DeKalb Schools administration is asking the Board of Education to approve salary adjustments for classified staff, salary adjustments for executive staff and the DeKalb County School District Budget for 2019-2020 (FY2020).
There are quite a number of closed door budget meetings between now and the next Board meeting (June 25). For right now, this board and administration are planning on appropriating $1.2 billion for the general fund. That is $450 million more since 2014. At the same time, the student population has decreased by roughly 5,000 students.
The current budget will take $28 million from reserves as we financially drive the school system into the ground.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
FY2020 DCSD Tentative Budget Detail
FY2020 DCSD Tentative Budget Summary (6-10-2019)
Local School Budgets (xls)
The Board of Education is currently considering the Retroactive component of the Classified Staff Salary adjustments as approved in at the January 2019 meeting by implementing the MAG study. Payment of the Classified Staff adjustments will be retroactively applied to the first working day of January 2019.
The financial impact will come to $5,500,000.00
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
2019-06-Classified-SalarySchedule
2019-06 Bus Driver SNP
Executive Salary Schedule
HCM Executive Salary Placement Analysis
Presentation – Executive Salary Ranges For Regional Superintendents and Chiefs DeKalb County School District
Statement from the administration:
Granting steps for years of experience values staff by recognizing their longevity within the Dekalb County School District. This study is limited to internal years of completed Dekalb County School District experience, which includes both related and non-related experience. Related experience is not available and is not separately identified in this study. The DCSD Human Resources staff will audit employee files, if necessary.
Experience for classified staff was evaluated in three ways and is based on the data
file provided.1. Experience years in current position – Estimated salary cost = $1,600,000
2. Experience years in current position, plus half DCSD experience – Estimated salary cost = 5,002,000
3. Experience years for all internal DCSD experience – Estimated salary cost = $5,800,000
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
Corrected link:
https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/assessment-and-accountability/#tab-8e9b507b7132240de80
Stan, so as I look at the new teacher pay scale I see there is an increase from the one in January. My question: What happens to those teacher who have 30+ years of service, will they get a raise/step pay also?
Vet. Teacher. There is a salary schedule. Steps are delineated. Eventually the scale stops and teachers stop stepping.
DSW2,
This is the Accountability org chart posted under Phillips’ bio. To Joy’s point, you can see that there are PLENTY of people in that office. https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Accountability2.pdf
DeKalb should be on an episode of American Greed. It’s long overdue.
Does anyone know how we can see EOC/Milestone test results? Teachers don’t get them until pre-planning and the public gets the AJC’s overview later. The district has that information now. Last year’s excuse for poor results was the new calculation. Phillips and Green would already have this information.
EOC and Milestones will be released next month.
I’ve read this blog and a few things are clear.
1) Green is clearly looking to make certain Knox Phillips and Manomay Malathip get paid big before his departure.
2) All three persons will ride the sunset as taxpayers are left to pay the bill.
3) Anyone reading this blog, ask your board member to vote down this contract.
Dear Stan,
Start Date: July 9, 2019. End Date: December 31, 2019.
Renewal Date: January 1, 2020 Contract End Date: January 10, 2020
*This Agreement shall renew on the Renewal Date, unless DSCD terminates this Agreement by providing
written notice of termination to Contractor prior to December 31st End Date. In no event shall the Term
of this Agreement exceed twelve (12) months. ‘
I copied this statement from the contract that is posted in the BOE Agenda to be voted on tomorrow. Based on this, it seems like this contract could be renewed and continued for almost 1 year.
This makes me wonder how long was the school district aware that there would be a resignation?
Also, it seems like the BOE will vote on it on Monday and it will start on Tuesday.
This does not provide much time for the BOE to ask questions of the public or to be informed.
We hear a lot about building trust and being open. I hope that we are not beginning something that we will see repeated over and over. Resign. Then come back as a contractor and make perhaps double what you were making. This is a great deal. Make 100,000 dollars from July to January.
I would love a deal like this. That is one definition of “Joy.”
“
I talked to Superintendent Green about the contract to hang on to Knox Phillips. I explained to Dr. Green that $200/hr is not actuarially equivalent to Phillips’ current salary.
Dear Stan,
Thank you for always trying to do the right thing. Without this blog, I think this is one of the thing that the public would have missed. I appreciate you and Nancy very much.
Earlier someone posted a link for the Office of Accountability. This department as an Executive Director. It has a Director for Research and Data, a Director for Assessment, a Director for Strategic Planning. There are also two Coordinators for Research and Data and two Coordinators for Assessment.
If no one has been trained and prepared to carry on when the leader leaves, then the school system really needs to evaluate how we are preparing our leaders.
Stan, has the Administration pulled the BOE Agenda item about awarding a contract to Dr. Knox Phillips’ firm?
Stan, you mention that $200/hr is not actuarially equivalent to Phillips’ current salary. If memory serves me correctly, you are in IT, a field where many are employed as contractors. Contractors salaries are typically higher than those of permanent employees, partly because the contractor must file and pay their own benefits (SS, insurance, retirement, etc.) along with the specific expertise they bring to that position. We see this throughout government entities around the country due to the cost savings on benefits. To the layperson and only looking at the hourly rate, that may seem excessive however what would the cost be to the district if this arrangement was not made?
Also, will this be a ‘full time’ position or ‘part-time’? If the weekly hours were capped on this, again this might make sense until a capable replacement could be found or trained.
Looks like Superintendent Green has pulled the Knox Phillips – “Approval of Professional Services Agreement—Serendipity Educators, Inc.” – item from the agenda. –Stan
Stan, I just finished talking to a representative from Human Capital Management/Salary to inquire about the new 2019-2020 Teacher Salary Scale and how it affects those that have 30+ years of service. I was told those that have 30+ years will get the $3,000 over the 12 months starting 15 September 2019. After the 12 months we will not get a STEP or raise. Because of so many educators over 30 years the district should “GRANDFATHER” them into the salary scale but those that are under 30 should go by the new scale. Right now I feel as though the district is trying to force the educators that have 30+ years of service out or go elsewhere. And the way it looks now, that’s what is happening with the 3rd Teacher’s Job Fair coming up. Three job fairs in 4 months and the district is not concern or trying to keep what they have.
QUESTION: Shouldn’t those that have 30+ years get a “cost of living” increase each year?
@VetTeacher. Thanks for the info.
Salary Comparison – This is the 2019 Metro Atlanta Teacher Salary Comparison. As of Jan 1, 2019, our most experienced teachers with a masters had a higher salary at DeKalb Schools than anywhere else in metro Atlanta.
Around 5:50pm the board will discuss the plan for SPLOST projects and the GO bond
https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=4054&MID=75267
When is the 2019-2020 pay scale coming out? I would like to see before I return to work.
@still waiting…
https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/documents/hcm/2019-20-counselor-salary-schedule.pdf
Dear Stan
Not sure where to post this, but wanted to share this information. As a school system we have to start paying more attention to our decisions. Thank you for having this blog so information can be shared
Dunwoody HS. Install of trailers stopped
https://www.reporternewspapers.net/2019/07/08/dunwoody-stops-construction-of-trailers-at-high-school-says-work-lacked-permit/
Perfect place to put it. Thanks Joy. I have about 20 articles I need to post and that is one of them.
Dear Stan,
You and Nancy are great!!!! I don’t know how you find time to do all the things that you do . But I appreciate you for having this blog.
DSW2Contributor,
No wonder J. Williams and G. Brantley are working for Bottoms. They left when the purchasing department audit started.
Things that make you go hmmmmm.
Just checked my Dekalb email. Division of Human Resources sent a 2019-2020 Pay Plan. First check 19-20 is 9/13/19. Looks like the $3000 is spread across the year. So happy! (Annual Salary went up!)
Dear Stan
Today there is an article in the AJC about the consultant contract that was pulled from the BOE Meeting. If it had not been questioned in this forum, I think that it would have remained and been presented to the board. Years ago I was fortunate to work with an exceptional teacher. We were talking about team teachers and working closley wiht others. She made a comment that I hope that I will always remember. She said if the information that she was teaching is taught in such a way that it cannot be explained to my team, then I am teaching incorrectly. It is so hard to believe that in a department that is considered critical, that only one person in the department would be astute enough to understand the data.
DeKalb Schools pulls former employee’s consultant contract
https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-schools-pulls-former-employee-consultant-contract/jhMcoNiQ1W9azcQmSSGbpO/
Stan-Just wanted to pass along that many classified employees received back pay in their accounts and pay plans with up to date steps starting 7/15/19.Good news for many.Thank you for providing a sounding board for all employee’s
PAY PLANS WHERE SENT TO EMAILS TODAY for the 2019-2020 year!
Starting Sept 13 paychecks.
So glad there were sent out early!!!!
I started 2/5/1999, I got a pay plan today that showed I am on step 15 with the new step. Who do I call that can solve this because talking to the phone answers is sad. She actually told me that we classified employees were not given the same years of experience as teachers because we are classified.
@Puzzled, I believe the classified staff experience calculation formula is: “Experience years in current position, plus half DCSD experience”.
I have 16 total food service manager(my current position) DeKalb years and 4 year in a central office manager position before the 2012 RIF. So TRS says 20 yrs
Some employees are also getting $10,000 education bonuses on top of the $3000 payment…….. but I’m sure Stan and the rest of the board were already informed about that.
Mr. Jester
Please share what training is done with directors, executive directors+ on managing and developing teams. Who conducts the training? How often is the training? Micro managing is not leadership. Every dept needs a 360 leadership assessment for directors and up. Employee Assistance Program is not working for us.
Metro Schools Having Trouble finding Special Education Teachers
A DeKalb parent is quoted in the article also our interim director of HR
https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/metro-schools-scramble-find-special-teachers/Y9H96BUWVOQK1mSl9FEAJJ/
I am so glad that the mistreated classified personnel have finally started receiving the raises that were promised in January– I am still sticking to my idea that there was not a single dollar available to make these payments and that is why absolutely NOTHING happened until after July 1- the new fiscal year. I would think differently if the payments were NOT exactly what was rolled out in 2018 as the new salaries? Keep an eye on the budget as if it was your wallet– which it is if you are a Dekalb homeowner.
@DSW2Contributor – Please explain these $10,000 education bonuses? Is this similar to when the District was paying for advance degrees for some employees?
^ Several members of the Superintendent’s Cabinet (https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/superintendent/cabinet/#) were recently given lump sum $10,000 bonuses because they have advanced degrees.
Click on their biographies and you will see that several have joke diplomas — one lists her sororities but not the schools she graduated from, another says he got his doctorate from “Argosy University”. Argosy’s “campus” was a few rooms in a Dunwoody office building, before it went bankrupt in March :
https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/argosy-university-students-still-await-school-fate/htfQGkh15yf6sd6VTJ4VpK/
If you want to know more, ask your board member — I’m sure that the board knew about it and was quite happy to approve the payouts.
DSW2Contributor, Why do you say the Superintendent’s cabinet members were given bonuses?
From Dictionary.com,
bonus 2. a sum of money granted or given to an employee, a returned soldier, etc., in addition to regular pay, usually in appreciation for work done, length of service, accumulated favors, etc.
—————————————–
I used the word bonus because the $10,000 payments were in addition to their regular pay.
Yes. Why do say they received a bonus?
Stan, I believe what they are saying is that the Board approved for the Exec salaries to be increased greatly.. part of that is that they are receiving $10,000 a year if they have a doctorate.. this clear in the documents presented to the Board (which they unbelievably approved)… several people posted this type of information on your blog the day of the vote but if was approved with little or no discussion.
This is beyond disgusting. This type of greed will continue have a negatives impact on our students’ lives. Dekalb County needs 300 special education teachers, but still are trying to fatten execs pockets. This will continue to be the downfall.
Wow even the AP got 3,000 state raise and the classified employee only get a step, most of the already make 60 + and they get a step. I guess we won’t be getting a cost a living this year due to certified staff getting there 3,000. SMH!!
DSW2Contributor,
“Climate of scandal?”
No wonder Josh Williams went to work for Mayor Bottoms. He will feel right at home.