WSB is reporting that the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce is asking DeKalb County School System to "hold off" on hiring a new superintendent until the entire new board is seated 17 months from now.
"Channel 2 has confirmed that as recently as a week ago, four members of the school board wanted to hire the current superintendent from San Antonio, Texas school district. That fell through and [Chamber Chair, John Kelly] said Friday his group is satisfied with interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson. [We disagree.]
Tyson has been interim superintendent for nearly 16 months but has not said anything publicly about seeking the job on a permanent basis.
The candidate from Texas, Robert Duron, has two years left on contract with the San Antonio school district. But in March, Duron's own school board gave him a public vote of no confidence.
Duron was interviewed by the DeKalb school board earlier this year, but he was not one of the finalists. His name popped up again after all three candidates withdrew. Sources told Channel 2 that school board Vice Chairman Paul Womack lead the effort to hire Duron as DeKalb's permanent member but couldn't get five votes to bring him in.
That leaves the school board without a superintendent three weeks before its own deadline.
“We're still moving along at the same pace. I still expect us to have a superintendent in place by July 1 -- as of today,” DeKalb school board Chairman Tom Bowen said.
Kelly said Ramona is doing a good job and has done everything asked of her. He said the board should take its time looking for a replacement because the new leader should know who the governing body is going to be. He added he is only speaking on behalf of his chamber."
Excuse me? Is it not bad enough that we have to endure this highly dysfunctional board of education and their complete inability to agree on a new leader for our school system, that now we have to bow down to the wishes of the DeKalb Chamber? Why even have a board of education?
This is the second leak - actually the third, if you count Zepora's rant against this candidate at Monday's board meeting! The first leak sent excellent finalist Lilly Cox running for the hills. (Click here to read more on that.) Now this new leak occurs AFTER being reprimanded for the Cox fiasco just last month! AFTER being sent to board training on the subject of confidentiality in executive session and in personnel issues. They are unprofessional and hopeless! If SACS does nothing to sanction this board this time, then I would suggest that parents file a class action lawsuit for educational malfeasance. I would hope that John Evans, Civil Rights icon who just admitted to the board on Monday that his 3rd grade grandson cannot read would lead the charge to improve student outcomes – beginning with a new, professional, education-oriented superintendent. It's time to find a board who will hire a leader who cares about our children's educations.
I am going digging. I will find out more on this candidate and get back to you on the real reasons this candidate was booted by a certain manipulative contingency on the DeKalb Board of Education.
UPDATE ON THE DIG: Apparently, whoever leaked this information says that their concern is that the San Antonio school system currently led by Robert Duron was rated 'Academically Unacceptable' by the Texas Department of Education due to their 'completion rate'. This is the rate of high school completion which tracks individual students from 9th grade through graduation in the state of Texas. [Can you imagine! This has been a big complaint of ours -- we don't track graduation rates as being from 9th grade - we only track ours as the number of students who began the year as a senior and the percentage of those students who graduated. We on the blog have long complained that we have an enormous dropout or slow completion rate, however, we cannot know for certain, as we don't track student progress individually from 9th grade.]
In fact, we found that this lack of completion pointed to nine students who were unable to graduate due to another tough requirement in Texas: they limit the number of IEP students who are allowed to have accommodations on the graduation test. These nine students were in that category. Beyond that, the district students met or exceeded standards in 32 of 34 measures - fully 94% of students were able to meet or exceed the state of Texas standards.
Now, new data has been released stating that the San Antonio School District is projected to be deemed 'Academically Acceptable' for 2011 – even with the far tougher standards imposed by the state of Texas (compared to Georgia).
Also, apparently, the San Antonio board's vote of no confidence was a response to their discovery that Mr. Duron had applied for a job in Florida. This is a standard political move, and one of the main reasons that these negotiations should be held in extreme confidence until such time as both parties agree to make the status known. Our board already drove Lilly Cox out of contention due to their leaking private information about her negotiations. Now, it appears that certain board members are once again trying to manipulate the superintendent search due to their personal preference. (I'll leave the rest to your imagination.)
Hmmm..."Sources told Channel 2..." And "Sources" told Richard Belcher before about the NC candidate's contract requests. Anyone notice who led the effort to pull in Duron? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to connect the dots, Cere. Start your search there. It will save you some time.
ReplyDeleteAnother tragic political from our BOE. Another vote along racial lines with Tom Bowen being the swing vote.
ReplyDeleteAccording to supporting Board members, Mr. Duron is a stellar candidate who has the highest recommendation from superintendents like Alvin Wilbanks and Michael Hinojosa (Cobb's new Super from Dallas, TX). In fact, Hinojosa says that Duron is the finest Superintendent that he knows.
Duron has led the students in the San Antonio School System to strong performances on the Texas TAKS test. And the San Antonio system has 93% of its students from economically disadvantaged homes.
The vote of no confidence from the San Antonio BOE was simply because they found out he had interviewed in Florida. BOE's seem to be very unforgiving of Supers who consider a move.
There are Board members who truly try to work ethically and according to the rules. The members who leak info, play the race card and continually cheat continue to win.
Those ethical members are really ready to give up. Just like so many of us.
Oops. Left out a word at the beginning. Should read:
ReplyDeleteAnother tragic political mess from our BOE.
Are you kidding me?
ReplyDeleteCry is right!
This board needs to get over itself.
We need to get on with this -- let it be a 5-4 vote, let SACs step in and let us all vow to protect the new superintendent, whomever the candidate will be.
This stinks to high heaven.
AGAIN.
When is someone higher up going to step in and help our children?
ReplyDeleteI think it's time for us to fight for breaking up the county school district. I am sick and tired of paying school taxes for a system that misspends money and doesn't educate children.
The people running the system only care about keeping status quo, so that their pockets can get richer along with the friends and family members that they have gotten employed for jobs that they are over paid and unqualified for.
Someone please help us, or as Cere suggested we need to help ourselves and file a law suit.
http://www.collierschools.com/docs/Duron.pdf
ReplyDeleteFound this job application for another school district in Texas. Not sure why it would be on the web.
@teacher 10:09 pm - that is the Florida job that Duron had interviewed for that I mentioned in my 7:09 post. I can only speculate but he probably didn't take the job because it would be a step dowm for him. Collier County (Naples) is a smaller system than San Antonio.
ReplyDeleteBased on the WSB news report and Zapora's comments at the Board meeting last Monday, it is reasonable to ask why information about a confidential personnel issue is being shared with selected members of the public and being reported on in the press.
ReplyDeleteI didn't vote for the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and we can't afford to wait 17 months to hire a new superintendent. I agree with Teacher, it is time for the State of Georgia to break this school system into several pieces.
Watching the documentary The Cartel and feel like they are talking about DCSS instead of New Jersey.
ReplyDeleteOur school systems across the country are in grave danger. Adults making lots of money, and our kids are uneducated.
Sad that this is not just in DCSS, but is all over the country.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWomack is a loose cannon. He thinks he'll win by getting the media to rile "the people" to get behind him. Backfires every time. He's not the titan he thinks he is.
ReplyDeleteAMG, why is the chamber "racist"?
ReplyDeleteI think the problem is that our schools are run by a majority of African Americans. Our students are a majority of African Americans. Our kids, ALL of our kids, are getting screwed and no one from the African American community has the guts to speak up about it. When a white person talks about the lack of leadership, administrators having difficulty with the English language, the policies that keep kids uneducated, the army of coaches that are over paid and the money should be used to work with children, the fraud, the misspending, the friends and family members who are over paid and under qualified, the palace, the many unneeded jobs, and the list goes on, we are racist.
ReplyDeleteWhen is someone in the African American Community going to speak up and demand better for our kids and community? There has to be an African American leader of the community who sees that what is happening in DCSS is wrong and needs to change now!!! For goodness sake, we can't afford to lose any more kids to drop out, not passing the graduation exit exams, and illiteracy. Our prisons are full and we need to give our kids a fighting chance and the ability to have good choices to make.
I deleted the above comment. I apologize for the error, a sentence after the "r" word was deleted by accident and I send before proofing, pancakes were burning.
ReplyDeleteI was attempting to explain how the Chamber backed several BOE members, one who has stated on the record, he thinks about their skin color first when making decisions.
I can't believe this organization has come to the conclusion that business as usual should continue.
Hey Chamber! The current leadership IS the problem. Crawford Lewis' inner circle remains. Audria Berry and her "Army of Improvement Coaches" have failed! The numbers speak for themselves. yet, this department is fully funded in the new budget. I know most of the money comes from Federal Funds, but you can't tell me if those funds were headed directly to the classroom it would NOT help. I think they would!
This is about race and what the teacher says it right. It's time for an African American leader to stand up and say, "WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" We need a leaders like Kasim Reed. Burrell Ellis? Evans? He has a personal story to tell about DCSS failures.
It's time this current DCSS "leadership" bunch is shown the door. They have failed the tax payers, the parents but most importantly they have failed our kids!
John Evans spoke at the last board meeting and reported that his 3rd grade grandson cannot read. He was very upset and went to the teachers and administrators to talk about it. Their response was to challenge the CRCT results and then move into 4th grade. He was livid - his point - why would I send him on if he can't read? John Evans doesn't want his grandson pushed along - he wants him to be truly educated! If a child can't read, then support teachers need to be put into action. Third grade is a critical point in a child's education. If they are not reading well, there is no chance of being successful in any subject in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt's Time!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Teacher and September. Three (3) times, now, members of the BOE have clearly and illegally broken the rules of confidentiality concerning the superintendent search. They have been aided and abetted by WSB's shopworn Richard Belcher (who, surprisingly, is a DCSS parent the last I heard). Any complaints about Belcher's inability to discern the real story are met with the hollow response, "Freedom of the Press."
When the deficiencies in DCSS are pointed out, as Teacher did (@ 9:58 AM today), charges of racism are leveled at those who are simply telling the truth.
As September pointed out (@ 11:58 PM yesterday), it is time to break up DCSS into much smaller school districts.
Unfortunately, the State Board of Education does not have that power. Neither does the governor have any power over Local Education Agencies (i.e., DCSS) unless SACS puts the LEA on probation. In spite of all the mounting evidence, SACS has steadfastly refused to do what has to be done. In fact, some years ago, in response to a direct request, a SACS administrator acknowledged to a parent (a Lakeside parent, I think) that the files of complaints about DCSS were huge -- more complaints than those about any other Georgia school system.
WE are the only people who can get the job done -- who can take back our bloated, ineffective, corrupt school system and divide it into smaller, more effective school systems that are part of incorporated cities and towns -- like City Schools of Decatur.
It's time for you to meet personally with your elected state representative and convince them to agree to bring this need before the Georgia General Assembly in 2012. If these smaller school districts are linked to incorporated cities and serving residents of those incorporated cities, then it would not be possible for DCSS to cry, "Racial segregation," because DCSS will continue to serve all of DeKalb County (north, central and south) that is not part of an incorporated city.
It's time ...
Richard Belcher's (and Sally Sears') student in DCSS graduated in 2009. Not sure what status this leaves them in - DCSS parents? formerly DCSS parents? Thank-God-My-Kid-Got-Out-and -I-Don't-Have-To-Care parents?
ReplyDeleteSACS motivation is money. Case in point -- the board approved ANNUAL DUES to SACS (AdvandED) of $72,600 at the meeting Monday. This is only the annual dues -- not the extra it costs to go through accreditation and mediation and whatever other 'ation' SACS deems necessary.
ReplyDeleteI have posted an update to the story. Basically, some on our board are judging this superintendent's track record in Texas as if it's an apples to apples comparison to Georgia. It is not. Texas is a very tough place for school system expectations. They hold a nearly impossible standard to achieve. Remember, it was Texas and George W. Bush that brought us No Child Left Behind in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I really hate to say this, but there is an elephant in the room. Mr. Duron is Hispanic. Lilly Cox is white. Both have had their private negotiations dragged into the (complicit) media spotlight by certain members of the board in order to destroy their chances at this position. What would be the motivation for such action? There's only one answer. Racism.
Pitiful. And if Ramona Tyson truly didn't want to be forced to stay in the job for the next year and half, she would speak out against this kind of behavior and publicly state that she will not be manipulated into staying on. Any other board members with a shred of integrity should come to the public and confess what they know and express their disgust. If the most confidential of all information is continually allowed to be leaked from executive board meetings, then I say, it's open season! Come to the fore and TELL ALL!
And Tom Bowen needs to step down. If he cannot steer this board away from this kind of horrific, damaging behavior, then he has absolutely no business serving as the leader of the pack. His quote in the story says it all -- in his delusion, he still thinks they will have a superintendent in place by July 1. How can he say that with any confidence? Oh - let me guess -- Ramona!
It's a sham. We've all been 'played'. I sincerely believe that.
Tom Bowen is incapable of leading. We must demand an outside mediator to help build consensus and move the board forward -- out of limbo. Tom cannot do it. SACS must place a professional inside the board meetings as they did for Atlanta.
ReplyDeleteBREAKING NEWS: Cox is Out, Tom Bowen Fails Again, And Ramona May be a Contender
A question about Mr. Duron. Why is he looking to leave San Antonio after only 4 years on the job? From the accounts I am reading on the internet, it seems when he did not get the job in Florida he indicated he really wanted to stay in San Antonio. It appears as if Mr. Duron was disingenuous, and dishonest with his current employer if the report from WSB is to be believed.
ReplyDeleteMy preference would be to that any new Superintendent candidate have some type of job longevity and/or stability.
One more thing -- for those of you who think we're overreacting -- just click on our link that houses the collection of headlines with links to the articles about DeKalb County Schools in the past couple of years. It's embarrassing how much attention is focused on money, politics and corruption - and how little focus and few resources there is on education.
ReplyDeleteNews articles about DCSS
Please, someone share this link with John Evans and those who support our current leaders. Are they truly happy with the way things have been going in DCSS? Are their children doing better than they were 5 years ago? 2 years ago?
Read the headlines and be honest with yourself. It it time for radical change. Our children are at stake.
dadfirst,
ReplyDeletewhat type of longevity do you seek? How about a gym teacher from Montgomery, working in the system for 20 years then promoted to Super? Or maybe you prefer a typing teacher to work in DeKalb for 20 years then become superintendent.
@ dadfirst
ReplyDeleteWe do not know if Dr. Duron was interested in DCSS. The pay for his current job and that of DCSS is roughly the same. He'd have more students and many more headaches. He was not up for the job with DCSS the first time and when he said that he wanted to stay in San Antonio, that could very well have been his intentions. We went to him, not the other way around. Maybe Dr. Duron didn't intend to come here. He most certainly won't come now.
An employee has the right to change their mind, as circumstances change constantly. My hubby said that he'd stay at his current job after it matched the salary of the job that he was offered last year. This does not mean that if another opportunity to move came along that we would not jump at the opportunity.
To me our board is disgraceful, as they have made our district look very bad, and have potentially hurt the careers of 4 people with the games that they have played in the media.
To me, this board does not want change. They want to continue the corruption, friends and family jobs, and giving our children a sub-par education. If our children were first and foremost in the minds of those on the board, they would have picked any of the four candidates by now.
I have little regard for Tyson, as if she cared about the children and did not want the job, she would make that known publicly. Her silence feeds into those that want to keep DCSS the way that it currently is. We'll probably end up with Tyson or Beasley now, and our kids will continue down the road of receiving a poor education with a high cost of public funding.
Right now we need a superintendent that puts the children first, and is willing to clean house and have their name dragged in the mud-no young person is going to do that and they would be out of their mind if they did.
ReplyDeleteOur goal should be to right size the district in terms of employees in non-teaching positions, get our students smaller class sizes, and make Title Coaches no longer a job in DCSS and instead make them Title One teachers. We also need someone who is willing to raise the bar, throw out the no zero, no fail policy, and making teachers give children extra work to get their grades up, because they failed to put forth effort in the first place. We need someone who is going to ensure us that our children are going to learn how to read, and that they will receive the help that they need to learn, as most kids who have difficulty reading received poor instruction.
I don't want someone who plans on staying a life time. I want someone who is going to get our Palace and district in order and make children the number one priority. This person is going to step on many toes, and upset many in DeKalb who are part of the friends and family plan, but if we truly care about education, we will support that person and fight for our children, as they are our future and our future looks pretty bleak from where I stand.
Actually, dadfirst, 4 years is a long time to serve as superintendent - especially of a large, urban school system.
ReplyDeleteThis is from a study on the subject of urban school superintendents:
HIGHLIGHTS
Demographics
• As of 2008, 48 percent of superintendents from CGCS member districts identifi ed themselves as white, 42 percent as black, and 10 percent as Hispanic. These percentages appear to be somewhat different from those in 1997, when 37 percent of CGCS superintendents identifi ed themselves as white, 47 percent as black, and 16 percent as Hispanic. (Figure 1)
• As of 2008, 66 percent of CGCS superintendents were men. Thirty-six percent of CGCS superintendents were white males, 22 percent were black males, and 8 percent were Hispanic males. (Figures 1 and 2) • As of 2008, approximately 34 percent of CGCS superintendents were women. Twenty percent of CGCS superintendents were black females, 12 percent were white females, and 2 percent were Hispanic females. (Figure 2)
Tenure
• The average tenure of CGCS superintendents increased from 3.1 years in 2006 to 3.5 years in 2008.1 (Figure 3) This is a marked increase from 1999 when average tenure was about 2.33 years—the lowest point recorded by CGCS.
• Eighteen percent of CGCS superintendents have been in offi ce for fi ve or more years, down from 25 percent in 2006. (Figure 4)
• Forty-nine percent of CGCS superintendents have been in offi ce between one and fi ve years, up from 42 percent in 2006. (Figure 4)
• Thirty-three percent of CGCS superintendents have been in offi ce for one year or less, the same percent as in 2006. (Figure 4)
http://www.cgcs.org/Pubs/Urban_Indicator_08-09.pdf
@Teacher, the article states Mr. Huron interviewed for the DCSS job, so it is my assumption he was interested in the job.
ReplyDeleteThis is quoted from another report -- shows that most supers stay at least 3-5 years - and truly love their job - consider it a 'calling'...
ReplyDeleteAre Superintendents an Endangered Species?
The language of crisis pervades many discussions of the superintendency, and at first glance it would be easy to agree. Paul Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, says, "The job is impossible, the expectations are inappropriate, the training is inadequate, and the pipeline is inverted."
Houston cites a number of trends that have made district leadership so difficult: changing demographics and growing diversity, a fragmenting culture, deregulation in the form of vouchers and charter schools, decentralization of power, and increased accountability with no additional authority.
As the complexity of the job has increased, so have fears of a dwindling pool of qualified leaders. Bruce Cooper and colleagues (2000) found that almost 90 percent of the superintendents they surveyed agreed that "the applicant shortage represents a crisis in the superintendency." The Institute of Educational Leadership has portrayed the urban superintendency as a merry-go-round with an average tenure of less than three years (Task Force on School District Leadership 2001).
This seemingly grim assessment does not tell the whole story, however. Other studies have indicated that the average tenure of superintendents is at least five years, even in supposedly volatile urban settings (National School Boards Association 2002; Thomas Glass and colleagues 2000). While almost a quarter serve less than three years, the majority appear to have a reasonable amount of time to make an impact on their districts.
In addition, surveys reveal a district leadership cadre that is largely confident and committed, if sometimes frustrated. For example, 69 percent of superintendents in a Public Agenda survey agreed that "with the right leadership, even the most troubled school districts can be turned around" (Steve Farkas and colleagues 2001). Glass and colleagues found that only 6 percent of their sample said they derived little or no satisfaction from their jobs.
Houston probably speaks for many when he observes that the superintendency is less a job than a calling. The opportunity to "shape the lives of children in profound ways" is powerful compensation for all the frustrations.
Would you all be thrilled to have a Superintendent that after 4 years and with 2 years left on their contract were looking elsewhere? I know that would not provide me with a sense of dedication to one's job or "putting children first".
ReplyDeleteI think Duron was a candidate in the search firms pool. Ray & Assoc try to match up their candidates with openings. I'm sure they're the ones who placed Duron in the running (certainly due to his interest).
ReplyDeleteMore from the second report -
ReplyDeleteHow Do Superintendents Act as Instructional Leaders?
While recent reform efforts have been focused at the school level, there is growing evidence that districts can play a crucial role in improvement. Julie Marsh (2000) notes that the district is the link that connects the state, individual schools, and the community. On the one hand, it can ignore, resist, or re-interpret state policy. At the same time, it is the crucial agent in mobilizing the human, social, and physical capital needed to make major changes.
Johnson found that effective instructional leadership required a clear instructional vision but that "good ideas, in themselves, never carried the day." Superintendents were dependent on principals and teachers to actually carry out the vision and were most successful when they could elicit commitment from the staff. They did this by providing resources, buffering staff from outside meddling, being visible, engaging others in conversation about instruction, and empowering collaborative risk taking.
By focusing professional development on instructional issues and basing principal evaluation on instructional improvement, superintendents can create powerful learning communities within their districts. Without attempting to micromanage classrooms, district leaders can be firm in asserting the instructional agenda and aligning the organization to support it. . . .
School boards should work closely with superintendents to clarify their expectations for performance and evaluation. Without strong and highly visible board support, district administrators will be preoccupied with shoring up their political base and thus unlikely to take the bold steps needed for transforming schools.
Superintendents should put instruction at the top of the district’s agenda. While the managerial and political dimensions of the job will not go away, those roles should be aligned with the overriding goal of continuous instructional improvement.
http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest161.html
@ dadfirst
ReplyDeleteI have gone on many interviews with interest, but after leaving the interview wouldn't take the job if they doubled my salary. I have also gone on interviews were I was not really interested, but though what the heck and didn't have anything to loose, some ended with interest for the job, others not so much. We also do not know what type of interview it was, a phone, a fly out, etc. We know that he was interviewed-that is it. We don't even know when.
Just because Dr. Duron was interviewed, does not mean that he was interested. We have not heard from Dr. Duron, we only know that he was interviewed and the fourth candidate sought by some of the board for our open position.
FWIW - below is a list of the DeKalb Chamber's board - we should know the names of the people seeking to influence our school system leaders -- some names will sound very familiar!
ReplyDeleteJohn Kelley
Area Manager Metro East Management
Georgia Power
Mr. FEMI ADESANYA, PhD
Senior Project Manager
Hatch Mott MacDonald Inc
MR. JASON ANAVITARTE
State Director, Community Relations
AmeriGroup Community Care
MR. ELLIOTT AUGUSTINE
Owner
WebXperts
MS. JUANITA BARANCO
Vice President
Baranco Automotive Group
MR. ROBERT BROWN
President
RL Brown & Associates
MR. JITENDRA "RAJ" CARPENTER
Vice President South Atlantic Region
Shaw
MS. CYNTHIA CARTER
State General Manager
Xerox Corporation
MR. CHRIS CHAVEZ
President
DeVry University
MS. DELORES CROWELL
External Affairs
AT&T
MR. FREDERICK DANIELS, JR.
Executive Vice President- Chief Credit Officer
Citizens Trust Bank
HONORABLE BURRELL ELLIS
Chief Executive Officer - DeKalb County Government
Ex-Officio
DR. PHYLLIS EDWARDS
Superintendent - City of Decatur Schools
Ex-Officio
MR. DARRYL FORD, Immediate Past Chair
MR. VEREE FREEMAN
Director of Technical Operations
Comcast
MR. ETIENNE GENTIN
Senior Associate
Brown and Caldwell
MR. ERIC GREENWOOD
Atlanta Service Region
Atlanta Gas Light
MR. KEVIN GREINER
President
Gas South LLC
DR. ROBIN HOFFMAN
President
DeKalb Tech
MS. JESSICA HOLT
Senior Vice President
Fidelity Bank
MR. JOHN KELLEY, Chair
Area Manager Metro East Management
Georgia Power Company
MR. DONOVAN KIRKLAND
Plant Manager
Pepsi
MR. GREGORY LEVETT
Owner
Levett & Son's Funeral Homes
MS. MONICA MALDONADO
Owner
Interprint Communications
MR. RUSSELL D. MCKELLAR
Pattillo Construction Company
MS. ELIZABETH MERCIER
President
CDC Federal Credit Union
MR. DAVID MOODY
President
CD Moody Construction
MS. MICHELE NANNA
Vice President
Parsons
MR. ERIC NORWOOD
President
DeKalb Medical Center
MR. PATRICK PUTMAN
Managing Director, National Commercial Banking
The Private Bank & Trust Company
MR. GREGORY RUSSELL
Senior Vice President, Community Executive
Bank of North Georgia
MR. QUINCY SAMPSON
Vice President, East Atlanta District Manager
Wells Fargo
MR. ARNIE SILVERMAN
President
Silverman Construction Program Management
MS. BEMETRA SIMMONS - Finance Chair
Vice President City Executive DeKalb County
BB&T
MR. TONY TAYLOR, PH.D.
Chief Operating Officer
Engineering Design Technologies, Inc
MS. RAMONA TYSON
Interim Superintendent, DeKalb County School System
Ex-Officio
MS. JUDY TURNER
Chair, DeKalb County Development Authority
C/O Decatur First Bank
Ex-Officio
MS. EARL WALKER
Owner
Indigo Signs
MR. JEREMY WARNER
Owner
Cartridge World
MS. JENNIFER WHITAKER
President
Jennifer Whitaker, Inc.
MS. YVONNE WILLIAMS
President
Perimeter CIDs
MS. BETTY E. WILLIS
Senior AVP, Office of Governmental & Community Affairs
Emory University
MR. ERIC WILSON
Vice President
MWH Americas, Inc
MR. TAYLOR WRIGHT, P.E.
Associate Vice President
PBS&J
MR. CHARLES YORKE
President
Cornerstone Bank
The great Tom Bowen at his finest. Dude couldn't lead the rest of the BOe to water even if they were standing on a beach.
ReplyDeleteRobert Brown is on the DeKalb Chamber? That clown is the ultimate insider. He serves on every board possible so he gets contracts for his business on who he knows, not how good he is. He has ingratiated himself with every DeKalb elected official, whether county gov't, state rep's & senators, or BOE'ers.
ReplyDeleteHe represented DeKalb and was chair of the Grady Hospital during its worst times of debt and shady contracts (Charles Walker!).
He is DeKalb's rep on the State Transportation Board, and he done nothing to improve the gridlock and mess in DeKalb, let alone push for a MARTA line along I-20 to Stonecrest.
Robert Brown was the architect for the last Southwest DeKalb High renovation. It was budgeted for $9 million. It ended up costing taxpayers a whooping $21 million.
Robert Brown is pure sleaze with a capitol S. No wonder the DeKalb Chamber is pushing for the status quo and keeping Tyson on, the queen of the status quo. Brown knows he'll score a few more contracts with Tyson and the rest of the Crawford Lewis administration still in place.
Bowen wants to build consensus on a board that simply isn't capable of this, unless like the redistricting and SPLOST plans, they each see their own piece of the pie. Equally, I might add, unless they are marginalized like Sara and Donna.
ReplyDeleteNot one of them has shown any evidence that they are capable of thinking of the whole system. Pathetic.
As to B. Ellis, the rumors are that he is job hunting in Washington DC and not in DeKalb very often.
He has clearly abandoned the county's budget process, he certainly won't be interested in the schools.
Personally, I cannot fathom why this group would feel compelled to publicize their 'opinion' that Ramona Tyson should stay in place ANOTHER 17 MONTHS! There just is no reason other than personal gain for some due to the support of insiders they know.
ReplyDeleteObviously, the very best thing for the children of DeKalb is to install a new leader with a strong personality and a plan for improvement. Anyone who cannot see that is simply choosing not to.
5-4 is fine with me. Hire the guy and let's move on.
Word on the street is that Ramona has packed up her things and moved out of the office... going back to the WBBC (nice digs now, I hear!)
ReplyDeleteCan anyone confirm?
We'd know a lot more if the "anonymous" returned.
ReplyDeleteDid any one read this article?
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=2319§ion=Article
Good for Ms Tyson if that is true. Perhaps it will force this board to find a way to work together...
ReplyDeleteThough I don't think WBBC would be her "home" as she was higher up than that before this whole mess started.
ReplyDeleteRight?
Gee --- I wonder if she's planning to just retire?!
ReplyDeleteIt appears as though the Atlanta school system can keep their mouths shut better than DeKalb's board members. Sigh!
ReplyDeleteAPS board waits to name superintendent finalists
Maybe Ramona will slide over there and serve as their interim for a while?
According to the board's stated plans, it will publicly announce the names of three finalists and hold public meet-and-greets for each before conducting a final round of interviews and picking a superintendent.
Additionally, with Hall departing in less than three weeks, board members acknowledged last week that they will need an interim leader to fill the gap between when she leaves and when her replacement starts. Who the interim will be -- and how long he or she will hold the job -- remains to be seen.
Send it to the BOE: Duron for DeKalb!
ReplyDeleteLet's see if we can flood their in-boxes! Spread the word.
DURON FOR DEKALB!
Why do we like Dr. Duron? Are some of the other candidates better qualified and have better potential?
ReplyDeleteI don't know.
Is it not silly to jump like dogs on a bone when there might be bigger bone in the master's bag?
Surely there are people out there who know but are unable to post because of the anonymous being unavailable.
I'm in the know. I can't say how. Duron is and always has been the best candidate - large district, achievement measures way better than ours, excellent recommendations, real academic credentials. No one else is going to come here, especially after they have seen what has gone on with Dr. Cox and now Dr. Duron if we can't get him.
ReplyDeleteEmail your Board members now!
DURON FOR DEKALB!
@Stnuocca - how the hell would we know anything about any other candidates? I PRAY that none of our bloggers KNOWS anything about other candidates! I am deeply concerned that Zepora and the Chamber of Commerce have obviously been given inside privileged information by members of a board that has proven themselves completely untrustworthy to future candidates. I am flabbergasted that the Chamber would have the raw nerve to publicly release their *opinion* and push for Ramona to stay! (What part of "I don't want the job" do these people not understand?)
ReplyDeleteI am beyond disgusted that Zepora is still held inside the power circle and feels totally confident in telling what she knows in a public, televised meeting -- completed assured that there will be no recourse. How outrageous was it to hear her scolding the board and saying that they are not respected?
That is the point of this thread. Am I the only person who is outraged at the inability of our board to remain confidential and respectful of peoples lives and careers? Why does Tom Bowen NEVER reprimand anyone for such egregious behavior?!! I guess I live in a parallel universe – the one where integrity exists.
I think this guy is the last good candidate that will come our way. After the string of leaky mishaps - no one in their right mind would apply for a job in DeKalb.
FWIW - if you set up an open ID as any ID you choose - you are anonymous. We have NO WAY of know who anyone is... we don't get your email address or any other info. The only thing we could track is an IP address, which takes a serious amount of work and far more technical knowledge than we possess - plus, still yields no info unless Google is legally forced to give it up. (Which is no different than the former Anonymous method.)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate all of you who have complied -- the spam has gone Waaaaay down. I don't have to filter and delete Viagra comments or offers to write your thesis or random "good job" comments with bogus ad links... thanks!
Candidates that might be considered stars by some aren't interested in suburban districts that have no name recognition outside of their metro area -- ie DeKalb. Rather, those "stars" will be chomping at the bit for the superintendent position in Atlanta, though there are half as many children.
ReplyDeleteI think Duron was one of the few sitting superintendents from a system over 30K students to apply. Duron has been the first choice of several of the board members from the beginning.
How about this one people?
ReplyDelete"Hire Duron and let's move on!"
Click the link on the right side panel of the home page - it says "email the board of education" - it will automatically open an email with their addresses ready for you to send! Add the message above in the subject line and send it on! Simple!
The guy is a good choice. We won't get a better one. Ramona not only doesn't want the job, she is not what we need to move forward. SACS requires that this board make a decision on a superintendent. Duron is absolutely qualified for the job as far as we can tell. The board needs to "get off the pot" so to speak.
Send those emails - time is running out!
I pray that the board doesn't mess up Duron's hiring as we are doomed if we don't hire someone. I believe from what I can find about Duron that he cares about children and that is what we need right now.
ReplyDeleteLove your slogan Cere!
I don't think that the members who are opposed to Duron are ready to cooperate if he is hired. And that is a huge problem.
ReplyDeleteHere's how I see the choices --
ReplyDeleteA - Stay in limbo - find another interim (Beasley this time?) and maintain the status quo. If they can hold out another 17-24 months, that gives certain people a full three more years of solid, protected employment.
B - Let the time machine run out and allow SACS to enforce sanctions. Maybe the governor will come in and take over for a while.
C - Hire the guy currently on the table, roll up our sleeves and get to work. He's highly qualified. He has integrity. He wants to lead us. Let's get on with it.
@ Cerebration
ReplyDeleteI choose "C"! Dr. Duron for Dekalb!
I think it is important to note that the members not supporting Duron or Cox have no alternative. It isn't like they are pushing a specific candidate, they are not.
ReplyDeleteThey don't want Ms. Tyson, they just want someone other than the top candidates. It is probably racial in nature, but it may also be because the need to protect the status quo.
Make no mistake, some of the board members not supporting change will make it difficult for any new person who wants change. That is a big problem, bigger than who actually gets the job.
Dr. Lewis did not respect teachers much - that's why he bought into so many programs and placed people in the position of "coaching" teachers.
ReplyDeleteI believe these things work if done correctly. We have just taken it overboard. I also think Parent Centers have the potential to make enormous impact on family dynamics and student support at home. However, each of these positions has been distorted into some kind of power play - overpaid positions that have been handed out to those with connections for the most part.
If we truly focused on these initiatives, as well as Title 1 teachers offering small group or one on one support, we could certainly offer the true lift needed in the classroom to elevate all students to their highest potential.