that appointed school board members make things better for the students and teachers. Look at Clayton County. It’s much, much worse now since SACS bulldozed its way in like the Soviet Army coming in with tanks into Prague. Much worse. In Clayton County, we have had to picket three times in the last two weeks, including against the interim superintendent, Luvenia Jackson. The school systems begin to think that they are not answerable to the voters and therefore can ignore such laws like the Certified Employee Complaint Statute (O. C. G. A. 20-2-989.5 et seq.). The students get rowdier and more defiant when they see that the teachers no longer have any way to keep them in line. The new SACS-blessed boards and superintendents apparently think that they are above the law and accountable only to SACS.

You may think that it is going to be better in DeKalb. You’re wrong. It will be much worse, although the school board may publicly sit quietly at the table and hold hands, singing “Kum Ba Ya.” The learning conditions will go down precipitously. You are correct in saying that our mantra at MACE has always been, “You cannot have good learning conditions until you first have good teaching conditions.” This is The MACE Law of Teaching. We stand for the children. We know what works. What works is not an appointed school board which thinks that it is not accountable to anyone except the Governor and SACS. These school board members begin to believe their own press releases…and think that the Star of Bethlehem was shining above their heads, that people saw this light, and this is why they were chosen.

By the way, I like the name “Pope Francis I” for the new pope. I also like the fact that he comes from the Americas where about 40% of all Catholics live. The first from the Americas.

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Dr. John Trotter: “@ Insider: I am well aware of what the Founders intended. I understand the argument between “democracy” and “republic.” You may want to consult Richard Hofstadter’s American Political Tradition for detailed discussion here. But, are you willing to go back to all of the Founder’s original intent. Do we want to allow the General Assembly to select (not elect) our U. S. Senators? What about just returning to slavery and counting the slave’s a 3/5 of a person for Census purposes? I don’t think so. What proves too much proves nothing at all, “insider”?”

Actually, I would like to revoke the 17th amendment and have the states select our Senators. The goal was to have the House represent the interest of the people… and the Senate represent the interests of the states. As it is now, no one represents the states in Congress.

And you know as well as I do that the reason the whole “3/5th” issue came to be is because that was the only way they could get the slave states to agree to ratify the Constitution.

I’m surprised you can still type considering how tired your arm must be playing the race card as much as you have today.

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The letters of this group seems very impressive. They along with Michael Thurmond, I would venture to say, are probably the most accomplished school board in the state. But let’s not forget Georgia’s education has ranked in the bottom 5 of the 50 states for years. Dekalb isn’t all that needs fixing.

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To Dr. John Trotter-
Everyone knows you are a demented fraud who’s already single-handedly destroyed the Clayton County school system. Shut up.

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“@yourwakeupcall – It was time to do some much needed work on schools that were built in the 1960’s especially with the influx of students from the South. Look at Arabia Mountain and the other High Schools in South DeKalb where all the money had been going to fund the new schools.”

On top of that his claims aren’t right. Its the same nonsense put out by SCW and Dr. Walker. Here’s the link:
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/splost-iv

There’s an audit of splost III that gives the cost by school with plenty in South Dekalb. Then there’s splost IV link with the presentation to the board that shows splost IV. And it includes $86 million in area I with only $18 million in Dunwoody. Area II has $106 million, but only $23 million is in the proposed city of Lakeside. Area 3 has $54 million, Area 4 has $39 million and Area V has $87 million. Area 3 and 4 tend to have newer schools, but also had substantial expenditures in splost III (Arabia Mountain for 1). Areas 2 and 5 tend to have the oldest schools. Over half of Area 1 expenditures are for Chamblee HS and there’s been no discussion I’m aware of with Chamblee leaving.

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Is someone off their meds? First Elgart says “too fast” then he applauds the selection?

No meeting till next week? ISN’T THIS IMPORTANT?!?

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DKB WHEN IS DR. SPEAKS GOING TO KEEP HER WORD TO THE STATE BOARD OF ED. AND RESIGN ALONG WITH JESTER , who announced that she WAS going to RESIGN! Surely, they won’t continue to draw salaries on the taxpayers backs!

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According to the FEC. John Coleman of Invesco / Atlanta donated $500 to the Mitt Romney Election campaign in 2012. So it’s obvious where he is aligned. let’s hope that his Dekalb County School board work doesn’t turn out as badly as his support for Romney.

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Any word on how much the winning bid was worth? Did the other 5 have to pay the crooked Governor the same or was there a scale? Will they have to give him a percentage off the top of the contracts they sign?

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John you are doing a better job sticking to the issues as opposed to merely engaging in shameless self promotion.

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@Fred – um, really? was that necessary?

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@ Insider: I see that you didn’t answer the 3/5 question but instead chose to attack me. Ha! OK. No problem. I knew that would not be able to answer it…and it goes to blow your whole contention apart. The original intent was indeed to simply count the slaves as 3/5 of a person for the Census purposes. Should we go back to that? Why do you want to observe the “pass over” on this question? You just seem to want to pass right over on this and engage in an okey-doke type attack. “You’re playing the race card!” No, I am just stating the obvious and you jump up and down and scream “race!” There is a difference in playing the race card and simply pitching a fast ball right across the plate. Talking about race is not playing the race card. Using your logic, the U. S. Supreme Court could never have talked about race in the Dred Scott decision (1857), the Plessy decision (1895), or the Brown decision (1954). Insider, I have found that white people want to think about race and talk about it privately but get real nervous, nasty, and defensive when it is brought up in a public forum like this. Or, some posters want to put forth a lot of racist spiel (and fortunately, Maureen catches this). But, an open and frank discussion about race is a “no no.” You know what I am talking about…like why the Cobb County School Board is allowed to have 57 closed, illegal school board meetings without SACS doing anything? Or, why the superintendent in Gwinnett is allowed to NOT report 45,000 serious disciplinary incidents to the State, which is required by law?

I have more to say (to the chagrin of many) but have yet to make it to the restaurant. I am hungry!

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I didn’t see “Dr.” Trotter’s name on the list of those persons who were interviewed. I guess that’s why he is complaining so loudly.

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@yourwakeupcall – you obviously believe the nonsense you wrote. Guess you didn’t hear about the fraud that went on in the construction department related to schools being built and remodeled in the southern part of the county. Have you ever heard about Crawford Lewis and Pat Pope?

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Amazing how true progress can be made when imbeciles and incompetent self-serving buffoons are gone. Watch and see, this will be the best move possible but the NAACP will poo-poo it. After all if you are black, you are allowed (encouraged) to be corrupt and to “keep it real”..as long as you only look after your own (as far as the NAACP is concerned.) If the organization truly cared, putting qualified people in would be a pre-requisite!!

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I’m a resident of DeKalb with three children who FORMERLY attended DCSS as well as CSD. Soon I will be a non-resident and I can’t wait to leave! I don’t know any of the past or present Board members personally, but I know some of their records and tawdry images. Of course there are shenanigans going on! Since relocating here seven years ago, I’ve honestly been astounded at the amount of BLATANT mismanagement, thievery, nepotism, cronyism, etc. that goes on here. I’m from a southern state as well, but this is surreal.

I would love to see a movement towards citizen-controlled systems in Georgia. Its seems that apathy and posturing mean more than kicking a## and takin’ names. I can’t quite believe that most of the citizenry is not just plain ANGRY and ready to get rid of the whole lot, Burrell Ellis included!

The DCPD is also corrupt and feeds off the backs of the poor while protecting few. They are thugs just like heathens that hang out on Candler, Columbia, Memorial and anywhere else they’re allowed to bring down property values.

Y’all need to CLEAN HOUSE! I considered becoming further invested in this county, but I have a greater responsibility to my children. Even they know that a takeover by the Governor is NOT progress! Nor is it the will of the people.

There are very many tides churning and storms brewing in DeKalb. I observe very well and as a practice. I really wanted to make my stake here, but I will not suffer fools and babies. Fools who think they can use their position as a personal stepping stone and babies who cry about everything yet do nothing!

This is not the end my dear Decaturites! Please brace for rough weather ahead because unbeknownst to most of you, the ship is half sunk already!!!!!

Dr. Trotter and some others who’ve commented here are not completely wrong. There are MAJOR moves being made, played and executed right in our midst. How can those who know nothing of the REAL issues of the day in DeKalb make informed decisions? How can the citizens expect informed decisions to be made when they do not communicate their needs/demands in an effective manner?

Someone is making decisions and taking action for an unnamed coalition. The intent of SACS and Governor Deal is not to “save our schools/children”. Their intent is to make DeKalb appear incompetent in most of its administrative functions as a county on the WHOLE. They are making neighborhoods into so-called cities and using these orchestrated scandals to justify lots of things.

How many of you are aware that they are closing Avondale High and re-opening Avondale Middle as some sort of Theme/Charter High School. Oh yeah, they have already re-opened Forest Hills Elem. (formerly closed due to low enrollment in 2009) as the new site for the Museum School of Avondale Charter/Theme(Elem.) It took the people of Avondale just over 4 years to literally form a new school system for their fake-a## city. These schools housed majority black children a few years ago and now they’ve turned them into schools that will mainly serve white children. This is but one example of the maneuvers that are being made in DeKalb to lower property values, discourage new business and then sweep in later and claim to “save the day” by taking over.

It seems unconstitutional to me. There should have been an emergency vote or something. The bottom line is that most don’t even care if SACS has it facts straight and is following guidelines itself. I’ve heard that the allegations had not been substantiated against the ousted Board members. Either way, there is too much ridiculousness going on on both sides! If the Governor is so concerned about what goes on in DeKalb, why must he get all his info from SACS and the AJC? Why is there not a taskforce to investigate the entire inadequate educational system that is the DOE of Georgia! It is a disgrace to the intelligent, beautiful folks of Georgia to be denied what is theirs! Free college tuition will NOT make up for the foundation of an adequate grade school education. The Hope Grant will do you no good if you don’t graduate or can’t pass college entrance exams! WAKE UP GEORGIA, RAISE YOUR STANDARDS!

DeKalb is very much desirable and distinctive in its’ variety. It has much to offer those who have something to offer it. Maybe I’ll buy cheap and hold til the storm is over. I can move back after all the debris has been cleared out! I wish you all Godspeed because you’re truly gonna need it. The takeover was just that AND they hid behind our children to do it! TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTY NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!

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Coleman lives in Brookhaven. He is close to Kittredge Magnet and is in the Montgomery Elementary, Chamblee Middle, Chamblee Charter High School district! My wife and I are looking forward to meeting him.

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@dire straits It appears your aluminum foil helmet is malfunctioning. Spin 3 times counterclockwise, then hop on your left foot while holding you nose for 20 seconds. That should reset it. If not you might need a hard re-boot.

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The replacements look great.

I do not think anyone can complain regarding these replacements.

I am so hopeful for the future of the DeKalb County School System and our county. I think we all must look for the positive and give these school board members and Mr. Thurman the support they need.

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To all of the nay sayers…did any of you apply? If you aren’t trying to be part of the solution, the least you can do is stop being part of the problem!

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Do any of these have children in the Dekalb system?
Until these people have skin in the game (i.e., their own kids’ futures) I think the system can corrupt even good people.

The other things:
Total Transparency
ALL meetings should be broadcast. Nothing “behind closed doors:.
ALL contracts with vendors, contractors, Board members, and upper administration should be posted online BEFORE they are offered the job.
That’s OUR money that is being spent.
We need to know how and where it is being spent.

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I’m sure Coleman is a great guy. He has big shoes to fill. Jester was the best board member we have had in a decade. I hope he calls her.

Maureen, as far as privacy goes, they gave that up when they applied and took this job. They also must file the required disclosure forms. I hope somebody is telling them this.

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Maureen, did you say Mr. Mayfield ran Frances Edwards campaign for BOE in 1998? The Frances Edwards, former chair of the BOE, when Clew changed the SACS accreditation to district wide instead of school by school. OH NO!!!!!!!! Frances is the queen of the friends and family network. Her son still works for the system, celebrated for not showing for his new job after being given a $15K raise. Parents caught him hiding out at their school and his boss at the time in MIS, Ramona Tyson, had no idea he had not shown for his new job. Her daughter runs the DCSS Public access channel, at 6 figures. Her husband also gets 6 figures to run the transportation division of DCSS. There are others too… Maureen, I hope this Mayfield is not that Mayfield….too many Mayfields and wayyyy too many Edwards. We need to watch closely to see if the Palace gets the cleaning it desperately needs!

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Please stop replying to Trotter’s posts. Comments only encourage him.

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Impressive!! Thank you Governor Deal!

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@atlanta media guy
Mayfield is a relative of Rodney Mayfield married to Felicia Mayfield, promoted many times by Crawford Lewis. However, he does have impressive credentials. He should be given a chance. See h

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OMG! You did not get correct information FROM THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE about the new board members?! Blind leading the blind?

And please tell us WHY they have not ALREADY had their first (called) meeting? With so much pressing business, why will it take DAYS to get together? Changing the names on the placemarkers for the meetings? Buying new stationary?

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Governor Deal did well! These nominees are well qualified.

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I like the selection. Let’s see if they can really do something for the students and put a sock in the mouths of the sour-grape folks.

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Johnny Trotter seems to be confusing his “serious” and “silly” blogs (his words) more than usual today. And turning into a serial bore.

Or a nutter? Ha!

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I suggest that you all pay attention to Mary Elizabeth’s comments and keep your eyes wide open.

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So thankful that action was taken and the BOE was “removed”. I would hope that the new BOE immediately begins training offered through the Ga. School Board Association to learn EXACTLY what decisions they can and cannot make. All the quality BOE’s I have worked for in the last 23 years are trained by the GSBA, which eliminates a lot of “quicksand”.

Good luck to all of these new board members! “Desperate times called for desperate measures”…..an adage very appropriate for this situation!.

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I am impressed with the bios and the timeframe with which this was accomplished. I have hope for the first time in a decade. I think what many of these posts miss (and maybe the Gov gets) is that the Board of Ed is supposed to serve in a guidance and advisory capacity for a billion dollar budget — the BOE operates as fiduciaries for 100,000 school kids with a billion dollar budget — previously we had a BOE which was incapable of comprehending and fulfilling this task –their real agenda included supervising the budget and hiring and firing the superintendent, who is responsible for day to day operations. This is not how it has been running — the BOE has been too hands on… money has been bled from the system from millions (billions) in legal fees to other programs that have not necessarily been necessary (e.g. anyone know if we purchased the $500,000 program from Dr. Atkinson’s new employer because it’s an awesome program and we absolutely had to have it or if we have the program and spent the funds to assure her of a job after she left — anyone looking into this….?) Isn’t it astounding that we now have a majority of members of the BOE who may actually be capable of understanding these concepts? With advanced degrees and experience from some top schools (including a Harvard MBA)…. Why is anyone complaining before they have a chance to get into the “dirty work”… their backgrounds give them an incredible chance to bring Dekalb back to what it can be and has been in the past and Thurmond actually has the potential to get there as well with the right BOE so there’s hope …. (some others internally still need their walking papers but we’re getting there). I’m thinking that appointment and not election for BOE is the right way to go long term and to someone’s comment, once upon a time, the US Senate was selected in a way to represent the states and was done by the governors and the legislators and not by the people — that’s the way it was designed and I’m not sure that the shift in the amendments to have it elected by the people so that the states themselves are no longer represented in washington was really wise.

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@ oscar, 8:06 pm

Thank you, Oscar.

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@Darlene I’m also hearing that Orson may have played a role in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Whine much?

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Boards are to oversee the system, not run it. Having too many educators encourages micro-management, in addition to missing critical skill sets and persepectives.

A while back I listed what I thought the board should have. Don’t remember exactly what I said, but Deal matched it pretty well. I wanted a CPA, someone who taught at a local community college and understood what product was coming out and what the shortcomings were, someone with an educational background, and a local employer who also understood what product was coming out and what the shortcomings were. And all needed to be able to understand finance and deal with an $800 million budget.

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@ Mary Elizabeth has either been asleep since before the fall of the Berlin Wall … or her grandson works for the teachers’ union.

What else explains her “cut & paste” union rhetoric against education reform? Or her daily rants against what she seems to think are the “evils” of free markets? It’s all laughable stuff — which she nonetheless insists on forcing us to scroll past.

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@ Private Citizen: If you really think that — then Cuba’s the hemispheric place for you. Venezuela used to be, too, but since last week is maybe looking less so.

But what am I saying? You’re as loony as Trotter, only lonelier …

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Shocked that Georgia Power would get one of their people on this list…resumes are good I guess but tell me nothing about how they can handle managing DeKalb School District.

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Should DCSS board members have children in the system? Skin in the game? I really don’t know. As an “outsider” I can tell you this: I knew kids whose public-school-educator parents sent them to private and parochial schools. I knew some kids whose moms or dads worked in poor-performing urban schools, but the parents made enough money to live in and commute from the burbs and send their kids to much “nicer” schools than the ones in which their parents were teaching.

Are “battle-zone-school” teachers who pay for private education or to buy homes in suburban “good public school” areas, unfit to be urban public educators? How about teachers who take psychoactive drugs, because their jobs depress them? And could they be sending subliminal messages to their students, “We all need to take drugs here to bear this torture?”

I met an interesting mid-life SPED teacher, who was giving my son SLP help, later advanced writing and SAT-prep help; I traded math lessons. She was darned talented, in writing, guitar and piano, and singing, also sailing.

We tried a “crossover” experiment. She got me take Zoloft for a month, and I stopped. I could feel the drug effect, but I didn’t think it was helpful. I connived her to quit Zoloft, which lasted a week. She was addicted. She also took Benadryl every night to sleep.

There is so much psychopharmacology in the education profession, and you don’t even know about it.

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@MaryElizabeth

Huh? Don’t involve me in your outside scuffles, dearie!

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This is an impressive group of people. The business types need to pare down the central office, both personnel and salaries. The educators need to investigate teacher credentials and quality. The personnel/psychology types need to ascertain the quality of relationships within schools; in other words, do principals respect and empower teachers or do they bully and intimidate teachers. EVERY new board member must insist on strict discipline in the schools, and that schools are clean, functional, and modern (i.e; no wall AC units, no leaking roofs or plumbing, etc.).

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These kids deserve the best BOE we can find. Good Job Governor!
Now if people cared more about the education of children and less about building a football stadium…we would be in good space. I wold rather use the hotel taxes on better school system.

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You folks are nuttier than the nuts on the sports blog. I won’t ever complain about living in Henry Co again. Jezz

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@ Mary Elizabeth

Even though I do not see education as a true business we do produce a product which is education of our children. Whether our students graduate with a good education and are knowledgeable is our product.

There is a big change in the classroom today. I do not like the change. However, now parents (for the most part) are not as involved in the education of their children. Most children do not go home and study today so as teachers we have had to change the way we teach. We have had to review material over and over again for mastery to occur.

Now it is important that teachers who teach students who do not do anything at home change the way they teach as we have no control of what happens to students once they leave the schoolhouse.

The product of educated students is our product. Educating students in becoming more and more like a business. Now we do not have to like it but their is accountibility now in our product. As an educator I do not think this is a bad thing. However, I agree it is not a simple thing to actually measure the productivity of a teacher.

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Mary@ 9:14. as usual, we want the same thing for students. However, we are completely opposite on how to achieve that goal.

your comment: .” Business entrepreneurs, who have not had a background in education, may not understand these educational principles – to the diminishment of the educational process for students.”

We need effective leaders, again with accounting, finance experience and those trained in dispute resolution. I actually believe that not having a background in education is an advantage. This gives the board an impartial view to make a decision based on their business experience and available budget. These staff members are responsible for allowing the trained educators to have a better school environment to do their job. While they can’t regulate the home environment of the child, they can require a stricter code of acceptable behavior at school and enforce it.

The only constant is change. It will be interesting to see how these new members proceed with their management of Dekalb County Schools. I hope that one year from now we can look back and see great improvements in their program.

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Comments are well taken. Governor Deal made one of the biggest mistakes he could have done in his life. The people who voted those members in as School Board Members had the duty to recalled them; not Deal. He might have put people in but it serves a nasty message that people vote don’t count and he, Deal has suspressed them, (the people vote.) In fact, the look’s at this as one man clearly not follow the laws. There is a new storm on the way here to Georgia, and SACS is behind this whole thing…creating lies and wanting to take money for this and that….watch how this story play out and all for nothing. Parents, your children will not make As nor will they be better off with new members on the board……….in fact, they all look to be like people following a set of make up rules by Deal….now you all can do the math.

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“While they can’t regulate the home environment of the child, they can require a stricter code of acceptable behavior at school and enforce it. ”

Hear, hear! I agree with that with one small change: “they can hire a superintendent who will require a stricter code of acceptable behavior at school and enforce it.” Remember, Boards don’t RUN the schools, they establish policies, hire the superintendent, and formulate the budget.

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thank god for governor deals not being intimidated by NAACP AND THERE RACISM…THAT GOOD GOVERNORING FOR ALL NOT JUST SOME

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Pride and Joy is correct – I doubt that the resumes and interviews were conducted “blind” and out of the top six, five happened to be black. Unless the pool of applicants was disproportionally black. Some preference was given to “qualified” blacks. Which I have no problem with. By replacing unqualified blacks with qualified blacks, Deal makes the argument that this has nothing to do with skin color. I wish this Board the best of luck – you have a hard row to hoe, but I think you are up to it. Some painful decisions await – but that is the truest test of leadership. The one that our Federal Congress is failing right now.

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I see that there are now board member qualifications which should be very helpful– NOW let’s see how the chemistry works among the new board .

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Another group that just wants to add something impressive to their list of accomplishments on Linkden. These people look good on paper which makes the governor look good. We would have liked to have seen committed concerned parents on the board making decisions how this board making policies that make things better for their children and other children in the communities. No one can be more passionate about fighting for the school than parents of children attending. It doesn’t take business owners that have no children in the public school system, or top managers from Georgia Power, a company that already has our community on it’s knees to take another opportunity. We talk about nepotisim and favoritism from the previous school board that was dismissed, here we find a Georgia Power manager being selected by a committe that had Georgia Power management on the nominating panel.

I say that we as a community prepare to take our schools back and our state back come election time. When we talk about moving failures out of office, we need to move an insensitve governor for his failures. A governor that doesn’t realize that there are hundreds of thousands of “qualified” minorities in our communities that are more than up to task to take on the issues of our commuinites. Of course one can look at his staff and understand that it’s a very difficult task for him to find any.

I’m just really tired of getting sefish greedy politicians, self promoting egotistical opportunist that have nothing but selfish agendas to make the decisions in our schools and government. This game was a fixed game!

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@ Jack Webb

Too bad the new school board, or teachers for that matter, didn’t get to your grammatical errors and sentence structure in time.

@ Bob

You hit the nail right on the head.

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Full Time Jobs
All these people have full time jobs. Do they have the time to serve the public and the board? I heard on the radio Elgart plans on meeting regularly with the new board.

Can these people take off from work 1 or 2 days a week in addition to communicating with their constituency? I sure hope so.

Aside from the press conference yesterday, has there been any communication from our new board members?

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@ Ronin, 6:43 am

Please read my 10:57 pm post of last evening. You will see that I, too, can see the advantage of having those with financial acumen on a school board. Those with educational acumen and financial acumen, whom I mentioned in my post, will not necessarily be the same persons. However, I do not want those with business acumen on the school board, who may be in the majority, to insist upon a business model being filtered into the classroom in which testing will be misused and overused. Testing should be used for instructional/diagnostic purposes primarily, which will not foster an environment of fear and intimidation. However, the testing of students primary to determine a teacher’s pay or job security will create fear and intenseness in the classroom, which will not be beneficial to students.

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So, now what? From now on does this mean that the citizens of Dekalb County don’t ever have to worry about voting for school board member again, or do we vote, only to have the will of the citizens ignored, and let the all powerful Nathan Deal appoint them once again? Yes, I am still stinging from the way it was carried out, and it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the ineptness of the former school board members–the issue for me has more far reaching implications than that.

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Isn’t it interesting that individuals like Trotter always have the simple answer for the complex situation. SACS is fraught with challenges, but to blame Clayton and Dekalb’s woes on that organization defies all measures of integrity and/or insight. Be wary of those who are always seeking to stir it up, tear down, defend the underperformers and attack those bold enough to take a stand and try something different. Don’t give up on your children, Dekalb. Demand that this new group work together for the benefit of the little ones.

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@ Ella, 6:27 am

“Whether our students graduate with a good education and are knowledgeable is our product.”
====================================================

I agree with you fully on that statement, Ella. I felt strongly about teachers’ personal responsibility to students’ success even when I began teaching in 1970. I did not need to be mandated to assume my responsibility to my students. That feeling of responsibility sprang from my own conscientiousness toward my students because I was a professional. I did not need to be treated like a child, as if I would not produce results unless I was threatened to do so in fear of my job, if I did not “produce.”

I believe a school’s environment of academic excellence is better handled through inspiring teachers and in educating them in mastery learning techniques and how to address the individual instructional needs of students, rather than through threatening them with job or pay loss if they do not “produce.”

Let me give you an example. I had one of the lowest student failure rates in my high school because I looked closely into the diagnostic test scores (and initial grades) of the approximately 150 students I was assigned in the first days of my classes, each semester. If I felt a given student was misplaced in my Advanced Reading class, I would call that student’s parents immediately and talk with them about my findings. I would talk with the student about my findings. And, I would talk with the student’s counselor. Almost invariably, given the in-depth instructional knowledge I had gathered and shared of that student’s functioning level, they all agreed that that student would be better served by being reassigned to a Personalized Reading class until his/her reading skills improved enough to register, later, for Advanced Reading. By doing the preliminary diagnostic footwork – in the beginning days of each semester, although it took much time and knowledge – I helped many students function on their correctly placed instructional levels throughout the semester rather than remain in my Advanced Reading class on their frustration levels. Thus, I helped to ensure the instructional success of all of the students who came to my attention – either those in Advanced Reading or those reassigned to Personalized Reading. My precision of instruction, based on knowledge and care, also contributed to a greater possibility that they would successfully graduate from high school.

No administrator had to threaten me with job security in order for me to teach with that degree of care and specificity with each student I encountered. I believe that that is the type of educational model that we need for teachers, not a business model based on fear. I found, in my active years of teaching, that most teachers are conscientious toward their students’ success, but many do not know how vital it is to ensure the correct instructional placement of students. This takes teacher training to achieve, not threatening the jobs of teachers. Those teachers who are not conscientious toward their students’ success, should be removed, but their removal should be based on factors beyond simply their students’ standardized test scores.

Bottom line: Schools should be places full of the joy of learning and of the nurturing of academic and emotional growth of all students, not places of fear and intimidation, which often will exist in the business world.

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I am still trying to catch up on the happenings in Georgia politics after being out of the state for a number of years. (This is very much a political issue.) The board members may have had to go. My problem is with the process of how they were removed. Then again I do not trust the governor on a number of issues. I cannot forget how he was one of the 33 southern republicans to vote against the extension of the Voting Rights Act.

I especially like the comment (@ 9:14) by Mary Elizabeth. I have been in the classroom and in private industry and can tell that there are distinct differences between the areas.

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P. S. to Ella -

Ella, you said: “Most children do not go home and study today so as teachers we have had to change the way we teach. We have had to review material over and over again for mastery to occur.”

That statement implies, to me, that you may be reviewing the material you teach “over and over again” to your whole class rather than reviewing your students through forming subgroupings within your class. If that is the case, I would urge you either to diagnostically test your students on a reading test, such as the Nelson Reading Test, or if that is not possible, then to look up each student’s reading comprehension score on the last standardized test he or she took. Chart all of your students’ reading comprehension scores from high to low, and then subgroup your students into three subgroups within your classes based on those scores. Some groups may need to review “over and over” again for mastery to occur, but others may not need that type of intense drilling for mastery to occur. You might also assign your students to subgroups based upon your students’ scores on the tests you give them on your course’s content. Those who score in the A/B grade range may not need so much review for mastery to occur, but those in the C/D range may need more review – as you say, “over and over” again. Those in the F range may be misplaced in your class, or they may have emotional/social problems which need to be addressed through their counselors.

In other words, I would urge you to think in more specificity with your students than reviewing the whole class “over and over again” for mastery to occur, if, in fact, that is what is now occurring. I write this with all goodwill toward you, only to try to be of help you, and certainly not to be critical of you. You, afterall, were conscientious enough to write me a heartfelt post on this blog. I well see that and, as a result, I imagine that you are an excellent, caring teacher.

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I keep hearing these comments about lies and misinformation on the SPLOST. We ARE getting the board reduced to 7 members. Its just taking 2 years longer than we thought. To EVERYONE’s surprise, the legislature did a sloppy job of writing the legislation and Dr. Walker threatened to sue (seems to be a recurring theme) if his position was eliminated. So it couldn’t be done right away, but it is being done.

Yes SPLOST III had poor oversight. That’s why there is a committee from the public overseeing what is being done on this SPLOST. There is a 12 member “Citizen’s Oversight Committee” with a variety of backgrounds that is designed to provide the expertise lacking last time around. It has regular meetings and has its agenda and minutes posted on the DCSS website.

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@Dekalb Dad
I made the same argument for giving the then “new” board time in January. There were 3 brand new members and 2 who had just been elected 2 years before. The clock is now ticking and the 6 have to quickly get up to speed. There is now no continuity on the board or in the superintendent’s office.

For now, they just need to get moving and hope the Supreme Court doesn’t invalidate their appointment.

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SPLOST Oversight Committee
http://dekalbschoolwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/summary-of-orson_drake-communitynet2.pdf
Thad Mayfield, Marshall Orson and DCSD Staff have been together” for a while. Now it’s official.

From: Thad Mayfield
Sent: 10/04/11 12:03 PM
To: Marshall Orson
Subject: Re: SPLOST -
I know, but you will benefit from the extra data so that you can shape it the way you want it, show elected officials who may attend, and respond to any questions you may get offline. Some of the ELPC benefits are from county wide projects, which wouldn’t necessarily line up with cluster data, like technology, security, and ADA.
Thad

From: Marshall Orson
To: Thad Mayfield
Cc: Amy Power, Daniel E. Drake
Subject: Re: SPLOST -
For the purposes of what I would like to say at the meeting–I need it to be simple. In the Lakeside Cluster, we will spend X including the following…. In the DH cluster, we will spend Y including a

Message 10/7/2011 10:05 AM
From: Marshall Orson
To: DeKalb County School District Staff
Subject: Re: Proposal to Establish the “Citizen’s SPLOST Oversight Committee”
Comments:
1. I would nix the 12 alternates–this wills tart to look like a committee of 24 which is unwieldy.
2. Section 2.2–drop the line on “advisory only”–its true but meaningless and detracts from the idea this is suppose to be robust oversight
3. I think its a bad idea to prohibit the committee from communicating directly to the public. In fact, given that the meetings are open to the public and so they are communicating with the public, the language sends a message that we really do not mean for the committee to have oversight.
4. Why 4 years for the term–its a 5 year program. Are you really going to switch people for a year?
5. The committee and/or chair should control its agenda–not the District.
6. “Select” or “recommend” an independent auditor–the language in the By-laws does not match what you say below

Josh, this is a good effort. However, if this is not seen as a robust, independent, above district influence process–I believe it will drag SPLOST down to defeat. My take away from the Stan Watson breakfast–oversight is an issue everywhere in this county. I also believe that the lawyers will push back on the foregoing–but they work for the district! The politically astute thing is also the right thing in this case–even if the lawyers do not love it.

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“Those with educational acumen and financial acumen, whom I mentioned in my post, will not necessarily be the same persons. ”

Why not? I was a regular ed teacher in elementary and middle school for 10 years – large corporate sales and also worked for a small venture capital firm for a decade – and then taught for another 20 years. My background in business included many classes to learn to read income statements and balance sheets in order to make the most cost effective recommendations for my customers. I put those skills to work selling to customers in a very practical way as I had a quota to meet. At one point, the small firm I worked for depended on the income I brought in to keep its small work force employed.

I encourage every teacher that can to leave the classroom and do an extended stint in the business world. If you return to teaching, you will have a completely different viewpoint of what your job is in the classroom. I toured many a manufacturing center and office complex while gathering data to make recommendations for large technology systems for major companies at the largest firm in the world and at the very small business I worked at. I saw what low level skills and lack of education brought to those people on the plant floors and in rabbit warren offices – low pay and mind numbing work – I walked many times along the manufacturing floors where the people were paid by piecework seeing how I could make recommendations to streamline the organization and make it more productive even at the expense of eliminating worker positions. Many of the facilities I toured are no longer in existence as those jobs, as poorly paid as they were, got shipped to other countries. That taught me I needed to look at education for my students as a way to get a job that has some security and allows some measure of personal freedom.

Looking at students as potential workers is not a bad thing because when you don’t have the skills to get a job, your life is completely changed and not for the better. IMHO – that is the number 1 thing we need to be doing for students – getting them to a place where they can be gainfully employed and financially secure.

Maureen quoted Boyles “It’s not that schools shouldn’t prepare students for their futures, he says, “but students — not business interests — should determine what those futures include.” I respectfully disagree with his statement. Business creates jobs and jobs allow us to pay the rent and provide food, clothing, shelter and medical care to ourselves and our families. Business is the engine that drives our economy, and the more you know the better you can control your destiny rather than let this impartial force dictate your future.

It’s a shame business experience is seen as mutually exclusive from educational experience. In the best of all possible worlds, our superintendents would all have business experience and educational experience.

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Your schools aren’t that good. Emory has a good 4 year from freshman matriculation to earning a bachelor’s degree rate, 83%. Not top-notch, but okay.

Then you go to your public universities, UGA 55% 4-year graduation rate, that’s the best you have.

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@Home Where you going with that? Graduation rates the primary measure of quality of education?

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Great group – can we give them the option now of hiring a new superintendent? Mr. Thurman represents the outgoing board – this group need to be able to name their own professional. Mr. Thurman would serve the county well if he tendered his resignation – and let the new board rehire him or choose someone qualified.

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Dekalb Inside Out:

Why do you bash Orson and Mayfield for working to get SPLOST passed for DeKalb? Do you actually think that DeKalb would be better off now if SPLOST had lost last time around? I don’t know anyone in Atlanta who has kids in Atlanta area public schools, and who is serious about keeping their kids in Atlanta area public schools, who actually wanted to see SPLOST lose — who thought that cutting funding for public schools in Atlanta would be a good thing. So why do you bash those who actually got off their butts and worked for its passage? Are public schools something that you believe should be supported or not? Why do you cast those who supported a sorely needed funding source for our public schools as somehow evil??

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I skimmed those e-mails. Doesn’t appear to be anything underhanded about it (except maybe how it all got printed off someone’s computer on 11/8/12). Looks straightforward. And I’ve not seen any misinformation except for the mistaken faith in the legislature to write decent legislation. But in fact, the board IS being reduced, just not in the time frame expected.

As far as behind the scenes, it seems every e-mail poor Ms. Powers sends out ends up in public. Political strategy isn’t discussed in public meetings.

If there is anything questionable about the list, its the Austin Elementary school in Dunwoody being on the list. Its far and away the newest building being replaced (by 7 years) and the only one not rated poor.

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SPLOST should have failed to send a clear message about mismanagement. It could have been voted on later, once the system had a clear path to better management.

Austin was questionable, but Jester actually asked for a new elementary school for the Dunwoody/Chamblee/Brookhaven area to relieve overcrowding and what she got was a new Austin. She voted no to SPLOST because she couldn’t get Board to acknowledge real needs in those areas, which is space. I was at the meeting when vote was taken. I know of what I speak.

Please tell me how Fernbank will be filled. Right now only has 500ish neighborhood kids and another 100 transfer students. Do you envision 300 transfer students?

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The DCSS ties that bind! We need to watch these four.

Here is a question… Should the new board of 9 elect a new chair? The new members did not vote for Johnson, so the majority of the BOE did not vote for Johnson.

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Budget locked in . . . I think early on, THAT will be the early 1st of this board, cleaning house, if based on legit audit will take some time to get going full force, this budget process starts now. Cutting people will be part of it, yes – better not be anyone in a classroom

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Dekalb Inner Circle
My point with those emails is the inner circle, friends and family. It’s an extension of the dekalb school’s royal families: Edwards/Guillory and Mayfield. They are running DCSD and keep promoting each other. The circle includes, but not limited to:

Crawford Lewis – ex Superintendent
Frances Edwards – ex Board of Education
Melvin Johnson – Board of Education
Marshall Orson – Board of Education
Jim McMahan – Board of Education
Thad Mayfield – Board of Education
Felicia Mayfield – ret. Deputy Superintendent
Ed Bouie – ex head of I.T. Dept.

The Links

Crawford Lewis
Charged with RICO. Promoted Felicia Mayfield to Deputy Super. Frances Edwards was his board chair.

Frances Edwards
Frances Edwards is the mother of Philandra Guillory. Philandra was Director of DCSD Public access channel with no experience. Philandra’s husband, Frances’ son-in-law, David Guillory, was Director of transportation with no experience. Crawford Lewis was Superintendent that put Frances’ daughter and son-in-law in their positions. Frances’ son, Jamal, had a no show job for a year.

Melvin Johnson
Campaign Contributors – Wynndolyn and Ed Bouie, Felicia Mayfield.

Marshall Orson
Friends of DeKalb with McMahan and Thad Mayfield

Jim McMahan
Friends of DeKalb with Orson and Thad Mayfield

Thad Mayfield
Related to Felicia Mayfield. Ran Frances Edwards campaign for BOE in 1998. Friends of Dekalb.

Felicia Mayfield
Deputy Superintendent under Crawford Lewis.

Ed Bouie
First wife HR Exec. Second wife, Wendolyn Bouie, promoted to Deputy Super under Crawford Lewis. Ed and Frances were infamous for promoting notable family members

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@AMG Per Board Policy “The Chair and Vice Chair of the DeKalb County Board of Education shall be elected during its first meeting each January. The Chair and the Vice Chair shall be elected by a majority of the members of the Board and shall serve for a term of one year. In the event that a Chair and Vice Chair are not elected in January, the existing Chair and Vice Chair shall continue to serve until a successor is elected. A vacancy created by death, resignation, or other cause shall be filled by an election for the remainder of the one-year term.”

Vacancy created by resignation – To me Johnson & McMahon should step down & allow new votes to happen. If they still win, I’m fine with that. I don’t really think the removal of the majority of the people who voted for you constitutes “other cause.” At least not technically, but as a gesture of doing it right from the start, it should. Holding that election would be the very 1st test – an indication of true “functional”, as opposed to “dysfunctional.”

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@Concerned
Given that the population has grown 50% in 10 years, it really shouldn’t be too hard. The school had over 900 students in the early 90s before the population aged. Its getting younger again. People keep repeating the false statement that there was a renovation. There was a gym and about 3 classrooms added in one wing. I would ignore this stuff, but several of you keep repeating it, and it can cause people to have even more suspicion than they already do in the board.

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Underhanded SPLOST
Correct thread this time … Fernbank was obviously given preferential treatment…

This data comes from “Proposed Organization (Dec 6, 2012 Version)”. It’s the current 2013 school year utilization and the projected 2017 school year utilization. Of the schools listed below, Fernbank is the only one getting relief. Nice to be at Fernbank. Sucks for the rest of you.

School Utilization
School……………….SY 2013…..SY 2017
Fernbank ES…………..117%………84%
Vanderlyn ES………….145%…….155%
Dresden ES……………126%…….125%
Ashford Park ES….…..124%…….136%
Cary Reynolds ES……124%…….127%
Woodward ES…………124%…….127%
Dunwoody HS…………122%…….143%

On a side note: North DeKalb can thank Fran Millar for most of his schools being over 100% utilized in 2017. There will be a generation of children, not in Fernbank, that spend their educational lives in trailers. Alas, that is another story.

–DIO

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Thank you DeKalb Inside Out for the info.

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BU2

Fernbank’s enrollment actually shrank a bit this year (in terms of resident population). I know three families who were at Fernbank in 11-12 and are not there this year. When communities reach a certain level of affluence, families have choices.
You can go here to see some data:
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/planning

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Atlanta Media Guy, et al.
It’s now or never!! I can’t do this alone.

Thurmond, Orson and Johnson just got backup from Mayfield. The other new board members don’t know the first thing about DeKalb County Schools and administration (why would they).

1st Board Meeting
The board is going to get a 200 page packet 2 or 3 days before the board meeting. It’s going to have budget, HR, spending requests etc. Is the new board going to know what to look for? Are they going to be able to recognize a hiring quid pro quo? Are they going to dig and see that substitute teachers weren’t budgeted for? Heck no. Thurmond is going to sing kumbaya and then request spending $500K on flux capacitors. The board is going to assume they are on the same team as the administration.

Worse, I hear the board is going silent. They are going to be told that a functional board has little to no communication with their constituents. They are going to be threatened with loss of accreditation and board ethics violations if they communicate too much. (I hope I’m wrong about this part.)

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Before they can be threatened with a board ethics policy, they have to have one. They don’t. I suppose we will see one presented soon. I hope it has teeth.

DIO, I am more optimistic than you. First, I have some faith that Thurmond wants to come out of this unscathed, and will do his best to turn things around. Second, the new board members are no dummies and will be sharper than you are giving them credit for.

The thing to watch is who is gone from the central office come June or July when contracts expire.

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You have a good board. Can it transform DCSS schools? Check back in 2016 for results.

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@ Name One
The e-mails you mention were and are public. Check out the DeKalb School Watch archives. They have been there for months — the result of an Open Records Request. The Governor and his “hand-picked panel” did NOT do their due diligence.

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Don’t forget Robert Brown is the CEO of a construction company. DCSD has themselves some construction projects coming up. If Frances Edwards is the queen then Mayfield is the King of the Friends and Family network. DeKalb County Schools … “Quid Pro Quo in Every Classroom”

http://dunwoodytalk.blogspot.com/2013/03/moving-forward-or-backword-in-dekalb.html
“One of the warrants authorized investigators to get lists of phone numbers for incoming and outgoing calls at a Decatur architecture firm, R.L. Brown and Associates. “

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The major project list included:
District I
Chamblee HS built 1963 rated unsatisfactory, overcrowded
Austin ES built 1975 rated poor, overcrowded

District II
Henderson MS addition to relieve overcrowding
Fernbank ES built 1958 rated unsatisfactory, overcrowded
Pleasantdale ES built 1968 rated poor (Austin wasn’t the only one not rated unsatisfactory, but was the newest), overcrowded
Smoke Rise ES built 1969 rated unsatisfactory
LIvesey ES was closed (1971 Unsatisfactory, 357 student capacity) and consolidated with Smoke Rise

District III
Rockbridge ES built 1972, unsatisfactory
Stone Mountain built 1954, unsatisfactory was consolidated with Rockbridge in a larger school
Redan HS add seats to relieve overcrowding

District IV
MLK add 600 seats to relieve overcrowding
SW Dekalb add 600 seats (this ones a head scratcher-they are currently at 100% capacity and aren’t growing)

District V
Gresham Park 1958 unsatisfactory
Clifton 1967 poor, small capacity school and Meadowview 1961 unsatisfactory small capacity school are consolidated into the new Gresham Park (old one was closed 2 years ago)
Peachcrest 1961 poor
Kelley Lake 1963 poor small capacity school and, indirectly, Wadsworth 1958 unsatisfactory small capacity school were consolidated into new Peachcrest (old one closed 2 years ago). Wadsworth’s magnet program was moved into Knollwood whose students are moved into the new Peachcrest.
McNair MS 1958 unsatisfactory

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Without names, the sequence of the schools being replaced:
1st group
built 1958
built 1958
built 1954 and 1958
built 1961 and 1967
built 1963
2nd group
built 1954 and 1972
built 1968
built 1969 and 1971
built 1975

Its pretty logical when you take out territorialism and prejudice.

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bu2..It is a good list! Being a resident in Brookhaven-Chamblee and my kids going into Chamblee Charter High it was a tough vote. I did not want to see another delay to the new CCHS building, however after the $55 million spent on the Palace, which was never on any SLOST list, I did not want to trust that BOE or staff with another bag of money.

Between that vote, redistricting the BOE from 9 to 7, lost audits, no transparency, racist hiring techniques using leaks to discredit a REAL candidate, which includes Walkers secret meetings and the many missed deadlines and shoddy work by staff, it was time to scream WAIT! I honestly feel that many voters wanted to tell the BOE to get their act together before another bag of bucks was unleashed on the friends and family!

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Part of the problem with DCSS is that we (as a system) don’t know what a “functional” and truly “operational” system is supposed to look like — the BOE and the operational parts of the system don’t really know what their roles are supposed to be…. If the shift, which will be painful, particularly for folks (both on the inside and outside — involved parents who are used to getting things they want) can be undertaken to move DCSS into a truly “functional” system where all “working parts” perform in the way they are supposed to — where all roles are performed in their proper “fiduciary” capacity looking out for the 100,000 school kids and the taxpayers without conflicts of interest; in proper advisory and “worker-bee” roles — this really would, I think, be a huge improvement. The BOE is not supposed to run the system… it is not supposed to be a full time job. Someone (Maureen?) should do a comparison of what the differences are between the Decatur, Dekalb & Gwinnett (maybe add in Fulton, Cobb, etc) BOE in terms of numbers, meetings, salaries, etc. — maybe it’s too big a project — but my sense is that people would be surprised at how dysfunctional the DCSS BOE is and how that has related to the fact that the roles have been so compromised.

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