Dr. Atkinson knows how to adhere to a schedule and make good on her promises.
And as promised, she has delivered a draft of her plan for the future of DeKalb schools that she is calling "Excellence in Education".
First, as we all know, Dr. Atkinson spent her initial 90 days on the job reaching out to all areas of stakeholders - teachers, parents, administrators, community leaders and school house staff. Then she interviewed and replaced some critical top level staff members. Now she is turning her attention directly on results for students.
I really like her 5 Guiding Principles:
No. 1......... Students Come First.
Student achievement is our business and must be the central theme in all initiatives.
No. 2..........Every school must believe that parents are our partners.
It is the School System’s responsibility to include and value parent and guardian input into their children's education and school.
No. 3..........Leadership and accountability at all levels are key to success.
Every classroom, every school and central office department must have a strong leader.
No. 4..........We are not alone in this endeavor.
It takes the entire community to ensure the success of the district, and we must tap into the knowledge, skills, and support they can offer to assist in providing a quality education for all students.
No. 5..........Victory is in the classroom.
Daily teaching and learning is where the battle for improvement in student achievement is fought.
She then informs us:
With the information from the listening and learning sessions and guiding principles established, the next and final phase of the entry plan was to develop and present to the Board of Education and community the "Excellence for Education Plan ‐ 2017.” This is the explicit and tactical strategy to improve the achievement of all students and improve internal operations, reporting and accountability systems.
The "Excellence for Education Plan 2017" has also been designed to actualize and prioritize the levers necessary to deliver a balanced scorecard and an aligned management system that reiterates and executes our core values and mission.
This "Excellence for Education Plan ‐ 2017" will become the district’s essential and critical guiding document for continuous improvement.
Click here to read the plan in its draft form and prepare to give Dr. Atkinson relevant feedback. Do what you can to advance her stated goals. It will take all of us to turn this ship of schools around!
Sounds goods. There are a lot of professional, talented and hard working employees in this county that have been over-looked for years. Let's start by cleaning up this interview-application process. Restore the opportunity for equality and opportunity for all. 2017 is long term. The audit is in... It is 2012. Let's see some action on this report. Dr. A, post the audit and your action plan. Let's give these hard working, talented people that you already have some relief and I guarantee you that your (the county) vision will be relized. Just look at the neglected, the overlooked, look at these made up jobs and let's level the playing field. It is time for people to re-apply for positions.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you change the format and appearance of the "Recent Comments" section?
ReplyDeleteIt no longer shows the time, date, or even the thread topic.
Good point, 12:52! I really liked the old format. The old format was much more useful.
ReplyDeleteI think the first comment is totally on point. Strong LEADERSHIP means leaders who care about their employees, care about morale and weed out the negativity and favoritism. Employees are human and need to be treated as such. Hard work needs to be recognized and you will get more of the same. The employees feel defeated and powerless and it's up to the Leadership to empower them, share trust and have an open door policy. Bullying by students is not tolerated and neither shoukd itbe tolerated by staff. I think 360 reviews shouldbe implemented where reviews not only occur from the top down but at eack level- sideways and upwards to give everyone a voice and make actions transapent.
ReplyDeleteThe credentials and experience of the new COO give me great hope. Dr. Atkinson really does seem to get it.
ReplyDelete@ 6:37 & the first comment @ 1/27 11:44 I agree with the comments you made. Restoring opportunities should start now. Why wait for 2017?
ReplyDeleteIt does sound good! I really believe that Dr. Atkinson wants to change things for EVERYONE. Hear that Mr. Walker? EVERYONE, not just your chosen few.
ReplyDeleteShe has a very large mountain to climb if she wants to change the culture at DCSS. There are so many who care just for themselves and not for the students.
I still can't believe we have a sexual harasser as BOE chair. I sure wish there had been an order in the settlement, the State gave the victim in the case, where Gene Walker could not hold public office again. I fear Mr. Walker will impede any progress that Dr. Atkinson makes. Time will tell.
Cu the bloat.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.championnewspaper.com/news/articles/1346audit-states-dekalb-schools-has-too-many-central-office-personnel1346.html
A recent audit of central office positions at the DeKalb County School System found it has approximately 300 jobs too many.
School spokesman Walter Woods said it would take the recommendations from Virginia-based Management Advisory Group (MAG) to “do the work needed to organize and run an efficient school system.”
The school system has approximately 15,000 employees—1,499 in the central office. According to the report, the system has 15.5 central office positions per 1,000 students and should have closer to 12 per 1,000.
Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson ordered the audit and said she will use the findings and recommendations to develop a new organizational structure for each department within the school system.
Woods said the system hasn’t done a full audit similar to the one performed by MAG in several years. An Ernst and Young study in 2005 is the most recent.
“Basically, we have a lot of work to do and it’s going to take some time to sift through everything,” Woods said. “We need alignment on job titles and job descriptions that are accurate descriptions for jobs performed.”
Woods said in some cases at the central office level, the audit found there was confusion as to who should be doing specific jobs and how much they should be getting paid.
“There are people who have a title but are doing a completely different job,” Woods said.
The results of the audit released on Jan. 18 are part of a two-phase project to audit each position within the school system. According to Woods, phase two of the audit is scheduled to be complete in March.
Woods said each year there were jobs phased out due to attrition for various reasons. He wouldn’t say when, or if, a significant amount of positions would be cut from the central office.
“The realignment process is under way and we won’t know the number of positions until that process is complete,” Woods said.
http://www.championnewspaper.com/news/articles/160levitas-wants-to-create-ethics-commission-for-school-system-160.html
ReplyDeleteThe bill, called the DeKalb School Board Transparency Act, is a direct response to school board member Gene Walker’s former chairmanship of the county’s Development Authority. In August, Walker resigned from the authority, which oversees deals with local developers and promotes economic growth and job creation countywide.
Furious residents criticized Walker for accepting more than $21,000 in school board campaign contributions from Sembler, a St. Petersburg, Fla., developer, last year. Walker, who chaired the authority, found himself in the middle of a dispute over whether Sembler deserved a tax abatement worth more than $40 million over 20 years to build Town Brookhaven, a 600,000-square-foot, mixed-use development near Oglethorpe University.
“The citizens of DeKalb are entitled to be represented by a school board free of conflicts of interest,” Levitas, D-Atlanta, said in a statement.
The Sam Moss Center and Central office talked about saving money by going "green", but then ignored it after they got their good press from proposing it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.championnewspaper.com/news/articles/279intense-budget-cutting-leads-to-green-solutions279.html
Yes Thank you Dr. Atkinson!! The credentials of the new COO does give us hope. Maybe he can straighten out Sam Moss - Donahue is NOT a leader and needs to go! Also Joshua Williams is NOT a leader - got a secret promotion handed to him by Ramona Tyson while there was furloughs going on.
ReplyDeleteI didn't change the recent comments on purpose. Something happened to my plug-in. I re-uploaded a new one - but it's not exactly working right. Sigh! Oh the details!!
ReplyDeleteBut stand-by - we're doing some big changes tomorrow!!
Regarding this quote:
ReplyDeleteWoods said the system hasn’t done a full audit similar to the one performed by MAG in several years. An Ernst and Young study in 2005 is the most recent.
“Basically, we have a lot of work to do and it’s going to take some time to sift through everything,” Woods said. “We need alignment on job titles and job descriptions that are accurate descriptions for jobs performed.”
Woods said in some cases at the central office level, the audit found there was confusion as to who should be doing specific jobs and how much they should be getting paid.
“There are people who have a title but are doing a completely different job,” Woods said.
FWIW, from what we've seen, these are EXACTLY the same conclusions made in the 2004 Ernst & Young audit. Almost verbatim.
And Hurst is not a Leader! A leader supports their staff and provides an example of the good behaviors to them.
ReplyDelete'The ultimate test of leaders is not where they stand in moments of convenience but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy' The leaders left standing after the bloat is removed should be the people that can meet this challenge. Not just credentials and seniority but how they treat their people, above, beside and below them. THAT'S how you change the culture. Positive attitude and professionalism need to be restored through example.
ReplyDeleteDr. Atkinson will need heavy support in order to make these changes. I hope you will all do everything you can to keep your eye on the big picture and the new, lean, corruption-free system that focuses on children and education that I think she is trying to create.
ReplyDeleteShe won't do everything perfectly but she will need strong support - as she is rattling some pretty heavy old cages!
Onward into the light!!
As Dr. A. continues to unveil her plan for excellence, let's hope and pray she is not bamboozled by those top tier administrators drawing hefty salaries, wearing titles and doing little to promote the success of the students we serve. Too busy politic-ing and promoting themselves to deal with the business at hand...school.
ReplyDeleteAs our new administrators review and align positions with qualifications, duplications and experience, will someone please tell me exactly what the Office of Dekalb Graduates is?
ReplyDeleteIs this yet another position aligned with the Friends and Family Plan?
When employees can focus on their jobs and feel empowered and not reacting to office politics and scandals that they have nothing to do with, the District will attract and retain talented people. We have to remember that the corruption is at the upper levels, but those at the lower levels pay the price by being embarrassed to be associated with such a vile and corrupt organization. It takes ALL employees being valued to make this work. Leadership alone does not do the work of the district. Their job is to guide and LEAD by EXAMPLE. Please Dr. A do not forget 'the little people' in this equation. They have suffered enough. Most would leave if given the opportunity. Being 'stuck' somewhere you don't want to be does not make a productive employee. Make Leadership choices that take this into account.
ReplyDeleteOnly time will tell! I certain;ly hope we can move forward. However, the most important thing is "where is the incresed student achievement?" Where are the professional development opportunities for principals and teachers? All of these outsiders Atkinson is bring in will have to go through a learning curve.Test scores should improve this year in the positive direction, if not by much. Next year we should see giant improvement. After all Atkinson only has 2 more years to function or get off the pot.
ReplyDelete"will someone please tell me exactly what the Office of Dekalb Graduates is?
ReplyDeleteIs this yet another position aligned with the Friends and Family Plan?"
If I recall, this was basically a one night program near the beginning of school for the high schools where each high school put on a program, had speakers, etc. trying to get the kids attention about the importance of staying in school and graduating. And, yes, it was a program started by Crawford Lewis and has two well connected Directors. Depending upon the budget needs, these two salaries come out of the central office budget some time and out of Title 1 other years. I don't know what these people do all year long, but whatever it is, we surely don't need two of them at $100,000+ salaries.
At Anon 4:21...
ReplyDeletetwo (2)Directors at $100K+? Seriously? The community would love to know: 1)what/who these 2 very well compensated Directors "direct"; 2)their qualifications for the jobs; 3)to whom these people report; 4)if all you've seen or heard from them was a one-time "showing", exactly what do they do all school year long? Our students deserve so much more than this foolish wasting of money.
So are these "Directors" included in Dr. A's assessment of her cabinet and staff?
The going green started with Larry Jackson who was a very nice person and always tried to do what was best for the students and employees. No one had ever did this before. It would have been great but Pat Pope/Reid took over so she would get the credit for every thing. She made the board and that stupid Lewis think that she was the one to get all the credit. She had everyone thinking that she knew all the answers for everything while she was stealing from our children and tax payers. I will be so glad when she and lewis go too jail. They and the other two need to have to pay for all the wrong they did. I feel like they will all get away with what they have done because something should have happen by now.
ReplyDeleteDr.A is trying to make changes, but she is dealing with so many demons.We must all pray for her.
"will someone please tell me exactly what the Office of Dekalb Graduates is?"
ReplyDeleteWould love to hear more info. on this. How are the results measured? How much are we spending on it. Can't wait for the day when all programs such as this and the Office of School Improvement are eliminated, and even Parent Resource Centers, which are basically e-mail stations at most places.
Put the money back into the classroom. If you are going to have extra resources, use that extra staff to work directly with students in math, science and reading.
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/dekalb-graduates
ReplyDeleteunder office of school improvement
So, in checking the 2010 salary audit, why do we need 40 "graduation specialists" at over $50,000 each per year plus benefits - when we only have 21 high schools?
ReplyDeleteBROCK,HELEN W GRADUATION SPECIALIST $76,544.00
BROWN,YA'RON C GRADUATION SPECIALIST $47,408.35
BUCKNER-ATKINS,TIJUANA M GRADUATION SPECIALIST $44,906.59
CHESTER,JOI L GRADUATION SPECIALIST $56,225.16
COOPER,KANISHA M GRADUATION SPECIALIST $61,326.00
DAWSON,JAMES E GRADUATION SPECIALIST $75,462.00
DEAN,TIPHANIE D GRADUATION SPECIALIST $54,430.00
DISROE,ELISA C GRADUATION SPECIALIST $45,176.45
DIX,LEKESIA F GRADUATION SPECIALIST $63,559.74
ELLINGTON,ANIKA Y GRADUATION SPECIALIST $65,108.00
ELLIS,MILDRED J GRADUATION SPECIALIST $79,488.00
FOSTER,LAKARA E GRADUATION SPECIALIST $48,823.00
FURCRON-MACK,CHARNE' D GRADUATION SPECIALIST $67,066.00
GILL,DANA S GRADUATION SPECIALIST $54,470.00
GIPSON,CYNTHIA K GRADUATION SPECIALIST $72,626.00
GLOVER,SHEILA T GRADUATION SPECIALIST $57,114.00
HAWKINS,RICKI D GRADUATION SPECIALIST $57,482.00
HORTON,MESHIUN S GRADUATION SPECIALIST $48,306.00
HURT,DEANNA L GRADUATION SPECIALIST $9,110.00
ISAAC,WANDA W GRADUATION SPECIALIST $75,462.00
LAWRENCE-BENTON,TIFFANIE S GRADUATION SPECIALIST $63,822.00
LEE,DONNA C GRADUATION SPECIALIST $74,044.00
LEWIS,SHAUN B GRADUATION SPECIALIST $46,366.28
LYLE,LAURETTA S GRADUATION SPECIALIST $89,154.00
LYNCH,ABIGAIL M GRADUATION SPECIALIST $64,046.00
MACK,URSULA C GRADUATION SPECIALIST $65,913.00
MCADOO,NELSONYA C GRADUATION SPECIALIST $63,702.00
MCINTOSH,MARY K GRADUATION SPECIALIST $54,430.00
MORGAN,TEQUILA T GRADUATION SPECIALIST $51,025.80
NASH,PANYA R GRADUATION SPECIALIST $57,257.76
NIMMONS,ERICA M GRADUATION SPECIALIST $75,462.00
POUGH,TAMMY M GRADUATION SPECIALIST $61,486.00
PRUITT,TOMIKA L GRADUATION SPECIALIST $72,031.76
ROBINSON,DARRYL D GRADUATION SPECIALIST $44,525.18
RUMSEY,AMANDA D GRADUATION SPECIALIST $51,260.00
SCOTT-BRADFORD,MARY I GRADUATION SPECIALIST $75,462.00
TALLEY,KYLA D GRADUATION SPECIALIST $54,430.00
WALKER,CHARLES R GRADUATION SPECIALIST $48,306.00
WARD-CLAUDMAN,WYLENE GRADUATION SPECIALIST $51,177.59
WATERMAN,MONICA G GRADUATION SPECIALIST $61,326.00
Not to mention 210 "security personnel" when we only have about 50 or so middle and high schools combined.
ReplyDeleteCost : $11,739,567.42
Or how about 61 "Parent Coordinators"?
ReplyDeleteCost: $3,162,063.83
Or 269 Assistant Principals?
ReplyDeleteCost: $21,027,961.88
Or 15 "Plant Operations Secretaries"?
ReplyDeleteCost: $589,807.62
Or 28 "Plant Operations Directors"?
Cost: $1,858,413.86
PLUS 226 "Maintenance Personnel"
Cost: $11,458,278.89
How about 59 "Instructional Supervisors"?
ReplyDeleteCost: $5,412,479.62
===
Everything and everyone must be taken into account.
We must decide what and whom we really need in order to deliver on the promise to educate nearly 100,000 children.
Anon. 5:44
ReplyDelete"two (2)Directors at $100K+? Seriously?"
According to the DCSS web site under the Teaching and Learning section and DeKalb Graduates, it lists Dr. Jacqueline Mitchell as an Executive Director and Ms. Margie Smith as a Director. (Mrs. Smith, the former principal of Lithonia High School, was the focus of an investigative report on WSB-TV by Richard Belcher. After Lithonia, she was principal at DeKalb South Technology Campus before being promoted into the Central Office.) You can verify their exact salaries on the state web site.
@Cerebration
ReplyDeleteAnd on top of those 61 Parent Coordinators, let's not forget the 16 Family Services Coordinators:
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $109,740.00
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $67,343.63
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $62,682.44
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $61,021.74
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $49,267.39
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $28,022.50
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $27,406.33
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $26,104.00
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $25,760.00
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $24,715.00
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $22,995.00
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $22,605.00
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $20,677.50
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $17,710.00
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $17,370.00
FAMILY SERVICES COORDINATOR $10,530.00
Is it any wonder we have so little money left for actually instructing students? This is why our children sit in classes of 35. Meanwhile, Lewis and Tyson felt free to eliminate 600 teaching positions in order to ensure all of these non teaching personnel kept their jobs.
I had a hard time getting past the first page. "Every Child...A Winner"
ReplyDeleteThen the 5 guiding principles that were part of her interview suddenly, on page 4, come from listening to the community.
I have a hard time understanding how Dr. A can hold teachers accountable for delivering a scripted curriculum. If you take away the teachers' flexibility how can they demonstrate or teach it to the students? Can we hold the counter person at McDonalds accountable for the taste of the burger?
All she has learned in her first 90 days is what the unindicted co-conspirators have let her learn.
To me the central office audit showing exactly the same results as the one 6 years ago indicates the board is is too busy lining their own pockets to do anything for the students and that hasn't changed very much. I don't think they picked a superintendent who will turn them in.
Certainly, there are major changes that Dr. Atkinson must consider making including the Mitchell "outdated sleep athorn". Howeve she has made it more difficult because her first cuts, especially, Marcus Turk, was a major mistake that will definately come back to haunt her if not destroy her. Regardless, of what personal or other differences they had, Turk will not break the law and WILL make you pay the Pauper.
ReplyDeleteHe is definately by the book and is NOT a push over.Wonder what his testimony before the Grand Jury will be? Truth be Told, Atkinson. look out. You may be joining CLewis sooner than you think.
Give teachers appropriate tools, flexibility, smaller class size, and a stronger support system and maybe we will see some changes in the classroom. The teachers are overloaded with so many secretarial responsibilities (paper, paper, and paperwork). yest they hold the teachers responsible for the student's success this is really unfair to our teachers,
ReplyDeleteAtkinson, is loosing the Black community fast, fast and fast. When she comes crying for support, it won't be there. Cunningham is her greatest supporter along with Wommack,Jester and McChestney. It seems as if Speaks is the only objective Board member. She is the greatest asset on this Board.
ReplyDeleteWhole lot of administrators who never work with a student.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/school-improvement/index/staff-directory
Why is Audria Berry still listed? I thought she was let go?
They'll be NO Excellence in Education until the accused sexual harasser at the top of the DCSS BOE is asked to step down.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Gene Walker, or for that matter Jay Cunningham, applied for jobs at DCSS, would the results of their background checks allow them to work at DCSS? Mr. Walker was an accused sexual harasser and the state settled with the accuser out of court for a lot of money. Why? If he was innocent, why pay her off? I think we all know the answer to that one. Jay Cunningham was found guilty of stealing from a McDonald's where he was the Asst. Mgr. Are these good examples that we want OUR students to follow?
Exit question; when will the DCSS leaders be accountable and follow the same rules as the employees of DCSS?
“Atkinson”, is losing the Black community fast, fast and fast. When she comes crying for support, it won't be there.” Anonymous 12:00
ReplyDeleteExactly what Black community are you referring to? As a member of the Black community, I disagree with your statement. All indications are that Dr. Atkinson is highly intelligent and has great plans to right this dismal mess of a school system. I wish her much success, and as a member of the Black community she has my support.
Just curious, by what authority are you basing this sweeping generalization regarding the Black community’s lack of support for Dr. Atkinson? This seems to be more of an idle wish rather than a fact.
I agree with you Anon @ 10:56 am....
ReplyDeleteAs another member of the Black community----she is NOT losing my support or the support of the other BLACK community members I speak, work and socialize with. Dr. Atkinson has my full support and she has already begun righting alot of the wrongs created by other members of the Black community. You do not speak for the Black community.
Dr. A I am praying for you and your team to continue in the direction that you are going. Only beware of the people around you ie your transition, special assistant team.
Don't believe a word of this anti-Atkinson rhetoric! This is just the Gene Walker PR machine. He and others are working hard behind the scenes to ruin what Dr. Atkinson is trying to do. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.
ReplyDeleteHave you been to these schools lately? They need MORE security officers not less! These children are out of control and are inspired by what they see as fun. Example Towers incident, Arabia Mountain incident and with the "sap rising" it's only going to get worse. Until the parents are held accountable for the actions of their children and the reality of the lack of basic knowledge and mastery that these children possess is brought to the forefront and addressed, Dekalb WILL ALWAYS BE AT THE BOTTOM OF EDUCATION.
ReplyDeleteThe board was so wrong for bothering Dr *A* during personal time when her dad was ill/passed.
DeleteShe was great for Dekalb! Well, Walker/Coplin you got yours. 365 on you. OUT!
I feel as though they should hire he back.
I am ready for LEWIS/ Pat REID to go to jail!
I am glad we are not paying their expenses anymore crooks get your own attorney's.
Bldg and changes of the schools are great! Splost board members at least are consistant.
Stehen Wilkins and Joshua L Williams and staff keep up great work.
Good thing Regina Merriweather is gone. Educating staff was not a plus for you. You need to keep educating students.
Ramona Tyson needs to find a new Job!
Michael Thurman we will see you are allowed hire Dr. A back.
Get the bus drivers hired. Tell Human Resources get to work.
Hire new Human Resource Director.
Get new computers that can hold all school info. Updated Technology is needed.
Did you get the old boards equipment and keys??