(This is from the AJC - I'm sure he meant "women"...)
Anyway -
Ramona Tyson, DeKalb County Schools interim superintendent, was selected as one of Atlanta Business League’s 100 Top Black Women of Influence. Tyson along with the other honorees will be recognized at a breakfast Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. The list singles out women who are leading entrepreneurs or have influence over large public bodies. Read the entire list at www.atlantabusinessleague.org .
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalbs-ramona-tyson-makes-844541.html
60 comments:
Will her $2,000 per month expense account be enough for her to attend or will Big Spender Bowen concoct another stipend for her enhancement of DCSS, or some such rot?
Beware. In a couple of months, after a nation-wide search, the DCSS Board of Education will announce that we have found our "new" superintendent right here in our own backyard!
Things will not change in the school system. They will get a super that will let the current admin have there way and keep the friends and family in high paid positions. Has tyson made things any better ? (NO) People on the outside have not seen the real person. Remember lewis made her and there is a dark side to her. I don't beleave reid, lewis, pope and moody will ever go to court. Anybody that can get out do so. We must all pray for the children and the teachers, they can not leave.
Our PTA can't get a meeting with her regarding my daughter's school that she slated for redistricting, but she's got time for a banquet... ARRRRGGHHH!!!
Been out of town but what great news about Supt.Tyson! She is doing a awesome job! She is one smart cookie! I hope she gets to be the Supt. after all she is cleaning up a lot of mess. I, too, pray for the children, parents, and all employees of DeKalb that one day we will regain our reputation of being a top notch school system. It will take all of us working together to do that. Count me i!
12:19 What is your school? I'd like to join you at the arch 3 $ 4th Board Hearing.
Soory, I didn't proof. The Board Hearings are on the 1st & 3rd. Spread the word. Make your signs and get your folk out.
I am all for small schools. I know that emotions will run high. But,something has to be done. The funding from the state does not favor small schools. It is painful for attendance lines to be changed and schools to be closed, but DeKalb has to make some hard choices.
I do think that Ms Tyson is doing a good job. She is in a very difficult position. She has had to handle some very hard issues. Do you remember that under the previous super, our system was suppose to look at school closing and re-drawing lines? Look at the size of some of our schools. People usually do not like change. When Henderson was changed to a middle school, so many people predicted bad things. The students at Henderson and Lakeside merged together as a group.
If adults can just give children a chance, they are usually able to accept and deal with change. Let us be careful of the messages that we give our children. I congratulate Ms Tyson on this honor. When was the last time that a DCSS superintendent was in the media for an award? I am grateful for some good news.
FWIW --- Mrs. Tyson is the first woman superintendent - interim or otherwise -- for DeKalb County schools.
@ 12:34. Do you really think showing up at the Board meeting with dozens of people wearing matching t-shirts and carrying signs will make a difference? I think that the Board members will try not to yawn and then vote for Tyson's plan. They've already made up their minds. A change now might upset the backroom deals made with North of Womack, Lakeside, Fernbank, and New Birth parents. Everything else is just political theater.
Not bad for someone who only taught in the classroom for 2 years.
"Not bad for someone who only taught in the classroom for 2 years."
And only taught business ed.
Big mistake if she becomes the perm super. DeKalb needs a super from out of state, no DeKalb history or baggage. Someone who can make the really tough decisions and call out those that need to be called out.
Ramona must have acquired a considerable amount of financial and accounting acumen during her (now overpaid)tenure as superintendent. She has turned what was supposed to be an $88 million shortfall in the 2012 budget year into a break even proposition. That to me is magic. I want to invest. Where do I send my money? The SEC would investigate a situation like that.
This means that the 15 -- 16 million Dollars to be saved by redistricting can now be distributed to the administration as bonuses for a superb job.
I can only say "Congradulations to her."
@12:26-Without seeming antagonistic or disrespectful, what details do you have about "mess cleaning" that I have failed to see in the classroom, school building, or county?
I agree that she's influential, but what type of influence does she have? The expensive coordinators were simply given new titles; none of the certified "educators" were assigned to classes where they could have the most impact; she eliminated more jobs paying less than $45,000 a year than she did the $100,000 variety; her hefty raise/monthly expenditure/travel expense illustrate a commitment to maintain Dekalb's past experience with administrative bloat;she's signed off on ineffective, outdated, and intellectually stagnating instructional initiatives; and she wrote an AJC article in the fall that praised DCSS's changes without once ever mentioning students or any lexical manifestation of the very people we're all working for.
Assuming she's NOT attending this during work hours using my tax dollars as income. How is this focusing on the work that needs to be done for the system??? Just more self aggrandizement....like her salary and stipend....
Ella Smith said...
I can only say "Congradulations to her."
So, do you do this on purpose?
It's congraTulations. You wrote ONE sentence and made an error. Please please get someone to proof for you. You have good statements, but they get lost in the errors.
I would say that her influence on our school district has been negative.
Bad boys bad boys
watcha gonna do
when the spelling police
come round for you!
February 20, 2011 4:33 PM
I make mistakes everyday either typing or spelling. I am sorry I am not as perfect as you. I hope you are not a teacher. If you are I feel sorry for your students. I have come in contact with teachers who look for something wrong with their students or someone else because it makes them feel better about their weaknesses. Everyone does have weaknesses. I am sure you do also. You must be one of those who blog just to cut down others or bully others so you feel better. I am not bothered by your comments. In fact I feel sorry for you that you are such a bully trying to make others look bad instead of following the basic rules of this blog. I may not be able to spell or type but at least I can read and respect the Celeb by following her basic rules. They are fairly simple to understand for most individuals who do blog on this site.
Everyone has been duped by this pathetic BOE and Romana Tyson. Tyson wants this job she always have and she knew what she was doing when CLewless appointed her.
My sympathies are with the students, parents and taxpayers of DeKalb County.
This school system is what's wrong with the state of Georgia. No company wants to bring their employees to a toxic waster site.
There are some good teachers and awesome students in DCSS but the administration sucks (this is as nice as I can blog).
Anf what's up with the trials will these idiots walk away from rackeetering charges like someone else did this week?
I echo the sentiment about the shortfall/windfall turnaround. How did she do that and I am certain that the Federal Government would like someone with her expertise to assist with balancing our nation;s debt. Maybe she's friends with Allen Greenspan/Suze Ormond?
Especially since the same director of finance is still Marcus Turk. Isn't this the same guy who didn't catch all the misappropriation of funds by the CLewis/Pope self help fund?
I was surprised their wan't a new blog post after hearing the balanced budget news on Thursday on wsbtv..some praise or ridicule about this, especially since no other local school system has made such a bold statement in the wake of the new Governor's proposed cuts...hmmmm this is all suspect. Sounds like Tyson is doing somne new math that none of the gifted students know...smh
In 2007, Dr. Beverly Hall was inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame by the Atlanta Business League. I guess this organization really knows how to pick 'em.
Please she is fooling all of you.
Guess who is coiming back to the sam moss center as a executive-sec? She was in the lay offs in 2009 made in the seventy's no college, from honduras,about three years with the county, pat's girlfriend. Every one knows her she made a name for herself. I guess someone gets over looked again.
Sorry for the word (comeing) Not perfect
I guess no one got my Beverly Hall allusion - Hall of Fame - as in infamous for the biggest cheating scandal of the nation. Does this business organization still think Beverly Hall has been good for business in Atlanta?
Neither. It's coming.
Thank you just wanted people to know what is going on. This not a spelling contest.
Unreal, Tyson headed the growth and fulfillment of CLew's Friends and Family plan as well as MIS! Remember Jamal Edwards? Former BOE Chairpersons son, who Tyson gave a raise and a new position, originally without BOE approval, which at the time was against the BOE's ethics/nepotism policy. Well Jamal got that new job and 15K raise, but he did not report to his new job for 6 months, until parents caught him hiding out at Nancy Creek, where his old job was.
You should have heard Ms. Tyson's voice when those parents called her on her speaker phone with CLew in the room. A time I'll never forget. Ms. Tyson, your 5 minutes of fame are almost up! I hope for the sake of DeKalb's kids.
We must rid ourselves of the old guard or things will never get better. Can't use the word change, it was hijacked two years ago.
February 20, 2011 9:41 PM, please do not worry. It is sad that we feel after we make a mistake we have to always come back and correct it. Everyone knew exactly what you meant. Writing has several parts to it and one part is grammar and one is spelling. However, the main point of writing is communication and we all understood. It is ok to make mistakes and we should not expect someone to just point it out to us because they think they are so smart. It takes a bigger person to look the other way and enjoy what this blog is which is a means of communicating ideas. You do not have to be perfect to participate on this blog. Should we not accept people as who they are.
I think Ramona Tyson has done a super job having the cards she had in her hand. She has stood her ground with the school board which I respect her for. We should be happy about all the good news we get and not always look for the bad in the good. IMO
To those folks who think Tyson is doing a good job - please get your heads out of the sand. Tyson is just more of the same, weak leader, weak administrator and the only way she can solve any problems is throwing more money at it.
It's time to get that 2004 audit, perform a new one and get rid of every executive leader that CLew had in his "leadership circle". They all knew what was going on, how do you think they could get away with the fraud for so long? Tyson, Turk, Moseley, Mitchell-Mayfield, Thompson, Berry and her army of overpaid coaches, Ramsey, Tucker, Beasley and let's not forget the Guilroys, they were all enablers of the most fraudulent leadership of a school system.
DCSS was never premiere and Tyson has said it herself, it's about buildings and not about the education of our children. The office of improvement should be placed into the waste bin of history and that money should be spent in the classroom!
How much longer must the taxpayers put up with the Tyson Friends and Family plan? Most influential? No, just another fraud that is taking the stakeholders of DeKalb and wasting OUR tax money on ridiculous programs that have no return on investment.
The majority is angry and it's time for change! Real change. These people must be let go if we want to see any change in our system.
Exit question, why won't Ms. Tyson release the audit that her former boss hid from public view? As long as that audit is hidden, Ms, Tyson is just another fraud who DeKalb taxpayers can not trust to take the system into the future. Ms. Tyson you spoke of trust one year ago, when you took the interim job. I am having a hard time trusting you as long as that audit remains from public view. WHAT ARE YOU HIDING? The public deserves to know exactly what was in that original audit. Every word! Ms. Tyson, until that audit is in full public view, you are just another enabler of the worst school system leadership in the state of Georgia.
The only hope we have for change in DCSS is to get a groundswell to push for investigations. For fraud. At a federal level. Title 1 funding would be the probable starting point.
Don't waste your time trying to contact the House of Representative persons coming from Dekalb. They've been too close to the flame for ever.
Try writing letters concerning this to the U.S. Senate.
Title I gets investigated every year. This is in response to
The only hope we have for change in DCSS is to get a groundswell to push for investigations. For fraud. At a federal level. Title 1 funding would be the probable starting point.
Tyson has said repeatedly that she does not want to be superintendent.
Not only is it a thankless job-you get the deluge of hate such as one sees on this bog. DeKalb is in better financial shape this year because Tyson spear headed a layoff that resulted in a sizeable reduction in the administration and because the state raised the class size limit allowing everyone in the state including DCSS to fill fewer teacher vacancies. Now she has had a consulting group recommend closing 16 schools and had a public process for input. Her plan after hearing that input is to close 8 schools and save 12 to 15 million dollars a year. I would close all the schools the consultants recommended but at least Tyson has taken it farther than the previous two superintendents both of whom knew what that there had to be closings. Provided the board has the courage to close or redistrict any schools, when the new superintendent comes in, they will have clear sailing because the difficult foundation will have been laid. The only fly in the ointment is that no sane person after reading comments like those on this bog would want the job. Better be careful or we will have an interim superintendent for years.
@ 9:51 Beasley would love the job and was probably promised it down the road if he came back to DCSS. It's not fair to say no one would want the job. It's more appropriate to say that no one with class, integrity, who is smart, from somewhere else, who has a backbone, and who we'd want to turn the school district around will come.
I am happy for her but I do wish we would stop distinguishing people on the basis of their skin color.
To anon 9:51
Why is anything you disagree with listed as "hate"?
Can you define what "hate" is?
This blog isn't "hate filled". The only mention I generally see of "hate" is when bloggers are attacked for not thinking those in charge are saintly.
I am sorry perhaps I should have said love-it's clear how much love Ms. Tyson gets from some people.
Why is anything you disagree with listed as "hate"?
Can you define what "hate" is?
Would you say you wish Ms. Tyson well? Is it live long and prosper?
I think Ella has been fair to Ms. Tyson. And to you questions I say have a long and interesting life.
Ms Tyson and the BOE are taking action on redistricting because SACS is looking over their collective shoulders.
Accomplishing redistricting probably will be enough to give SACS a basis for not bringing the hammer down on DCSS. Otherwise,by not taking some headline grabbing action, SACS would have to remove accreditation and the whole house of bloated administration and high salaries would be exposed. Frankly, I think that redistricting is a negotiated deal between SACS and DCSS to maintain as close to the status quo as possible.
Webinar TONIGHT: Education Leadership for the 21st Century
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Sponsored by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Speaker Series.
Available online at http://blankfoundation.org/news/speakerseries.html
Space at the live event is limited. To inquire about available seating, contact JEllis@ambfo.com at the Blank Foundation.
Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, will moderate the program, "Education Leadership for the 21st Century" Program participants include:
Sarah Carr, Times-Picayune education reporter and Spencer Journalism Education Fellow
Andres Alonso, CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools
Gerard Robinson, Virginia Secretary of Education
Mark D. Musick, President Emeritus, Southern Regional Education Board
I consistently see references to "fraud" on this website and often references to Title I funds in connection with this term. The False Claims Act and other similar statutes allow whistleblowers who provide new information that the government can use to prosecute any entity who is effecting a fraud on the government to share in the moneys recovered, sometimes up to 25% of the recovery. If you do any searching on Medicare fraud, you'll see very large recoveries by whistleblowers. If anyone really has evidence of fraud, not just the opinion that we should spend the money we're provided on other programs, then I'd encourage you to make that information known to the Department of Justice (the state has a similar statute for fraud in the misuse of state money, so if you are aware of that and have good evidence to support your claims, provide it to the state)
I agree with Leo-why don't you people put up or shut up on the Title I "fraud"?
That's a good point -- there may be a 25% reward if you take your evidence of title 1 fraud to the Department of Justice and FBI -- take your proof of careless filling out of forms, no fact checking or verification and any other items of fraud for title 1 funding to Sally Yates at the US ATtorney's office and to the FBI office of public corrouption and see if you can capitalize on a 25% reward.....
Also, on the 25% reward front, if you can provide hard evidence to the US Attorney and fraud and public corruption FBI agent of artificially inflated salaries to NB members who tithe by automatic payroll deducts for jobs they are not qualified for (objectively not qualifed for or jobs clearly and objectively not advertiesed per general rules) and for which the NB connection got them the job... you may want to report that....
@9:51 am- What "sizeable reduction in administration" are you aware of? Last spring and this fall the AJC ran stories about how more than half of the 210 people who were let go were those paraprofessionals and others making less than $45,000. I'd like to know how instructional coordinators (of which there were 65 according to open records) fit into this category since they were supposedly let go but are now back with new titles or groups?
Ella, What, exactly, has Tyson done that's superb? She hired two extra pr staff members before school started, kept "educators" out of the school buildings while class sizes continued to increase,distributed federal money for education job preservation equally so that those administrators already earning inflated salaries were able to make more, and advocated for a hefty raise.
In the meantime, I can't think of one meaningful thing she's done for students. What superb program, initiative, or approach to AYP has she instituted?
I don't always agree with Ella, but in this case she's right.
I don't know any fraud of Title 1 money. But it's obvious it's been misspent. How do I know? Because a greater percentage of Title schools than ever are not making Adequate Yearly Progress.
Tyson and the rest of that bunch in the central office still playing games with the employees. Pat's girlfriend Maria Washington is back at the sam moss center working as Mike's assistant. She was hired by pat pope and then pat got po with her and that is when we had the first lay-offs. It is very true the more wrong you do in the system the better you do. I wonder are they paying her the salary she had before? (seventy). The sad thing about this is she had only been with system about three years, what about all you other ladies out there who wanted this job and had more time. Don't feel so good do it?
I am glad to know that the world is so simple. If we had only figured out that spending Title I money would make all those students wh are on free and reduced lunch pass despite the fact that they have high absentee rates, come from families that don't have extensive education (or in many cases jobs), and often change schools and class rooms several times a year because their parents are transieient.
Nationally, most Title I schools do not make AYP. However, in our county there are some like Knollwood(to name one) that do. Those schools' Title I funds are allocated and spent just like the schools that do not make AYP. Maybe we should look at what works at some schools and how we might make that work elsewhere. Of course, AYP is an idiotic concept. Soon every school in DCSS will fail because the number of students who must pass in every subgroup including non English speakers is moving to 100% in yearly increments. So schools that made AYP last year or schools that make progress can actually fail to make AYP if they do not absolutely raise their scores every year by a set amount. We dream of Lake Woebegone where all the children are above average. This is in answer to "don't know any fraud of Title 1 money. But it's obvious it's been misspent. How do I know? Because a greater percentage of Title schools than ever are not making Adequate Yearly Progress."
@ 10:27 pm
Are you posting about Maria Angarita-Washington? She was in DCSS in 2009 as a Plant Services Manager making $112,000 in salary and benefits. Gone most of 2010 or off the state Salary audit. She is back now according to Community Net. It looks like she reported directly to Pat Pope, but a number of people reported directly to her.
I would love to know how many 6 figure salaried employees there are at DCSS. It must be a huge number and growing everyday!
Our entire Central Office school administration is a fraud. Plus, do you honestly think that the Dept. of Justice will take up a cause of a whistleblower, in a school system that is majority African-American?
Obama has asked his DOJ to stop litigating the Defense of Marriage Act. It's hard to put trust in DCSS as well as the US Dept. of Justice.
Ms. Tyson show us the entire 2004 audit, then perform a new one. Then actually do what the consultants say you should do. Do not do what Clew did and rename a bunch of positions, give raises and then kick the can down the road for a real leader to take the lead on this.
DCSS = WEAK LEADERSHIP
"Obama has asked his DOJ to stop litigating the Defense of Marriage Act. It's hard to put trust in DCSS as well as the US Dept. of Justice."
Good for Obama. The government needs to stay out of personal decisions. And what does gay marriage have to do with DCSS? Gay marriage is not causing our educational or economic problems.
I care that all of our children receive a quality education with the best possible cost/benefit.
The number of $100k employees is easy. That's public record on the state's website. We have a link on the right side panel of the homepage under Favorite Links (Georgia Open Records)
Here are our top earners for 2010:
LEWIS,CRAWFORD SUPERINTENDENT $358,392.82
REID,PATRICIA A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER $198,768.00
TYSON,RAMONA H SUPERINTENDENT $167,376.98
MOSELEY,ROBERT G DEPUTY/ASSOC/ASSISTANT SUPT $166,008.00
TALLEY,GLORIA S DEPUTY/ASSOC/ASSISTANT SUPT $166,008.00
TURK,MARCUS T FINANCE/BUSINESS SERVICE MGR $166,008.00
WILSON,JAMIE L PERSONNEL/HUMAN RESOURCES DIR $166,008.00
In total, 218 people make over $100k. There are also 213 people who made over $90,000.
WILSON,JAMIE L PERSONNEL/HUMAN RESOURCES DIR $166,008.00
Ajmie Wilson was a principal with no human resources experience. Pathetic. But it's the DCSS Way.
And I hate to mention personal life, but I hope DCSS doesn't get sued related to his outside of work behaviors.
Along with Jamie Wilson is one of his directors Tekisha Ward-Smith. Any coincidence that they worked together as teachers and assistant principals. Friends and Family....
Two things I bet r hidden in audit-
1. Many demoted or reassigned administrators got to keep salaries one or more years after action being taken.
2. Disparities in how much principals are paid. Two principals can get promoted at same time, and a majority of the time African American males will get paid more than others with more years experience or more education. It happened the year my friend got promoted. She could never get straight answer on how principals salaries were determined. She had more experience and more education and schools were comparable in size. The only difference she could see was his school was more diverse. She got just under 100,000 and he got 105,000 +.
Produce pay scales for principals and full disclosure in the bonus checks they get.
5:55pm Yes that is the same maria and she was hired by pat and reported to pat, they new each other before she came to work for dekalb. They were very good friends before and was always together. Pat gave her a free hand in the office and beleave me she used it. Something happen after the first search of the building in december 2008. In january she got rid of the entire dept. You see if you did or said anything that pat didn't like you were gone. It is just sad that the people lost there jobs because pat got po with her. I just can't understand how the system could bring her back when so many other people are still trying to get back. Again it is who you know. I was told that there were others who tried to get that job and they were turned down. Nothing has change in the system and it will not change until they get that crew like wilson and the rest of them gone. Those people think they are above god and they can not be touched.
I note that 3 of the top five salaries are no longer with us.
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