Credit Probe Delays Diploma For Eddie Long's Child

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- A senior administrator in the DeKalb County School System is under investigation because of the way she handled an academic matter involving the daughter of mega-church Bishop Eddie Long, Channel 2 Action News has learned.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Richard Belcher found out the issue surfaced with a tip to school Superintendent Raymona Tyson.

At issue is a course for which Taylor Long was given credit, but which should not have been allowed because it was taken at a church school -- apparently her father's church -- New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

She was not allowed to walk with her classmates on graduation day, and an area superintendent now faces possible disciplinary action.

Angela Pringle is one of five area superintendents, but when the dispute arose in May, she also held the position of principal at Arabia Mountain High School in south DeKalb County.

On the eve of graduation, school, Tyson received a complaint from a parent.

“That a student was going to march and did not have all the credits required to march,” said DeKalb County School System spokesman Rodney Jenkins.

The school system did not identify the student, but Channel 2 has confirmed that she is Taylor Long -- the daughter of Bishop Eddie Long.

[Follow this link for the rest of the story...]

We told you it was a dumb idea to put Arabia's AYP transfers in a "satellite" location at their home school

Dumb. We called it out as dumb the minute the board did it last August. The elitists at Arabia do not want to take on AYP transfers (read that: students whose parents are not in the right social cliques and who did not apply to Arabia).  So they convinced the board to store the 150+ students who requested the federal transfer to Arabia in TRAILERS at Lithonia High School!  Dumb.  They started to try it with the Chamblee transfers, but then quickly found space for them at Chamblee High.  They have NEVER attempted this with Lakeside in the years it served as a receiving school.  In fact, Lakeside was allowed to burgeon to over 1,800 students in a building with a capacity for just over 1,300.  No problem there. But Arabia - hell no - they can't go.

Now look at what's happened due to the fact that our board allows for such callous treatment of our students. Due to the fact that our school system is too busy with the "business" of running a system like looking to replace their criminally indicted superintendent, redistricting and answering lawsuits that it takes it's eye - once again - off of the students.  The students.  The SOLE REASON anyone has a job in DeKalb schools or a seat on the DeKalb school board.

Pay attention to the students people.

Tension Between DeKalb Students Causes Near Riot

A fight, a near riot and vandalized trailers are why DeKalb County school officials moved 155 students from one campus to another Monday. School officials told Channel 2's Tom Jones that they want to re-evaluate an arrangement that has two high schools on the same campus. The set-up has caused considerable tension between the two schools.

"That's why my granddaughter is not coming back on Lithonia's grounds," Julia Baker said. Baker said putting the Arabia Mountain Annex in trailers on Lithonia High School's campus was a bad idea. "It's definitely a recipe for danger," she said. Baker's granddaughter goes to Arabia Mountain's Annex. School officials said four Lithonia High students jumped on the ninth-grader last Friday on Lithonia's campus. "I had like a bruise on the side of my head ... like maybe three or four knots," the teen, who had to be taken the hospital, said.

Danielle Jackson and Khadija Asien face simple battery charges in connection with the incident. The victim said she was attacked in part because of the tension between the two schools. "They just be like, 'Y’all think y’all better than us because y’all wear uniforms,'" the victim said.

A student recorded a near riot at lunchtime between the two schools hours after the fight. He posted it on Facebook. The victim said her classmates were angry over what happened to her and that’s what prompted the altercation in the cafeteria. Then someone spray-painted graffiti all over the Arabia Mountain Annex trailers over the weekend. That was enough for the victim's grandmother. "I want them to get these kids out from over here and put them on the main campus," Baker said.

That's exactly what the school system did. It moved all 155 Arabia Mountain Annex students back to Arabia Mountain's main campus. The school system said it realized the arrangement was causing too much tension. The beating victim said all the students should be able to get along. "I want craziness to stop between the schools and just people to stop being immature," she said.

DeKalb County Schools spokesman Walter Woods said the annex was moved to Lithonia High after Lithonia didn't make Adequate Yearly Progress and students made the choice to move to Arabia Mountain. That caused Arabia Mountain to be overcrowded. Woods said the trailers weren't moved to Arabia Mountain because Lithonia was a better fit for them. Now after all the chaos, the school system is looking into whether there is sufficient space at Arabia Mountain to keep the 155 students there.

Important to note - according to the October 2010 official FTE count sent to the state, Arabia has 1,473 students on a campus with a published capacity of 1,600 and early news reports during the construction of the school stating that it could be enlarged to 2,100. This campus is FAR larger and FAR nicer than Lakeside, which had an official October count of 1,804 and capacity for just over 1,300.

Why not Arabia? Why not the theme schools?

We received the following email from a reader, and it takes our issue with the fact that Arabia HS (basically a theme/choice school) was not included as part of the redistricting plan—and wonders where are the theme schools in this plan at all? None of the theme schools was considered in this new redistricting plan as far as we can see. Theme schools have a stated purpose of relieving over-crowding. Why not utilize them in this current overall effort to relieve over-crowding? Is the school system creating over-crowding in some area schools which will force some of those parents to seek a seat in a theme school?  Pile that on to the AYP choice, charters, magnets and administrative transfers and this really is a game of musical chairs which only some have been invited to play.

We all know the magnets are front and center in the discussion, but what happened to the theme schools:

I feel duped once again by DCSS.

I was initially impressed with all the effort DCSS put into the public meetings and their website with all that accessible information. I felt compassion for DCSS decision makers and the tough decisions that need to be made ... and then I came back to reality. Where are the Theme Schools on the redistricting maps? DCSS is redrawing district lines, considering moving successful magnet programs, changing neighborhoods - but not the Theme Schools? No where could I find in the DCSS goals - at least in their presentations - anything about Theme Schools.

Let's look at DCSS's goals, according to their presentation:

Goals

• Provide students with equitable access to quality programs
• Minimize the distance non-choice students travel to school
• Support community cohesion by minimizing split feeder patterns and maintaining intact neighborhoods
• Operate school buildings that create safe and healthy learning environments and support educational programs
• Improve utilization of school facilities

Did I miss anything in the DCSS materials that they presented - did someone forget to mention why Theme Schools are off the table?

Here's why I care. DCSS currently proposes to send Pleasantdale students to Evansdale Elementary and Livsey Elementary, even though it means causing both schools to go over capacity, change elementary schools, and change high school feeder patterns. Oakcliff Theme Elementary School was created to relieve overcapacity schools - Pleasantdale, Dresden, and Carey Reynolds. Oakcliff is currently at 90% capacity. I have to ask why is DCSS allowing Oakcliff to remain undercapacity? According to a recent news article, Oakcliff has received over $200,000 in cash and technology support from various sponsors. Oakcliff was the 2009 Intel School of Distinction -http://www.intel.com/about/corporateresponsibility/education/soda/winners.htm.

DCSS already provides a bus route for the Pleasantdale neighborhood to Oakcliff. http://quikmaps.com/full/9472 or http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/oakcliff/ - click on school maps and the red bus route.

When evaluating the pros and cons of redistricting, I have to wonder why DCSS did not include Oakcliff in their options. Oakcliff is at 90% capacity - the same as Evansdale; and 2.5 miles from Pleasantdale, same as Evansdale. Yet, the school is not even considered. I realize that Theme Schools require parent participation, but if DCSS really wants to alleviate overcrowded schools, then a simple paper exercise is the logical decision vs. disrupting successful programs and neighborhoods, and overcrowding other schools. It seems that DCSS is being arbitrary and capricious. I would imagine further examination of Theme Schools and their enrollment is merited.

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The DeKalb County School System has seven traditional theme schools including Edward L. Bouie, Sr., Marbut, Narvie J. Harris, Oakcliff, Robert Shaw, Wynbrooke Traditional Theme Elementary Schools and Champion Traditional Theme Middle School located in various areas of DeKalb County, Georgia.

What Every DCSS Student Deserves

The topic of magnet schools and their associated costs is often discussed on this blog. In fact, the magnets sometimes take over conversations that start out on a completely unrelated topic. Bloggers main concern is the cost of magnet schools—all of which are given extra, locally-funded points (teachers). After the cuts to last year's budget, the following magnet programs have the following numbers of extra teaching staff:

DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts - 7
Wadsworth ES - 3
Clifton ES - 2
Evansdale ES - 2
Kittredge ES - 6
Chamblee MS - 4
Chapel Hill MS - 2
Columbia MS - 1
Chamblee HS - 7
Columbia HS - 6
DeKalb School of the Arts - 7
SW DeKalb - 6

One of our researchers for the blog has tracked down some enlightening data on the subject. Arabia Mountain High School is not technically a magnet school. Rather it is a "choice" school with an environmental science and engineering magnet component. Arabia Mountain successfully operates at a much lower per student cost than comparable schools even though it doesn’t receive additional points.

Check out what our blogger dug up on high school costs per student comparing SW DeKalb with Arabia:

I. Southwest DeKalb HS:

Cost per student (including benefits cost): $6,323

Student Enrollment: 1,667 (October, 2010 state FTE enrollment numbers)
Personnel Total: 172
Total School based employee salary cost: $8,433,646
Total School based employee salary cost (including 25% benefits): $10,542,057
Administrators: 1 Principal and 5 Assistant Principals
Instructional Coaches: 2

Fast Facts:
- 65 (38%) of SWD school based employees are non-teaching staff
- 107 (62%) of SWD school based employees are teachers (directly instruct students)
- 56 (33%) of SWD school based employees are Content Area teachers (math, science, social studies, and language arts) - i.e. totally responsible for AYP results
- Average teacher's pay (including benefits): $69,361
- Average administrator's pay (including benefits): $116,940
- Percentage of SWD HS students (based on NCLB Test Takers) who are classified as Economically Disadvantaged: 62%
- Percentage of SWD HS students who are Special Education Students (Based on State Report Card): 7.6%

II. Arabia Mountain High School:
Cost per student (including benefits cost): $4,980

Student Enrollment: 1,473 (October, 2010 State FTE student enrollment numbers)
Personnel Total: 130
Total School based employee salary cost: $5,868,765
Total School based employee salary cost (including benefits): $7,335,956
Administrators: 1 Principal and 4 Assistant Principals
Instructional Coaches: 0

Fast Facts:
- 45 (35%) of Arabia Mtn. HS school based employees are non-teaching staff
- 85 (65%) of Arabia Mtn. HS school based employees are teachers (directly instruct students)
- 50 (38%) of Arabia Mtn. HS school based employees are Content Area teachers (math, science, social studies and language arts) - i.e. totally responsible for AYP results
- Average teacher's pay (including benefits): $59,304
- Average administrator's pay (including benefits): $109,786
- Percentage of Arabia Mtn. HS students (based on NCLB Test Takers) who are classified as Economically Disadvantaged: 52%
- Percentage of Arabia Mtn. HS who are Special Education Students (Based on State Report Card): 3.4%

Much has been blogged about Arabia Mountain High School being a high cost center school built for an elite group of students. However, comparing it’s cost per pupil with an established high school such as Southwest Dekalb High School which also houses a magnet program, Arabia Mountain High School seems to have a very reasonable per pupil cost. Nor does Arabia Mountain High School appear to be elite. This school has a fairly high number of low-income students (52%), especially when compared to Kittredge (14%) and Wadsworth (36%). Arabia Mountain has eight Special Education teachers to serve students staffed into the Special Education program so they are not screening Students with Disabilities out of the program. Entry into the Arabia Mountain Environmental Energy and Engineering Magnet Program does not appear to be based on being “gifted” or in that upper 5% in mental ability so many posters seem to advocate for magnet programs. Although I’ll grant that the physical plant and the science and technology equipment that went into this school was extremely expensive, the energy cost must be exceptionally low (a fact that will be of extreme importance in the future), and you've got to admit that the ongoing cost per pupil ($4,980) is impressive. Remember that 90% of DCSS’s annual expenditure is in personnel cost.

Most of the lower per pupil cost is driven by the lower administrator cost per employee and the lower teacher cost per employee. Arabia Mountain High School per teacher and per administrator costs is substantially lower than the overall county per teacher and per administrator costs, which are $68,000 and $114,000 respectively (25% benefit cost included). Arabia Mountain had substantial teacher turnover last year, and seasoned science and math teachers are extremely difficult to replace. Close to half of Arabia Mountain’s teachers are in their first or second year of teaching (per the Georgia Certification website) - most with only a bachelor's degree. Time will tell if they stay. If they remain, their pay will slowly increase so the per pupil cost will advance to the point that it is comparable to most DCSS regular education schools. Hopefully, this crop of new teachers will remain at Arabia Mountain even though the pay for a math or science major is so alluring in the private sector.

Arabia Mountain shows creative thinking in its educational programming and overall administration and organization. There’s a part time engineer and a retired engineer for direct student instruction. There are no Instructional Coaches. They offer a full array of AP classes including AP Calculus AB. The students are required to wear uniforms. Their list of business partners is extensive. Go to Arabia Mountain HS’s website to see the summer requirements. There were no custodians listed on the website so that expense in this analysis was based on other DCSS high schools’ custodial data. I've heard that the custodial support was outsourced at Arabia Mountain. If that’s true, it seems that Ms. Tyson might have looked to data from this school when she was making the decision to take custodial and all other outsourcing off the table for DCSS in her budget balancing efforts.

Even though Arabia Mountain serves a substantial amount of magnet students, it doesn't cost any more to operate than the vast majority of the regular education schools. The students have a specialized educational interest. Although it’s imperative that Arabia Mountain produces results in terms of increased academic achievement, magnets should also be thought of in terms of educational interests, not just reserved for students who score well on academic tests.

Comparing and equalizing cost centers and ensuring equitable access to resources is imperative if EVERY student in DCSS is going to have:

1. A clean and safe learning environment
2. A competent teacher in a reasonably sized classroom
3. Abundant access to cutting edge science and technology equipment

Ms. Tyson and the BOE need to be looking at each school in DeKalb in terms of cost centers, how that cost compares with other schools, comparing the compensation and cost of groups of DCSS employees doing similar job functions in other school systems, and measuring this information against the academic results of DCSS students. This is the essence of cost/benefit analysis. All the expensive personnel and programs in the world along with those “non-negotiable” Central Office edicts will not produce the results taxpayers want and students deserve. A good education does not happen anywhere but in the schoolhouse and most specifically in the classrooms. Let’s make them equitable and let’s make them cost effective.

Sources:
Arabia Mountain High School Website
Southwest DeKalb High School Website
2010 Georgia DOE Enrollment Data
2010 State Salary and Travel Audit
DCSS Community Net
Georgia Teacher Certification


(Data corrections are appreciated. There are no paid positions on this community blog, and no one is perfect.)

Arabia - Are they getting more than their fair share?

Kristina Torres wrote a column (press release) in yesterday's AJC titled, "DeKalb hopes Arabia becomes new model school". My stomach rolled. Model school for who? I am more than disgusted by the fact that so many millions ($53 I believe) went into this very special "magnet" school, when so many others are still either crumbling, aging, energy-wasting behemoths or over-crowded newer schools built for and full of "regular" kids. Arabia is the money-eating Pac-Man of pie charts - gobbling up more than it's fair share of resources per student - diminishing even the per student spending of DeKalb School of the Arts, DESA and Kittredge.

Arabia, in all it's glory, had to beg, borrow and steal in order to garner enough students to save face. I would challenge the powers that be to investigate each and every student's actual home address to ensure that the school is in fact, filled with DeKalb county residents. I wonder this, since the school is located in a little niche pocket way down in south DeKalb within 2 miles of the Henry and Rockdale county borders, yet over 25 miles from Lakeside, Druid Hills, Tucker, Dunwoody, Cross Keys, Avondale, Stone Mountain, etc - virtually inaccessible to a majority of county schools. Arabia is the Hail Mary pass made by Crawford Lewis to hide the fact as reported by Torres that, "Only 30 percent of DeKalb’s 22 high schools met federal testing goals this year. It was 39 percent in 2008." He is just certain that this crown jewel will cover the hideous failures elsewhere.

As we have reported here, Arabia was built and approved with the stated intention of alleviating over-crowding at near-by schools (all under 5 years old) - Martin Luther King, Jr HS, Lithonia HS and Miller Grove HS. However, in the end, Crawford Lewis and his leadership team deemed this school far too special to serve as just another neighborhood school, so they created several "magnet" programs within the building (in addition to the 500-600 allotted slots for locals). They did this in spite of the fact that Southwest DeKalb high school is a coveted (over-crowded) magnet school about 5 miles away. And still - all three of the aforementioned schools remain overcrowded and on the list for additions using SPLOST 3 funding!

Now we have reports from students at Lakeside that they don't have Environmental Science textbooks because all of theirs were sent to Arabia. Lakeside has overcrowded, large classes - some of which are being held in the cafetorium. Chamblee HS has a textbook shortage and well, we all know the story about the horrible condition of virtually everything at Cross Keys. I gasped when I read about Arabia's white boards connected to the internet -- and then shed a tear for Cross Keys "wipeboards" - the old white things all stained and cracked from years of use.

DCSS hates it when we shed light on the condition of Cross Keys, Lakeside, Chamblee and others along with the empty promises made to these communities - but I say - if you want to stand in the sunlight and take all the glory for the beautiful Arabia HS - then you also have to stand at the gates of the ghetto and take responsibility as you lay your eyes on the truth of what so many others have to endure under your leadership. Leadership whose motto seems to be "the best of everything -- for some."