tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post8804027994450877768..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: Are the proposed DCSS budget cuts going to harm the classroom while leaving expensive, special programs intact?Cerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-10199548087182984162010-03-23T11:28:30.378-04:002010-03-23T11:28:30.378-04:00I have contacted the Roper MOuntain Science Center...I have contacted the Roper MOuntain Science Center in Greenville. It is a partnership between the Greenville schools and a whole bunch of companies, with a Board that throws galas & fundraisers similar to Fernbank Museum of Natural History.<br /><br />I hope to get an idea of how they started out and how they went about constructing and maintaining the partnerships.Dekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-40153627639068279782010-03-23T09:08:03.878-04:002010-03-23T09:08:03.878-04:00fyi -- about 2 weeks ago a Fernbank person taught ...fyi -- about 2 weeks ago a Fernbank person taught my 7th graders science class at Henderson.... brought samples, equipment and things to school. It may depend on teachers arranging things. It was coincidental that my son mentioned it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-10468121249026710772010-03-19T10:50:27.201-04:002010-03-19T10:50:27.201-04:00@ Anonymous 8:20
Terrific suggestion! Would that...@ Anonymous 8:20 <br />Terrific suggestion! Would that you were on the BOE. Neither Ms. Tyson nor the BOE understand that for good educational programs to survive in DCSS, it cannot be "business as usual". <br /><br />I don't think anyone questions that the teaching staff at Fernbank is excellent. Making Fernbank a solid non-profit with a cost effective support staff would ensure that this program is not subject to the financial ineptitude of Dr. Lews, Ms. Tyson and the DCSS BOE. <br /><br />Fernbank supporters should get behind your ideas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-62040064335402723802010-03-19T10:36:10.939-04:002010-03-19T10:36:10.939-04:00Thank you, Anon 8:33! So how can we make your sugg...Thank you, Anon 8:33! So how can we make your suggestion (2) happen? Who at the Central Office can champion this cause and see it to fruition? And what happens in the meantime?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-89049303246103794592010-03-19T08:33:12.364-04:002010-03-19T08:33:12.364-04:00Thanks for thinking outside the box!Thanks for thinking outside the box!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-51910837695593973822010-03-19T08:20:14.802-04:002010-03-19T08:20:14.802-04:00I love the FSC. We wouldn't need to have this...I love the FSC. We wouldn't need to have this conversation about Fernbank if:<br /><br />1) There were some common sense changes made there, like contracting out its custodial and maintenance, instead of paying the salaries, pension and benefits of four custodians. o we eally need four exhibit display set-up staffers? Bring in an outside consultant to examine it's staffing levels, efficiency, etc., and make the necessary changes to help it become more sustainable.<br /><br />2) FSC needs to be a non-profit affiliated with the school system, but nimble enough to go after every possible grant out there, and to align itself more closely with the CDC, Emory, Emory School of Public Health, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Georgia Perimeter College, etc. Yes, FSC does have some programs with the local colleges, but it needs to expand further.<br /><br />Even the City of Atlanta has scored millions from corporations through Apple Corps. FSC needs its own board of local business leaders, university professors, CDC scientists, former elected oficials, etc.<br /><br /><br />FSC as we know it is not sustainable. It needs a model where it can go after availale funds and partnerships, and clearly the DCSS administration is not up to the task, and never will be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-21443906983985718082010-03-19T08:11:55.173-04:002010-03-19T08:11:55.173-04:00Fernbank science center and presumably the central...Fernbank science center and presumably the central office have electronic records documenting what schools their staff are in every day. I do not work at either so cannot provide that information. <br />I know at the middle and high school levels, teachers requent that Fernbank teacher come on a specific days. The Fernbank teacher typically spends the day in one or two classrooms, teaching every period. Our kids have had Fernbank teachers in their classes every year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-29905112878156178622010-03-19T07:22:09.214-04:002010-03-19T07:22:09.214-04:00We keep hearing bloggers say that Ferbank teachers...We keep hearing bloggers say that Ferbank teachers are all over the county. Please provide specific places, dates, etc., to back up your claims so that we really know this is occuring. At this point, all we have are vague words assuring us of this fact. I have never seen a Fernbank official at any ES, MS or HS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-75376703144077070812010-03-19T07:17:41.113-04:002010-03-19T07:17:41.113-04:00Online science education is a complete joke and we...Online science education is a complete joke and we should not pay for it with taxpayer dollars. How can you do a lab online?<br /><br />DeKalb County offers very few advanced science classes at the high school level. AP Physics C (with calculus)is offered only at 2 or 3 high schools. I would suggest DeKalb needs a true math and science magnet high school but i suspect most of this blog would argue with that, as well. Instead, we will have montessori and theme schools with no measurable outcomes. What DCSS really needs is truly premiere education at the high school level.<br /><br />And for the record - we have a friend who teaches at Fernbank and he has never attended a conference or done research. He spends 3 days a week in high schools all over the county, driving himself and his equipment there in his personal vehicle. He teaches after school and at STT. He often works on Saturdays. He is dedicated 100% to kids in DeKalb County. The implications in this blog that teachers at Fernbank are lazy is insulting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-25165222637815362072010-03-19T06:58:48.472-04:002010-03-19T06:58:48.472-04:00Cut Fernbank and the only kids who will have acces...<i>Cut Fernbank and the only kids who will have access to these AP classes are Chamblee and maybe Lakeside where there are enough kids to fill a class</i><br /><br />That is a truly ignorant statement. There are AP Physics and Chemistry in many of the high schools in DCSS.<br /><br />FYI, the State of Georgia online programs provides access to a ton of AP classes. If a school does not offer one, then just take it online.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-71370070858155113692010-03-19T05:21:16.228-04:002010-03-19T05:21:16.228-04:00Anonymous
You are right about access to AP course...Anonymous<br /><br />You are right about access to AP courses, but couldn't those 30ish instructors go into the high schools and teach the courses? Even if it is a just a few kids, it would be more equitable. A surprisingly large number of students in DCSS high schools don't have the ability to transport themselves to FSC after school (or anytime).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-31845339705610572882010-03-18T23:19:16.936-04:002010-03-18T23:19:16.936-04:00Everyone agrees that Fernbank has some very fine p...Everyone agrees that Fernbank has some very fine programs. However, a local school is the heart and soul of the community. Local schools are being evaluated as cost centers and many will be shuttered - why would Fernbank not be evaluated as a cost center as well?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-71718373119094028632010-03-18T22:58:40.836-04:002010-03-18T22:58:40.836-04:00While it has been pointed out of this blog earlier...While it has been pointed out of this blog earlier, FSC offers programs other than STT, that are open to all high shcool students in DeKalb County. These are called Advanced Studies and are taught after school. The County does not provide transportation. Any high school student can apply. They offer a variety of classes, including 2 full year AP classes. Kids come to the AP classes because these classes are not offered at their schools since there would not be enough students to justify a class. All these classes are described on the Fernbank website. Cut Fernbank and the only kids who will have access to these AP classes are Chamblee and maybe Lakeside where there are enough kids to fill a class. Now that would be inequitable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-2779947726341224182010-03-18T20:44:26.654-04:002010-03-18T20:44:26.654-04:00@ Anonymous 4:23 pm
I don't think anyone disa...@ Anonymous 4:23 pm<br /><br />I don't think anyone disagrees that SST is great for the 180 students out of 100,000 that qualify every year.<br /><br />I think the disagreement comes from the $7,000,000 a year that Fernbank costs DCSS. <br /><br />Consider the 12 schools the BOE is proposing closing that serve thousands of students every day. What is the perspective on the continued support of Fernbank while neighborhood schools are closing? <br /><br />All budget centers need to be evaluated. Fernbank needs to be evaluated every bit as much as those neighborhood schools.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-50592955204479640732010-03-16T14:51:51.162-04:002010-03-16T14:51:51.162-04:00I was only talking about STT, not the other progra...I was only talking about STT, not the other programs. The buses I was talking about are the ones that depart FSC daily at about 11:30, when STT ends. <br /><br />I know there are buses there all the time for other purposes. What It seems from the comments on this thread that there is a variation among schools as to how often they actually go to FSC - could be partly due to its location.<br /><br /> I truly don't know where I stand on the FSC issue - I just keep coming back to the model that we use with our personal finances - when money is short, you examine <i>everything</i> with an objective mind and cut out what is not absolutely necessary. It appears our administration is not doing this. FSC is too valuable to walk away from, but getting corporate help is a possibility. So is spreading the word to the general public, and particularly trying to entice neighboring school systems. DCSS should not be supporting FSC on its own.Dekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-44257206108258265982010-03-16T14:13:07.528-04:002010-03-16T14:13:07.528-04:00@Anonymous 6:43 AM
You probably should have read ...@Anonymous 6:43 AM<br /><br />You probably should have read my post more closely. I did, indeed, copy the time-stamped verbal threat of physical violence that was made against me in this blog. It was made by a bully too cowardly to sign his/her name to it. And, I definitely distributed it to friends -- some are teachers, some are not.Nonninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-64393953101021157392010-03-16T10:48:42.535-04:002010-03-16T10:48:42.535-04:00True. It's just overwhelming to see the big f...True. It's just overwhelming to see the big fight people will put up when suddenly, their favorite program is in jeopardy. Otherwise, they don't seem to give a rip where the cuts come from. We have had many comments protecting the Fernbank turf - from those who refuse to see that although their program beneficiaries do well, our ordinary science scores are some of the lowest in the state. We have many bloggers here who see this and who push for equality in funding and in access. But this issue has shown the power of the other side - the side who obviously (to me anyway) suck up their funding off the top, leaving the scraps for the vast majority to squabble over. (This has become a theme on this blog - we uncover this over and over again.)Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-53128187287156010472010-03-16T10:46:16.017-04:002010-03-16T10:46:16.017-04:00The really big problem is that Board members do no...The really big problem is that Board members do not know even what they know.<br />Jumbled numbers, lack of public trust, nepotism, special programs, not making critical decisions timely, and the list goes on.<br />This is all Dr. Lewis's mess and he should be held accountable for it. <br />The Board should demand he get back to work. He should be leading these school closure meetings among other things.<br />It is all just maddening, especially when the administrators and teachers at the local school get left with the mess - and they dare not complain!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-72044770934372848782010-03-16T10:41:02.213-04:002010-03-16T10:41:02.213-04:00Cere,
There is by no means consensus here - we ha...Cere,<br /><br />There is by no means consensus here - we have limited access to questionable information. How many times have we heard board members imply that we don't know what they know?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-50920811836059852572010-03-16T10:28:30.232-04:002010-03-16T10:28:30.232-04:00So, the consensus here is that it's worth mill...So, the consensus here is that it's worth millions of dollars to maintain a "jewel" of a program that greatly benefits a small number of students and impacts other students perhaps one or if they're lucky - two days per year. And all the while, the basics are somehow not getting through - as our ECOT results blatantly show.<br /><br />Sounds like inequitable DeKalb's MO to me. Truly, check out the sending schools of the 8th graders from this past year - you will find a certain very tiny private school that was able to send nearly all of their students to STT. Someone knows how to game the system - and that's, sadly, what it takes to access this program. <br /><br />It's really no different than the summer intern program hijacked by Zepora. It's on the chopping block as well - and watch her work her magic behind the scenes to keep it. Everyone wants to save their favorite program - leaving the only solution to the budget crisis to be cuts to the ordinary classroom and regular teachers.<br /><br />That's the choice our community and board appears to be making. It's disappointing and will effect our school system and property values for a long time to come.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-40051647838731330202010-03-16T09:59:54.771-04:002010-03-16T09:59:54.771-04:00So, the Science Center serves more than the 180 9t...So, the Science Center serves more than the 180 9th grade students in the STT program. It would seem we need some more facts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-90830400451784535112010-03-16T09:56:57.110-04:002010-03-16T09:56:57.110-04:00STT is for 9th graders only.STT is for 9th graders only.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-63800646003913687092010-03-16T09:55:07.871-04:002010-03-16T09:55:07.871-04:00But there are elementary-age children going there ...But there are elementary-age children going there pretty much daily too. As far as I know they would not be part of STT, correct?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-81559494125218328032010-03-16T09:53:09.026-04:002010-03-16T09:53:09.026-04:00There are only 180 students in the STT program.There are only 180 students in the STT program.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-51473537295600435332010-03-16T09:48:54.837-04:002010-03-16T09:48:54.837-04:00Dekalbparent,
I am also at Fernbank ES pretty muc...Dekalbparent,<br /><br />I am also at Fernbank ES pretty much daily and my observation has been that the kids getting off the buses are a mix of all age groups. Buses come through the science center all day long and there would seem to be a lot more than 180 kids per day. I don't claim to know all the facts but I do know based on personal observation that the Science Center is serving far more than 180 high schools kids.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com