There has, no doubt, been a lack of communication from the administration on how the new teacher salary schedules will work. The minimal communication in tandem with misleading charts and a complicated system to begin with has lead us to where we are now.
I think we made a difference here. Thank you DeKalb Employees for hanging in there! Get Schooled – DeKalb school chief: Teacher raise calculations flawed. We’re starting over.
“We need to recalculate the step process for everybody,” said Green. “We need to go in and correct the whole thing. We found some flaws in the algorithm. There is going to be a revaluation with an aim to put in steps that recognize their experience.”
Green said the district will hire an outside firm to conduct the analysis. And he concurred with what critics have long said about human resources in DeKalb Schools. The department could use major change.
Years of Experience Calculations
Dekalb Schools and all public school districts evaluate teaching experience in accordance with the Georgia Department of Education Experience Rule 160-5-2-.05. Where that places you on the Teacher Salary Schedule seems to be one of the big questions.
Teacher Salary Schedules
DeKalb County Schools
Gwinnett County Schools
Cobb County Schools
Clayton County Schools
Fulton County Schools
Atlanta Public Schools
DeKalb, Gwinnett, Clayton, Fulton and Cobb salary schedules seem to support having the same salary for the first few years. However, Cobb says “If an employee has satisfactorily completed 1, 2 or 3 years of verified experience in the State of Georgia, the employee will be placed on step 4.” APS salary schedule indicates that teacher salaries step up significantly every year from the get go.
How Did We Get From This To That?
I have submitted a number of questions regarding the new salary schedules. Hopefully the answer to this particular question will shed a light on many of our issues.
CC: Dr. Michael Erwin
From: Stan Jester
Dr. Gregory,
Can you explain how we got from the comparison salary schedule the board approved to the new posted salary schedule? I have included an image to demonstrate what I see as a discrepancy between what the board passed and what is posted.
.
Response From Dr. Gregory
From: Bernice Gregory, Chief HCM Officer
Question – Can you explain how we got from the comparison salary schedule the board approved to the new posted salary schedule?
Can you please tell me where the teacher schedule you have listed is posted, as I have not seen that scale nor approved it to be posted? We used the board approved scale, only, to place teachers on the step structure.
Question – Did we give teachers the new salary schedules and tell them what step they are on?
Teachers were told what step they were on in the pay plan they received. A copy of the board approved teacher pay plan should have been sent with the pay plan.
Question – Did each teacher get an individual pay plan?
Yes, pay plans started being emailed to employees yesterday.
Question – Have the new salary schedules been posted online?
They will be posted on our website, under the compensation tab.
Question – Do we have any documentation on how to calculate what step a teacher is on? I would like to know how to accurately and consistently determine what step any given teacher is on.
Teachers were placed on the current step structure according to the pay and experience they were already receiving for the years they currently are being compensated. For instance, a teacher with a Masters degree and 9 years of experience was previously paid 51,939.02. The new pay would now be $56,787, as we placed them on the scale at the next level, near their salary. The pay increase is 4,847.98, which aligns with the 1.3 percent increase, for step placement. The total raise that the teachers received this year was the 2.5 percent COLA and the 1.3 step increase, which was a total of 3.8 percent for the year. The teachers didn’t loose any experience or years of service with the current method of placing them on the scale. We followed the state salary guidelines to place them on the current scale. Next year, they would move up to the next step on the scale.
Most of the teachers thought that they would be paid for the 9 years that they didn’t get a step, but that would be impossible to do with the budget that we had.
.
Message from Deborah Jones, president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators
I have received many calls, emails, and text messages about the raise/step increase purported to be a part of this pay period. I’ve spoken with Dr Green, Dr Gregory, and Dr Erwin. The explanations given to me from the district leave me disappointed. I, too, was under the impression that employees would be paid step for step and year for year. Dr Green and Dr Gregory said, “that wasn’t ever the case.”
While conversing with Board Chair, Dr. Michael Irwin, he asked that the employees give the district until February 15, 2019 to work out the logistics of this plan. I understand we’ve waited since January 15th, however; we have to work within the parameters that we have. I would suggest we give Dr Erwin this time to work with the district to work this out. At the same time, I would urge all employees to notify the BOE members with your concerns. Any changes or clarification will require a majority of BOE members. The Board has an obligation to make sure the district moves in the direction they approved, as they were the ones to who approved the step increases initially.
We will continue to work with the district to make this right.
Deborah Jones, president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators
.
Documents Passed By DeKalb Schools Board in January 2019
FY 2019 Teacher Salary Comparisons
Salary Schedule All Staff
FY 2019 Counselor Salary Comparisons
Related Posts
Compensation & Classification Salary Adjustments
January 15, 2019 – From the Sharepoint Portal (Word for Word): DeKalb County School District (DCSD) has completed its most recent Compensation & Class Study, mandated by Board of Education Policy GCA.
Update On Phase 2 Salary Steps for All Staff
January 10, 2019 – On Monday, the DeKalb Schools Board approved the Salary Steps for All Staff – Phase 2-2a. Most employees will get a competitive raise and everybody will start stepping again. There are a few hurdles, however, with implementing said raises in a timely fashion.
2019 Salary Schedules And Comparison
December 29, 2018 – DeKalb Schools will implement a new salary schedule starting January 1. It will be discussed and voted on by the board on January 7th in time for January 15th checks. Here are the new teacher and counselor salary schedules and how they compare to the other Metro Atlanta school districts.
New Step Structures for DeKalb Teachers
December 24, 2018 – In June, DeKalb Schools board approved the plan for DeKalb teachers to get a 2.5% raise and start stepping. The administration has neglected to communicate with the teachers the Phase II raise they are supposed to receive in January. There are a number of open questions. Here is what we know.
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
I too want to thank you Mr. Jester for the information and concern. I’ve never commented on a blog before. We (ESP) haven’t mattered much anyway so I’m not surprised that we got bamboozled, run amuck, and lead astray. We’ve been fortunate to get anything from this entity, but I would be remissed if I didn’t take the opportunity to comment on how LOW DOWN this is.
Fellow educators please take a look at this article if you have not done so already. It highlights the gross misappropriation of our funds:
https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-schools-chief-demoted-after-health-challenges-gone/dShRJ5us9QprdNx4bGHC5L/
Highlight from article:
“District officials let him explain his absence in a release announcing several personnel moves, including Brown’s job change, where Brown thanked the district for supporting him during “health challenges.” He initially kept his $175,000 salary in the new job, which was supposed to pay a maximum of $64,000 according to the job description posted online.”
I’m not signing my contract either. Dekalb already can’t find teachers to fill positions, and they’ll have to figure out how to fill one more. This county needs a complete overhaul of the central office and Steven Green needs to be the first to go. He’s nickel and dimed teachers but doesn’t mind spending millions of dollars in advertising to convince people who ALREADY LIVE IN DEKALB to send their kids here. He spent millions on tvs that didn’t even work last year, and only blast his face and DCSD news all day-which makes NO sense since the parents aren’t in the buildings and the teachers can see the news when we log onto our computers. Who is giving Steven Green kickbacks for these technology “upgrades”? We deserve so much better! We need to just walk out. If the teachers in Kentucky can do it, so can we. Let Steven Green and Bernice Gregory come teach the kids. At least they get hefty salaries that would make the hard work worth it.
Encourage teachers to read the AJC…Marlon Walker. Do not give up! Write letters! Go to DCSD Board Meetings. Most of all keep informed. The pay issue does not appear to be in a vacuum. Thank you Stan for your integrity and your service.
Mr. Jester, thank you for everything. A honest and hardworking BOE gives me a little hope that there are people that care about educators. I’m really thankful for your support.
Has anyone spoken to Human Capital?
I am getting a decrease as well.
Disappointed, email your HR contact. More than likely that is a mistake. Let me know if that is not the case.
My pay didn’t even increase $1,000. The amount does not match the proposed pay plan that was posted.
They’ve removed the new salary schedule that was recently posted. I’m still mind blown that Dr. Bernice Gregory pretended as if she never laid eyes on the new salary step that the BOE approved . Was she absent from the approval meeting? And then she went on to ask Stan who gave him permission to post an approved document. Something is extremely fishy. I would love to hear steps on planning a Teacher Walk-Out.
Bitter disappointment for many of the dedicated team that keeps the buses, buildings and systems working for the schools…people that had seen the proposed schedule with a significant CORRECTION in their annual pay after years of furlough days, and minimal raises, receiving less than 2% and no rhyme or reason to it. Can we please see just where all this money went? Can we see a dollar by dollar allotment- and please– does any current administrator on this sorry team deserve even a dime?
Fake News, Fake Pay Raise,
So disappointing. I received my new salary schedule and there was an annual increase of $.63. Shame on Dekalb County School District for not rewarding those teachers that were faithful through furloughs, no annual raises or step increases. I have been a Dekalb County School District teacher for more than 30 years and feel very disrespected and unappreciated for the instructional services that I have provided to the thousands of students of this District. However, it is a good thing that I chose my career for the love of teaching children!
Cynical—
The board moved many of the non administrative personnel – the service center – to admin and then cut their workforce in half to show that hey had reduced the administration numbers– now they are paying an outside company to do some of that work— and it is not good..
FYI
Who do they have in the accounting department? Dr. Gregory’s math seems off.
Yes, we’re going backwards to the Crawford Lewis days. Everyone in HCM
should be fired. Someone is padding their pockets. We need a
Teachers strike!!! I’m ready!!
Yes, we’re going backwards to the Crawford Lewis days.
Everyone in HCM should be fired. Someone is padding
their pockets. We need a Teachers strike!!! I’m ready!!
Question – Did we give teachers the new salary schedules and tell them what step they are on?
Teachers were told what step they were on in the pay plan they received. A copy of the board approved teacher pay plan should have been sent with the pay plan.
Neither of the things Dr Gregory asserted are true. I was not sent a copy of the schedule with my pay plan nor told what step I am on.
Question… Were we supposed to get paid that amount for the 15th as well? On the plan they sent me it has the old amount on the 15th and the new amount for the 30th. No extra pay on the 15th… Or did I just misunderstand that?
Thank you
Stan
Incompetence and Fraud? Wow, here we go again. I’m thinking a lot lately about the Crawford Lewis days. During that investigation people went to jail.
1) No one was told what step we are on or how the step assignment is identified
2) A salary schedule has not been sent to any employee
3) HR is not implementing the board approved plan (see documents from June 26th and January 7th)
4) Many people are reporting no change in paycheck amounts today (GUCU accounts get paid a day early)
When will the school district communicate with its employees? If they were working “feverishly” on this issue… why haven’t we heard anything yet?
When can we expect a response from the school board regarding this rogue HCM plan?
Monday’s board agenda includes the budget input survey. You can find it on the district’s homepage. Anyone complaining about this salary schedule and the other ways the school district spends money should complete this survey.
I see what they are trying to do to recruit new teachers but what are they doing to retain valuable, experienced teachers? In my observation, Dekalb has accepted teachers who were about to be released from other counties or teachers who could not find jobs in other districts. Yet, they expect to get our scores up. At a job fair, my team did not recommend a brand new teacher for hire, however, somehow she got a job and ended up at our school last year. She was awful and should never have gotten out of student teaching. She left the district after one year due to her husband being transferred. They are back and Dekalb offered her a job! We hired another brand new teacher and she quit twice and somehow DeKalb allowed her to stay. Regardless to the support that she receives, she still does not understand what to teach or how to collect data. The para is teaching more than the teacher. Seemingly as someone else stated, it appears that DeKalb is more interested in having bodies in classrooms as compared to valuable, experienced teachers. If we are ever going to get off of the failing lists, it’s going to take dedicated and experienced teachers. However, HCM appears to be more focused on attracting new teachers with little to no experience than maintaining and valuing experienced teachers with proven track records. The proof is in the salary schedules.
@dekalb teacher, I tried to complete the survey and it said that I’ve been locked out!!
Shady!!
The survey is very poor. It asks you to rate a bunch of buzz-word topics that are not defined and doesn’t let you add your own ideas.
There was no place to emphasize Foreign Language proficiency, the needs of gifted students or high achieving students, or the rewarding of teachers.
But I guess we know the priorities of the District!
The survey online is not user friendly and doesn’t let me voice my concerns. There used to be an ethics concerns reporting link/line…that’s long gone. Dekalb isn’t passing the smell test.
Stan,
Pro rating the back pay and dividing it up among the remaining pay periods on the contract year! Really! Where is the communication from HCM about this? Can we all be on the same page or at least in the same book?
I really hope this doesn’t just go away. I hope something positive comes in the end. I am afraid we will all rant and rave but over time we will just go on being treated the same way. I am hoping the Admin offices are in discussions and working on righting this wrong. If not, I will be leaving for another county for an immediate raise in pay. I hope I don’t have to leave…
Come on Dekalb! Why so quiet? You owe us an explanation. We shouldn’t have to wait ANOTHER 15 days for your response. Intent letters are due tomorrow. Let’s keep our hardworking, dedicated underpaid educators. Pay US!
I am very surprised that we have heard nothing about this yet. I thought they were working feverishly on this. It sure doesn’t seem like it!
I just spoke with Human Capital and was told that the board-approved schedule (the colorful one) was only a proposed salary schedule. The new schedule will be placed on the website in the next couple of days. I told her, “This doesn’t Make sense. The board approved schedule should be followed.” She replied in a snarky manner, “It will make sense when there is no money in the budget for the proposed salary schedule.” I swear I can’t make this stuff up! It is time for legal investigations to take place. Something seems fishy! Why would the board approve something that there isn’t a budget for?
WowJustWow, Can you send me an email to stanjester@gmail.com with more detail … why did you call HCM, what did they say, and your reaction to the phone call? Thanks, Stan.
Wow Just Wow – I hope you got their name. I love that we go through all that customer service training but central office tends to be the sassiest of them all. I’ve dealt with their unprofessionalism before. It’s ridiculous. I suggest you contact your BOE rep if it isn’t Stan; we can see he’s doing as much as he can. I reached out to mine today and we had a great conversation.
They’ve been getting away with shortchanging us so much that they forgot we had voices. But, oh they will learn today. I’ve let a lot just go, but my TKES ,student-growth, along with years of experience is hardcore proof of my value.
I am not letting this go until a full invesgation is done.
I emailed the board representative for District 5 and I don’t think that he knew what I was talking about. Like someone suggested, I asked that he ask his fellow board members to convene for an emergency meeting about the discrepancies of the salary steps and he asked for more information because “he wanted to direct me to right person who could answer my question.”—
Stan, how DID the schedule that was posted NOT get approved? Did the board, including you, not take the time to thoroughly review the paperwork before you voted? Did you all vote on one thing and then have your approval overturned?
Get Schooled – DeKalb school chief: Teacher raise calculations flawed. We’re starting over.
“We need to recalculate the step process for everybody,” said Green. “We need to go in and correct the whole thing. We found some flaws in the algorithm. There is going to be a revaluation with an aim to put in steps that recognize their experience.”
Green said the district will hire an outside firm to conduct the analysis. And he concurred with what critics have long said about human resources in DeKalb Schools. The department could use major change.
Continue Reading >>
THREE CHEERS FOR STAN!!!!
I absolutely believe that if this blog hadn’t provided a forum for teachers to realize that they weren’t the only one being treated badly, and for this whole mess to gain traction, then this whole sham of new salary steps would have just happened.
I’m proud of Dr. Green for taking ownership of this, although it remains to be seen if he can truly “drain the swamp.”
I am extremely disappointed that yet more money will have to be spent for an outside firm to fix this, but it sounds like that is the only way to do this.
So sad.
https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/dekalb-school-chief-teacher-raise-calculations-flawed-starting-over/JfRpIHpqsF3z6qIbgsjU6J/
Stan for President . Perhaps for now give all staff 2 percent raise until they figure out the new step process…which that process with an outside firm may take an additional year to figure out. The employees have suffered enough.
Mr Jester- thank you for fighting for educators:
https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/dekalb-school-chief-teacher-raise-calculations-flawed-starting-over/JfRpIHpqsF3z6qIbgsjU6J/
LOL. You can run the Liberals For Stan Super PAC.
The question should be why place people on the step of their current pay. That does not reflect the years on their current years/step. Also, if a person new to DeKalb comes with 25yrs will they be placed on 25yrs? If so, all of Dekalb current employees will be be screwed out of their steps.
Employees need to look under the slot number on the HCM pdf email with the adjusted salary. The last 2 numbers on the first half salary is your step (G1620Q) 20 is the step you are currently on. The 2nd half is the new salary acale (12915). Now you are on step 15 based on the new scale. Looks like you dropped 5yrs of experience based on the new step system. The steps are supposed to be yrs of experience right? If so, this person lost 5yrs of service.
However, this is what HCM need to help us understand. Where did this formula come from? If you base the formula on pay no one will be one the right step in years of service. The formula should be a mathematical equation not a chart comparison.
HCM screwed up big time on this one. They need to own up to it along with Dr. Green. HCM should pit out a statement saying they failed mathematically. How can uou pay a firm to do a study but don’t have the firm put out the new pay plan draft based on an equation. All of the salaries are based on an equation.
Dekalb looks very stupid at something so basic. However, we want our children to perform on standardized test but HCM cannot even calculate pay.
SAD!
My gratitude to you Stan for your service to Dekalb County Schools. You truly have a heart for service. So refreshing during these times. Thank you
Thanks Educator!
So now they have to hire another firm that may cost $100,000. We may have to wait another 6 months for the results which probably will conclude that we will only get the $20 raise that we are getting now. I do not have faith in DCSD in putting us the correct step and paying us what the board approved on Jan 7th. I am currently looking for an exit. DCSD please don’t require or demand me to do anything else because I can’t and I won’t.
I think the original intent of the raises was to move DeKalb schools to the top of the pay scale in metro Atlanta. I don’t see that changing.
Stan
I also want to thank you for your willingness to speak out and try to get answers. It is hard to understand that we have no one in the school district that can figure out how to correct this issue. Once it is corrected how will it be maintained? It makes me very interested in how money is being spent in other areas.
Thanks Joy. I think there is currently a lack of confidence that the HR department can effectively handle this important issue. Like everything else, we’ll take this one step at a time.
How is money being spent elsewhere? Good question. You should look into SPLOST at the county … that would be the other Jester.
If you want results and answers with Dekalb schools…contact the media and you will get SOME traction:)
Stan thank you for putting yourself on the line to stand-up for what’s right. Let’s be honest, you totally put yourself out there to fight for the fair compsenation of teachers. I pray they don’t give you push-back for standing for truth and transparcey . This is something they aren’t use to. You are dealing with people who like to sweep things under the rug and practice nepotism (this is how that 175,000 salary was paid to an employee whose job description maxed out at 65,00). Dr. Gregory is highly underqualifed for the position she leads and I don’t see this getting better until business leaders are brought in to handle the finances. P
We can’t let -up off of the superintendent word. He lives a total different lifestyle and is far removed from our everyday struggles with making our ends meet, if he was connected he would have made sure the BOE’s new teacher budget was put into place.
We still need to make calls and get even more media involved.
Stan you’re the Man!
Reading what Dr Green said in the article it still sounds as though he plans on using the state salary scale. He says it was a misunderstanding from the teachers perspective which is bull. Don’t expect much guys. His intent is pretty clear I bet we stay on the state salary schedule or we get a new fancy step but the same money.
Yes. Green needs to clean house in his HCM division starting at the top. Actions speak louder then Green’s word. Green knew all along what was going on with our pay! Due to AJC Get Schooled article, OUR voices, and STAN…Green finally had to come to terms with the fact that HCM is incompetent. At a time where teachers are walking out and striking in this country due to pay, resources and class sizes I hope Green corrects this SNAFU in a timely manner. Keep the scrutiny on the administration until they get it right. Our voices matter!
I see two big potential problems moving forward.
First, when MAG did the Comp & Class study, they looked at samples of DCSD job descriptions and pay rates.
That makes sense in an orderly HCM department. But apparently the DCSD HCM department is not orderly. Drawing conclusions about a sample of jobs and salaries is risky, since the ones they didn’t look at could be totally different. The blog comments indicate that this happened.
Second, the Comp & Class study in general was approved by the BOE last summer. It had a total dollar amount on it. That’s how the BOE determined that the salary increases were affordable and sustainable.
If DCSD hires someone to do basically an audit of jobs and salaries and then make recommendations for changes, I think it’s highly highly possible that the total dollar amount will rise.
Let’s hope that DCSD can afford that when the accurate financial impact is known.
The step procedure isn’t the only thing that is wrong with this. The T4 pay scale on the Board approved plan was considerably higher than what HCM ended up putting forth. I am sure it was HCM’s intent to say, T4 with merely a bachelor’s degree, does not need much of a bump in pay. Compared to the other “Big 5” Dekalb pay is still at, or very near, the bottom. There is NO incentive to remain when a switch to a nearby county will provide an instant pay raise due to salary schedules. We cannot wait for yet ANOTHER outside firm study! Just look at the area county salary schedules, and TOP THEM! It’s that easy. If you want the best, pay the best, end of story. Find the money, it’s there, I promise. I am sure we can identify plenty of areas/programs/positions to cut to help secure the funds to pay those with the most DIRECT influence on our students and their successes.
Stan
I was talking about the DCSD and their vendors. If we cannot figure out the salary for our own staff, how can we monitor the payment to our vendors? The only local elected official that I think works harder than you is Nancy. She is also brillant with facts and figures. I bet she could figure out our pay issues.
Thanks for providing us with this forum, Stan. I don’t think we would have had the info needed if it weren’t for you. I can’t believe Dekalb admitted to screwing up. Ofcourseit was only after they were caught.
Will those granted raises continue to receive them?
Will people have to repay raises?
Will we get a time frame for the process?
Will there be communication to the employees BEFORE THE PRESS?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the dynamics appear to be that they are having a lot of retirements and are struggling to replace teachers. One of the primary problems is that compared to the 1980s when these retirees started, being a teacher was comparable a lot better job for women. Today, women are encouraged to enter the business workforce. At the college degree level, this is especially true. With the ability to work from home, being a teacher is less flexible during the school year. Now that I’m a parent, being home with the kids doesn’t seem like that much of a perk.
In the past, the pay structure was backloaded. You got bumps for steps, but more importantly, you had the opportunity to get advanced degrees. You also could potentially go 49% time in retirement or move to another state and collect retirement and full pay in the other state. You also had the potential for promotions.
But with the changes in the workforce, we need the structure to be more front loaded, because we are struggling to bring new candidates into the profession. With those facts, it makes sense that everybody needs a raise, but it needs to be front loaded more than in the past. That’s not Dr. Green’s fault that it needs to be more front loaded. Comp is state comp plus local supplement. It’s not unreasonable for a pay structure to mirror the the state’s structure. It’s part of the comp package. It’s also not unreasonable that one way to front load the pay structure is to step new candidates every year.
Based on his actions, Dr. Green is making a good faith effort to increase pay, but it is also the case that it is more front loaded effort. When he saw that experienced teachers weren’t getting the proper credit for experience, he admitted that and said they were going to address. I support Dr. Green’s efforts and hope firmly believe we should directly pass any increase in state funding to the teachers.
I appreciate them looking into what went wrong, but I’m confused about the need to hire an outside firm to calculate our salaries when an outside firm already told them what we should be paid. I’m addition, the board already approved a salary schedule. Why won’t they just use the board approved salary schedule and place us on those steps according to our years, and NOT the state steps? I have a feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better. Some people saw an almost 8% increase in their salaries while others saw none. If an outside firm determines that some people were “overpaid” is Dekalb going to take money back? If Dr. Green thinks there’s a problem now, he’ll definitely have a problem on his hands if that happens. I’d venture to guess he’d have some legal issues too. The answer is simple: Give us the salaries and steps the board approved.
Anonymous, the problem with frontloading now (and not rewarding loyalty equally) is that those of us near the end of our careers are the ones who had to withstand furlough days, the county stealing (yes, I said it) our retirement money when they stopped matching contributions and didn’t pay into social security, and a myriad of other offenses that we have weathered. So, we are “owed” in a sense for not jumping ship. I understand the need to be competitive with other counties in attracting new hires, but if you neglect your experienced base, you will regret it later. Many of these new teachers don’t stay in the profession for long, much less stay in the county. Veteran/experienced teachers are a vital part of this county’s remaining success. They can’t afford to lose us now.
If placed on the state step, I think the proposed salary schedule was an increase in pay pretty much across the board except at the top end. Those salaries were already amongst the highest in the state. It’s an outstanding question whether someone moving to Cobb or Gwinnett would be placed above the state salary step. My working assumption is that they would not. I think the proposed salary schedule indicated a real commitment to address pay.
I’m committed to advocating for getting teacher pay up. I can’t change the fact that in 1970, DeKalb didn’t want to participate in Social Security. As a taxpayer, I can’t go back in time and pay for you to get all your back pay that you feel you lost.
The front load that is being considered is paid in the future, not this year. And is contingent on the new hire staying in DeKalb. What is being paid this year is an across the board pay increase.
Let’s also shine the light on procurements in DCSD now…not later when people get hauled off to jail.
This is in the AJC today.
This is not a good time for something like this to happen. Contracts will be out soon. This does not seem like the best way to attract and retain new staff members. Also classified staff is being told that they have reached the top of their pay scale and then to see that Regional Superintendents may get a 15,000 dollars pay increase. I don’t begrudge them their increase, but the classified staff needs to be remembered for all that they do.
https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-county-teachers-miffed-over-problems-with-pay-raises/tCYy206eUS1Sb5uhWlgC2N/
Hopefully, something good will come out of this for our teachers. https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-schools-chief-quits-amid-concerns-with-new-salary-schedule/BjZtxpi3t7XH9kNXxj8wYL/?fbclid=IwAR0EwsBZd13D0_q8s0qPMqKkQRTR73Qg83yknqInZ_DZjZM1LAkI-57Wvx8
Some accountability …
DeKalb Schools’ HR chief quits amid concerns with new salary schedule
Continue Reading >>
I’m sorry…did I just read an article that said regional superintendents got an 11.5% raise?!?!? They already make a buttload of money and they’re getting 11.5% while WE get pennies????
Having also been in a situation where I offered to resign, I’m glad my boss didn’t accept. I’m also glad that if he had, it wouldn’t have been on the internet. I wish Dr. Gregory the best. I’m sure there were some unusual challenges in her first year on the job.
The buck stops with Dr. Green. He is responsible for this incompetence in HCM. We have heard nothing…absolutely nothing from him about this pay SNAFU and how he plans to make it right for employees. If this isn’t cleaned up now I wonder who is next one without a job?
https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-schools-chief-quits-amid-concerns-with-new-salary-schedule/BjZtxpi3t7XH9kNXxj8wYL/
I really admire Bernice Gregory for doing the right thing and speaking truth to power.
For the record, when Stan posted her hiring, several commenters immediately expressed concerns about her background and suspect qualifications:
http://factchecker.stanjester.com/2018/02/7594/
Dr. Green hired someone who was unqualified, failed to properly supervise and mentor her, neglected to have her department’s work checked before it was released, and now expects all of DCSD’s teachers and children to wait another year for him while he gets (yet another) do-over. Children who lose the school year because they are assigned to a classroom with an unqualified (or missing) teacher don’t get do-overs.
Dr. Green has fired numerous Principals for far less. It’s long past time for Dr. Green to be shown the door as well.
Dr. Green has embarrassed DCSD with the help of the board members. Stan Jester has questioned this plan and sought clarity before implementation. Every board member approved except for him. The BOE has one employee. Do you really care about people you serve.
DSW2 Contributor, I so appreciate your comments here. You have a way of boiling everything down to the actual facts and what is important and then calling for action to be taken. I miss the old School Watch blog and your comments there, too.
Everyone seemed to know that Dr. Gregory was unqualified for this tremendously large and important job, and yet, as you so astutely pointed out, she was left to flounder with no guidance or support. Dr. Green SHOULD be held accountable for this situation. Time will tell.
The Regional Superintendents should not be getting any raise, let alone a $15,000 one! That is just the kind of stupidity DeKalb cannot get itself out of. Dr. Green needs to resign, also. He knew good and well that Gregory couldn’t do the job. I’m in favor of naming Stan Jester and/or Nancy Jester Supt and head of HR. They would do a wonderful job without any of this constant upheaval. It’s a good time to clean house.
Check the salary and and org chart for the people Dr. Green brought with him. Why does Communication Chief, Eileen Stewart make over $170,000 and the person directly under her, the Director, Andre Riley makes over $100,000? This is crazy stuff.
I love it! Stan for Chief HCM!
Where is a statement from Dr. Green to the employees of Dekalb Schools with how he plans to fix HIS pay step increase mess. When does he plan to communicate with the employees so we don’t have to read about our school system again in the news? Where is Dr. Green?
Stan,
Do you have a current org chart? The district still hasn’t posted one online for this school year.
If so, would you please post it, even though a lot of names will be wrong?
DSW2Contributor,
Please name one principal Green has fired, other than the several whom he failed to support appropriately. I can think of a few who needed to be fired, but Green wouldn’t do it.
PLEASE MAKE IT STOP. Now the latest HR chief is quitting? How long are we going to pay her? What a joke Green and this WHOLE administration is. And how sad for our kids…
Please, can’t we just clean house? Start with Green and go through the building.
Well, I found a little money savings in the budget that would help at least some of the employees get closer to the fair wages they were told they would receive– Ramona Tyson is somehow still collecting a $179,320.66 annual salary from this county- the hand picked successor to Lewis Crawford– let that sink in..and then with Dr, Gregory’s resignation, we have another $179,320.66 to pass along. So there is at least $358,640 for the real employees of the system– can we also roll back any raises to the people that Green brought in and hopefully- he did NOT receive and increase– that would be criminal. Just some cost reducing ideas.
Fulton county is now accepting applications and providing links to sign up for their upcoming job fair:
https://www.applitrack.com/fultonschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?AppliTrackJobID=5885&ref=
It appears that the board approved a budget that included raises for district employees. All non school-based employees were supposed to get 2.5%, while the rest of the budget was supposed to go to the board approved step increases for teachers. If the article says the area superintendents got an 11.5% raise, I can only assume that the people at the top of the food chain got just as much-or more. To me, this means that the people at the top kept the majority of the money allotted for raises to themselves and gave us educators the crumbs. So, Dr. Green is going to pay an outside group to redistribute the crumbs that are left equally, and we’ll all end up with the same amount of crumbs. We’re used to getting $20-$30 raises from Dekalb, so they probably thought we’d be grateful for the crumbs and that we wouldn’t question anything-which probably would have happened if it hadn’t been for Stan’s transparency throughout this entire process. Stan, I credit you for keeping us informed. Information is power, and Dekalb teachers are showing how powerful we are by not taking this lying down. I’ll definitely join the “Liberals for Stan” Super PAC whenever it’s started, lol. All I can say is THANK YOU for respecting us enough to keep us informed.
Stan, thank you for all you do. Has there been any indication if those teacher that did get extra money this pay period will see the same amount On our feb 15th pay check? It seems unlikely this will be solved by then if the county is using an “outside firm” to sort this all out.
I’m getting all my information from the AJC like everyone else these days.
The Fulton Schools HR site is so much better than ours.
Vacancies are listed by Title and Location. So if you want to be a Principal or Speech Pathologist you can quickly see what vacancies exist.
On PATS, school-house vacancies are listed by Region. Then within the Region, they are listed by Location. By Location, they are listed by Title.
So someone who wants to be a Principal or Speech Pathologist has to search 7 regions, and then all of the individual Locations, to see if vacancies exist. Nowhere does it say what schools are in what Region.
So I imagine that many prospective applicants will just give up in frustration. PATS used to be searchable by Title and Location, but the “improvement” doesn’t seem to have this feature.
If I’m wrong please say so.
WOW! What a turn of events……..I will add my thanks, STAN JESTER, for helping us unite and “find our voice” to express our outrage over the injustice. I fear that DeKalb does not have time to fix this debacle before losing many great teachers.
I do wonder why we are not hearing anything from the county office (Dr. Green) directly.
I do wonder why Dr. Green had planned to “explain” the step increase to us yesterday through email and video (I would have loved to have seen that explanation, actually!) as though we just didn’t “understand” what was going on! ODE emailed and said, “I’ve spoken with Dr Green, Dr Gregory, and Dr Erwin. The explanations given to me from the district leave me disappointed. I, too, was under the impression that employees would be paid step for step and year for year. Dr Green and Dr Gregory said, “that wasn’t ever the case.” ” So, I’m not sure how this plays out now.
Dr. Green needs to held accountable. This is not simply an HR issue.
Thank you Mr. Jester for all you have done on behalf of the employees of DCSD. I hope other board members will follow your example of transparency of showing and proving they’re asking the tough questions and doing the right thing for all. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I’m wondering if those that got the $18-42 increase are now out of the scenario for a real cost of living step increase. I received a $32 increase, I really wished I knew were my income stands in all of this…
More cleaning house needs to take place. Starting from the top.
There is no way that Dr. Gregory screw this up all by herself. What we have here most of all is a lack of leader ship.
I think an important fact that has not been addressed is that most of the people in the district offices are not qualified for the jobs that they hold. Many of them were once educators that were promoted within the system. They do not hold degrees in business, finance, HR, or anything that would qualify them to make informed decisions that relate to money or budgets. There should be two different heads— one that oversees curriculum and another that oversees finances. The Board should demand that qualified candidates be considered and hired.
At the end of the day Dr. Green is superintendent so he is responsible for the pay debacle. Where is Dr. Green’s communication to the employees? Where is he hiding out?
Dr. Green must be held accountable and he needs to resign immediately. The buck stops with him. Dr. Green was informed and made aware of the errors in those salary calculations and the inaccuracies in data before it was shared across the district to employees and made public. I repeat, he was TOLD AND MADE AWARE. HE KNEW!! Why hasn’t the DeKalb school board held him accountable for this debacle? If Bernice Gregory resigned, Dr. Green must resign also.
What is the DeKalb school board doing to address ongoing administration issues stemming from and related to Dr. Green? Why is Dr. Green still superintendent of DeKalb schools when he hasn’t performed, there’s still a long list of failing schools, several of his cabinet are filled with interim positions due to departures, student achievement isn’t where it should be, and employee morale is down? Why did the school board renew his contract previously? Why hasn’t the school board announced that they won’t have him back for the next school year and begin a superintendent search for this upcoming school year? Yes there will likely be a payout but, it’s time to cut the loss and move on. Leadership starts at the top. Until the school board makes a change at the top with the superintendent, these debacles will continue.
Since Dr. Green has been superintendent, there’s been a lot of negative press for DeKalb. Lisa Martin, Leo Brown, Eileen Houston-Stewart, and Bernice Gregory have all been failures on his part because he put these candidates before the school board and they ultimately voted yes for each one. Then there was Andre Riley…another fail and bad press. Then questionable procurement processes, the bus driver sick out, the data security breach. There has been too much negative press under Green’s leadership and very little gains and positive news. With the recent departures of Jennifer Hackemeyer, Gary Brantley, and Joshua Williams, it’s clear these people don’t want to work under his leadership. The last few years and most notably, the least 3-6 months have been a complete sh*t show. What is the DeKalb school board waiting for? And why haven’t they held Dr. Green accountable?
Dr. R. Stephen Green must go.
I agree with Concerned. Why are we paying yet another outside agency?
Did we not pay enough to the first one for their recommendations? If
the recommendations had been followed we wouldn’t be in this big of
a mess. Where are the checks and balances? I, along with my colleagues
are in total disbelief that a school system of this size appears to be managed
by amateurs. Despite it all, I remain hopeful that after this huge debacle, Dekalb
will make it right and repair the damage. Thank you Stan and all the others
who advocate for the employees and ultimately the students of Dekalb County Schools.
@Support, we have known this since this morning , lol. I need to check in more often ( all love)!
The superintendent can not do much without board approval. Board members, Mrs. Morley, Dr. Johnson, Mrs. Turner, have immediate family members with positions in the district without going and no interview process. They do much talk about nothing and still vote in favor of Dr. Green. Employing family members is the return.
Please tell me that the two people holding the microphones at the recent On the Scene with Dr. Green at Bouie Elementary do not make over $100,000/year. This is more than crazy. Stewart and Riley contribute zero support to this district. As parents, we have concerns about tutorial, teacher morale, school environments. Microphone holders are cheaper at WalMart.
The Board meeting this Monday night should be interesting. We should all attend! The board is who holds the fire to Dr. Green. You don’t blame teachers for “misunderstanding “ their step pay when you know perfectly well HCM calculations were flawed. Dr. Green needs to get the teachers their due step raises immediately. This hiring an outside firm is another incompetent move since paying teachers is a BASIC function of a HCM division. That being said, the teachers need to be paid.
Maureen Downey of AJC has asked the right questions for us:
“The HR director is gone as of this morning. I am not clear why even former board members say HR is a mess in DeKalb — why can’t this be fixed once and for all? I am sincerely asking. Is it the leadership or it is something unique to DeKalb Schools that makes that division impervious to change?”
Stan,
I got a 1,000 increase for the year, which resulted in extra $32 with the back pay (per check).
Is this all I can expect from the step increase.
According to http://www.open.georgia.gov/openga/salaryTravel/list?offset=600&max=20&sort=name&order=asc , these are the salaries for 2018:
RILEY,ANDRE A PUBLIC RELATIONS PERS… $121,785.37 travel: $1,473.24
HOUSTON-STEWART,EILEEN L PUBLIC RELATIONS PERS… $179,320.66 travel:$0.00
GREEN,ROBERT S SUPERINTENDENT $334,200.00 travel: $1,897.27
Our BOE:
MORLEY,JOYCE A MEMBER, BOARD OF EDUC… $23,399.94 travel: $13,702.92 (WOW)
ORSON,MARSHALL D MEMBER, BOARD OF EDUC… $23,399.94 travel: $4,052.02
MCMAHAN,JAMES L MEMBER, BOARD OF EDUC… $23,399.94 travel: $4,127.43
Now check out other BOEs in metro Atlanta:
MEISTER,NANCY MEMBER, BOARD OF EDUC… $15,524.52 travel: $0.00 APS
RADLOFF,LOUISE MEMBER, BOARD OF EDUC… $16,932.84 $2,618.77 GWINNETT COUNTY
BERNATH,JULIA C MEMBER, BOARD OF EDUC… $18,500.16 $6,936.29 FULTON COUNTY
Our BOE meets 1 day/month. APS BOE have town hall meetings, budget, audit, ethics, etc meetings every month. Our BOE is among the highest paid in all of GA – 2nd highest I think. And don’t forget our high millage rate.
We should be able to pay our teachers/staff competitively if the admin and BOE wanted to put their money in that pot.
Dr. R. Stephen Green Must Go,
It is obvious to me that Jennifer Hackemeyer, Gary Brantley, and Joshua Williams all left because of the audit done on procurement. They would have been in the position of defending what the audit found and decided it would be better to be somewhere else when it was finished.
The absence of ethics in the central palace is only matched by the absence of competence. I have written for years, that DeKalb County Schools needs to be put into some sort of “receiver-ship” or taken over by another entity. Can we get a “consent decree” requiring the district to repair schools and provide toilet paper every day? Can there be an outside agency who holds the district accountable for the budget? If only the GaDOE cared about children or their education, something could be done.
All the regional superintendents need to be replaced with people who have leadership skills and integrity. That would be a good first step in providing real support to schools. The Human Capital Management department needs to be outsourced. That would be a good first step in providing real support to teachers.
I could go on, but none of that will happen until the BOE is flooded with emails calling for Dr. Green’s removal. Let’s all start typing.
@ Kirk Lunde
Do you have names and emails of all BOE members?
Contact the Board Members
Email the members of the DeKalb Board of Education. Remember to be professional while expressing your opinions and concerns.
Dr. Michael Erwin, Chair, District 3 michael_erwin@dekalbschoolsga.org
Marshall Orson, Vice Chair, District 2 marshall_orson@dekalbschoolsga.org
Stan Jester, District 1 stan_jester@dekalbschoolsga.org
Allyson Gevertz, District 4 allyson_gevertz@dekalbschoolsga.org
Vickie Turner, District 5 Vickie_Turner@dekalbschoolsga.org
Diijon Dacosta, District 6 diijon_dacosta@dekalbschoolsga.org
Dr. Joyce Morley, District 7 joyce_morley@dekalbschoolsga.org