Thursday, April 25, 2013
If you missed it, you can watch the school superintendent's address here.
A man with a lot on his plate, Superintendent Michael Thurmond took some time this week to attend a meeting of the Tucker Parent Council. He spoke at length about the challenges the DeKalb School District is facing and answered many questions. It was revealed during the meeting that Tucker High School will have close to 1,900 students next school year. The building, completed less than a decade ago, is supposed to hold only about 1,600. A video transcript accompanies this article. Thanks to Stan Jester of FactChecker.StanJester.com for providing it to Patch.
Michael Thurmond spoke to the Tucker Parent Council on Tuesday.
By Kirk Lunde I attended the Tucker Parent Council meeting on Tuesday night and next morning awoke with two thoughts. Interim superintendent Thurmond’s agenda is to fix the problems of the DeKalb County School District. The three previous superintendents had other, personal, agendas. The meeting can be described as an open conversation with stakeholders about the issues and concerns they have. That alone is a change from many of the previous public meetings. At the meeting I heard several things which give me hope for the future of the district. First was that Mr. Thurmond is seeking to gain an understanding the institutional history of DeKalb County Schools. While this may not appear to be a priority during this time of crisis, it …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Thurmond will address the Tucker Parent Council and take questions.
DeKalb County School District Interim Superintendent Michael Thurmond will address the Tucker Parent Council on Tuesday, April 23, 6:30 p.m. at Brockett Elementary School. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. If you prefer, you may submit questions in advance to tuckerparentcouncil@gmail.com. Related content on Tucker Patch
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
A Tucker parent attended Wednesday's Emory LaVista Parent Council meeting and has a few thoughts.
Mr. Thurmond, Thank you for your honest back and forth with citizens at this morning's Emory LaVista Parent Council meeting. I attend a lot of meetings and your willingness to stay in the conversation is a refreshing change. Many of your subordinates have a record of walking out instead of dealing with difficult questions. Every time I hear you speak I become a more ardent supporter. You may be the right person to be superintendent at this time. I particularly appreciate your attitude of getting to know how things work before attempting to make any big changes. Hopefully, you are a fast learner. That said, I have to tell you parents are well aware you are not answering many of the questions asked. I repeat my question, are salaries of …
Monday, April 15, 2013
Board members will hold two meetings at the district's headquarters.
The DeKalb Board of Education will hold the following meetings on Tuesday, April 16: 4 p.m. Called Meeting to adjourn to an executive session for the purpose of discussing a student appeal. 6 p.m. Called Meeting to adjourn to a Committee of the Whole. Both meetings will be held in the Cabinet Room at the Robert R. Freeman Administrative & Instructional Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in Stone Mountain. More information can be accessed here
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
A Tucker parent addresses the school board's new members.
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 that this does not accurately describe DeKalb County School District currently. For far too long, some of your predecessors believed that premier …
The board voted to use a traditional calendar for the time being.
At its April 1 meeting, the DeKalb County Board of Education voted to delay the implementation of the district's balanced calendar until the 2014-15 school year. With it, the Board adopted a Traditional Calendar. The proposed Traditional Calendar developed by the Calendar Committee contains the following features: · 180 student-contact days; · 189 teacher-contract days with the final day (Day 190) being comprised of four (two hours each/two per semester) conference nights during the year as scheduled by each local school; · Takes into account state-designated testing windows and dates; · Concludes the first semester before the Winter Break in December which prevents students from returning from the break with final …
Monday, April 1, 2013
Patch will interview the former DeKalb school board member beginning at 6:45 pm on Monday night.
Former DeKalb school board member Nancy Jester will be doing another live blog during Monday night's school board meeting. Jester represented District 1, now represented by John Coleman. Patch will be doing a live Q&A with her beginning at 6:45 pm. The school board meeting is set to begin at 7 pm. Here is a link to the agenda for Monday night's meeting. Follow Patch's Extensive Coverage of the DeKalb School Board: New School Board Gets Active Live Blog: Nancy Jester Following the DeKalb School Board Meeting Thurmond Faces Tough Crowd at Dunwoody Meeting Thurmond Tells Dunwoody Residents, 'We Will Keep Accreditation' Bob Dallas Among Those Volunteering for DeKalb School Board Dunwoody's Nancy Jester Resigns from DeKalb School Board Federal…
Patch will carry former board member Nancy Jester's live blog of the public event.
A full day ahead for the DeKalb Board of Education, which will hold the following meetings on Monday, April 1, 2013: 2 p.m. Work Session, Cabinet Room 3 p.m. Committee of the Whole, Cabinet Room 5:45 p.m. Community Meeting for Public Comments, Williamson Board Room 7 p.m. Business Meeting, Williamson Board Room The board meets at the Robert R. Freeman Administrative & Instructional Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in Stone Mountain. Meeting agendas and additional information can be accessed here. Tucker Patch readers and local residents Kirk Lunde and Jennifer Hatfield are scheduled to speak during the public forum. Patch will cover the Community Meeting with a live blog on this site, hosted by former board member …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
DeKalb's board, with its new members, convened Wednesday.
The DeKalb County Board of Education held its first meeting Wednesday with a new line-up. This included, of course, the six chosen by Governor Nathan Deal in a controversial move that drew a lawsuit from suspended members. The most significant action taken Wednesday was a motion for the district to remove itself as a plaintiff from that lawsuit, thus saving taxpayers a considerable sum in legal fees. It passed 9-0 and was introduced by Marshall Orson (District 2 - Brookhaven). Orson, who was elected last year and began his term in January, said in his opening remarks, "my only criticism is that the three of us can longer call ourselves the new guys." He was referring to Jim McMahan (District 4 - Tucker, North Druid Hills, Lakeside) and new…
Cheryl Miller
12:41 pm on Monday, May 6, 2013
I agree about the stability issue. I just don't think Thurmond can do all of what you suggest needs to be done in under a year and I don't have confidence that a BOE without him would be able to hire another Superintendent to carry on in the same manner. A year only gives us a taste of what our children should have, but not enough time to ensure they actually get it. more ›