Ok - we've had so doggone many comments posted about the "Friends and Family" plan that we have decided to create a permanent page to collect all we can as to "who's related to whom" and what their job is - how they got it - if they are qualified - and how much they are paid.
Add your knowledge to the comments below.
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UPDATE: This thread has been reopened with the following request.
Just post the facts - use a simple format that looks like the below....
Person, title, relative/friend (description of who that person is), salary (if known)
FOR EXAMPLE:
Philandra Guillory, Oversees DCSS 24 (title) Mother is Frances Edwards (former DCSS Board Member), $100K+
Please add in parentheses who the relative or friend is.."
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ANOTHER UPDATE: Check out our post entitled, Important new nepotism legislation could cause problems for Zepora Roberts to find out about the nepotism clause inserted into HB 251 and recently passed into law. This new law could actually prevent Zepora from seeking reelection due to the fact that one of her daughters currently employed by DCSS was promoted to Assistant Principal in 2009.
247 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 247 of 247@DeKalb Teacher, you asked: "If someone posts something we don't agree with, or gets a job because of who they know, is it necessary to hit them back with a personal attack".
This blog has been taken over by someone who wants to make it so unbearable to be a part of by posting the same stuff over and over again, posting gossip, personal attacks, etc., that people will tire of it and move on from this blog. It's an age-old trick, really.
@ DeKalb Teacher
So sorry.
I guess we didn't understand each other.
My point on posting on the "Friends and Family Plan" is that the Staff Development department, Instructional Coaches, and many other "training" positions are great positions to fill with friends and family. Look at the names of staff involved in training. You will find many "family and friends".
Many of these expensive positions could be eliminated and the functions they perform moved to outside consultants.
This would provide a number of tangible benefits for our system:
1. A reduction in expensive personnel costs as we maintain large groups of non-teaching "trainers" within our school system
2. Experts in a field could be used rather than second-hand information being relayed to teachers by DCSS trainers
3. Training could be customized for each school since not every school needs to have every training (i.e. - not one size fits all schools)
4. Using GBP and online training groups could make training available to teachers when it's convenient for them, not DCSS training staff
5. Teachers would get a viewpoint that is different from the "DCSS" model
As a 30 year veteran, I attended hundreds of hours of staff development as well. I also conducted thousands of hours of training. Many times I trained teachers in schools where the training was appropriate and useful, but all too often the training did not fit the needs of the teachers and students in that school. Other times I redelivered training that I didn't feel I understood well enough myself. Professional learning should not be painful. It should revolve around the particular needs of the student population it serves. This is a weak point for DCSS. We need to look at models that would improve this area.
This area should not be an area for family and friends.
Perhaps this post does not belong in this strand, but I do believe the "family and friends" program has negatively impacted training in DCSS.
Some of Yall have the tar and featehrs now you just need some clean white sheets.
That's right 4:13, this is all just a bunch of racists here. (snark)
That's such worn out, dishonest, BS I just don't want to discuss it.
The Blog is great. It has opened a lot of people eyes about who is related to who and what is really hidden in the schools. Just think, without the blog, people would be left and assuming. Now, it is open and interesting to see how Crawford Lewis and his crew allowed this school system to turn into a mafia of who's who.People have been in the system for years and still cannot find a spot on an interview panel. Most interview panels are selected by friends of the family plan so when people walk in and are not known, your interview time was wasted. Have you wondered why the jobs for administrators have not been posted on PATS. Wait until Fall, when school starts, and you will just shake your head as how your new leaders will be this year. No experience, no nothing, just a body in a suit trying to be important or a control freak who can not manage a school because he or she didnot go through the rank fairly. Look at the principals who were demoted or assistant principals who should have been moved back to a classroom because of no training but benefits on the friends and family plan of DCSS.
What in the heck is an "instructional change coach"????
Oh, the waste, bloat, graft and nonsense that is DCSS.
Has anyone seen the list schools that are without principals? Cannot wait to see the list so that we can organize our chart for the friends and family list. The let's send the list to the AJC or Fox 5 and let them make it known how bad and widespread this hiring process really is.
Be on the lookout for the list on PATS. One thing that Crawford Lewis goodwas that he opened a can of worms and now we have to congratulate him for being stupid.
@ 8:46
Instructional coach for Career Ed - trains teachers:
1.
http://fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us/~TOWANDA_L_JAMES/
Actually, $82,000 (with benefits $102,500)
Here are 4 more Instructional change coaches for Career Ed:
2.
http://fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us/~OLA_M_KAKOLESHA/
3.
http://fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us/~Deneen_P_McBean-Warner/
4.
http://fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us/~Elizabeth_E_Sampson/
5. Sharren Thomas (MLK HS)
No website available
@ Anonymous 6:37 pm
Torie Calloway is listed as a Family Services Coordinator in the Parent Centers
Zepora Roberts daughter is also a Family Services Coordinator in the Parent Centers
There is a Guillory in the Parent Centers. Is he related to Francis Edwards, Philandrea and David Guillory?
Cerebration -- here is a good topic for an investigation. The instructional change" coaches.
- How are they hired?
- Who sets their salaries? Ms. James is listed as being paid for "miscellaneous activities"?
- Why do they make so much more than teachers, even senior, accomplished ones?
- How are they evaluated?
- Why aren't senior teachers with years of experience used instead of people like Ms. James, who has very little experience?
- In the case of Ms. James, a math teacher, who establishes that her time is better used coaching, and not teaching students math, a subject that needs more teachers?
How do we get these questions to someone who will respond?
Let's ask our Mr. Beasley, new Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction!
Who is willing to email Dr. Beasley the questions above re the Instructional Coaches? That's a great place to start and to show him the waste which is rampant everywhere else as well.
Cerebration, will you do it?
Please look at the coaches' websites. They are full of the worst kind of gibberish. Why do they only work at black schools? Would parents in the north stand for this kind of nonsense? Why are black children always the ones most victimized by the waste and fraud? Why are these people getting so much money? Why aren't they teaching children instead? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
@ Anonymous 10:53 AM
RE: Coaches' Websites
I just had a quick minute to look at these -- and no time at all to investigate further. While one website appears to be very incomplete, I fail to find the "worst kind of gibberish" you referenced in the others.
Smaller Learning Communities is a federally funded program and is not part of Title I as far as I know.
Actually, it would probably be helpful to share the templates on these websites throughout DCSS.
How do you define "black" schools? South DeKalb? Majority black? Title I? All of the above?
As someone who has experienced more than one "coach" at work, let me say that it is indeed "the worst kind of gibberish." Put them to work teaching at-risk students in small groups. But that's the point, isn't it? Why deal with students, when you can make so much more money doing so little? Also, the previous poster is correct. The coaches are all based in south Dekalb, a black area. The City of Decatur uses some coaches, but the parents would never tolerate this kind of silliness, federally funded or not. This yet another jobs program, plain and simple. One that's easy to pinpoint. Take the money out of the hands of the Central Office and all of the cronies, and put it to use helping students directly. It is not rocket science.
Guys, guess what? The Friends and Family Plan is now in effect. The list of openings are now out . Let us see who from the Family and Friends Plans will be placed in the administrators positions. If you noticed, we said, "PLACED". Not Qualified, But, "Placed". Now, for all of the ones that have sucked up and been promised a job, let us see what is going to happen now that The Friends and Family Plan is in need of hiring.
Request -- Please refrain from using names when discussing people's jobs. The only names that should be mentioned in this post are the name of the person who has a relative with power in the system and the name of the associated relative.
Everyone else should be referred to as "the Coordinator at my school" (without naming schools).
So - I'll clean up the comments and hope that you all repost using the "rules"... We don't want to become a gossip column...
Cerebration -- what about a request from the blog to some body asking for clarification about these "coaches"? Those questions puts up earlier sound good.
@ Anonymous 3:05 pm
Maybe a discussion about Instructional Coaches in DCSS should take place on a different post since this one is to deal only with The Family and Friends Plan.
There seems to be a small number of instructional coaches, so it should be easy enough to investigate. They seem to make lots of money -- more than many experienced teachers. One has a job description that reads "miscellaneous activities." How did they get these jobs? Doesn't that question seem to go to the heart of the friends and family plan?
Please note that there is a DIFFERENCE between Instructional Change Coaches (ICC's) whose salaries are funded by the federal Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) Grant and Instructional Coaches (IC's) whose salaries are federally funded by Title I.
SLC schools are the only ones that receive "help" from the ICC's , although I don't think that the coaches are even obligated to visit these schools on a regular basis. I don't know what theey spend their time doing.
I can't tell you what the real difference is between the 2 positions, only that their salaries and positions are not affected by the DCSS $100+ million deficit. It's a shame but I don't think that either of these "coaches" do a job worthy of the compensation they receive. )I think the ICC's get paid more than the IC's.) Unfortunately, the positions seem to be only available to those who are hand-picked into what appears to be a very exclusive clique. (I suppose that I might not complain if I were getting paid like them.)
I am currenlty attending a workshop facilitated by the ICC's. We do entirely too much "cutesy" , ice-breaker, team-building activities to justify the need for these ladies' $80k salaries. I will say, however, that the teachers (not the ICC's) involved in the workshop are a very productive group.
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This Blog is an excellent way to keep everyone informed about how corruption has entered our school system since Lewis took office. The Friends and Family Plan didnot get out of hand until he took office and allowed all of these connections such as church members, greek affiliations, cousins, husbands, wives, children into existence.
Next, he allowed too many mean female administrators to govern over staff members not knowing that most of them cannot manage a dog pound fairly let alone people. These women hide behind their positions, and use greek affiliations to surrmount their offices as if they are still in college and all around the school all day, she's my soror. So what, you finished college, how many years ago. And if you are still using this phony term , then leave it out of schools and go back to undergrad school. Children need to be taught the curriculum not what to pledge. Can I get an AMEN. Let us keep a watchful eye on who HR fills these assistant principals and principal with for the fall. Check out your list on the friends and family plan. We are just plain tired of females trying to mangage grown people as if we are still in grade school. You are not leaders, simply robots hiding behind what you pledged in school. Ask Pat Pope if her greek connections going to help her out. Bet Not.
These "coaches" are yet another example of corruption -- a very tangible one, at the schoolhouse level. How do they get their jobs? Why are their salaries so inflated compared to those of the people who do the real work? Federal grants are good. They should be used at the schoolhouse level, to teach students. These "coaches" like 15-minute mini-lessons, so let them conduct these lessons, with students and in collaboration with teachers. It's a no-brainer.
Additional Members of the Friends and Family Plan: Tiffany Anders Davidson and Corey Davidson; both assistant principals : daughter and son-in-law of Marian Anders, former Director of Middle Schools
CHECK OUT www.gapsc.org under certification status. Type in Torie Callaway. Torie Callaway is not certified in anything, period. How is she allowed to work with troubled children? OMG!
Dominique Terrell, assistant at Midvale, is daughter-in-law of Frankie Callaway. She moved up the ranks very fast. Her husband, is also in the county.
Anon 3:44 p.m.
Ms. Callaway's daughter-in-law is Jodye Rowe-Callaway and she is the Asst Principal at McNair Discovery Learning Academy.
I started in DCSS in 1972. The Family and Friends plan has been around since then. It just reached its zenith under Lewis.
Did it really reach its zenith? I think it was pretty bad under Dr. Halford, I just think that the internet has made the exchange of information much easier.
But it isn't just DeKalb, it is most governmental organizations, heck it is many businesses. Heck, we just had dinner with an old friend of my husband from his first job at a big 8 accounting firm. She said that now they wouldn't be able to get those jobs as they didn't go to the right schools.
What Dr. Lewis has done is build up the size of the central office to a point that is unbelievable. So there are far more positions for friends and family.
Don't forget to check out the name Momon. There are many from coaching positions to service center.
Clint Momon is a teacher at Chamblee HS and a coach.
@ Anonymous and 11:12 pm and anonymous 7:52 pm
3 Momons - Instructional coach, Warehouseman, and parapro
are all related, but I don't think anyone would consider these top level positions or part of the Friends and Family by any stretch of the imagination.
Clint Momon is not related to them.
Clint Momon - Chamblee Charter High School
One of my all-time favorite people! He graduated from Georgia Tech where he also played football. He teaches math at CCHS. And, one of the most notable things: when a student on the CCHS swim team suddenly sank to the bottom of the pool and almost drowned, Mr. Momon -- whose classroom was at the end of the hall near the gym lobby -- was still in his classroom even though it was way past the end of the school day. He heard the calls for help, he raced to the pool area and he performed CPR on the student, saving the student's life.
OMG- Yvonne Butler is not RETIRED. surely, we thought she had left the county since the book investigation on the principal was hitting home for her too. OMG- cannot believe she is still in the system making a hefty salary on sugar-free with no degrees no where in that area. her degrees are in education leadership and school counseling. what is the connection with giving out medical advice and tours while on DCSS time related to school counseling. you need to check out her webpage Envoy, then the interview on Martha Stewart. Yvonne Butler and chicken salad. This is very comical. I thought DCSS placed people in positions where they were certified. Another friends and family plan member without credentials.
we did view Martha Stewart.com and typed in Yvonne Butler and chicken salad. The interview was funny, and she continued to mispronounce words even when Martha Stewart tried to rephrase the words for her to correct the pronounciation. I wonder if dr. lewis has ever viewed this mess . if he did, he would have second thoughts about moving her into such a position as a wellness director. we know people were not happy about her leadership whenever she was in her building. the building ran itself while their instructional leader made money for her self. shame on dekalb for allowing this mess.
Watched the Martha Stewart Video with Butler. OMG What a vocabulary for someone with a PhD. It is really, really sad to see someone with a really, really lot of education who can't speak in proper English and mispronounces words. I wonder where she got her PhD. Not sure if she is part of the friends and family plan, but she is an embarrassment to our district.
She got her Ed.D. from the place where about 99% of DCSS got their Ed.D.s. Go figure!
I watched the Martha Stewart show with the Yvonne Butler clip, as well. DeKalb County, GA was embarrassed on national TV!
Three other things were noted -- in addition to Yvonne Butler's difficulty with standard English:
(1) Martha Stewart clearly did not like Yvonne Butler; Martha Stewart's body language was obvious!
(2) When Martha Stewart asked about the students' favorite foods, Butler named some kind of cake as #2 favorite -- a cake made with sugar, she admits -- organic sugar. So much for Browns Mill being the first sugar-free school in the country.
(3) Butler says Browns Mill has 1,000 students and she claims to have saved more than $400,000 on food over the past 8 years. That is $50 per student per year, assuming every child eats in the school cafeteria. Yet around 70% of Browns Mill students receive free-or-reduced-price meals. Those meals cost 40 cents. So, you do the math. Not possible!
Could you post the link to this video?
Here's the link:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chicken-salad-surprise
I just watched it, but I CAN'T truly say that she is an embarassment for DCSS. Educators mispronounce words just like everybody else. (Can you say nuke-you-ler, di-a-late, Feb-you-ary, miss-chee-vee-us, off-ten, or-ee-en-tate)
I do find it a bit disturbing that within the community of bloggers, there are minions dedicated to discrediting the credentials of educators. Granted, our current state of affairs has led to this sort of McCarthyism, but let's cast aspersions only where/when necessary.
I don't have an EdD or PhD, However, you can bet that the WORK required to obtain one carries with it a certain level of RESPECT regardless of the school from which it was obtained. Whether there be online classes or brick&mortar classrooms: a doctoral degree is not available on amazon, ebay, or craigslist.
By the way: Kudos to Anon @ 12:03 who defended Clint Momon; it's nice to have an advocate on this blog.
.......... CERE: is there going to be a compilation of legitimate info from this thread, or are we to continue until all the Johnsons, Williams, Browns, and Smiths are accused of using nepotism to gain employment.
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All right, I watched the video and I think Ms Butler did a fine job! I would have been entertained by her presentation if I had simply watched the show and lived in Pennsylvania or somewhere not knowing a thing about Georgia. What's the fuss? She did a good job, IMO.
I do have concerns about her being promoted to a made-up high-paying position in "Nutrition and Wellness" over someone who already was in that position and doing a fine job. We need effective principals and we need to leave them in the schoolhouse providing consistent, quality leadership as long as possible. (Now, if she was away much of the time, that's another story - but she seemed to be doing just fine where she was as principal, which was where we needed her most.)
Bottom line, we have two issues. One is the fact that we have many people in the system who may have gotten their jobs due to a kinship with a high-ranking administrator or a board member. That must stop.
Two, Dr. Lewis did not support the schoolhouse as he should have. Instead, he continued to build an army of administrators, coordinators, supervisors, etc, etc, who were there to hover over and create more work for teachers. These people are paid too much money and there are too many of them. If the resources were spent on direct support in the classroom - to the students and teachers - I truly believe we would see improvements in learning.
So yes, Anon - 1:10 -I think it's getting time to close this post for comments. Please, if you know of any more direct relations, let us know. If you think of one after this thread closes, please email it to
reparteeforfun@gmail.com
Tori Callaway-Benjamin works at Stone Mountain ES. Speaking of the Callaway Family, please tell me how the Leadership Academy Charter School(led by principal Frankie Callaway) can be housed in New Birth Missionary Church? Does the federal government know about this? What about the separation of church and state? The lasted school for teacher education led by Eddie Long was never certified and the students never received degrees. Also, I thought Frankie Callaway was retired? Is she double dipping again? Please explain. OMG!!!
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