Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Parents were agitated as neither the Regional Superintendent nor board members appeared to have answers.
The Tucker Parent Council (TPC) met Monday, only hours after the release of the report from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the division of AdvancED responsible for the accreditation of schools in the South. There were approximately 25 parents and community members at the meeting held at Midvale Elementary School, just off LaVista Road in Tucker. Most of those in attendance represented Livsey Elementary School. The TPC's guest was Cynthia Brictson, Region II Superintendent for DeKalb County Schools. Also present were Marshall Orson and Jim McMahan, two of the three incoming board members who are scheduled to take their posts Jan. 7, 2013. Brictson mainly took notes and made offers to carry the sentiment of the …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The vote is delayed until Jan. 7, 2013
At Monday's meeting, the DeKalb County Board of Education decided to delay its vote on a working draft of the 2016-17 Proposed School Organization until Jan. 7, 2013. A second vote on the final draft will take place on Jan. 23, 2013 as previously reported. The delay allows the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) staff time to incorporate already received public suggestions and refine the working draft. The Board vote on Jan. 7 is to share the revised draft for public comment. The public information sessions will run from Jan. 8 through 17 across the five academic regions of the district. Additionally, the public may email ideas, comments and suggestions to proposed-org@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us. After the public information sessions, the …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The netbooks will be loaded with all the students' textbooks.
- SCHOOLS
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Thursday, December 6, 2012
Next fall, Tucker Middle School students will be among more than 8,000 DeKalb County students who will receive their textbooks loaded onto Lenovo netbooks. School Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Atkinson made that announcement in her annual State of the System address on Monday, Dec. 3. Along with Tucker Middle School, students at Cedar Grove, Lithonia, Peachtree, Redan, Stone Mountain and Chamblee will also receive the Lenovo netbooks. While only 38 percent of DeKalb's schools are fully wireless, by the fall, the district will have completed an aggressive technology plan to get make all 138 campuses wireless. The remainder of the district's middle schools and high schools will transition to one-to-one technology in phases through August 2014. …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Some schools in Tucker would be severely affected by the plan.
Parents in Tucker are reeling from a surprise list of proposals by the DeKalb County Board of Education that would strongly impact several area schools. The board convenes again this Thursday, Dec. 6, to continue deliberations on the subject. Below is part of a draft containing details of the proposals: Proposed Org: Region 2 (Druid Hills, Lakeside, Tucker) • Action 2.1: – Tear down Fernbank ES (578 seats) & rebuild as a 900 seat school* (+322 seats) opening in 2015-2016 SY – Adjust boundaries for efficiency in enrollment at elementary schools in the Druid Hill cluster effective 2015-2016 SY • Action 2.2: – Tear down Pleasantdale ES (689 seats) & rebuild as a 900 seat school* (+211 seats) opening in 2018-2019 SY – Adjust boundaries for …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The DeKalb County School Superintendent will meet with Tucker parents on Tuesday.
Throughout the month of October, DeKalb County School District Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Atkinson is hosting a series of roundtable meetings for parents at different schools in the county. A meeting is scheduled at Tucker High School on Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. At these meetings, parents can learn more about the status of current issues faced by the district, as well as hear about new initiatives launching in the 2012-13 school year. Families also will have the opportunity to ask questions. These are open forums for all DeKalb County parents, and they replace the previous parent advisory committees. Parents are encouraged to submit their questions in advance to lillian_m_govus@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The calendar has an earlier start date and includes two more weeks of vacation.
The DeKalb Board of Education has voted to approve superintendent Cheryl Atkinson's recommended 2013-14 calendar, after receiving more than 12,000 responses for input. The district now adopts a balanced calendar, and classes will begin for students on Aug. 5, 2013 and end on May 29, 2014. The approved calendar includes 180 days of instruction for students and 190 teacher-contract days. The semesters are divided equally with 90 days of instruction for each. One of the 10 teacher-contract days is comprised of four two-hour conference nights scheduled by each school during the year. With the balanced calendar, the first semester, including all final exams and End of Course Tests, will conclude prior to the winter break. Tucker parent Marsha …
Monday, September 17, 2012
The oversight body again warned DeKalb Schools earlier this month after numerous complaints from parents and staff.
DeKalb Schools Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson has sent a letter in response to a warning from the school's accrediting agency earlier this month, 11 Alive News reports. The warning letter from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which has the power to pull DeKalb's accreditation, cited numerous complaints from staff and parents. Atkinson wrote that the "district has implemented plans to improve upon all standards." SACS letter in September specifically cited the board's legal costs. The district has been accumulating legal fees related to charges of corruption and internal dealing by a former superintendent and a former executive staffer. Atkinson in her letter cited ongoing improvements: an internal legal team that was …
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Planning for DeKalb's 2013-14 "balanced" school calendar is underway.
A group of DeKalb County's teachers, principals, and parents met yesterday, Sept. 4, to develop multiple calendar options for the 2013-14 school year. Among the options under consideration is a “balanced calendar” which will reduce the summer break by two weeks and include an additional week of vacation each semester. Another possibility is a weekly “early release” to allow for additional professional development for teachers. The options this group ultimately agrees upon will be unveiled Sept. 17 and made available for public comment until Sept. 26. Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson will then make her recommendation to the DeKalb County School Board on Oct. 1. The Board will vote on a final calendar Oct. 8. “The process for creating a …
Monday, June 18, 2012
Teacher confronts the DeKalb School Board on Fernbank Science Center funding.
- OPINION
- Al Tate
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Monday, June 18, 2012
Patch was very helpful in reporting the DeKalb School Budget Crisis from the Board Meeting last June 4 especially as it pertains to Fernbank Science Center. I would like to submit this open letter (below) I sent to the Superintendent and School Board in response to the Superintendent returning FSC to the chopping block (after removing FSC) by asking the board to eliminate 2/3 of the FSC Budget and then having spokesman Walter Wood tell the public that FSC would remain a "fully functional Science Center." It's like saying a basketball team can remain "fully functional" when the three tallest players are removed from the court. Open Letter to DeKalb Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson and the DeKalb School Board: I am one of the teachers who work…
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Superintendent of DeKalb County Schools gives her “State of the District” address
On Monday night, Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, Superintendent of DCSS, spoke at Livsey Elementary at the last Tucker Parent Council meeting of the year. After introducing the senior support staff (“A team”) members that were present, Dr. Atkinson remarked that she has been in her position for 22 weeks, and in that time, her main focus has been student success. “Too often, in the past, we’ve been distracted and sidetracked, and we won’t lose focus again,” she said. She then went through the list of programs and goals that she has initiated for the school system and highlighted some of her long-term plans. Among them: - The Central Office audit, which will help bring fairness and equity in salaries across the district, verify all employees, and …
33.86916
-84.21772
Livsey Elementary School
4137 Livsey Rd, Tucker, GA
/articles/dr-cheryl-atkinson-speaks-to-tucker-parent-council
1169107
/locations/6865651
Cheryl Miller
11:59 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
Betsy, please email me at sayno2celltowers@yahoo.com. I'd like to discuss the petition with you to see if our group can assist you with it. more ›