Central Office ReOrg Phase III

At the business meeting last week, the Board of Education approved Phase III of the Central Office Reorganization to include the appointment of senior-level personnel, reclassification of existing positions, creation of new positions, elimination of existing positions, and the realignment of existing positions.
ReOrganizations To Date
  Phase I – (DEC 2015)
  Phase II – (MAR 2016)
  Phase III – (APR 2016)

Hire Senior Level Personnel

Lisa Martin Lisa Martin  –  (.pdf link icon  resume)  (Chief Academic and Accountability Officer – start date of June 1, 2016) – Ms. Martin has been the Superintendent and Associate Superintendent for various school districts across the South East over the last 5 years.
Chezia Calloway Chezia Calloway  –  (.pdf link icon  resume)  (Executive Director, Exceptional Education – start date of August 22, 2016) – Ms. Calloway was in the Maryland Department of Education for 5 years. She has been the last few years in Bermuda where she was Assistant Director of Student Services before coming to DeKalb.

ReOrg Phase III
Phase III of the reorganization flattens the layers of bureaucracy through decentralization, placing critical human capital and operations services in the field with the regional superintendent.
Elimination of Existing Positions
Any existing personnel in eliminated positions are encouraged to apply for currently open positions. Employment, however, is not guaranteed and open positions will be filled with the most qualified applicant.

  • Director of Transportation Operations
  • Manager, Compensation
  • Manager, Insurance
  • Manager, HR Technology for IS (vacant position)

Creation of New Positions

  • Manager, Human Capital (for Central Office)
  • Administrative Assistant (supporting the Director, Total Rewards)
  • Manager, Compensation and Insurance
  • Specialist II, Talent Management
  • Regional Transportation Manager – 3 positions (Each region will have a transportation manager who works directly with the Region Superintendent and is responsible for the management and communication with the schools and parents in that region regarding transportation matters).

Reclassification of Existing Positions

  • Director, Total Rewards (formerly Director, Staff Services)
  • Regional Facilities Maintenance Supervisors – 5 positions (formerly Skill Trade Supervisors for Building & Grounds, HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, and Audio/Visual)
  • Regional Transportation Manager – 2 positions (formerly Transportation Operations Manager)
  • Director of Fleet and Special Transportation Operations (formerly Director of Fleet Services)
  • Lead Bus Drivers – 12 positions (formerly Field Support Liaisons)

26 responses to “Central Office ReOrg Phase III

  1. The new people sound very qualified. Is there a new org chart to go with all of these new jobs/reclassified jobs? I would love to visually see the ‘flattening’ that is the described purpose of the plan. What is Ramon Tyson’s new title? Also, my condolences to Ms. Calloway – how hard it must be to leave Bermuda for a landlocked area of Georgia!

  2. I second Cere’s request. An org chart is absolutely necessary. Surely Dr. Green has one. Choosing not to share it with the public is a bad idea.

  3. I have seen the org chart as it stands now. This is a phased approach to the ReOrg and I’m not sure how Dr. Green wants to announce the organizational structure without releasing a new org chart every other month. I’ll talk to him and see if we can come up with a strategy for communicating the org chart.

  4. I support all of these changes.
    Have you heard anything about changing the regional superintendents?
    None of these changes are going to work if the same regional superintendents are kept in those positions.

  5. Hey Kirk, Obviously successful decentralization depends on competent principals and and regional superintendents. I’m not privy to any evaluation process of the current regional superintendents. Why do you say this won’t work with the current regional superintendents?

  6. dekalbobserver

    Because they are ineffective crisis managers. They use very little time coaching, mentoring or supporting principals. When they are not micro-managing principals , they are politicking and pandering to parents. Principals need support from the regional superintendents that is meaningful, includes mentoring, guidance, realistic strategic plans that help improve student achievement, and sometimes they just need help with basic operations, such as getting the air conditioning repaired.

  7. DCSD ORGANIZATIONAL CHART 2015-2016
    I’m working on a post regarding page 3 of the Org Chart. Regional Superintendents are being moved into the field along with human capital and operations services to decentralize decision making.

  8. Paula Caldarella

    Thanks for the Organization Chart Stan.
    I see Ramona Tyson is still around….she needs to be G.O.N.E…..

  9. Paula Caldarella

    A couple of early observations other than the previous Ramona Tyson comment (all members of F&F need to be quickly removed from DCSD). Will Ms. Bricston return to her previous job as Region 1 Superintendent? I am cautiously optimistic about the decentralization of HR, Finance, Transportation, to a Regional approach. It’s never be done in DCSD that I’m aware of.

  10. Good question. I don’t know what Ms. Bricston and Dr. Green have in mind for her career path.

  11. Mr Jester
    Will the new organizational chart require that the Regional Superintendents have more duties? If so, will this take away from the time that they can support the schools? The level of instruction that our children get in the schools is so important. Also, will the Regional Superintendents, be responsible for the people listed on the Org Chart assigned to their region?
    In some cases it looks like there are jobs assigned to a region, but the person may not answer to the Regional Superintendent. I may be reading the chart wrong. I hope that nothing takes away from the instructional and behavioral support that is needed in our schools.
    I appreciate your willingness to share information.
    Thank you

  12. Leo Brown (DeKalb Schools Chief Officer of Human Capital Management)

    sent via email
    The role of the regional superintendent has not changed. The regional superintendent is empowered to assist the principals, parents, and schools community to make certain our teachers can teach, and our students can learn.
    The regional super-intendent and the regional teams are focused on providing support to schools in a specific region. This focused support will result in faster response times for principals and ensure a laser-like approach to sustaining an ap-propriate learning environment for our students.

  13. dekalbteacher

    Stan,
    What do these changes mean for students and teachers? Things may look great from above and things like support and laser-like approach sound great, but I’m not sure we’re seeing any of this at the school house.
    Kirk asks a good question. These are the same regional superintendents doing or not doing whatever they were or weren’t doing before. What’s different? Leo Brown says their roles haven’t changed. If they are now in the field more, then what were they doing before?
    Forgive me for asking so many questions, but shouldn’t the board and all citizens know the evaluation process for all Dekalb employees? Everyone knows how and how often teachers are evaluated. Why would it be any different for the people who impact the learning environment of which Mr. Brown speaks.

  14. dekalbobserver

    I agree with dekalb teacher. How will they assist principals to help teachers teach and students learn. What will they do differently from what they are doing now, and what do we know about how they are evaluated? We know how principals and teachers are evaluated, but what metric is the district using to measure their effectiveness. Surely, it can’t be CCRPI scores, because most of region 4 and 5 are on the OSD list.

  15. Stan Jester

    I’ve gone over this part of the org chart with the Superintendent. I asked Leo Brown to provide some more definition around the Regional Superintendent and their new teams. The structure was just recently approved by the board and hasn’t been fully implemented yet. I’ll post shortly what Mr. Brown said about the new Regional Superintendent teams.

  16. Dear Stan,
    Thank you for publishing the DCSD Org chart.
    Can you explain what the various colors on the different boxes mean? For example, page 1 includes blue, red, gray, green, cream, and purple boxes and only 2 names.
    I hate to make more work for you, as it seems more like the Superintendent’s duty to share the org chart with the public than the duty of a BOE member, but I could not find this org chart on the DCSD website.
    Thank you.

  17. Kirk Lunde

    Current DCSD teachers tell me the regional superintendents continue to intimidate and threaten teachers and principals. Parents continue to relay stories of promises to follow up with concerns that are not kept. The regional superintendent I have emailed does not provide answers to questions, when he bothers to respond at all, which isn’t often.
    Principals, teachers and parents do not trust the regional superintendents as they continue to manage the school district in the culture of friends and family. The current batch of regional superintendents have not shown themselves to be competent or trustworthy. If Ms. Brictson returns to region 1, they should know she told falsehoods to the Tucker Parent Council.
    We need new, competent regional superintendents.

  18. Love it. Clear as, uh, e-Splost spending—you should have withheld publishing this mucked up ‘reorganization’ piece until the details (names, qualifications, etc.) were submitted as well. I think the ‘recently’ and ‘several positions in the last 5(!) years speak for how much clarity is involved here. TAD, taxes, friends and family–now moving some of the f&f profile out of the main building… to reduce their more public profile in the district office?

  19. Stan Jester

    Maserik, two senior level personnel were hired. Some positions were eliminated, some new positions were created and some positions were renamed.
    I’m sure Mr. Leo Brown, DeKalb Schools Chief Officer of Human Capital Management, would be happy to provide the details (names, qualifications, etc.) for any position you would like to know more about.

  20. dekalbteacher

    Stan,
    I still want to know about the evaluation process for regional superintendents and others working under Dr. Green who would ultimately be the ones communicating issues to Dr. Green? Dekalb has an unfortunate history of retaliating against those who ask questions or find flaws.
    If principals, teachers, parents, or students weren’t satisfied with the support they’re receiving, whom would they contact? The person not addressing an issue or not providing a timely response?

  21. Stan Jester

    DeKalbTeacher,
    If “Regional Superintendents and Their Micro Cabinet” doesn’t answer your questions, you can always ask the Superintendent or his cabinet members. They will be at Chamblee High School tonight at 6pm discussing some redistricting logistics and teacher allotments with the community.
    If the Regional Superintendent and their team isn’t solving problems, I recommend going to the chief officer, Superintendent and board member.

  22. Hello
    Has a new Region I Superintendent been named?

  23. Not that I am aware of.

  24. Dear Stan,
    As you know, Region I is facing some very hard decisions. There are very strong feelings related to the plans to address the issue of over crowding. Strong, effective, caring leadership is going to be important. We are now in our second year without a permanent Region I Superintendent. I am not asking this to be critical of anyone. I know that the Region Superintendents have a very difficult job.
    Why is it taking so long to select a person?

  25. In accordance with SACS and state law, as a member of the school board, we approve the organizational chart and we approve of who the Superintendent recommends putting in those positions. The board is kept at arms length with the fulfillment of the org chart.
    So, I can speculate as to why the Region 1 Regional Superintendent position isn’t filled yet. The only answer we’ll officially get is “we are diligently looking”.

  26. Dear Stan,
    Thank you.