I’m starting up “Coffee Talk” again. Every week I’ll be at a coffee shop in North DeKalb. Drop by anytime and we can sit down together and talk about what is going on in our schools. We have a lot to discuss.
Coffee Talk With Stan Jester And Friends
- Friday Nov 1st: 12pm – 2pm @ White Windmill (Buford HWY)
- Friday Nov 8th: 12pm – 2pm @ Moonbird Coffee (Peachtree Rd)
- Friday Nov 15th: 12pm – 2pm @ Crema (Mt Vernon)
Please join me and we can discuss anything you like including:
- $265 Million GO Bond
- Redistricting Doraville United & Austin Elementary
- Capital projects and building additions
- Graduation Rates and Milestones Test Results
- Chamblee Charter HS High Achievers Magnet
- Chromebook rollout
FACEBOOK POSTS
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
Can you update the situation at Towers High. How many
complaints were made? Why did so many teachers
leave the school?
The news in the street is someone made a complaint to PSC in reference to ethics and unfair practices. Of course when you make a complaint to legal affairs, they side with the administrators.
The staff members at school are saying that she was arrested in her earlier teaching years for identity theft (felony) as well. This information wasn’t disclosed to PSC. She is among several Principals that have a past of questionable integrity (DUI and fighting on DCSD campus ). It is amazing how HR promotes people with questionable issues and applicants with clean records can’t even get an interview.
Thanks for the information.
Wow!!!! Maybe that is why she left Fulton county. Amazing to know that legal affairs
protects administrators before teachers . Towers had 33 of the 40 teachers quit last year . Many
forced to leave with low TKES evaluations. (Without any observations or evidence ). Tax dollars will
continue to pay her salary .
Thank you Stan for going above and beyond. We appreciate all that you do!
PastEmployee, I’m not close to the situation at Towers HS. What does the board member over there say?
Stan,
I left Dekalb County as a result of their personnel practices. If you were to perform “true” background checks on the current high school principals alone, you will find that SOME (NOT ALL) have been arrested for one thing or another. In Dekalb, depending upon “who” you know….your past discretions are “conveniently overlooked.” Hiring someone with past discretions in DCSD is nothing new. There I was, new to the county, no ties with any one (no “click” affiliation, no fraternity, just “me phi me”), no arrests, nothing at all. I had been an AP in the District four 4 years…..and if I stayed, I still would have been an AP forever more. When you do the work of the principal, you always fade into the background. It is truly a Deltas’, and Ques’ District. Will the day ever come for the people that do the work behind the people that get paid to do the work, get a fair chance – NO they won’t. When will the county wake up. And it is for that reason that a mass exodus of “straight and narrow” administrators will begin in February when contracts come out – and they don’t sign. Don’t blame Dr. Green; this has been going on long, long before he came “on the scene”).
Stan, I assumed that all board members are notified when a principal is placed on leave with pay.
If every board member cared like you Dekalb would do better. Mr. Tarver, thanks for being the voice of many!!!!!! I know many people read your blog and may have the answers.
@sam tarver – Many of the teachers have arrest records and some are very public – so much so that the students can go to certain websites and look up their teachers’ criminal pasts. Why do we continue to send our children to these awful schools. Why can’t we get an alternative without moving or paying private school tuition? Why do we tolerate this crap?
I’m a long time employee of DeKalb Schools and it disappoints me that I have a clean record, never been in trouble, yet I have trouble getting promoted- while a person with several mugshots can be allowed to lead a school. Under no circumstance should a principal with identity theft/fraud be even allowed to interview for a Principal job. Not to mention, the county sits on it for a year and now decides to do something.
I’m truly confused and looking at other counties for employment .
Let’s not forget, Superintendent Green is the one who put her in that position. He has gone against school councils and parent advisory councils several times. He says he listens to stakeholders, but the final decision is his.
He has damaged the district in so many ways.
Oh yes, I concur with all of you. I referenced or highlighted principals because they are the “leaders of the school.” Yes, I agree; there are MANY teachers with arrest records and still employed in Dekalb County. Yes, the students have researched both their principal and teachers. I surmise there are hirable and non-hirable arrest records. I know some schools right now, but won’t say so on this forum. I mean it must be ok to have three mug shots and still have a job (drunk driving). It must be ok to be caught with drugs on your being and still have a job……I guess the questionnaire on DCSD’s website means nothing. I’m telling you; it’s NOT what you know, or what you have done. It’s WHO you know. Tell you what, be fair across the board; send out a survey now asking ALL employees to complete and ask all the “pertinent questions” and you will see a myriad of positions that will need to be filled. “Very Confused,” don’t be. Your morals and clean record will not be recognized unless you are a “Delta” or a “Que.
“Lose the Magnet” I agree. Have we become so desperate for a “warm body (teacher) in the classrooms, that we will accept anyone? Dekalb County will forever remain stagnant.
Where do I apply….
@Stan
With the recent arrest of personnel that are accused of child molestation involving a DeKalb County student, and an administrator put on leave for reasons that aren’t transparent… What is Dekalb doing to ensure that all individuals that work with our children daily have a proper background check completed? After these recent occasions I decided to look up each educator on the PSC that works with my child currently this school year. To my surprise one of the paraprofessionals does not have anything on file, not even a clearance. Should I be concerned? This seems like something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Wow, just wow. I am willing to bet that she will be “reassigned” to a district position with the same if not more pay. She is buddies with the likes of Benford and Bodison. They protect their own. Just shaking my head.
@ another brick….yep… just like our former Director of HR, Tekshia Ward-Smith (how in the world did an AP become head of HR?) – got sent to athletics a few years ago after failing in a job she should never have been given and is still working there @ $124,600/yr….(remember the 2017 audit and how they are fixing all the issues found??)
And Barnes-Bodison is tight with Stepney (how’s curriculum and instruction going?)
Shaking my head too Another!
@ AB – Brockett ES principal use to be head of HR in Dekalb as well. Are HR and principal interchangeable ?
Yes.
HR is where all failed principals used to go. Then, they ran out of positions in HR. Why do you think the HR department is so messed up. There is no one working there that has a degree, even an associate’s degree, in HR. Maybe the interim director, but that would be a happy accident.
It is so bad, the district’s background checks are Google searches of candidate’s names which are done by principals. HR doesn’t do background checks. Yes. Fingerprints are taken and a criminal record check is done, but as we have seen time and time again, having a criminal record doesn’t prevent people from getting hired in DeKalb County.
HR is where all failed principals used to go. Then, they ran out of positions in HR. Why do you think the HR department is so messed up. There is no one working there that has a degree, even an associate’s degree, in HR. Maybe the interim director, but that would be a happy accident.
It is so bad, the district’s background checks are Google searches of candidate’s names which are done by principals. HR doesn’t do background checks. Yes. Fingerprints are taken and a criminal record check is done, but as we have seen time and time again, having a criminal record doesn’t prevent people from getting hired in DeKalb County.
Based on the Visitor and Volunteer Policy proposed back in October (was it ever implemented?) it sounds like we have higher qualifications for parental volunteers than we do for principals and teachers.
By the way, Stan, it was a pleasure to finally meet you at the Lakeside GO-Bond Non-Information Confab. That was an interesting episode of DCSD’s continuing Kabuki dance series.
FYI
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/new-details-towers-high-principal-previously-fired-by-atlanta-police
Why are teachers not allowed to “evaluate” administrators for Leader Keys anymore?
I hear that Towers Principal is returning after the break. Is that true?
Dr. Delmas Watkins, who is the CTAE Director. is leaving DeKalb at the end of the month. He really is a good and caring man. If you work in CTAE, you will understand that it is a tremendous loss for DeKalb. Every one cannot be wrong. We continue to lose people.
Fearful employee just remember DeKalb will send the message that any undisclosed record is okay if the principal returns. Just think about all the employees terminated when Dekalb learned of a new charge. Stan can find out and let you know how she passed the background check. Friends lookout for each other in the circle. How much respect can she receive from parents and staff after this situation?
Hello – question about your coffee and conversation- all the current times are noon-2.
These are very difficult for most of us working. Could you please host one in the late afternoon?
JJ, I’ll be doing coffee talk for a while. That’s a good idea. I can start mixing it up some. –Stan
Just curious, why did several school systems get the entire week off for fall break and we only have 2 days? No the weekend and a holiday should not really count as fall break.
Hello Kim, DeKalb Schools will take the entire week off for Thanksgiving. The kids go to school for 180 days. If we take the entire week for Fall Break, we’d have to start school 3 days earlier or add days to the calendar somewhere else.
Kim,
Please be grateful for what you received. My current district took away the Fall Break that we had last year. Today and tomorrow are teacher work days- yup, working on Columbus Day. They did the same thing for the Winter Break in February- teachers are now working on President’s Day.
I’d rather have a whole week at fall break than thanksgiving!