Was Tucker High's Graduation Rate Marginalized by Board Members?

The Northlake Community Alliance held its meeting last month at Briarlake Baptist Church. The group hosted a special session on the status of the DeKalb County School System and invited the Interim Superintendent Michael Thurmond to speak.  

Also on the panel were District 4 Representative Jim McMahan and Super District 8 Representative Dr. Karen Carter. Both of these districts have responsibility over Tucker and Lakeside High Schools. They both offered to field questions from the group as appropriate.

The audience contained very few, if any, parents, although several members of the group Save Tucker! did attend and brought back these notes:  

Unlike a typical school-related audience, the Northalke Alliance meeting was an assembly of local and state politicians, business executives and even one former school board member, Nancy Jester. Her husband, Stan Jester, was also there and he captured the entire meeting on video. You can view it on his new website.

Presently, the Tucker and Lakeside communities are at odds with each other over an announcement of plans for a Lakeside City that was quickly followed by an announcement of a City of Tucker bill. Both will be discussed by the legislature in 2014 along with several other similar bills for incorporation.  

Northlake was considered to be a common ground meeting location between the two areas. It could have been utilized as a great opportunity for the school board to demonstrate its ability to advocate fairly for all students, not just the favored few. The mandate for county unity is an essential part of the SACS report. 

Unfortunately, when a question was asked from the audience about graduation rates, no one appeared to have the right answer, from the Superintendent to the current board members, former board member and even the audience. The statistic in question had just recently been released by the state of Georgia and can be viewed in the graphic along with this editorial.

Now that the facts are out, some residents are claiming that the District 4 board member, Jim McMahan, did not do a fair job at representing Tucker students. His comments addressed the "count" of 2013 graduates and were not indicative of the actual graduation rate as calculated by the state's new formula.   

McMahan was given a great opportunity to talk about the recent success at Tucker High School in front of this influential Northlake group, but failed to do so. Could city-related politics be interfering with county school board goverence already?   Below are the transcribed comments from that meeting, word for word.

You be the judge!

QUESTION AS READ DIRECTLY FROM INDEX CARD:  We just want to congratulate the students graduating in DeKalb County. Can you tell us the Top 10 traditional schools in terms of graduation rates?

District 4 SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE JIM MCMAHAN ON LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL'S GRADUATION: 

I don't have the top 10, but I can speak from my own experience. I was at the Lakeside graduation last night at the FOX. We had the highest number, actual number, of students graduate, 388 students graduated last night, and Mr. Reid, the principal, he was just chock full of numbers, it was his swan song, he was retiring and headed off, given his 30 years service, do you remember Mr. Reid? He was principal of Sagamore before heading over to Lakeside. He had my kids, but anyway ... and I mean the number came up, we had something like $4.5 million in scholarships for this graduating class is what they received. It was incredible. And that is not inclusive of the HOPE either. So that's exclusive of HOPE Scholarships. That's Lakeside.

District 4 SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE JIM MCMAHAN ON TUCKER HIGH SCHOOL'S GRADUATION: 

I was at Tucker graduation the night before. We had 307 graduates. The only reason I know this is because I shook 'em, every one of 'em's hand. I think I got carpal tunnel from it all. (LAUGHTER) But, uh, the diversity among the students. I mean, they don't look like (motions to himself and Northlake chairman) me.... I mean, it's unbelievable. It is not a black and white world any more. It is International. And to see the products that ... and uh, just think about this, also. These kids graduated this year and what have these kids been through in their high school careers in this county? Three Superintendents? Three CFOs? Lakeside renovations. Tucker renovations. Chamblee's got renovations going on right now. Their walking. They've had three school boards. And STILL they achieve and set these high academics. It is really a celebration. This week has been the really fun part of being on the school board for me. It helps me to reinforce why I'm still here. It is to reinforce student achievement. Even though there are great things going on. We can do better. So, I don't have the top 10. . .

Former Board Member NANCY JESTER responds from the audience:  

Jim, the highest, it is always DeKalb School of the Arts. I don't know about this year, but I know about 2011 and 2012.

Superintendent MICHAEL THURMOND takes microphone and responds:

Of the traditional schools that had a minimum of 300 graduate, you've got #1 Dunwoody, #2 Lakeside, #3 Stephenson. They had at least 300 graduate from the traditional high school. (Where and why did he put this stipulation on the numbers that we are now only talking about schools that graduate at least 300?)

NANCY JESTER Responds:

But that's not the rate. Because they are generally near the middle of the pack in terms of their percentage rate.

MICHAEL THURMOND Replys:

The state of Georgia just released that. But it will be for 2012, though, in terms of percentage.

NANCY JESTER:  

It is DeKalb School of the Arts.

MICHAEL THURMOND: 

 But that's a magnet school.

NANCY JESTER:  

Right.

AUDIENCE MEMBER CHIMES IN:  

But that's not right. I'm a DECA parent and we are at 94%.

MICHAEL THURMOND:

Yeah, but that's a special school. The question, I thought, was about traditional schools. (He's right, it was, but it didn't say anything about leaving out schools who graduated less than 300 total.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  

It was, but it you're going to talk about non-traditional, then you should mention DECA. It's not the school for the arts.

NANCY JESTER:

That's for 2012, though. The numbers that just came out. Dekalb School of the Arts is the highest.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:

DECA has 94 percent.

SEE PHOTO FOR THE CORRECT ANSWER.  

TUCKER HIGH SCHOOL WAS ACTUALLY THE NUMBER ONE TRADITIONAL SCHOOL IN TERMS OF THE 2012 GRADUATION RATE!  

THE MEETING WAS IN TUCKER.  

YET NO ONE KNEW THE ANSWER??  

It sometimes feels like TUCKER is truly an unrepresented school district in DeKalb County. Join the discussion at www.facebook.com/SaveTuckerFromLakeside City.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. And, please remember to be respectful. Thanks!