tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post1579812984689743803..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: Spinning a web of deceit our board reps try in vain to sweep their own debris under the rugCerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-78563546252107436942010-08-12T14:00:26.190-04:002010-08-12T14:00:26.190-04:00If DCSS wants to be transparent then Ms. Tyson nee...If DCSS wants to be transparent then Ms. Tyson needs to speak. Too many parents want to know who the heck is guarding the hen house. Right now, the foxes of the BOE are guarding it and will "Zepora slug" anyone who comes too close!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-50575569299749206052010-08-12T10:04:54.116-04:002010-08-12T10:04:54.116-04:00"Tyson is about to hire a public relation per..."Tyson is about to hire a public relation person and and a person to audit the school system and that can go over her head to the school board if need be. She is down to two candidates and will hire a candidate for both shortly."<br /><br />Where did you get this information? Just curious.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-51529313043870538242010-08-11T23:03:33.668-04:002010-08-11T23:03:33.668-04:00@ Anonymous 4:39
"Think about it, you are as...@ Anonymous 4:39<br /><br />"Think about it, you are asked to comment about one of your bosses on a situation you know is indefensible. How would you have answered? Sometimes 'No Comment' is the best comment."<br /><br />Didn't something like this happen to a general in the army? What happened to him when he made comments about his boss?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-36402541712550871562010-08-11T22:32:33.782-04:002010-08-11T22:32:33.782-04:00Cere said, "Teachers are powerless to gain ac...Cere said, "Teachers are powerless to gain access to the necessary tools and classroom support. Parents are powerless to demand those items. Why?"<br /><br />Our middle school lacks a fundamental necessary tool -- a working copy machine. It is broken more than it is working. It was broken last year while teachers were trying to prepare their students for finals (no study guides would be copied -- heck, the FINALS couldn't even be copied!). The teachers spent their own money -- in many cases -- to ensure the students had what they needed.<br /><br />Wednesday of last week, the teachers are finally let back in the building after furlough days -- with the next day being Registration. You guess it! The copy machine was broken!!<br /><br />Our principal is working within the system. The parents are trying to work "outside of the system" i.e. asking "other people" to help break through the bureaucracy. Was sent an ancient "loaner" that will need to be retrofitted just to be plugged into the school's power supply.<br /><br />That parents have to stand up and fight for such pedestrian things is shameful. Makes me really angry and frustrated. But, not once have I felt like slugging anyone.No Duhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14462063673391668451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-13510058625055187902010-08-11T22:00:52.501-04:002010-08-11T22:00:52.501-04:00The Press Conference for tomorrow has been cancele...The Press Conference for tomorrow has been canceled! Wow. What's going on! There are a lot of defenders of Ms. Tyson here, I think she is in over her head.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-3651428711863493212010-08-11T20:17:00.361-04:002010-08-11T20:17:00.361-04:00Wow, Cere, that piece signed C,Y was something.Wow, Cere, that piece signed C,Y was something.Dekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-56534402665374799292010-08-11T20:16:50.764-04:002010-08-11T20:16:50.764-04:00@ Anonymous
"Not to disagree with you but y...@ Anonymous <br /><br />"Not to disagree with you but you may want to look at the school district in Kansas City. They made a significant investment in their infrastructure and had several of what you suggested. At the end of the day, it did not significantly impact student performance. Great teachers can light the fire of motivation in students but they only have them for 6.5 hours a day for 180 days "<br /><br />Most important is that you need all 3 fundamentals:<br />1. A safe and clean environment<br />2. A reasonably sized classroom with a competent and well compensated teacher<br />3. Abundant access to cutting edge science and technology equipment<br /><br />I did some research on the Kansas City School System. As far as I can see, Kansas City did not provide a fiscally responsible plan for improving their schools. Their investments were driven in a "top down" manner with little cost benefit analysis, the bloated, inefficient and wasteful administration stayed intact, and many incompetent teachers were left in place.<br /><br />Parents and teachers, do you think the 3 basic fundamentals listed above are important for DCSS students? If implemented, would they attract and retain quality teachers? Do you think they would they make a difference in student achievement?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-28059291338404500952010-08-11T19:21:04.680-04:002010-08-11T19:21:04.680-04:006.5 hours a day is quite a lot! I would think teac...6.5 hours a day is quite a lot! I would think teachers could get the job done if classrooms were right-sized, equipment was available and discipline tactics were utilized. Teachers are powerless to gain access to the necessary tools and classroom support. Parents are powerless to demand those items. Why? Because the administration is far, far too focused on ways to increase administrative bloat and ways to expand their power base for personal gain. Too many greedy 'leaders' have raided the cookie jar.<br /><br />This is from a conversation at the AJC blog - I really feel this is where we are.<br /><br /><i>Personally, from my experience in DeKalb and what I have learned about many other large systems with low-performing schools, school systems with a lot of poverty are at risk for predatory managers. I think many large school systems have become jobs programs for these upper-level, six-plus figure managers often spending federal Title 1 money like kids in a candy shop. <br /><br />School systems with high levels of poverty serve as a vehicle for a superintendent and cronies to use to place whomever they choose in whatever made up position they can think of at a ridiculous salary that would not be remotely offered to that same person anywhere in the private sector. School systems like this are multi-million dollar playgrounds and are therefore leaders are very territorial of their protected turf. They love the idea of serving the "poor" and "uneducated" as they see them as powerless conduits to those yummy federal dollars. Now they're getting some competition though - from the corporate charter school companies. People have figured out that schools - nowadays - are a multi-billion dollar business nirvana. We can discuss educational ideals and theories ad nauseam, but the fact will remain, education at is core, has become nothing more than a money-maker for the elite and an opportunity for a sound-bite for politicians. It's business, pure and simple.<br /><br />It's the classroom and the student that suffers in the end. I see the teachers working hard and the parents asking for their fair share for their schools, and only being met with patronizing commentary or empty promises or worse, outright lies. Poor parents know that something's wrong, but don't know exactly how to fix it. Wealthier parents have some idea how to fix it, but are punished for being vocal and purposely held back from getting the major dollars (for nice buildings and construction) as the system's way of controlling their behavior and demands. <br /><br />All of this will only lead to the demise of the United States as we have known it. We are pouring out two kinds of citizens from our schools: those who are educated and those who can barely read and write with very few in the middle. Some say this is purposeful, I think it's just pure, simple, uncontrolled greed.<br /><br />Sorry. Bad attitude today. As one of the bloggers often ends their comments, Cynical? Yes.<br /></i>Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-938683172022149922010-08-11T19:04:32.555-04:002010-08-11T19:04:32.555-04:00Too much money is spent in this county on transpor...Too much money is spent in this county on transportation, options, and top administration. <br /><br />Getting more equipment and material to the teacher would definitely help verses spending it on the above items. However, the most important factor in a classroom is the teacher.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-71931303769390140222010-08-11T18:59:06.274-04:002010-08-11T18:59:06.274-04:00@ Anonymous 6:52,
Not to disagree with you but yo...@ Anonymous 6:52,<br /><br />Not to disagree with you but you may want to look at the school district in Kansas City. They made a significant investment in their infrastructure and had several of what you suggested. At the end of the day, it did not significantly impact student performance. Great teachers can light the fire of motivation in students but they only have them for 6.5 hours a day for 180 days. While there are many cases over time of students achieving despite their home environment, having parental support makes the job easier.<br /><br />Any teachers out there who care to comment on this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-79071552464769160102010-08-11T18:52:56.312-04:002010-08-11T18:52:56.312-04:00@ Anonymous 6:26
"In fairness, the parents be...@ Anonymous 6:26<br />"In fairness, the parents bear some responsibility in the low scores also. "<br /><br />If every DCSS student had these three fundamentals:<br />1. A safe and clean environment<br />2. A reasonably sized classroom with a competent and well compensated teacher<br />3. Abundant access to cutting edge science and technology equipment<br /><br />I don't think we would have anywhere near the problems we have now. Our per pupil expenditure is over $10,000 per student. Teachers and parents in DCSS have become so accustomed to having most of the money going to admin and support rather than teachers, poor customer service, and broken and scant cutting edge science and technology equipment that they can't conceive of what good schools look like. The three fundamentals listed above have been and remain totally up to the admin and support side of DCSS. Parents are helpless to provide this environment and so are teachers. With a billion dollar budget for 93,000 students, we should have these three fundamentals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-49939648313355566942010-08-11T18:44:40.181-04:002010-08-11T18:44:40.181-04:00"These two will be on board shortly to change..."These two will be on board shortly to change the media slant and help with the audit. "<br /><br />If it's business as usual, then the media slant will not be changed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-19013754964113641892010-08-11T18:35:01.178-04:002010-08-11T18:35:01.178-04:00Cereb,
Ms. Tyson announced today that a person wi...Cereb,<br /><br />Ms. Tyson announced today that a person will be hired real soon. She has it down to two people. She is waiting for the criminal background checks to come back. The same is true for the assistant super for auditor. These two will be on board shortly to change the media slant and help with the audit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-27284073565805406022010-08-11T18:27:00.696-04:002010-08-11T18:27:00.696-04:005:27 PM, Imagine just how bad our schools would lo...5:27 PM, Imagine just how bad our schools would look if you took Dunwoody, Druid Hills, Lakeside and Chamblee out of the mix.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-14078087670196338902010-08-11T18:26:40.603-04:002010-08-11T18:26:40.603-04:00"The DCSS leadership including Ms. Tyson, Mr...."The DCSS leadership including Ms. Tyson, Mr. Moseley, Ms. Mayfield, etc. and the entire BOE are responsible for this mess - not the teachers and students. "<br /><br />In fairness, the parents bear some responsibility in the low scores also. Teachers can do their best in trying to reach a child but support from home is needed to make a lasting impact. Can teachers succeed without parental support? Sure, many great teachers have but it sure makes the job easier when they know they won't get cursed out for calling about concerns with a student.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-31216258350226047122010-08-11T18:13:12.576-04:002010-08-11T18:13:12.576-04:00No, she wasn't "bullied". She was &...No, she wasn't "bullied". She was "bully-ed". Her words, not mine. <br />Would it kill anyone in Stone Mountain to speak correctly???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-24163367529973584722010-08-11T17:39:07.596-04:002010-08-11T17:39:07.596-04:00ps - didn't they vote to hire an outside PR fi...ps - didn't they vote to hire an outside PR firm just a couple of months ago? What became of those people?Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-2967064842884767912010-08-11T17:38:15.193-04:002010-08-11T17:38:15.193-04:00In response to Zepora's charge that Wendy was ...In response to Zepora's charge that Wendy was 'bullying' her, Wendy has posted the raw video footage of her parking lot interview of Zepora. View it in it's entirety here - You can see that no such thing occurred. In fact, Wendy even points out that she has never spoken with Zepora before (so this footage is her only interaction with Zepora ever).<br /><br />http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/24569570/detail.htmlCerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-73345633869009392262010-08-11T17:37:23.292-04:002010-08-11T17:37:23.292-04:00"In crisis communication that's one of th..."In crisis communication that's one of the very first things you establish for the public and media."<br /><br />Now that is a true statment! During the RIFs, they laid off their media relations department (excluding you know who) including Dale Davis, who served as a spokesman for the district. Until they get another PR person on board, comments to the media will probably be scheduled events not impromptu.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-60892086977715173752010-08-11T17:27:44.837-04:002010-08-11T17:27:44.837-04:00@ Anonymous 4:56
"Some of you are just so an...@ Anonymous 4:56<br /><br />"Some of you are just so angry that you are losing touch with realism.""<br /><br />The problem is that DeKalb is truly at the bottom of the barrel. We have the lowest scores of any metro system - lower than APS or Cobb or Clayton or Fulton, etc. That's what parents/taxpayers are angry about. The DCSS leadership including Ms. Tyson, Mr. Moseley, Ms. Mayfield, etc. and the entire BOE are responsible for this mess - not the teachers and students. <br /><br />Some people like to say it's the kids - like we should just exchange them for "better" kids. Some people like to blame the teachers. Hey - not only did this administration and BOE vote on the hiring of every single teacher, they also told them how to teach, how to grade their students, how to interact with parents, etc., and there are around 1400 Central Office employees, Instructional coaches, APs and Principals to make sure the 6,400 teachers have done exactly what the administration tells them.<br /><br />The teachers have been following the directions of the administration who is supported by the BOE. If our system is failing, who is responsible? The administration likes the big bucks that come with their authority, but they do not want to be responsible for the decline in student achievement. Well, who else is responsible? <br /><br />I don't have a child in DCSS any more (thank goodness), but I pay a substantial amount of taxes. I don't resent paying those taxes if DeKalb students get good value from them. They aren't, and it's very clear who has caused it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-13939833835065332682010-08-11T17:21:18.446-04:002010-08-11T17:21:18.446-04:00A@5:01 asks:
"WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE D...A@5:01 asks:<br />"WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS & WHO'S IN CHARGE?"<br /><br />Funny. In crisis communication that's one of the very first things you establish for the public and media. These guys (DCSS/BOE) are almost a case study in how to do all of this wrong. Of course, being incompetent and, um, ethically challenged, doesn't help either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-80404942446316739792010-08-11T17:06:54.377-04:002010-08-11T17:06:54.377-04:00@ Anonymous 4:53
"Ms. Tyson is a very good s...@ Anonymous 4:53<br /><br />"Ms. Tyson is a very good speaker. She is smart and able to answer questions off the cuff. "<br /><br />I totally agree. I've seen her speak numerous times. She is at her best in front of a crowd. Her lack of educational and business experience has led her to make some very bad decisions for students and teachers, but she has defended those decisions fluently and admirably. She sold the BOE on spending $11,000,000 on eSis and SchoolNet. Nary a question was asked. She even got a promotion for bringing eSis and SchoolNet to DCSS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-2275745004999311332010-08-11T17:01:54.077-04:002010-08-11T17:01:54.077-04:00Ramona Tyson is very articulate...she does not hav...Ramona Tyson is very articulate...she does not have a problem expressing herself..ask anyone who have come into contact with her. And I agree she speaks well in front of the BOE and when the cameras are rolling. <br /><br />The problem is she is ill-prepared and ill-advised by the people around her. The questions must be asked...<br /><br />WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS & WHO'S IN CHARGE? <br /><br />Tyson is in over her head and this will lead to more problems for DCSS. I fear that when this trial begins there will be no one minding the Palace because everyone will be at the courthouse test-a-lieing (oops testifying). <br /><br />So many subpoena's have been handed out @ the Palace that the only people that will be at work will be security and the custodians.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-4546144095718329002010-08-11T17:00:40.696-04:002010-08-11T17:00:40.696-04:00"Some of you are just so angry that you are l..."Some of you are just so angry that you are losing touch with realism."<br />August 11, 2010 4:56 PM <br /><br /><br />Maybe, we are Anon 4:56 pm. But anyone who is an apologist for the DCSS Central Office is enabling mismanagement, graft, unethical behavior, cronyism, nepotism, etc., etc., etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-66454010449931780252010-08-11T16:56:34.680-04:002010-08-11T16:56:34.680-04:00Beverly Hall-- are you kidding me? She didn't...Beverly Hall-- are you kidding me? She didn't even have the press conference as scheduled the day the cheating results were announced. Her Board of Ed has been silent except at the meeting.<br /><br />Cobb cuts 100s of teachers, no press briefings. Fulton cuts budget, programs, jobs and now is raising taxes -- no briefings.<br /><br />Some of you are just so angry that you are losing touch with realism.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com