New Details added --Some contract highlights:
Based on the link below, 30 minutes is being allotted for question and answers. The whole presentation is planned for an hour. I think when the original 3 were here, they each had 50 minutes or so to introduce themselves and answer 10 questions. You can click on the link below to submit your questions ahead of time or show up early, between 8:45 and 9:45 am to do the same.
http://oldwww.dekalb.k12.ga.us/superintendent_search_public_input.php
Meet and Greet (from the press release)
The DeKalb County Board of Education is pleased to announce that the board’s finalist for superintendent, Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, will visit with parents, community members and others on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 10 AM. Dr. Atkinson will share her vision for the school system and meet with parents, community leaders and other DCSS stakeholders.
“We’re pleased to introduce Dr. Atkinson to our community of parents and concerned citizens,” said Thomas Bowen, chairman of the DeKalb County School System. “It was Dr. Atkinson’s desire to come immediately to share her vision with our parents and citizens, but she is rightfully focused on the start of the school year in Lorain, Ohio, where she remains superintendent.”
Dr. Atkinson will give a brief overview of her vision for the school system and answer questions submitted by community members. “We are confident that once DeKalb residents get an opportunity to hear directly from her, our parents and community members will be impressed with her creative approaches to increasing academic performance,” said Bowen.Contract is linked here...https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mv8cuU6C3Y8sMVYtTXU1ULbrtylJVzbq3W-wocgKXjk/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1
- Term of three (3) years, commencing on September 15, 2011, and ending on September 14, 2014
- Annual base salary of two-hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars ($275,000.00)
- A one-time advance of thirty (30) vacation days
- An expense allotment of twenty-six hundred dollars ($2,600.00) per month to cover routine expenses incurred in connection with her position, and the SUPERINTENDENT shall not be required to submit reimbursement requests for such expenses.
- In addition, the BOARD shall reimburse the SUPERINTENDENT for all other reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the performance of her duties, as authorized by BOARD policies and as permitted by State or Federal law.
- In lieu of furnishing DR. ATKINSON with an automobile, gas for the automobile, maintenance on the automobile, reimbursement for mileage, and insurance for the automobile, the BOARD will provide DR. ATKINSON with a travel allowance in the amount of seven-hundred and fifty dollars ($750.00) per month.
- A PDA, home fax machine, office and home internet access, laptop computer, and other electronic devices, of the BOARD’S choosing, for effective modern communication
- An allowance for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred by her in connection with her relocation
- Reasonable, temporary housing in the District at a cost not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) per month, for a period of up to six months
- Legal protection
And then there is this very interesting clause under Termination for the Board's Convenience:
The BOARD, upon a three-fourths (3/4) vote of its members, may at its option unilaterally terminate this Contract for its convenience by giving the SUPERINTENDENT a minimum of ninety (90) days written notice of termination at any time. In the event of such termination, the BOARD shall pay to the SUPERINTENDENT severance pay, either all of the aggregate salary she would have earned under this Contract from the actual date of termination to the termination date set forth in this Contract, or a sum equivalent to twelve (12) months of the annual base salary as stated in Paragraph 4 of this Contract, whichever is less.
Exactly how many is three-fourths of nine? OR three-fourths of seven?
46 comments:
what time??
10 a.m. at the Palace
Added the time thanks
How do we submit questions?
Don't bother to waste your time. It is a done deal. She has the job. You all can just wait and see what happens.
Sadly, I agree. This is a done deal. Very disappointing and frustrating.
Another meeting announcement:
Fight the Tower!
Meet n' Greet
DATE: Sunday, Aug. 21
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Will be announced privately upon receipt of your RSVP.
MORE: This will be a general update meeting to discuss what is known to date about the T-mobile cell tower siting process for the 9 DeKalb County Schools on the list approved by the DCSS.
We will also provide a summary of the various reasons why we are opposed to cell towers on public school property.
To join the email list, click here.
Agenda
#1) Brief overview of the process 2) Summary of reasons we think everyone should be opposed to the cell towers slated for 9 of DeKalb County's schools 3) Q&A 4) Vote on agreed action plan and next steps 5.) Volunteer sign-up 6.) Discuss communication methods and potential dates/times for next update meeting, if required.
Note: This is purely a grass-roots effort based on research and input we have gathered on our own, or that we have received from other communities in the U.S. who have already been through this process with their school system and T-mobile/AT&T.
Your participation is voluntary and our sucess is not a guarantee. But, there will not be another opportunity like this for 30 years. Even if we do not win, we will still be able to tell our children that we tried our best. And that alone is a very valuable lesson for them to learn.
Ladies and Gentlemen: How we ask did we (our county, our country) get to such a place we reward, at an outrageous level, professional educational bureaucrats!
We are sickend by the terms of this new contract being dangled in front of this superintendent prospect!
We do not begrudge anyone making a fair wage, but we as a society have lost our way. Educational
"professionals" out of the classroom making so much more than those who are in direct charge of our children...it perplexes us.
Who is going to stand up to the insanity and say enough! We have things turned upside down. It is the teachers who are dealing with classes of 30+ students day in and day out, suffering ever increasing burdens of administrative tasks and being asked to be social workers as well who deserve to me making salaries in the range of 300K!
We are outraged as well you should.
Ben Dover
Jim Bohica
Has the DCSS BOE ever heard of compensation commensurate with experience?
Dr Atinkson is going from $225k to over $315K when you add in the monthly expense payments and car payment. WOW - an increase of ~$90K - and going from a school system of 8K students to one wiht 98K ..... WOW is all I can say :-(
Here is what I learned about submitting questions and broadcasting the meet and greet from the Public Information office.
We will braodcast the meet and greet live on PDS TV-24. We are currently setting up an electronic mechanism for the submission of questions. In addition for those attending the meeting, they will have an opportunity to write down their questions between 8:45-9:45 a.m. on the day of the event.
Rodney Jenkins
Public Information Officer
DeKalb County School District
1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
I'm sure he meant, "In addition, those attending the meeting will have an opportunity to write down their questions between 8:45-9:45 a.m. on the day of the event."
or better
"In addition, those attending the meeting will have an opportunity to write down their questions between 8:45-9:45 a.m. the morning of the event."
Has anyone compared these terms to the "outrageous" terms leaked in the Dr. Cox negotiations?
I did, and noticed right away some diffferences. While Cox asked for a lengthy contract, it appears Dr. Atkinson serves at the whim of the BOE. IMO - that's not good since the BOE will have her on a very short string. So many of them have friends and family in place. How is she supposed to make the necessary changes without incurring their ire?
The Cox negotiations were just that -- negotiations. Nothing final. However, the Atkinson contract appears to be very final. So, I miss the point in making a comparison.
were screwed...and im tired of the bureaucratic BS I have to deal with everyday. The DOK, the MI, the stuff I do everyday in my classroom and I am told its not the right thing...the "DeKalb thing." I just want to teach and not be bothered with ignorant policy that looks good on paper but does nothing to help students.
Im tired of parents acting like divas expecting me to give kids good grades then raise all sorts of hell when I give them what they earn versus what they deserve.
like I said...were screwed and in all honesty, the DeKalb voters who voted to keep these Board Members in place have no where but to point the blame at themselves. Sadly its probably the same people who scream about their "churrins" not getting a decent quality education, and lo and behold you are the person who voted to keep the status quo....
Congratulations...
For a little perspective: This contract provides $2,600 per month in a receipt-free expense account. That totals $31,889.00 per year. In expenses. For one person. (With a $750/month car allowance on top of it!)
Contrast that with the notes from the October 4, 2010 board meeting where the board approved the systemwide budget for science materials -- FOR ALL SCHOOLS.
The DeKalb County Board of Education approved $30,837 in 2009-2010 for the purchase of K-12 science materials and supplies to support the district’s goal to increase the academic success of students in science for the 2010–2011 school year. These funds are used to provide resources for district-wide science goals. In addition, all local schools allocate funding for the day-to-day operation of science teaching and learning. Therefore, due to combined spending across the system from our 144 sites the district may exceed $50,000.00 from bid numbers 09-73 and 09-139.
The October 4 Board Meeting
A bottom-up budget would never allow for such discrepancies to occur. Remember that people -- a majority of your board members think that the superintendent should have more "walking around money" than the combined budget the board allocates for science materials for ALL SCIENCE CLASSROOMS in the county.
Hoping someone will ask her how she feels about this discrepancy in funding at the meet and greet. Something like:
"What is your opinion regarding the ability of the district to successfully increase science scores for students when the funding provided for science supplies for all schools in the county is less than the money your publicized contract will provide you for expenditures that you make that are unaccountable to taxpayers?"
This really, really sickens me. Can someone tell me what supers spend this money on?
I also do not get the housing contract. Why am I paying the bill for her housing for 6 months when she has a salary of $275,000. I found a house upon moving within my budget. No one paid for me to live in the state for 6 months prior to purchasing a house. Please, please explain this.
See today's article. Seems DeKalb leads the transfers in the state:
http://www.ajc.com/news/no-child-left-behind-1123639.html
Interesting that the county does not track whether transfer students are more successful once they leave. Seems that Beasley is saying that they are following the letter of the law by offering transfers. Clearly no desire to do more...... DeKalb County Schools defined- let's do the minimum.
Pat 2 of post:
We are spending around $476,000 in salary and benefits alone for 4 EXHIBIT DESIGNERS. Has anyone seen those tired old exhibits in the Science Center? They look like they haven't been changed since the 1970s.
Do NOT complain about DCSS spending 51 cents per child annually on science supplies while we spend these millions in science dollars on Fernbank Science Center every year.
Taxpayers made this choice. They published an open letter to the BOE and have lobbied to keep this white elephant open. You can't have it both ways.
Read the Open Letter to the BOE Marshall Orson penned for the Fernbank Elementary School Council. The letter says....
"The crisis presents an opportunity to discuss what level of investment in education we really need to ensure our children receive a first-rate education and that our graduates are competitive nationally and internationally..."
Has that happened in DCSS or are we continuing to have even greater declines in science scores? Are our students getting a first rate science education and competing nationally and internationally? in 2011, 49.9% of DCSS 8th Grade students could not pass the CRCT Science Test. They have not mastered the most basic science concepts.
"At the same time, we believe that Fernbank Science Center is one of the DCSS entities best positioned to seek longer term third party external support, particularly in the absence of any other science museum or center in the close-in Metro Atlanta area."
Has this happened in DCSS or are we still footing the bill for ALL of these personnel in FSC? As long as it's easier to direct school system science money into FSC, why would there be a push from the community to get "third party external support"?
Read the full text of his letter below:
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/letter-from-fernbank-elementary-school.html
Don't believe the numbers on Fernbank Science Center? Go to the post below:
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/are-proposed-dcss-budget-cuts-going-to.html
Look at the Science scores posted in a chart on DeKalb School Watch:
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-comparing-standardized-test-scores.html
Would spending for Fernbank Science Center be better spent in the science classrooms? This is a discussion that has proved to be very contentious in the past. We can't complain about science expenditures in DCSS when we spend $7,000,000 a year to fund Fernbank Science Center.
If MOST of the Fernbank teachers are going into the schools to teach, why do we still have all this non-teaching staffing at Fernbank Science Center?
Support Maintenance $56,402
Support - Technical Support $66,088
Support - Support Services $6,790
Support - Security $48,093
Support - Security $47,150
Support - Security $46,929
Support - Secretary $39,427
Support - Secretary $39,427
Support - Scheduler $43,516
Support - Photographer $67,380
Support - Media Specialist $91,320
Support - Maintenance $47,150
Support - Maintenance $34,276
Support - Maintenance $44,836
Support - Maintenance $33,616
Support - Maintenance $32,426
Support - Maintenance $39,276
Support - Head Custodian $52,091
Support - Geologist $75,430
Support - General Administration $50,520
Support - Gardener $44,836
Support - Exhibit Designer $77,892
Support - Exhibit Designer $69,516
Support - Exhibit Designer $84,720
Support - Exhibit Designer $63,576
Support - Designer/Photographer $66,096
Support - Custodial $31,048
Support - Custodial $29,310
Support - Custodial $31,048
Support - CTSS $49,194
Support - Clerical $7,679
Support - Clerical $37,485
Support - Bookkeeper $27,707
Administrator - Director, Fernbank $98,568
Administrator - Administrative Coordinator $91,884
Would spending for Fernbank Science Center be better spent in the science classrooms? We can't complain about science expenditures in DCSS when we spend $7,000,000 a year to fund Fernbank Science Center.
If MOST of the Fernbank teachers are going into the schools to teach, why do we still have all this non-teaching staffing at Fernbank Science Center?
Support Maintenance $56,402
Support - Technical Support $66,088
Support - Support Services $6,790
Support - Security $48,093
Support - Security $47,150
Support - Security $46,929
Support - Secretary $39,427
Support - Secretary $39,427
Support - Scheduler $43,516
Support - Photographer $67,380
Support - Media Specialist $91,320
Support - Maintenance $47,150
Support - Maintenance $34,276
Support - Maintenance $44,836
Support - Maintenance $33,616
Support - Maintenance $32,426
Support - Maintenance $39,276
Support - Head Custodian $52,091
Support - Geologist $75,430
Support - General Administration $50,520
Support - Gardener $44,836
Support - Exhibit Designer $77,892
Support - Exhibit Designer $69,516
Support - Exhibit Designer $84,720
Support - Exhibit Designer $63,576
Support - Designer/Photographer $66,096
Support - Custodial $31,048
Support - Custodial $29,310
Support - Custodial $31,048
Support - CTSS $49,194
Support - Clerical $7,679
Support - Clerical $37,485
Support - Bookkeeper $27,707
Administrator - Director, Fernbank $98,568
Administrator - Administrative Coordinator $91,884
Can someone ask the new super if she can justify a monthly expense account that is more than the take home pay of a master's level teacher with 4-5 years of experience?
As far as I know, all of the superintendents have had these expense accounts. For Dr. Lewis, it obviously wasn't enough, as he had to tap into his Pcard for vacations at the Ritz and gas for his SUV.
No one pays for my internet or phone bill, yet I'm expected to carry out "modern communication" after I arrive home from the school where I teach.
Just sayin'.
I imagine that no one with school-aged children has things to do at 10am on a Saturday. Just sayin.
For Comparison: This is what was reported as "Platinum Plated" demands by Lilly Cox:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Saturday that Dr. Cox wanted a 3-year contract that would pay her $275,000 per year and would have a roll-over provision that would extend her contract by one year at the end of each school year, in effect, creating a perpetual 3-year contract.
She also wanted 15-month severance pay -- about $343,750 -- if she was terminated and a guarantee of a due process hearing before she could be fired.
Severance pay has been a controversial issue for the DeKalb School System.
Top Finalist Drops Out Of DeKalb Superintendent Search
Welcome, Dr. Atkinson! If you are reading this blog, please know that while there is discontent surrounding your appointment, you are still the new Superintendent for the DCSS. With that said, roll up your sleeves and do what the students of the DCSS deserve. Borrow the 5 rocks that Eddie Long did not use in his quest to prove his innocence. Show us what you're working with! "Tag, you're it!"
$31,000+ expense account per year will pay for a lot of trips to the Bahamas and to Reynold's Plantation. She won't even have to justify the trips on an expense report! Brilliant! I know of no company that gives someone $2600 a month expense account with no strings or reporting necessary. Sounds a bit ludicrous to me!
I hope she does well here, she has a heck of a contract. The BOE well...... hopefully the electorate will come to their senses, when it's time to pare it down to 7!
Several questions to be asked of Dr. Atkinson. Will she insist on change at the Palace? Will she cut the bloat, that takes so much money out of our classrooms? Will she cut the ridiculous programs like America's Choice, that has had no value and NO return on investment? Will she totally remake the Office of Improvement and actually make it an Office of Improvement, instead of a moving agency that helps kids move from failing schools to more successful ones?
The majority of stakeholders want to see change, I'd like to ask Bowen and the BOE why they don't want to see success at DCSS and continue the failing status quo?
Seems redundant. Why not just have her answer the same 20 questions that the other three answered? They were good questions... why reinvent the wheel?
With Dr. Atchison's apparent focus on teaching, it would be interesting to see if she would be agreeable to require every Central Office employee provide specific details they do in their everyday job that benefits the individual school and its administration, teachers,and students.
She should then ask every school administrator and teacher to state exactly what value the Central Office provides to them in improving each child's education, and also to point out where there is a lack of support from the Central Office, and where improvement needs to be made.
She must get the school administrators, teachers and parents involved in making the improvements and not rely on the folks currently in the Central Office to tell here how things are going.
It goes without saying that the information would be available to the public.
Great point Cere. She should answer the same questions given to the original 3.
You think it will be Mr. Moseley who will be sifting through the cards, with the questions to be asked? Shouldn't DCSS take the questions in order as they were received and pass over any duplicates and move to the next one?
I'll have to watch on TV, I've already set the DVR. Too many family activities that can't be missed on Saturday.
A teacher from Fernbank Science Center just won DCSS Systemwide Teacher of the Year.
a couple of points that struck me reading through the contract:
first, the pay level and perks really are actually low if you compare them to most billion dollar companies (and dcss is a billion dollar+ operation). this fact probably won't sit well with most people here and the concept of whether ceo's should be making what they do is fair game. personally, i'm of the opinion that, IF she can make the necessary adjustments and 'turn the ship' to the right course, none of us will care about the salary alone.
second, the salary of the super is completely different topic from what other positions in the system make and totally separate from the issue of just how much bloat exists overall and how much should be cut. fernbank sc is absolutely fair game, as are dozens of extremely well paid positions that don't seem to be producing results.
dr. atkinson is going to be our super. we can either do everything to undermine her authority or legitimacy or we can provide support in making the reforms we see as necessary. attacking her benefits package doesn't, to me, seem to be the best way to build a solid foundation.
finally, the feckless ineptitude of the board is wholly different matter. all i'll point out is that apple (yes, that apple) has managed to build the biggest, most successful business of the past 15 years with a 6 member board...
DeKalb Parents and Taxpayers, the appointment of Dr. Atkinson is a done deal. You are wasting you time if you think that they are going to answer your questions. They always take the cards, sort the cards, and "present" the questions that "they" select--which may not be the ones that you wrote. All parents with school age children will have better things to do on a Saturday morning. Probably a better way to make a statement would be to "boycott" this orchestrated dog and pony show. If no one would show up, it would make a powerful statement for the soon to be appointed superintendent. You know that her ears have been filled with all of the good things in formerly "premier" DeKalb. Unfortunately, DCSS would probably spin a massive non-attendance of this event as being mean and disrespectful. I say that it would show the BOE and the media that the public has no confidence in their selection as well as their ability to run this system. Be that as it may, I know the names of two former female BOE members that will be there sitting on the front row! Dr. Atkinson, welcome to the "family." It's going to be a long three years.
Something to put into perspective as to why the Meet and Greet is scheduled for Saturday. Dr. Atkinson is still an employee of the Lorain school district. They begin school on Thursday. It's probably fair to say that school Board asked for consideration given the beginning of the school year is important.
I looked back at the Cobb and Fulton candidates visits to the community. They came during a period of the school year when it was probably easier for them to leave their respective school districts for meet and greets.
If she's coming all this freakin' way, when she's busy, busy, busy in Lorain, setting aside just 30 minutes to hear from parents at the community meeting seems like a wasted opportunity.
Sorry for double-post ... should've been on this thread:
The man may have a point:
Call to action on superintendent contract
I agree, Kim. And pardon me if I am showing ignorance, but how many votes is 3/4 of 9? Or 3/4 of 7, if it is after the next Board election?
Looks like 7 out of 9 and 6 out of 7.....for a comparison, a majority would be 5 out of 9 and 4 out of 7
Is anyone else having trouble with the live stream? I tried two different computers and it is not working.
Ditto on being unable to connect to the live stream feed online. And ATT U-Verse does not appear to carry the tv channel (we just switched). VERY frustrating!!
ATT U-Verse does not broadcast DeKalb channel 24.
I reset my Windows player and still cannot get the feed. It says the DeKalb link is wrong.
Did they change the link for the live stream? This STINKS
Tried livestream link from DCSS website again. It is working now, on my computer, anyway.
I'm on Comcast and could not get the streaming up but it is working now.
For those who went or were able to watch the meet and greet, what are your observations?
...lively debate on her performance this morning underway on the AJC Get Schooled blog...
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