tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post5404072801134783029..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: First board meeting for 2011 tonightCerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger283125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-6099933898070295892011-01-11T22:31:24.392-05:002011-01-11T22:31:24.392-05:00"Don Roberts is the main reason that Dekalb C..."Don Roberts is the main reason that Dekalb County has one of the highest ranked music programs in the Country!"<br /><br /><br />Ummm..since when?<br /><br />Never seen DeKalb's music program nationally ranked. And music education is more than drums.<br /><br /><br />Never seen Roberts at my children's middle school or high school.<br /><br />I wish him the best, and just hope he's putting in the energy and effort that he is being compensated to do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-80827874993865575352011-01-11T22:20:27.824-05:002011-01-11T22:20:27.824-05:00Don Roberts is the main reason that Dekalb County ...Don Roberts is the main reason that Dekalb County has one of the highest ranked music programs in the Country!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-6580455629932058002011-01-11T16:57:33.525-05:002011-01-11T16:57:33.525-05:00According to the AJC
Bowen, Womack to oversee De...According to the AJC <br /><br /><a href="http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/bowen-womack-to-oversee-794116.html" rel="nofollow">Bowen, Womack to oversee DeKalb school board</a><br /><br />By Megan Matteucci <br />The Atlanta Journal-Constitution<br /><br /><i>Tom Bowen will continue to serve as chairman of the DeKalb County school board.<br /><br />On Monday night, the board elected Bowen, who represents District 6, to another term.<br /><br />District 4 board member H. Paul Womack was elected vice chairman in a 5-4 vote. He defeated board member Eugene Walker for the position.</i><br /><br />Oddly, at the end of the meeting, when the board members have time for comments, Tom Bowen made the point that he asked SACS who would best lead the board, and who, if anyone would cause SACS to have an issue. He said SACS had no issue with anyone on the board. Then - he went on to say that if you went by qualifications - then in his opinion, Dr. Walker should lead the board!Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-77220821066930758462011-01-04T17:05:50.312-05:002011-01-04T17:05:50.312-05:00@9:59
I am a teacher in Dekalb County. I am frust...@9:59<br />I am a teacher in Dekalb County. I am frustrated with what is happening. Could I get out? Yes. I have been offered positions in a nearby county. Why haven't I taken them? Because unlike you, I care about the children in Dekalb County. I care about the students in my classroom. At times I am the only thing that isolates them from feeling the "pain" of the Central Office and Board's decisions. So, as long as there are kids here, as long as I am needed, I will teach. Can I complain? You bet I can! I speak up. I am on committees that voice our opinions, and for now, that's the best I can do. My students are learning. Just because programs and expectations from the CO have been "dumbed-down" doesn't mean my classroom has!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-29120418134513630912011-01-04T14:23:04.078-05:002011-01-04T14:23:04.078-05:00ps - the maps are here - along with all the rest o...ps - the maps are here - along with all the rest of last night's presentation <br /><br />http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/redistricting<br /> <br />Check out our new discussion on the topic -<br /><br />http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/updated-2020-vision.htmlCerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-90343241946062385622011-01-04T14:19:07.770-05:002011-01-04T14:19:07.770-05:00Anon 11:08 AM - I could be way off base, but I wou...Anon 11:08 AM - I could be way off base, but I would think the "under-enrolled" number means that the building itself can hold more - either that or it's "under" the 450 marker for state funding to kick in for specials (art, music, pe...) The actual enrollment number at Kittredge is set by the number of teachers and staff the program administrators can wrangle for the program (I think). Anyone know for certain?Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-20128916529344195082011-01-04T14:15:44.566-05:002011-01-04T14:15:44.566-05:00I'll be very curious to see how the transfer p...I'll be very curious to see how the transfer policy returns to the board after Tyson rewrites it. (The entire policy is posted early in the comments of this post. Tyson asked for it to be pulled from the agenda last night.) I wonder if she will write in rules for administrative transfers for staff or rules stating that central office staff cannot use transfers - only teachers and staff in the schoolhouse - and only in the schoolhouse where they actually work. <br /><br />Here's hoping.... We will certainly be keeping an eye on this one.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-43856800560723713302011-01-04T14:09:33.851-05:002011-01-04T14:09:33.851-05:00@ anonymous 11:51
"The plan is to send all of...@ anonymous 11:51<br />"The plan is to send all of Sagamore to Druid Hills - as well as some of Oak Grove."<br /><br />Well, my guess is they are reserving the Lakeside spaces for the administrative transfers. One of the perks of working outside the schoolhouse in admin and support is the opportunity to "pick" whatever school you want to send your children to - and Lakeside is a favorite place for them to send their kids. This has grown even worse as the admin and support side has grown and grown and the DCSS administration has gutted the schools in South DeKalb by filling them with high paying non-teaching personnel.<br /><br />I guess you're reaping what Dr. Lewis and all those in this current administration have sown.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-67717657981628373642011-01-04T13:51:32.837-05:002011-01-04T13:51:32.837-05:00Has anyone looked at the maps? The plan is to sen...Has anyone looked at the maps? The plan is to send all of Sagamore to Druid Hills - as well as some of Oak Grove. How can this happen when Evansdale will remain - they are outside of 285 and right down the street from Tucker. Our kids will go from walking to a 20+ minute bus ride. How is that saving money?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-33356170875997354352011-01-04T11:08:50.650-05:002011-01-04T11:08:50.650-05:00Can someone answer a dumb question for me? My kid...Can someone answer a dumb question for me? My kids are in their school's gifted program, but are still too young to be in the gifted magnet. The DCSS website info on Kittredge Magnet shows that it is underenrolled. That seems odd to me -- doesn't the fact that they have a lottery indicate that there is not enough space for all of the qualified kids who want to attend?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-307882683244098872011-01-04T11:05:04.239-05:002011-01-04T11:05:04.239-05:00The presentation and all maps are now available on...The presentation and all maps are now available on the DCSS Vision 2020 page.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-56183398282816219172011-01-04T11:04:18.772-05:002011-01-04T11:04:18.772-05:00The reports are now available at the bottom of thi...The reports are now available at the bottom of this link under "Options"<br /><br />http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/redistrictingCerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-84985467936304560632011-01-04T10:52:52.451-05:002011-01-04T10:52:52.451-05:00Here's something interesting to me. I see a l...Here's something interesting to me. I see a lot of political posturing by Walker, Woods and Cunningham. They all like to hammer home the "poor black children waiting for the school bus at 5:30 am to go to a good school in the north" argument. However, I gotta hand it to Sarah - she is the only one who seems to get close to actually fighting to IMPROVE local schools. Walker and Cunningham SAY that they are all about the children, however in practice, all I ever witness from them are actions to protect special programs for certain children. They do not speak up for the regular, everyday people and children in their actual district schools. Why on earth these three would fight to keep separate "high achiever" programs along with the enormous costs for the programs and the transportation is beyond me. These programs cost a small fortune and the regular students are the ones to continue to lose. Their class sizes get larger and larger and their test scores are not improving. I am shocked at Dr Walker continually fighting for our "high achievers" (read that magnets and Fernbank voters in his district) - yet doing very little for the struggling students in our regular schools. <br /><br />Sarah says it often - these schools need help. The children in many of these district schools are not learning at the level their peers are in the expensive specialty programs offered elsewhere in the system. We need to spend Title 1 and other dollars getting in those schools and doing the hard work of ensuring those children are reading, writing and doing math just as well as everyone else. <br /><br />Sarah never cheerleads for the magnets - often unfocused and sometimes inarticulately, she actually does advocate for the very real children in the very real at-risk schools in her district. However, the system continues to allow these schools to fall into worse and worse shape and encourages students to leave the building in search of a proper education in a specialty program. So now, the proposal is to close some of these struggling schools. They would have plenty of students in them and would be thriving if the leadership would stop dangling theme, charter, magnet and other transfer programs in front of them. I'm not saying those are bad - but you can't just offer it for those who have the ability, test scores and wherewithal to partake of them - and then leave the home schools to flounder.<br /><br />Escape isn't the answer. Well, it is for some - but what about those "Left Behind"?Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-79369966159656392482011-01-04T10:10:26.690-05:002011-01-04T10:10:26.690-05:009:59,
I would raise the same question asked at 8:4...9:59,<br />I would raise the same question asked at 8:48.<br /><br />Some teachers need their jobs. And there are no other teaching jobs available. And we can't sell our houses in this market to move to a more desirable location.<br /><br />So yeah, for a while at least, we have to do the best we can. And we do have a right to complain, just as you have a right not to listen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-68749361666052298772011-01-04T09:59:31.764-05:002011-01-04T09:59:31.764-05:00Ya know what. I'm done here. When this school ...Ya know what. I'm done here. When this school system finally tanks completely, nobody who continues to work for DCSS will have the right to complain. All anybody does is bitch. No action. None. Continue to be abused. Continue to let children suffer. You have no conscience. No balls. Keep your soulless jobs. Watch as hundreds get laid off. Watch as admins outnumber teachers. Watch as your pay gets cut. But don't you dare complain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-79212081149935036302011-01-04T09:43:52.480-05:002011-01-04T09:43:52.480-05:00Technically, only the superintendent can make a re...Technically, only the superintendent can make a recommendation. That comes in late January after the public meetings.Insidernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-29680885922769083222011-01-04T09:40:32.411-05:002011-01-04T09:40:32.411-05:00Wow, what a meeting.
1)How ironic and interestin...Wow, what a meeting. <br /><br />1)How ironic and interesting that magnet existence drove the restructuring of the entire system ? The consultants said this in their opening statements. The centralized magnet location seemed to be first option out of the gate as if they acknowledged that DCSS provides a rather expensive system and it could be done more cost effectively. Did anyone else feel the silence and the quaking ?<br /><br />2) OMG - what in the world is Dr Walker up to? Who did he promise big things to , to publicly put up such a stink about at least " regionalizing " the magnets. Whatever...... How many parents do you think DCSS has alienated by the ridiculous magnet lottery and the low admission criteria <br />( 75%) for our " high achieving " schools!<br /><br />3) Nancy Jester , I hope you will think long and hard about sacrificing your brand new image to save Kittridge. There are plenty of parents in your district who feel that the system has never been equitable , we are just tired of being called whiners and sore losers.... You cannot quantify everything - public opinion got you in your BOE position - be sure to listen closely to it in developing your opinions. <br /><br />4) This process certainly is going to bring out the best and worst... However, it is past time to look at the expenditures and acknowledge that the magnet system could be provided at less cost. No longer, are we the " mean people" - thanks to the consultants...... We cannot afford specialty programs that only touch a small percentage of the DCSS population.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-59504734365897613692011-01-04T08:56:01.172-05:002011-01-04T08:56:01.172-05:00The first speaker, Bill Armstrong said it best. &q...The first speaker, Bill Armstrong said it best. "This board will be judged not by your intentions, but by your actions."Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-81264821013157532011-01-04T08:55:21.580-05:002011-01-04T08:55:21.580-05:00Anon 6:48. I'm not sure what I saw last night...Anon 6:48. I'm not sure what I saw last night. A lot of the slides in the powerpoint were cut off for the folks watching on Philandra Guilroy's PDS-24. I'll get to that in a moment.<br /><br />I think Nancy Creek will become a neighborhood school once again. I think they plan to use Nancy Creek, Montgomery and Huntley Hills to relieve overcrowding of the Dunwoody schools. I need to look at the maps, once they are available online to make sure. I bet the multi-family units along the 285 corridor and near Perimeter Mall will be drawn into Nancy Creek, IF they decide to use the building, once Kittredge moves to Avondale.<br /><br />Folks this is just the beginning of a process that most systems spend a lot of time on, However, since the state must have the attendance data for FTE funding in by this summer, they are in a huge rush to complete this task.<br /><br />My question is, IF we go with the MGT "centralized" plan and eliminate 6000 empty seats, how much more funding will DCSS receive from the state? Plus, how much will this whole process cost us in the long run? <br /><br />Regarding PDS-24, I think we need to replace Philandra as the leader of the TV channel. Last night, was the most important meeting that DCSS has had in a long time. One could tell by the enormous turnout at the Palace that the stakeholders are very concerned about the consolidation process. I would like to ask Ms. Guilroy why the slides that were shown were not prepared to be shown on PDS-24 properly? I work in television and this process is fairly simple. A short phone call to MGT asking them to prepare the slides for TV viewing, would have made it much easier for the stakeholders watching on TV to read the slides. Ms. Guilroy you failed once again and I think that 6 figure salary you make is not money well spent. Please go take some TV courses and learn how to run a cable access channel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-67680379856317382512011-01-04T08:53:17.932-05:002011-01-04T08:53:17.932-05:00Cere,
Thanks for the clarification on the vote.
...Cere,<br /><br />Thanks for the clarification on the vote.<br /><br />We will see how they vote when it really matters.<br />I.E. redrawn school lines!Sagamore 7https://www.blogger.com/profile/06152206779671223406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-6638937458859984322011-01-04T08:48:55.415-05:002011-01-04T08:48:55.415-05:00Anyone continuing to work in DCSS after this year ...<i>Anyone continuing to work in DCSS after this year should be blacklisted from any other job, ever, for sheer stupidity</i><br /><br />Oh, wise one, can you please tell me where I might find a fulltime job with benefits so that I can support my stupid self? Are all of the Gwinett and APS teachers going to quit so that we can make a switch? <br /><br />Or are there hundreds of available jobs that pay over $50K a year (less than I am worth, but what I am currently paid) of which I am not aware?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-7539878108707297422011-01-04T08:26:04.998-05:002011-01-04T08:26:04.998-05:0010th and 11th Grade students had to pay $13 to tak...10th and 11th Grade students had to pay $13 to take the PSAT. 9th grade students did not have to pay.Paula Caldarellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05515215184962897541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-16667674775235469832011-01-04T08:18:50.625-05:002011-01-04T08:18:50.625-05:00Anon 1:14
I, too, am glad that I don't teach a...Anon 1:14<br />I, too, am glad that I don't teach at your school, as I prefer not to work with folks who call others morons.<br /><br />Note the following from the DCSS website testing calendar:<br /><br />October 2010 <br />13 PSAT<br />All 9th grade students<br />(10th grade students Contingent on statefunding) <br /><br />I teach ninth grade. I administered the PSAT to every student I teach, and no--they did not pay. <br /><br />And since it is DCSS policy--and has been for years--that all 9th graders take the PSAT at no cost, I imagine that is what happened at your school.<br /><br />You are not a moron, just misinformed and terribly rude.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-30427391381927805852011-01-04T07:55:21.905-05:002011-01-04T07:55:21.905-05:00I recall that the vote went like this
Walker'...I recall that the vote went like this<br /><br />Walker's votes came from:<br />Cunningham (Jay nominated Gene)<br />Copelin Woods<br />Edler<br />Walker<br /><br />Womack's votes<br />Speaks (It was Speaks who nominated Womack)<br />Bowen<br />Womack<br />McChesney<br />JesterCerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-74628347767271576462011-01-04T07:46:25.644-05:002011-01-04T07:46:25.644-05:00@anon 103am,
You must not have been watching. Jes...@anon 103am,<br />You must not have been watching. Jester asked the best questions. She was definitely prepared. I think her point about the AP exams is to ask the question so the administration will have to admit that we don't get enough 3+ scores. Get them to say it! Why keep paying for all these tests?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com