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…
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The former chair and suspended school board member has his say.
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 many of the problems the system is facing today. SACS and its agents distorted the actions of the school board and intentionally diminished the level …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The new members will be sworn in at 1 pm on Wednesday.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced six new DeKalb school board members on Wednesday morning: Deal announced that the new school board members will be sworn into office at 1 pm on Wednesday afternoon at the DeKalb Board of Education offices. “I have reminded these individuals that we were brought to these circumstances because of issues of governance,” Deal said. “I have implored they work together cooperatively. I’ve also reminded them that we have a new school superintendent and I have every confidence that he will lead the school system forward.” Deal said he examined whether to reinstate any of the six suspended board members, but decided “it would be best to enter into this new process with a clean slate.” Deal also said Interim School …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The announcement is set for 11 am on Wednesday.
Gov. Nathan Deal is expected to announce replacements for six suspended DeKalb school board members on Wednesday. A panel appointed by the governor has spent the last several days vetting the candidates. The panel also met with Deal Tuesday morning to discuss their findings and recommendations. “I am overwhelmed by the extraordinary group of people in DeKalb County who stepped forward to try to help their community,” Deal said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “I greatly appreciate the nominating panel’s hard work and the difficult choices the members faced when narrowing down a field with so many excellent candidates. These individuals have worked with the best interests of DeKalb’s children in mind, and I’m proud of the …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The 21-member Student Advisory Council will discuss SACS accreditation Thursday.
At 1:30 p.m. today, March 7, 21 members of the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) Student Advisory Council will join Interim Superintendent Michael Thurmond for a videoconference with Governor Nathan Deal and two moderators. The students will have the opportunity to discuss all aspects of the district's SACS accreditation process, including the governor's decision to suspend six members of the DeKalb Board of Education. “This is a great opportunity for our students to be involved in the process,” said Thurmond. “This situation revolves around what's in the best interest for our children, and now our children will have the chance to share with the top official in our government how it's affected them. It means a great deal that our …
Monday, March 4, 2013
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
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The three DeKalb school board members who remain state their point of view.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Tuesday, February 26
As elected representatives on the DeKalb Board of Education, we find ourselves in a unique and confusing situation. We are the three members of the Board of Education not subject to the State Board of Education's review process because we joined the DeKalb Board in January 2013, and the State Board's action concerned the nine Board members who held office prior to January 2013. We, along with Superintendent Michael Thurmond, are committed to restoring full accreditation and focusing our efforts on the academic achievement of DeKalb's 99,000 students and the professional well-being of the people who teach and serve those students, and we pledge to restore making outcomes for children the priority of the DeKalb County School District. We …
The former chairman of DeKalb's school board reacts to Gov. Deal's decision.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Tuesday, February 26
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 institutions and elected officials. The DeKalb Board of Education, like all school boards, is a public institution. We have open meetings, open …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Jim McMahan, who represents several Tucker schools, is unaffected by Monday afternoon's announcement.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced Monday that he is signing an executive order that accepts the State Board of Education's recommendation that six DeKalb school board members be removed. Deal made the announcement Monday afternoon during a press conference at the state capitol. Prior to the announcement, Deal huddled with members of the DeKalb legislative delegation for several minutes. Deal has also appointed a nominating committee to recommend new members of the school board, composed of Keith Mason, a current member of the State Board of Education and who will chair the committee; Jim Bostick, a former member of the state board of education; Sadie Denard, a member of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce; Alicia Phillip, president of the Community …
Friday, February 22, 2013
The move was made late Friday afternoon, in hopes of stopping Gov. Deal from suspending any school board members.
Gov. Nathan Deal's office announced on Friday that he, along with members of the DeKalb legislative delegation, will hold an 11 a.m. news conference Monday to respond to the state Board of Education decision. The state board recommended to the governor that he remove six members of the DeKalb school board. However, in a legal move late Friday afternoon, the school board filed an emergency motion in federal court, hoping to stop the governor from taking any action. According to Channel 2 Action News, the emergency motion was filed just before the close of business on Friday. “I have closely followed the situation in DeKalb County schools since their accreditation was put at risk, and I paid special attention to the state Board of Education…
Alison Dealy
4:41 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2013
Provided they are also supportive of the people charged with teaching and implementing ...and are not supporting those employees who are merely showing up for an undeserved paycheck at the expense of the residents of this county. PLEASE cull out the ones that are not performing, or who have only been given jobs, and re-assigned because they have friends in power. The students are tired of being … more ›