By Kirk Lunde The challenge of repairing the DeKalb school system and restoring it to its former designation of “premiere” will require strong leadership from its superintendent, Mr. Thurmond, and his successor, as well as competent central office employees who are committed to doing their jobs. This means resolving the concerns of parents, students, and teachers who rely upon central office staff to respond quickly and competently to issues as they arise. Central office staff must recognize their roles as public servants and act in the best interest of the all the stakeholders they serve. …

By Jim Spencer By now, I think just about everyone has heard about the various “cityhood” movements that are taking place in Northern DeKalb county (such as City of LaVista Hills, City of DeKalb, City of Lakeside, City of Tucker, City of Stonecrest), as well as some of the discussions by a few existing cities to annex adjoining areas - Stone Mountain, Chamblee as examples. There was a LARGE response by the Tucker community to the perceived movement by the Lakeside group to annex a large chunk of Tucker without any discussion. Emotions ran high, and people seemed to be fired up. I was pleased …

By Jennifer Hatfield First, I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you. I was very vocal in my support of the suspension of the former board members. I am very impressed by your resumes and what I believe is your genuine desire to help the children of DeKalb County. Welcome aboard! I want to help you, as do other parents throughout the county. Please allow us to. Engage us. Draw upon our knowledge and experience and use it to your advantage. Premier DeKalb - Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines premier as: first in position, rank, or importance. I think we can all agree …

By Shaun Dodson I was lucky enough to make it into the meeting Monday night at Tucker Middle School. The meeting was interesting, with representatives from many of the great organizations that have been formed over the years to support and grow the Tucker Community.  As a homeowner in the Tucker community and as an individual working with Development Authorities throughout Georgia, I have a personal and professional interest in the topic. I was impressed by each organization’s presentation on the great efforts they make for the Tucker Community, but I couldn’t help but keep thinking to myself…

First I would like to say how proud I am that our cohesive Tucker community turned out for the meeting Monday night at Tucker Middle School dispelling the perception that Tucker is not a community. It is very unfortunate that many residents were turned away as the venue was not large enough to accommodate the crowd.    After speaking with many neighbors and friends, as well as reading a multitude of comments online (thank you, Tucker Patch, Twitter, and Tucker Town Talk), this is what I have gleaned from our situation: there is a general feeling that Lakeside City Alliance has not begun this …

The Governor made the unilateral decision to replace six duly elected officers of the DeKalb County School Board. As our constitutional challenge makes its way through the courts, these appointees, along with the three elected officers allowed to stay, are in charge and everyone should be supportive of these stewards until the matter is resolved. I agree with the Governor that there is a lot at stake and I urge the public and the media to stay involved as we move forward. Going forward, we should all be aware that the SACS/AdvancED analysis and subsequent probation created the perception of …

Parents and residents of the DeKalb County school district are today calling for the resignation of six suspended members of the DeKalb County Board of Education because of the expensive legal battle with the State of Georgia that is sapping resources from classrooms and children. The Board has lost the trust of the people it represents and it is time for a fresh start. We have formed the Concerned Citizens for a Unified DeKalb to encourage citizens throughout the county to make their voices heard. The district has lost sight of its mission to educate its students, build the future of DeKalb …

The Governor is wrong in his decision to suspend members of the DeKalb County Board of Education. The DeKalb School District has been placed on probation by a private accrediting institution called SACS which holds considerable sway in the education community. SACS has made a multitude of allegations, some of which I agree with, but all of them were developed unilaterally in a shrouded process.  The leadership of SACS is not elected by the public, do not have to conform to open meetings and open records laws, and are not subject to constitutional due process as they sit in judgment of public …

Greetings Governor Deal, Legislators, and State Department of Education Members, I am resident of Dekalb County with a child attending Tucker Middle School. I am very concerned about the state of the Dekalb County School District (DCSD) and the Dekalb Board of Education (DBOE). Thank you for the hearing on Jan. 17, 2013. I was very impressed with the depth of the questioning. Clearly the members of Georgia Department of Education had done their research prior to the hearing. I was significantly less impressed with the quality of the answers provided by the DBOE. One answer in particular made …

  There has been an awful lot of energy expended by opponents of the charter amendment. The opposition to the amendment claim that the state can “already” act as an appeals body for charter schools. Those supporting the amendment wonder: if the state can already approve charters, why is the Education Establishment fighting THIS hard against affirming that on the ballot on Nov. 6?  Most of the arguments posed against the Amendment are related to the enabling legislation, which establishes a Commission. The ballot question, however, ONLY reaffirms the state’s role in K-12 general education. So …

My name is Kristyne Seidenberg.  I am a parent, certified teacher, and practicing attorney.  I am concerned about the way DeKalb County Schools has addressed the class size issue.   Any short term savings the school system effects by increasing class sizes will surely be outweighed by the long term detrimental impact on the quality of education in DeKalb County Schools.  The legal fees the school system will be forced to allocate toward defending Due Process claims of parents of special needs children could simply go to maintaining class sizes appropriate to educating students. The current …

Hello Tucker Rec Potters, First my apologies that many of you did not hear this news from me first. I realized only yesterday that an email was sent out telling everyone that I will not be continuing the MudRoom without my knowledge. I don't know what was in that email, but I do want you all to hear from me, as it is my news to tell.The current eight week session will be ending Saturday, April 27. I will be in the studio during my regular office hours firing kilns, preping glazes, and will be happy, as usual, to do demos and teach any students who would like to join me. I will not be able to …

Tucker High School Habitat celebrates and honors the following members of our 2012 Collegiate Challenge Team.    Stefon BarneyMarkos BefecaduChelsea ChambersMya Lesley-DrakefordKevin HanchettMegan LeckbandFeven LaineClaire LippyAbigail MagallanesTrenton MolinaKristen MooreChase PinckneyLenna RodriguesKeanu ScottTayon Williams Adult Advisors: Tracy Rojo from the Tucker Faculty along with community advisors Doug Humphrey, Shirley Hunter, Mariann Pate, Kay Stewart, and Jay York.   It’s remarkable to note that these students gave their spring break to serve families in the Shoal Creek community …

Spring cleaning was the focus of a recent service project conducted by employees of Kaiser Permanente's Atlanta office. HealthConnect, the company's electronic medical records department, partnered with DeKalb Community Service Board (CSB) to volunteer for their day of service at a group home for women with developmental disabilities in Tucker.   The volunteers painted inside, cleaned the carpet and brought new housewares. In addition to raking leaves, cleaning gutters, and removing ivy from trees they also refreshed the sunroom by staining the wood furniture and buying new cushions. The …

I'm Lawrence Jennings, Director of Bands at Tucker Middle School. I would like to share some exciting news with you with hopes that you can post it in the Patch. On Thursday March 29, 88 students and 16 parents met at Tucker Middle School at 10 p.m. and loaded two charter buses to travel to Washington DC. The students were members of the Tucker Middle School Symphonic Band, Orchestra and Chorus. We arrived in Washington Thursday at noon and toured Union Station followed by a tour of the US Postal Museum. Later that evening we went to dinner at Buca di Beppo, an Italian resturant. After dinner…

At approximately 5:30 p.m. Saturday my dog Siddie was shot by an arrow on my front lawn. She is currently in surgery at UGA and fighting for her life. I have briefly spoken to the police to make sure they step up patrols in the neighborhood and will follow up with forensics in the morning. The arrow that went through her body and then lodged against her spine is not a target arrow; it is a triple point arrow which I understand is lethal and used to hunt game. This is serious. I don't know if this is some kid out shooting target practice and unaware of the danger, or some vagrant wandering …

Pet overpopulation, abuse, neglect and abandonment are at an all-time high in Dekalb County. The majority of Dekalb residents are not aware of the crisis nor the shortfall in the so-called "animal services" provided by our county government. The animals need for you to know their plight... for everyone in Dekalb to know.  After more than a decade of complaints to elected officials from members of the local animal rescue community, our CEO [Burrell Ellis] and Board of Commissioners ["BOC"] finally responded by creating the Animal Services Task Force in early 2011.  The Task Force spent several…

From Patch photographer Patrick Turner Dear Friends,    I had the unique blessing of personally knowing Olivia Nicole Hayes. She continues to make a tremendous impact on my life, the life of my family, and numerous families in the Tucker community. Unfortunately, four years ago this summer Olivia died from injuries sustained from a tragic accident while boarding her school bus. A few of my Hospital Sales Director peers may recall as I received this tragic news while attending one of our Director's meetings. Olivia's mom and dad have created a Foundation in her memory to support families and …

From Chuck Eaton, Georgia Public Service Commissioner for District 3. Georgians have made it clear that attracting and retaining jobs should be the No. 1 priority of every elected official. Removing this tax as an impediment to job growth and creation is a great first step.Late last fall, my colleagues on the Georgia Public Service Commission and I sent a letter asking the Georgia General Assembly to consider removing the sales tax manufacturers pay on energy, including electricity, used in the manufacturing process. Governor Nathan Deal supports this idea, as do Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and …

I am an animal lover. I have a blind dog and a three legged dog that I like to take on small walks. I clean up after them and curb them around flowers and plantings to be respectful to my neighbors. This evening a large bulldog bolted out of his yard across the street and attacked both my dogs. It was all I could do to simply get the dog off my dog while his owner called for him. I rolled on the ground covering my dogs with my body as I could, unable to protect both at the same time. Thankfully a few cars stopped to help and someone finally got the dog under control. Thank you to the …