DeKalb School Board Meeting Monday

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 …

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New School Board Gets Active

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…

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Last Chance: Applications Being Accepted for School Board Appointees

Wednesday is the deadline to apply for DeKalb school board membership.

If you are interested in applying for the position of appointed member for the DeKalb Board of Education, send the following information to dekalbschoolboardnominations@georgia.gov: 1. Legal name, contact information and home address 2. District seat for which one is applying 3. Resume or brief biography 4. Statement of interest The panel will accept applications until Wednesday, March 6 at 5 p.m. Tucker schools are part of District 4, represented by Jim McMahan, who is not affected by Governor Deal's suspension move. Related items on Tucker Patch

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Cheryl Miller

9:15 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013

And, as we have seen, Tucker and every part of our county can be affected by the decisions of the board as a whole, so even if you are not going to apply, please think of every qualified and available individual you can and ask them to please consider submitting their resume for consideration. It can only help to know we have qualified applicants and a qualified, common sense board to replace the…   more ›

Thurmond: Voters Partially Responsible for School Board Strife

"I'm here to correct some of the mistakes they made but also to correct some of the mistakes you made," the interim superintendent said at Oak Grove Elementary School on Wednesday.

DeKalb County voters are partially responsible for the strife and discord that has pushed the board of education to the brink of its own removal, interim schools Superintendent Michael Thurmond said Wednesday. Because voters elected the board members, they must take some responsibility for the state of the board and the school system as it struggles to regain approval from its accreditors, he said, speaking before the Emory Lavista Parent Council at Oak Grove Elementary School. It was his first public appearance since the embattled school board hired him last week to replace Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson. "My job is to correct mistakes. I did not make them," he said shortly before the meeting came to a close. "I'm here to correct many of …

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Ann

8:48 am on Sunday, April 14, 2013

Was a crooked politican when he served as Commissioner of the Department of Labor. Unless it was the intent to continue to produce uneducated children, I can't imagine how Thurmond got himself appointed to anything having to do with education.   more ›

'No Magic Wand,' Says Thurmond

DeKalb schools' interim superintendent holds his first meeting.

Newly-appointed interim school superintendent Michael Thurmond wasted no time on Monday night as he held his first meeting with board members at the district's Stone Mountain headquarters. “I do not have a magic wand,” Thurmond said, "but every day we will come with one goal in mind: to become better and to inspire and educate our children.” He joins the DeKalb School District at a difficult time - his predecessor's sudden departure, probation from SACS, and a continuing struggle to maintain accreditation.  Thurmond promised to restore the reputation of DeKalb's schools, according to the AJC. The nine-member school board, some of whom have only been on the job about a month, is hoping to avoid being removed by Governor Nathan Deal. Parent …

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Guy Midvale

1:27 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Can I complain about his employment contract without being a detractor? I really do wish him well. I would be glad to see the board pick someone who is not an "educrat" if their motivation were not purely to save their jobs. I know he is focused right now on perfecting & rehearsing his script for the State BOE meeting, but I am very interested to see what he does to change the culture of …   more ›

Letters To The Editor

An Open Letter About DeKalb's School Board

Did Sarah Copeland-Woods lie during the School Board hearing last Thursday?

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 my heart sink. When Sarah Copelin-Wood was asked about emails that negatively affect the chain of command she replied, (I am quoting to the best of my…

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Cheryl Miller

10:40 am on Friday, March 8, 2013

She is not the only one who lied at that hearing.   more ›

DeKalb Board of Education on Trial Thursday

There will a live webcast starting today at 1 p.m.

Updated Jan 17, 10:20 a.m. State Representative Scott Holcomb (District 82-Tucker) issued a statement this morning at 10:18 a.m: Yesterday afternoon, I was informed that the State Board of Education (“BOE”) was not going to webcast today’s proceedings concerning the DeKalb Board of Education. I then sent a request asking the State BOE to reconsider because of the public’s interest to observe the proceedings and the reasonableness of the request. The State BOE quickly replied to me that they would consider my request. This morning, I was very pleased to receive notice that the State BOE met this morning and approved the webcast of today’s proceedings. I commend the State BOE for its quick action and for its commitment to transparency. The …

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Cheryl Miller

5:13 pm on Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thank you Rep. Holcomb. So many concerned parents are also responsible for picking their children up in the afternoon so that being able to attend the hearing would have been difficult or impossible. Transparency of this process is so important, esp. if it ends up with a temporary board being appointed. You rock!   more ›

Another School Board Candidates Forum Thursday

All 12 candidates have confirmed their participation.

The Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA) of Arabia Mountain High School (AMHS) cordially invites you to attend a DeKalb County School Board Candidate Forum on Thursday, July 19, 2012 from 6:45 p.m.— 8:30 p.m., in the Auditorium at 6610 Browns Mill Road in Lithonia. All the candidates have confirmed their attendance at the Forum. The format of the Forum will be as follows: Each candidate will make a one-minute opening statement; Voters will submit their questions for the candidates prior to the meeting. Only 8-12 questions will be asked. Candidates will have one minute to answer. Candidates will have the opportunity to make a two-minute closing statement. Doors will open to the public at 6:15 pm so please plan to arrive early. This …

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Video: School Board Candidates Debate Issues

Last week's forum at Westwood College introduced District 4 candidates, among others.

Westwood College in Northlake played host last week to a forum for candidates who are running for DeKalb County's Board of Education in the July 31 election. The accompanying video shows candidates for District 4, which includes Tucker. They are Tom Gilbert, Jim Kinney, Jim McMahan and the incumbent, Paul Womack. The event was sponsored by the DeKalb Chamber, Leadership DeKalb, eduKALB, PRISM, Junior League, and Greater Lithonia Chamber. Which candidate do you prefer? Are any of them addressing the real issues? Tell us in the comments below-

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Meet Your School Board Candidates Tuesday

A chance to meet all the candidates this evening in Tucker.

Join the DeKalb Chamber, Leadership DeKalb, eduKALB, PRISM, Junior League and Greater Lithonia Chamber for a school board candidate forum at Westwood College from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10. The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Maureen Downey, author of the daily blog “Get Schooled”, will host the forum.   Westwood College is located at 2309 Parklake Drive in the Northlake area.

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