Gearing up for the meeting scheduled to start in less than an hour.
The agenda (found here) is quite different from the work session last week. (Usually they are almost identical.) We never got the report from Teaching and Learning on student achievement, as Mrs. Tyson informed us that Dr. Beasley was not ready last week, so we'll hear that tonight. Beasley will also tell us about the new mathematics teacher training. Dr. Vonzia Phillips will give us the scoop on the instructional partnership with GA Tech on math/science instruction. Of interest, the board met once again on "personnel matter" today, so we'll see if they have anything to announce about the superintendent search. Also, Mr. Rodney Jenkins, our new Public Information Officer will give us his communications plan.
Download the minutes from the Budget Committee meeting (Item D-1) - they are interesting. The system was complimented for improving their auditing practices. "GDOAA noted significant improvement in the DCSD audit over the past three years due to better recordkeeping, improved documentation and better preparation on the part of DCSD."
We do have a big concern about the seemingly innocuous insurance policy up for approval (item H-4). It seems that Mr. Michael Florio (Human Resources) is recommending that we renew this policy without putting it out for bids. Interestingly, Mr. Charles Austin has been DCSS's commercial insurance broker for over 20 years -- which makes us wonder: Have we EVER put this policy out for bids? If not, then why are we paying Mr. Florio $104,460. plus benefits?
And, Leadership Prep is again asking for help with food services. Interestingly, exactly one year ago, they asked for the same thing. Click here to read my notes from that meeting. Those notes say, "Leadership Prep Academy asked for approval to use DCSS food service until they are able to secure their own. When Sarah asked where LPA was located, the speaker simply gave the street address." [I guess they didn't want to announce that they are located in New Birth Church - and we can deduce that they weren't able to secure their own food service yet?] Also, at that meeting the board approved promoting Ms. Michelle Jones, Felicia (Mitchell) Mayfield's daughter as Principal at Clarkston High School. Ms. Jones was promoted from Assistant Principal at Chamblee High School. I wonder if she was able to improve learning at Clarkston. Maybe Dr. Beasley will enlighten us.
Follow along - I'll take notes - you all make comments. See you at 6!
NOTES:
Cute video - first day of school. Mr. Moseley: thanks everyone for their support over the summer. Had a great first day. 96,148 students. Will increase. Monday will have a better number. Closed 8 schools. Converted 3 to k-8. 7,400 students have a new assignment. No one lost a job. 6,525 teachers. 22 vacancies. 99.7% staffed. Scheduling is going well. ESEA turnover causes incomplete schedules. Appeals process in CRCT still in process. Grounds look good. A/C is a challenge. Transportation - fewer drivers, better routing, good job. Dr. Berry - Title 1 did 'Herculean' job completing ESEA assignments. 22 sending schools 10 receiving - 33 ES, 486 MS, - 785 HS, - 1034 transfer requests. Museum School started Aug 1 - 197 students. DeKalb Prep - high school will open Aug 2012. Football starts Aug 25 - Tucker vs SW DeKalb. Channel 2 live. 5 more ESs received a safe routes to school grant. If you don't have an ESEA assignment yet, go ahead and report to your home school and await transfer instructions. You can call Dr. Berry's office.
Robbie Jenkins: Communications plan. Goal to articulate vision and goals. Increase public confidence by educating key groups. Build trust. Deal with credibility among target audiences. Use most effective means. We have the technology. Incorporate one message. Develop subject experts to do interviews. Recruit support from external partners. Media relation protocol. Create a repository for positive news stories and newsletter. [Does he mean like the great one the RIFd Julie Rhame used to produce called "Kaleidoscope"?] Facebook page and Twitter. [Julie tried, but was prevented from doing that by Lewis.] Pump information out. Monologue. (Info out only.) Launch in November. Help board members with communications. Crisis communications program. Predictive dialer system. [They used to do this...] Communications audit. Inventory & evaluate. Eliminate redundancy. Brand messaging. Editorial calendar. McChesney: We've abysmally failed at being proactive. Public doesn't know the 'facts'. Jenkins: My presence won't stop the negative press. Bowen: I struggle with not being aware of issues in the district. Board would like to have talking points - facts and district's position.
Beasley: Update on action plan for student achievement. PPT update. Reprioritizaion. T&L advisory council. Guiding coalition. Grassroots input and support. No district level mandates. All district level paperwork/reporting has been eliminated. Will monitor RTI - student engagement. Monthly meetings with operations. We will "proact" to remove any obstacles. Goals for AYP: 100% participation expected. 95% required. AMOs (Annual Measurable Objectives) - must work toward ensuring goals -- (see PPT). No more than 15% absent for more than 15 days. Graduation rate goal: 90%. Science will be a factor in ES. Increases are not keeping pace with state's target. Curriculum: guides have been updated. Online process for teacher feedback. Preparing a presentation for the board. Instruction: Instructional guide. Reflects best practices nationwide. Principals must work diligently. Focus on right work for right outcomes. [He runs through a lot of detail. Get his PPT for more info.] RTI: Response to Intervention - "where the rubber meets the road" - we must do a better job. Target reading & math. Will be able to drill down in the data for the first time. Renaissance Learning providing diagnostic reports. Monitor each campus' progress in reading. Data generated to assess if students are on target to pass the CRCT. Phasing out GHSGT - 2011 do not need to pass test: can pass related EOCT for the subject area of Graduation Test. All students have to pass GHS Graduation Writing Test. Entering 9th grade 2011-12 - required to take EOCT. Weighs 20% of grade. (Previously 15%) Not required to pass EOCT. Will eventually use EOCTs for AYP. State will determine which ones. Grades 3-12 will continue to use benchmarks. Including IB and AP. Grades 1&2 challenge is "bubbling" for students (teachers have to transfer answers currently.) 87% of incoming 9th graders taking integrated math. 13% discrete. Professional learning: Continue to focus on pedagogy & perceptual knowledge. Career Tech: 11 programs participating in industry certification. Over 5,000 students have been certified. RTTT: 2011-12 - Training year for common core. School imp grant: Towers, McNair, Clarkston -- turnaround funds. Transformation model. Secure resources, tech, staff to turnaround. HS Transformation Director is working diligently. Jay: Re: ESEA - go and visit your neighborhood schools. They are doing a good job. Don't 'run' - stay in your neighborhood school. Take advantage of the funds and programs at home. Edler: Agrees. [Although her children didn't attend their home schools.] Parents should determine what's best for their children.
SACS Update: Tyson: We're inside of 90 days for revisit. Next 2 months. By Aug 12, progress report submitted to legal for review. Draft to board by 9-1. Submit report by 10-1. SACS visit mid-Oct. We are 78% complete. On track. Employees will go through intense policy training. (Virtual training - will assess every employee.) CRCT; Cameras installed. One key to test storage room. Teachers rotate: don't test their own students. Ahead of schedule. Confident for full accreditation.
Moved H-4 (insurance contract) off consent agenda. To give staff time to address a public question. Will vote on it later.
Contract for Leadership Prep Food Service approved.
Item H-4. Mr. McChesney: Question - usually ask have you gotten other bids? But it looked like a strong arm. Mr. Florio will explain why this is a good contract (with no bids). If market goes low, we can lower. If rates go up, we can require that insurer stay at low rates of contract. Japanese earthquake, tornadoes, etc. Claims worldwide 3X greater. Looked like markets were increasing. So we're going to stay with the contract (no solicitation, did a market review). Found a 5-10% increase in premiums. Chartis asking 10-20% increases (we got a good deal last year.) Could have to pay $70-100,000 more. Broker recommended staying with current contract. McChesney - we should always shop and provide info to the public. The public is not privy to info we get. Jester: Market review means you compared scenerios, but didn't get firm quotes. Florio: no claims to exceed 40% of net premium and promise to not go to market to get a lower bid. Insurer wanted to be able to quote higher if necessary. Jester: If we were to rebid it would negate our current terms. Florio: Yes. Jester: Interesting. What's the commission structure for the broker? Conflicts? Florio: Broker paid by insurer. $1.5 million policy = 10% commission ($150,000). $700,000 range = 15% commission. ($100,000). Jester: What kind of service do we get for the money? Florio: Expertise, not time. They collect underwriting data to base premium calculations. They assist us in the products we want - our insurance is special like the museum rider (used to pay $50,000/year, now free), same with boilers, mold, extras... Florio: Not the least indication that we could get this coverage for less.
Passed all consent items unanimously.
Board comments
McChesney: Thank Ms Tyson, teachers, staff, etc to get ready for today.
Walker: Joins McChesney in commending our professionals. Go back to super: Raised the word 'triage' - term for determining the treatment depending on symptoms. Coaching wisdom: "Out of a losing season, you come back prepared for a new season feeling good." Join me in a feel good moment rather than a doom & gloom.
Womack: Personal privilege. 47 years ago at 11:00 a woman came into my life. We were married and we had 2 children. Oak Grove/Lakeside. 1995 lost our son to a brain tumor. Can't say enough about this person and what she's brought to our lives. [It's his anniversary.]
Jester: Jester kids had a great first day of school too. I do embrace the "feel good" but we have a lot to do to climb out of the hole we're in. Everyone needs to buckle down --- all of our problems are fixable. Cautiously optimistic. Appreciate all the hard work for a great opening day.
Edler: Charges the board with moving the board forward with integrity and ethics to set the highest standards.
Cunningham: Back to neighborhood schools. Understand choices but we have an obligation to our neighborhoods. Quality of life. Economic development. Visit the schools in your neighborhoods - they're good - very close to making AYP. You have a choice, but I hope that you'll take the time to invest in your neighborhood school to make it a first class place to get a first class education.
Sarah: Congrats to the Womacks. To stay together for more than a year or two is commendable these days -- especially if you're married to Mr. Womack! [She was joking!] We've got to put our arms around each other. That's the only way we're going to make it -- together. [Right on, Sarah!]
Gosh, Beasley is such a politician! I really can't stand listening to him.
ReplyDeleteHis claim that all district level paperwork has been eliminated is total BS!!
What are the benchmark tests (which are totally worthless) if not a district level mandate??
Benchmark tests should not be 1950s "bubble in" pencil/paper tests draining instructional and planning time from the classroom. DCSS MIS needs to get its house in order and join the 21st Century.
ReplyDeleteMs. Tyson ran MIS and got her promotion on the recommendation to purchase SchoolNet/eSis for $11,000,000 in order to get "real time" data. Instead, teachers and students are caught in a "Back to the Future" mess of students "bubbling in" 1950s answer sheets and teachers using 1980s Scantron technology. This is what happens when you "forget" you don't have the infrastructure to use very expensive software you purchased.
So typical of DCSS to purchase a product that sounds "really neat" but doesn't work for the classroom. No input from teachers and an Instructional head (Beasley) who has exactly 3 1/2 years in the classroom (in the 1990s).
"Also, at that meeting the board approved promoting Ms. Michelle Jones, Felicia (Mitchell) Mayfield's daughter as Principal at Clarkston High School. Ms. Jones was promoted from Assistant Principal at Chamblee High School. I wonder if she was able to improve learning at Clarkston. Maybe Dr. Beasley will enlighten us."
ReplyDeleteDr. Beasely may not enlighten you, but I will.
NCLB measure - Clarkston HS GHSGT
Math Pass Rate:
2009-10 - 72.1 %
2010-11 - 68%
Language Arts Pass Rate:
2009-10 - 81.4%
2010-11 - 76%
FOUR Instructional Coaches. It looks like they ADDED 3 this year based on the fact that 3 of them were classroom teachers last year per the 2010 Salary and Travel audit.
http://schools.dekalb.k12.ga.us/clarkston/faculty/instructionalcoach.html
2009-10:
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=103&SchoolId=23046&T=1&FY=2010
Click on Academic Performance
2010-11:
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/2011_GHSGT_Score_Summary_School.xls?p=6CC6799F8C1371F67FA599DB53F8153F8DBF56A1362FD473D13EBDE218C34B7D&Type=D
I've heard that if someone really wants to shine a light on some dirty dealings at DCSS, aim your beam at food services. If anyone has eaten in a DCSS cafeteria you'll be seriously underwhelmed, if not sickened.
ReplyDeleteI missed a bit of the meeting, so can someone tell me if this agenda item was discussed?
ReplyDeleteBeasley will also tell us about the new mathematics teacher training. Dr. Vonzia Phillips will give us the scoop on the instructional partnership with GA Tech on math/science instruction.
Oh. I get it now. For the days upon days of additional paperwork and logistics planning necessitated by the utter failure of the Office of School Improvement to, ahem, improve a dang thing... Robert Moseley COMPLIMENTS Audria Berry. Because of the dismal work her office has done in its alleged attempt to "improve" schools, thousands of students have been shuffled to other schools. And yes, I bet there is a boatload of paperwork that goes hand in hand with that process. And Bob Moseley is giving her props for a job well done... a job she would not have to do, were she and her staff even marginally qualified and skilled in their roles at IMPROVING SCHOOLS. Good job at shifting all those students you've failed to serve, Ms. B. And before I get criticized by my fellow posters for "never seeing the good," let me say I made the decision long, long ago not to follow Moseley and the others down the rabbit hole.
ReplyDelete"...utter failure of the Office of School Improvement to, ahem, improve a dang thing... Robert Moseley COMPLIMENTS Audria Berry. '
ReplyDeleteIn 2009, 74% of DeKalb Title 1 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress
In 2010, 52% of DeKalb Title 1 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress
In 2011, 20% of DeKalb Title 1 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress
How low do our Title 1 schools have to go before they replace Audria Berry as Executive Director of the Office of School Improvement and overseer of Title 1 and federal funds?
Why is she still allowed to run this department after 6 years of steadily declining Title 1 schools making adequate yearly progress?
This is not fair for students that someone would make such poor decisions with money that is supposed to "level the playing field" for them.
Yes, but Bob Moseley thinks she's AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteDr. Berry was promoted in 2005 by Crawford Lewis to run the Office of School Improvement and oversee Title 1 and federal funds expenditures. Title 1 schools have seen an unprecedented decline as more and more have failed to make adequate yearly progress.
ReplyDeletePosters need to write their BOE representative and ask why the same Executive director is still in charge of the Office of School Improvement and hundreds of millions in Title 1 funding with scores like this:
In 2009, 74% of DeKalb Title 1 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress
In 2010, 52% of DeKalb Title 1 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress
In 2011, 20% of DeKalb Title 1 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress
Improvement!? The numbers stink but Ms. Berry is doing a great job at moving the kids out of her Title 1 failures and into schools that do not get the Title 1 Funding, but are successful none the less? Really? How this woman still has her job is incredibly amazing.
ReplyDeleteI hate these BOE meetings scheduled on the first day of school. The BOE always slaps each other on the back! "What a great day!" I think the Palace "sit up here" staff should be focused on Opening Day and not the power point filled meeting that night. I'm sure the staff associates would appreciate that too. These meetings should take place before school starts and then again two weeks into the new school year, to discuss issues that might have cropped up.
At our school we got a letter from the principal telling us a number of students, too many to count today, will be coming to our school over the next few days. GREAT! I'm glad we have the room to accommodate them. However, like the entire BOE said tonight, check out your neighborhood school! Well, parents you should have done that last year or at least last week during registration. This should have been the message last week during the work session, not after the first day. Good message, just a little late.
Moseley is a Crawford Lewis leftover like the rest of them. They must get these accolades in the minutes, just wait next month, Ms. Berry will say something nice about Moseley. This bunch should be "laser-ed focused" on teaching our students, not moving them around efficiently, when the parents know the truth about how efficient these moves really are.
At our school the AC worked great and my kids are happy with their new teachers and school. Though the staff will have to work extra hard to get the newly enrolled, up to speed, the teachers are great and the majority of the parents, at our school, have their backs!
Sure wish our current Palace staff had the same agenda as the successful schools. Stop patting each others back and get to work to get our DCSS scores out of the toilet! The numbers above are pathetic! How much money has Berry spent over the last 3 years?
This was the MOST Instructional oriented Board meeting sine Johnny Brown was Supt. Dr. Beasley and Dr. Berry did a great job. It seems as if few are interested in admitting that President Bushs' " No Child Left Behind Is a Joke that has drained schools both North and South. I hate to hear so much bitterness on our blog. Can we all come together and improve the education of our students. It is time to move our system forward. We didn't drop over night and it will take some time to pull us up. There are many excellent educators in DeKalb but there appear to be some on this blog who don't want any accountablilty. Every succesful system(business or education) have benchmarks and accountability. My children have excellent teachers, and I am greatful!
ReplyDeleteLeadership Prep made AYP so who cares if they rent space from New Birth or and Avondale Baptist. Apples are apples and oranges are oranges.
ReplyDeleteCould the Op-Ed piece in the paper have shamed them into having an such an heavily oriented instruction meeting? I heard that during the executive session yesterday, the Board had Tyson et all come in and brief them ahead of time about what was going to happen at the main meeting.
ReplyDelete(This is actually an illegal use of a closed meeting -- but whatever.)
Edler and her ethics make me laugh. She has spent the past decade manipulating the system to make sure her children never once stepped foot in their neighborhood schools. On top of that, even she will tell you that she was an uninvolved parent, rarely attending a PTA meeting and never volunteering for things at school. Please, telling others to use their neighborhood schools. That is rich.
We don't want accountability? Most on this blog argue for the ultimate in accountability -- people losing their jobs for not meeting benchmarks, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe need stronger central office employees. We need a transportation department that actually utilizes the software that was purchased for them, instead of making the same mistakes year in and year out.
One time, I would like to see someone let go, for doing a crummy job.
Anon 12:54.... First of all, NCLB was not just President Bush's fault. Teddy Kennedy, the liberals liberal has his fingerprints all over the legislation too.
ReplyDeleteI would love to know how you can give theses same folks, at the Palace, that got us into this position another chance? These Crawford Lewis holdovers repackage the same things with different language to make it sound like they are doing something.
Beasley says that the papaer work he ordered the teachers to do last year is now gone. Well according to the teachers it hasn't changed that much since last year. So which is it? Can any teachers enlighten us and let us know of Beasley is telling the truth about the paper work load compared to last year?
I would love to be abke to say that our DCSS leadership is doing a great job. However, I have lost all faith and trust with this current bunch. They promised us transparency, all we got was more of the same until the stakeholders screamed. The BOE and their meddling with the Super search. The whistle blower hotline, which has taken a year to hook up. One year to hook up a phone line!?
Fewer and fewer schools making AYP and all we here are excuses and blame. How come other systems are getting better in Metro Atlanta while ours only gets worse?
The folks who love our current leadership, you can tell me "I told you so." once we have a new leader in place, a new Palace staff in place and Audria Berry and her Title 1 coaches are on the unemployment line and then if the system scores have not changed, you can celebrate in our failures.
I seem to remember a certain person who ran on Hope and Change back in 2008. I can only hope for change at this point because the current leadership at DCSS is failing us miserably, the awful numbers speak for themselves.
I want to be positive, but it's hard when you have two leaders indicted on rico charges and their entire staff remains. Plus, the Office of Improvement is everything but improving, yet the person in charge gets raises for poor performance and remains on OUR payroll today, she even gets to hire more people.
I'm tired of the age old rhetoric this bunch feeds us. Show us some results, real results! Doesn't anyone at the Palace get it? We need to change our downward spiral. All I see is a nice new package, but the same old tired excuses and blame! Perception is one thing, but true results is what we need
Hope and Change at the Palace, that's what DCSS needs!
This was just another meeting where those "up there" were operating in an alternate universe, one where things are improving due to great leadership. In reality, we need an actual superintendent, an actual super for curriculum, and a new leader and plan for the office of student improvement (because they have done the opposite).
ReplyDeleteAnd Anon, I'm tired of being positive. This blog provides a forum for honesty, which isn't always positive. We have waited almost 2 years for a superintendent. We thought things would get better when our criminal super was jailed, but, no, somehow we didn't get better. DCSS is still a joke and will be until a majority of the central office employees are replaced with people interested in raising student achievement instead of gathering a fat paycheck. It isn't the negative attitudes that have created this situation. We are sick and tired, and every year that passes sends another year of woefully unprepared kids out into the workforce. This has now gotten so out of hand that it is affecting business relocating to DeKalb, property values, and splintering of neighborhoods. It is still unbelievable to me that there is zero accountability among those who caused the problem!
It does not take 2 months to create a Facebook page -- it takes about 15 minutes. But a better choice would be a blog. For a whole host of reasons - beginning with the fact that blogposts are long, can be chock full of useful information and can be categorized for archiving. A blog can host a side panel of links, documents and important articles easily accessed. A blog can answer questions, which can be monitored so that only pertinent, relevant questions can be posted and responded to. Of course, a blog requires writing skill, careful attention to detail and daily interaction with the public, so it may not be feasible if they don't have a staff member capable of handling it.
ReplyDelete@ Atlanta Media Guy
ReplyDelete"How much money has Berry spent over the last 3 years?"
"$500,000,000 spent for INCREASED student achievement in Title 1 schools that has in reality resulted in DECREASED student achievement....."
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2011/06/tale-of-two-school-systems-part-iii.html
"Also, at that meeting the board approved promoting Ms. Michelle Jones, Felicia (Mitchell) Mayfield's daughter as Principal at Clarkston High School. Ms. Jones was promoted from Assistant Principal at Chamblee High School. I wonder if she was able to improve learning at Clarkston. Maybe Dr. Beasley will enlighten us."
ReplyDeleteDr. Beasely may not enlighten you, but I will.
Clarkston HS GHSGT
Math Pass Rate:
2009-10 - 72.1 %
2010-11 - 68%
Language Arts Pass Rate:
2009-10 - 81.4%
2010-11 - 76%
FOUR Instructional Coaches (it looks like they ADDED 3 this year) based on the fact that 3 of them were classroom teachers last year per the 2010 Salary and Travel audit.
http://schools.dekalb.k12.ga.us/clarkston/faculty/instructionalcoach.html
2009-10:
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=103&SchoolId=23046&T=1&FY=2010
Click on Academic Performance
2010-11:
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/2011_GHSGT_Score_Summary_School.xls?p=6CC6799F8C1371F67FA599DB53F8153F8DBF56A1362FD473D13EBDE218C34B7D&Type=D
Maureen Downey has a post up entitled:
ReplyDelete"New study: Federal dollars for poor kids paying off in improved test scores"
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2011/08/09/new-study-federal-dollars-for-poor-kids-paying-off-in-improved-test-scores/
She goes on to state "The Center on Education Policy examined test data in 19 states and found that reading and math scores of children in Title 1 programs are improving in most of them....
Gaps between Title I participants and other students have also narrowed more often than they have widened since 2002, according to the CEP study, although trends were more positive at 8th grade and in high school than at 4th grade."
This is why DCSS needs new management at the helm of the Office of School Improvement, the Office of Teaching and Learning and a new superintendent who focuses on Instruction in the classroom. Schools all over the nation using Title 1 funds are narrowing the gap between Title 1 and non-Title 1 schools while DCSS has seen declining student achievement and a widening of the gap.
Students in DCSS Title 1 schools are not inherently less capable than students in other Title 1 schools all over the country. There is no excuse for the negative ROI DeKalb has produced with Title 1 and federal funds.
Read Maureen's post and compare what's happening in Title 1 schools all over the country with DCSS Title 1 schools.
From the conversation at the AJC blog:
ReplyDelete@Atlanta Media Guy: I found it shocking that the irony of Moseley complimenting Berry on her handling the hundreds of transfer requests (due to the fact that the Title 1 schools failed to meet AYP due to Berry’s department not living up to their responsibility) was lost on the board. How outrageous! You screw up your job so bad that hundreds of students opt for a transfer and then you get patted on the back for doing a good job of moving those students to their new option. (Which, also, BTW, has not been done. Did you notice that there are still many, many students who have not gotten an answer to their transfer request and were told to just go ahead and start school at their home school?) But hey! “Great” Job Audria!! (Next thing you know, she’ll get a raise! And a new pCard! She spent over $5,000 on travel in 2010!)
I think the difference in results is not due to the money itself, but how the money is used. If Title 1 money is used to offer extra DIRECT instruction for poor students, or opportunities to take interesting field trips, or computers with student-focused software that inspires learning, then yes, the money will make a difference. But if instead, as has been the case in DeKalb, the money is spent to hire a literal army (hundreds) of non-teaching “instructional” staff, who do nothing but monitor teachers and evaluate their bulletin boards, then no, you won’t see a lot of improvement in student achievement.
“Berry….spent over $5,000 on travel in 2010!”
That’s down from the $8478 she spent on travel in 2009 when Crawford Lewis was superintendent.
That was the year Berry sent all those Coaches and Administrative personnel on the “Hollywood” trip with Title 1 funds – cost $380,000. Out of the 186 employees sent, only 45 were teachers. At the same time Ms. Tyson and the BOE were busy increasing class sizes and cutting hundreds of teaching positions citing the budget crunch:
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-school-employees-at-291275.html
No wonder DCSS Title 1 schools do so poorly and produce a negative Return on Investment.
Beasley talks out of all sides and parts of his mouth. There is not even more mandates and paperwork. Data notebooks with information that is available through schoolnet, but the notebook must be available to "visitors"... Why not look up the information on the system before you visit. Or better yet, use my computer while I am teaching and leave us alone.
ReplyDelete