tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post4230311999054331867..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: This can't be goodCerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-36955078863317617212011-02-07T08:26:02.599-05:002011-02-07T08:26:02.599-05:00Sorry for the previous misquote:
Jim Walls report...Sorry for the previous misquote:<br /><br />Jim Walls report stated: (and should read)<br /><br />"Now, school officials can't seem to locate those findings."<br /><br />Accidently typed THESE and should be those...<br /><br />my bad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-4477835957758927182011-02-07T08:23:21.618-05:002011-02-07T08:23:21.618-05:00AJC's Jim Walls reports:
" Now school of...AJC's Jim Walls reports:<br /><br />" Now school officials can't seem to locate these findings."<br /><br />This article pertains to the 2004 salary audit conducted by Ernst & Young.<br /><br />Read the article and weep!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-88115667972706076112011-02-06T22:03:08.902-05:002011-02-06T22:03:08.902-05:00Anon @ 8:48 PM...
"I'll tell you who is g...Anon @ 8:48 PM...<br />"I'll tell you who is going to sue. The parents of those boys who where checked out to commit a robbery." <br /><br />She didn't check them out. She didn't have time to check them out at Stephenson High School, drive to Lilburn, and rob a bank at 9am. Have you ever been in an attendance office in a high school at the opening of the school day? Parents are checking students IN. School starts around 8:15/8:20 or so. Check-ins take until around 8:30 if not later. If you try to check a student OUT at the beginning of the day, you get put at the END of the line. Try and check out three students. It takes easily 15-20 minutes. Add on the fact that two of them aren't your own kids. <br /><br />The boys went to school, hung out on campus, and got into her car when she drove up. They never went to class. She didn't check them out. It happens all of the time on every high school campus all over the district.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-70068042657525760472011-02-06T12:18:36.961-05:002011-02-06T12:18:36.961-05:00[I am not a lawyer, and I don't even know any ...[I am not a lawyer, and I don't even know any lawyers to ask about this.]<br /><br />Is it possible that the suit against the former school board members is a usual order of business in a lawsuit of this type? It would seem logical to name anybody and everybody who could be connected, regardless of what their actual involvement was, in order to make the suit an even bigger deal.<br /><br />If this is the case, perhaps whenever this thing ACTUALLY comes to trial, some of the 17 named will be dropped. Surely, this is what lawyers working for them would be doing.<br /><br />Not minimizing this thing in any way - I am way cheesed that DCSS let this happen, and its genesis is so tangled and murky - but just possibly we won't be on the hook for everybody for the entirety of the proceedings.Dekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-6439286470944703242011-02-06T11:37:15.816-05:002011-02-06T11:37:15.816-05:00@9:04..... I can tell you that are there are 7 di...@9:04..... I can tell you that are there are 7 different people in the county with the same first and last name as me. 4 of them have the same initial. So yes it can happen. But I wished my salary was that big.... When reading emails it becomes a big mess because I get theirs and they get mine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-60451384657973362932011-02-06T11:08:17.574-05:002011-02-06T11:08:17.574-05:00I can understand why the school board would pay at...I can understand why the school board would pay attorney fees of school board members. However, I do think we would be better off having insurance to help pay for this. <br /><br />I also am not for sure it is a good deal for the school system to be so heavily self-insured with the bone head moves made in the past 7-10 years. I think we may benifit from being more insured that we currently are. <br /><br />I also think that the individual school board members should have their own insurance. However, many of these school board members are being sued and they are no longer on the school board. I am sure they are not still insured, even if they once were. I am not for sure how this type of situation would work. I suspect the school board as a whole do need some type of insurance to cover situations like this.<br /><br />I also do believe there should be in-house counsel that might prevent a great number of things from happening to start with. We could easily afford in-house council if we did away with so many administrative positions. We probable could afford more than 1 attorney for in-house counsel if we did away with the excess wait in administration costs.Ella Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16485840445272819682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-55160885214679326722011-02-06T09:04:52.761-05:002011-02-06T09:04:52.761-05:00Can anyone explain why the Chief financial officer...Can anyone explain why the Chief financial officer is not held more accountable? Is there a reason why so many Dekalb employee names are left off the Open Records salaries of Georgia State Employees? Another disturbing thing that I found was one employee (in the "H" section) was listed as having two titles and two salaries; one was for $106,848 and the other was for $94,632. What are the chances of two female employees having the exact name including the middle initial?????????????Maybe there is a good explanation for it. I would surely like to hear it.<br />My point is that this is more of the same; incompetent, connected people getting high salaries!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-18205425366210374192011-02-06T08:29:53.294-05:002011-02-06T08:29:53.294-05:00I wonder why DCSS has to pay the legal fees? Is t...I wonder why DCSS has to pay the legal fees? Is there an explanation anywhere?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-51122025018773843802011-02-06T08:05:44.625-05:002011-02-06T08:05:44.625-05:00Those boys never actually went to class. Even the...Those boys never actually went to class. Even the law enforcement agency in Gwinnett has stopped saying she checked them out, I think. I think her son went to class and then when his buddies were skipping he decided to as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-35959344345168835542011-02-05T22:50:59.373-05:002011-02-05T22:50:59.373-05:00It is sure that the best and brightest teachers wi...It is sure that the best and brightest teachers will not choose DeKalb. The awesome teachers that we do have will look for their exit and never look back. The good teachers close to retirement will wait it out and retire as they are a lot less likely to get a job in another district. DCSS will not be tops in the area for some time to come. I, in my late 30's don't think that I'll see it in my life time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-73582133548334349072011-02-05T22:04:27.462-05:002011-02-05T22:04:27.462-05:00Neither teachers or students will see one single p...Neither teachers or students will see one single penny ever again. Enjoy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-74624671663922027812011-02-05T21:16:39.062-05:002011-02-05T21:16:39.062-05:00Do not be too concerned about the money for the l...Do not be too concerned about the money for the legal fees. The worst case is that the final total should not be more than about two years of the savings from redistricting. The best case is that it will be about 20% of the almost guaranteed $135 million recovery.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-30918917570239230252011-02-05T20:56:33.670-05:002011-02-05T20:56:33.670-05:00From the AJC article: "As it stands, the dist...From the AJC article: "As it stands, the district will have to pay for its own legal bills and provide lawyers for those 17 individuals, including Lewis, former chief operating officer Patricia Reid and members of the 2006 school board."<br /><br />This is the ultimate in irony. We are paying good funds that should be used to educate our children for lawyers to protect the likes of Pope and Lewis, while we are hoping to have them jailed on a different matter. <br /><br />BOARD, LEWIS, POPE, AND EXPENSIVE LAWYERS, SHAME ON ALL OF YOU.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-41511419230883427692011-02-05T20:48:15.902-05:002011-02-05T20:48:15.902-05:00I'll tell you who is going to sue. The parent...I'll tell you who is going to sue. The parents of those boys who where checked out to commit a robbery. If it hasn't occurred to them yet it will soon. You are not supposed to be able to check out someone else's child unless you are on a approved list filed at registration. Just wait it's coming...I doubt this woman was on both of these boys files with permission to pick up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-80919525154456563812011-02-05T16:46:18.228-05:002011-02-05T16:46:18.228-05:00@ Anonymous 2:16
"I can find BOE meeting agen...@ Anonymous 2:16<br />"I can find BOE meeting agenda's on the website, but can't find any meeting minutes. Where are they supposed to be? if the BOE posted them online under Lewis, why can't Tyson do so. She was head of Info. System by gosh."<br /><br />The DCSS BOE meeting minutes have been published consistently for 8 years from 2002 to 2010 until Ms. Tyson became Interim superintendent. She ceased publishing them in July, 2010. No minutes have been published since them. <br /><br />Please email the BOE members and ask why they the minutes are not being published and request they be published. Let us know here at the blog what they say. <br /><br />Look at this website:<br />http://www.gfaf.org/open_meetings.html<br /><br />"O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1<br /><br />GEORGIA CODE<br />Copyright 2007 by The State of Georgia<br />All rights reserved.<br /><br />*** Current through the 2007 Regular Session ***<br /><br />TITLE 50. STATE GOVERNMENT <br />CHAPTER 14. OPEN AND PUBLIC MEETINGS<br /><br />O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1 (2007)<br /><br />§ 50-14-1. Meetings to be open to public; limitation on action to contest agency action; recording; notice of time and place; access to minutes; telecommunications conferences...<br /><br />....A summary of the subjects acted on and those members present at a meeting of any agency shall be written and made available to the public for inspection within two business days of the adjournment of a meeting of any agency. The minutes of a meeting of any agency shall be promptly recorded and such records shall be open to public inspection once approved as official by the agency, but in no case later than immediately following the next regular meeting of the agency; provided, however, nothing contained in this chapter shall prohibit the earlier release of minutes, whether approved by the agency or not. Said minutes shall, as a minimum, include the names of the members present at the meeting, a description of each motion or other proposal made, and a record of all votes. In the case of a roll-call vote the name of each person voting for or against a proposal shall be recorded and in all other cases it shall be presumed that the action taken was approved by each person in attendance unless the minutes reflect the name of the persons voting against the proposal or abstaining."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-31284541057249900662011-02-05T14:16:55.265-05:002011-02-05T14:16:55.265-05:00"I got onto e-board this morning. There must ..."I got onto e-board this morning. There must be a system error. It was working just a few hours ago."<br /><br />I can find BOE meeting agenda's on the website, but can't find any meeting minutes. Where are they supposed to be? if the BOE posted them online under Lewis, why can't Tyson do so. She was head of Info. System by gosh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-3114968107214638672011-02-05T13:41:18.651-05:002011-02-05T13:41:18.651-05:00Why do we write contracts that require us to prote...Why do we write contracts that require us to protect people who are being charged with wrongdoing in the provision of services to the kids?<br /><br />I am utterly, angrily opposed to paying for counsel to represent BOE members who have threatened the public for anything that they do in the "capacity" of the board. If they were inept and ineffective in doing the job that they were elected to do for the kids, why are we on the hook for attorneys fees in cases that point this out? <br /><br />Perhaps we need to have more specific instances of when attorneys' fees are appropriately provided for employees and when they are not. Teachers, I thought, should get their own legal insurance to cover lawsuits like this. Seems to me board members should as well.<br /><br />I WILL NOT VOTE for additional taxes or SPLOST monies until this board gets their ducks in a row. Why is this conversation secret from the public?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-52558589259327645482011-02-05T13:40:27.519-05:002011-02-05T13:40:27.519-05:00The school sytem used to self-insure themself and ...The school sytem used to self-insure themself and this may still be the case. I have not kept up with this very well the last few years. The school system does not have any insurance to cover these extra expenses. The school board also will not settle any lawsuits, etc. quickly. They are known to draw them out in a court of law. Most people cannot financially afford to keep up with them due to the money they spend. However, it appears one person has and has run up the School System's legal bill. He has not backed down. I have always assumed the school system is right and assumed that everything I have heard is true, but apparently someone feels differently and is willing to spend just as much money on lawyers and now that school board members can be sued for their individual decisions as members of the school board, a can of worms has been opened.<br /><br />I can understand how the past and current school board members must fell knowing that the decisions they made as a group is allowing them to be sued. However, it may just be the individuals who voted yes on an item are being sued. However, this is a little scarey. I am sure if they belong to the Georgia School Board Associatin they many have some insurance. At least I hope these individuals had some kind of insurance. They may have had it back when they were on the school board also and not have it currently.Ella Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16485840445272819682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-22998952533436889172011-02-05T13:25:14.795-05:002011-02-05T13:25:14.795-05:00Annonymous 12:58, I will be glad to advocate for t...Annonymous 12:58, I will be glad to advocate for this to happen. I will be glad to do this. I agree with you. However, this has nothing to do with me thinking Tom Bowen does a good job as the Chairman of the School Board. I have attended board meetings for 15 years in the county and followed the school board. Have you followed them this long and watched the meetings over the years. Tom Bowen does handle the Chairman of the School Board better than others in the past, or at least better than most of the others. He is not disrepectful to the speakers from the community and he handles the other conflicts among the board in a civil way. He never talked bad about his other school board members and I am sure he has been frustrated with members of the school board while he has been on there. However, this is just my opinion. I have reviewed a great deal of information on leaders in the last two years in my studies and I respect him as a leader of the school board. I may not always agree with him but I respect him. I also do not agree with Dr. Walker on all his decisions and all the other interests he seems to have. I do not like what I see regarding the legal cases from the state. But, as a school board member I respect him and always treat him with respect. Disagreeing with someone does not mean you attack them in a public manner or show them disrespect. I respect individuals for who they are regardless if I agree with them or not. You have to be able to work with other individuals whether you agree with them or not or like what you always read about them or not. I respect all the school board members except one. I try very hard to respect this school board member but I just cannot make myself gain respect. I think it is that I do not feel she has the right respect for all citizens and students in the county to be a school board member.Ella Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16485840445272819682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-14974623638058254412011-02-05T13:22:31.057-05:002011-02-05T13:22:31.057-05:00I got onto e-board this morning. There must be a ...I got onto e-board this morning. There must be a system error. It was working just a few hours ago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-44932577905208946872011-02-05T13:05:06.867-05:002011-02-05T13:05:06.867-05:00Gene Walker is out campaigning for a property tax ...Gene Walker is out campaigning for a property tax increase. I heard him at a public meeting say so in person.<br /><br />This clown has the audacity to ask for a property tax increase while DCSS wastes milions on lawyer fees. It looks like we actually have to provide legal counsel for Crawford lewis and Pat Pope for the Heery lawsuit.<br /><br />I'd rather move than pay one penny of taxes to represent human pond scum like Crawford Lewis and pat Pope. It's bad enough that Marcus Turk and Tom Bowen allowed him to travel out of the country to a Carribean resort with a current DCCS department head who's not his wife, and to the Ritz Carlton reynolds Plantation, on a DCSS PURCHASING CARD!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-72111658642241577252011-02-05T12:58:31.789-05:002011-02-05T12:58:31.789-05:00Hey citizen school leaders out there (The Marshall...Hey citizen school leaders out there (The Marshall Orson's, the Faye Andresen's, the Amy Powers', the Kom Gokce's, the Ernest Brown's, etc.):<br /><br />We all need to DEMAND that the BOE posts meeting minutes online again. They did so through July 2010, and just stopped. This is blatantly unethical, if not possibly illegal.<br /><br />The Ramona Tyson-led Central Office is intentionally or unintentionally stonewalling parents and taxpayers by failing to post the meeting minutes of every BOE meeting.<br /><br />C'mon Jeff Dickerson and Walter Woods, how come y'all are suppressing information instead of releasing it?<br /><br />Ella, since you're such a big supporter of Tom Bowen, how 'bout calling him and asking him why, as leader of the Board of Education, he is allowing the Tyson Central Office to hide important information from the public.<br /><br />We should have to ask the DeKalb Delgation to help us with this, but we are.<br /><br />This has to stop, right now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-76492694968648735032011-02-05T12:47:56.933-05:002011-02-05T12:47:56.933-05:00I don’t understand why (a) there isn’t D&O cov...I don’t understand why (a) there isn’t D&O coverage for the board members; (b) they don’t have their own umbrella policies for just this purpose and (c) why DCSS doesn't have a terrific general counsel, who is in-house, really making good decisions on these fronts…. On behalf of the children when issues come up (such as the news story about the 8 year old and Jaheem and other IEP type issues) and the citizens as in this case… This does not make any sense to me except if DCSS has really been run as a glorious kite for some other enterprise – in which case why isn’t the US Atty really investigating… I don’t understand…… maybe between the US Atty and FBI in Virginia (anyone see the Fox story involving NB the other night?) and this monstrosity and the current pending case in DeK, it will finally get at the truth? It sure hasn’t been about education.... Please write ... see the take action blog column from last month for contact points to express your opinons to the State and SACS and to Legislators and bring hard evidence to the FBI fruad division. (Cere: maybe you can post contact info on the side bar?).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-71998115100408738582011-02-05T12:31:39.409-05:002011-02-05T12:31:39.409-05:00"other appropriate entities and involving the..."other appropriate entities and involving the DeKalb Schools police force"<br /><br />LOL<br /><br />Whatever happened to that most frighting of all deterrents when I was a kid? EXPLUSION!No Duhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14462063673391668451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-27194177793833908822011-02-05T12:29:05.165-05:002011-02-05T12:29:05.165-05:00I have been trying to access the BOE pages on the ...I have been trying to access the BOE pages on the DCSS website for the last hour, and I am getting errors and failure to load the page. This is where you could (in theory) look at the HR reports Cere referred to.<br /><br />Trying not to read anything into this (first the stop posting meeting minutes, now we can't access agenda for future meetings and information from past ones...). I SURE it's just a technical glitch.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com