Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson

The DeKalb County Board of Education this afternoon voted to approve a separation agreement with Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green, effective immediately.

In a second vote, The DeKalb County Board of Education voted to name Ramona Tyson as the interim superintendent.

Earlier this year, the DeKalb Schools board decided not to renew Green’s contract. A search firm has been engaged to find the next permanent superintendent for DeKalb Schools.

103 responses to “Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson

  1. Stan – do you think this will impact/delay the current redistricting schedule? Thanks!

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  2. I don’t think it will delay the redistricting process for Pleasantdale, Doraville United or Austin elementary schools.

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  3. What is the reason for this? I’m concerned that we are paying 2 salaries for the remainder of the school year. With the school system having to come up with millions for the teacher retirement debacle, how is this a wise use of funds?

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  4. This is a move in the right direction. Glad the school board did its’ job. Thank you Stan for your service.

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  5. I’m glad he’s gone. However, WHY do we need to pay him when he obviously was not in compliance of contract. In the “real world” in “right to work state” employee can be fired without cause! Shouldn’t have to pay him out. I think we should just let him go!

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  6. Ramona Tyson is taking a half superintendent salary. While I’m not a fan of the extra incurred salary, it’s hard to put a price tag on the cost of a lame duck superintendent. Tyson has a history of making difficult decisions. I’m looking for more of that over the next 8 months.

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  7. @ Stan – can you share some of the difficult decisions Ramona has made?

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  8. One of the posts mentioned that he was not in compliance with the contract. What exactly was he not in compliance with? It seemed like he was willing to do what was needed or had an open mind. The position seems like there hasn’t been anyone that anyone has been happy with for the past 15 years, maybe 20 years. So basically, I guess the position will be a permanent revolving door of different superintendents for the next 20 years where either the superintendent doesn’t want a new contract (either the job is too difficult to accomplish or the job was only used as a stepping stone to another position), or the board is going to remove/not renew whoever it is since the majority of the board never really wanted (in the past nor in the future) any change to what they control, school-wise or money-wise. Not sure if this summary is accurate but it seems like the position is destined to just be a permanent revolving door.

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  9. In for a penny...

    Can sherry johnson leave too?

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  10. I sincerely hope that the next superintendent will be one who truly wants the challenge and is capable of addressing the many challenges that Dekalb Schools faces. He/She needs to be someone who is really invested in our schools and willing to work with the board and others for what is best for the faculty/staff and students–that is for ALL the faculty, staff, and students. There needs to be someone who can bring positive change and hope to the people in this system.

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  11. AB. You might recall the APS cheating scandal it was blown up because Hall and her staff tried to cover it up. You may not know, but at the same time there was a large DeKalb Schools cheating event. A number of high performing principals and teachers were caught cheating. Tyson was open and forthright about the incident and turned them in. The community wasn’t happy about seeing a number of their principals and teachers go. The DeKalb Schools cheating event was handled expeditiously and professionally. You may not know that Ramona Tyson closed and consolidated schools. See if you can guess how much Tyson was appreciated for that move. The list of necessary, but unpopular decisions goes on.

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  12. I’m not aware of any breach of contract by Green. It is noteworthy that the average length of a current superintendent’s tenure nationwide is 3.8 years.

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  13. Dear Stan

    I think that you made the right decision. Perhaps there can be a true independent audit now. I think that having an honest account of the school finances would be important to an incoming superintendent. Even though this has been requested, there is always a reason that it is not done.

    Rather right or wrong I feel that people have lost trust in Dr. Green and DeKalb County. I do not think that the trust would be regained between now and the end of his contract. Even people he hired and recruited from Kansas did not stay. Look at all of the positions that are listed as “interim.’ I may be wrong but Lakeside and DSA are currently without principals and the school year is almost at the mid-point. The Lakeside principal left before the school year got started. How do other school systems find principals? The state is looking at our special education practices due to us not providing accommodations for students that should have received them. There has been no resolution of the TSA Suit. The case of the child that was injured at Redan is probably going to end up in court. I cannot remember the last time that we have a permanent head of the HR Department. There is still a gap between the test scores in the north side of the county and the south side. Anyone want to add to the list?
    I think picking Ramona Tyson was a wise decision. I think that she was brave to accept this job.
    Thank you Stan.

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  14. Stan, Mr. Green was going to leave in a few months anyway. Why the hurry to separate him immediately? Thanks.

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  15. Stan, this is off topic but maybe a good one for a future blog post … where can a person find lists of the AP options at DeKalb high schools? It seems that most schools don’t offer AP until 10th grade and there’s only one choice in 10th — but some schools are not so limited. Asking on behalf of some exceptionally capable students. Thank you.

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  16. In for a pound

    I second the motion for Sherry Johnson’s removal.

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  17. Don’t forget, Ramona Tyson was hand-picked by Crawford Lewis to replace her. She also increased the number of employees in the central office after the BOE directed her to decrease the number of employees in the central office.

    She also created a position in the current budget for herself for $225,000 per year. I had filed an ORR for her job description and there isn’t one. The response said, “The Board Administrator position was posted with the incorrect title. The correct title of Office Administrator is attached.” The top salary for an office administrator is $84,555.

    I do NOT have any confidence in Ms. Tyson’s ability to lead or her morality.

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  18. I applaud the BOE’s courage to realize it’s time to move forward with new leadership. In the AJC article announcing Dr. Green’s dismissal, BOE member Dr Joyce Morley states, “We have an obligation … to the students and the residents of DeKalb County,” “We can’t keep pretending things are OK.” “It’s time to get our house in order.”

    Never have there been truer words. I look forward to the BOE and Ms Tyson taking steps to get this dysfunctional school district back in order.

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  19. DSW2Contributor

    The cheating scandal Stan mentioned was covered in this April 26, 2013 article in “The Champion”, Indicted DeKalb County teachers report to jail:
    http://thechampionnewspaper.com/news/local/indicted-dekalb-county-teachers-report-to-jail/

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  20. DSW2Contributor

    Also see this Sept 20, 2018 AJC article, “DeKalb Schools chief of staff takes new position reporting to school board”:
    https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-schools-chief-staff-takes-new-position-reporting-school-board/IJKb1KstzE23KX434CrB3O/
    Joyce Morley was 100% correct when she said that Tyson is the reason why we got full accreditation back.

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  21. This is great news. If someone isn’t doing their job, they should be fired immediately. Dr Green falls into that category. For those concerned about the money, imagine if he’d stayed in the role, getting paid, and doing nothing. Or worse, I imagine he’s a detractor to change happening. So if you bring someone in who is marginally productive, it is well worth the extra salary/ cost.

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  22. Hey Stan maybe Ms. Tyson will change the calendar start date as well back to Aug. 10. Ha!

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  23. DSW2Contributor

    @Concerned and @Enough, the cost of buying out his contract is much less than what lawyers would charge to defend DCSD against the lawsuit he would file had he been fired.

    @Kirk, remember: better the devil you know than the devil you don’t!

    @R kaufmann, the Palace scuttlebutt says that he had become extremely irritable and was treating others unprofessionally.

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  24. It would be informative to know specific issues/items that were non-compliant under Dr. Green so that we can be knowledgeable of this. Also, how specifically has Ms. Tyson been compliant/accomplished in the past? It would be nice if anyone can list specifics for each regarding mergers, new schools, budget issues, redistricting, listening to parents, releasing info, etc.

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  25. Yes I agree that Sherry Johnson needs to go to!!

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  26. I agree with T… I would like to hear about specific examples existing of him being a “detractor to change” or “not in compliance with his contract”. Those are some bold statements to make. I’d also like to know more about the house being out of order mentioned by Dr. Morley.

    As I’ve only held positions in the school building I am not aware of Dr. Green’s behavior or actions at the district level, but I am aware of the following happening under his watch…
    1) more teacher salary increases than any time I can recall in my 20 years
    2) more accountability at the schools with more regional oversight and district leaders being VISIBLE in the buildings
    3) higher expectations for teaching with more streamlined delivery of instructional expectations and monitored through focused walks with results then shared back to school leaders.
    4) DeKalb elementary and middle schools actually performed higher than the state average for the first time I can remember and if not for HS the overall district score would’ve surpassed state averages (CCRPI or AYP) https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/news/2019-ccrpi-scores-show-gains/
    5) more new schools being built rather than the quick fixes of the past
    6) better connections between schools regionally with regular collaboration and interactions
    7) teachers respected and acknowledged more than in the past for high performance

    It seems the only time in my 20 years in the district that it wasn’t dysfunctional was under Michael Thurmond. Only with the recent shortfall of funds for the latest school building projects had I noticed anything budget wise as an issue under Dr. Green… though I did feel a few unnecessary higher level positions were popping up again and perhaps not needed.

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  27. escapee from Dekalb

    Stan, AB, Kirk Lunde, DSW2 Contributor ,

    I still think of Lewis Crawford hand picking his replacement as he marched off to jail. I remember the years Ms. Tyson has been paid a very generous salary for a job that no one really knows what it is. I see a woman who has been working the system for so long. Telling employees there would not be layoffs, and then laying off 1/2 the maintenance staff. The system is still suffering from that. She is the ultimate ” friends and family” beneficiary.

    I can only hope that this “interim” positions is her last, and that they find someone who will come in and clean house of all the fools brought by Green, and begin to run this BOE for the benefits of the students. Our employees deserve real HR professionals who actually know what they are doing to assist our employees with HR decisions., and hiring done on a consistent basis. We deserve the benefit of interviewing and perchance hiring qualified eager candidates applying for the many, many teacher vacancies that Dr. Green could never make a priority. I am hopeful, but that is tempered by the fact that this is in fact SSDD from the same old DeKallb County School System.

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  28. Stan, can you post what the vote was to remove Dr. Green and the vote to appoint Mrs. Tyson?

    If it wasn’t 7-0 I’d like to know who the no votes were.

    I am glad about this decision. Mrs. Tyson is clearly a better choice than Dr. Green.

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  29. Only in dysfunctional Dekalb could someone use Ramona Tyson’s appointment as indication of progress or something palatable.

    The district can’t keep teachers, can’t manage its facilities, can’t prioritize actual education, and certainly can’t spend taxpayer money responsibly. Anyone talking about minor improvements-as a result of pushing things along or changing tests or opaque state calculations-can’t be the parent of a student who is a little less likely to be underemployed, unemployed, or out of his depth in college.

    With the amount of money and number of employees Dekalb pays, none of this is acceptable.

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  30. Ditto on Sherry Johnson, as well.
    Difficult decisions? Wasn’t GAPSC already investigating the principal and assistant principal of Atherton Elementary? And they were arrested…

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  31. More of the same. Ineffective board. Wasted money. Central office employees doing nothing. Groups only looking our for their “community.” Kids getting screwed. Teachers running for the hills. It’s been going on for 20 years. A minor shift of course will do nothing. The whole system needs to be disassembled. Slice DeKalb into three school systems, remove the board, make everyone in the central office apply for new jobs at the three new school central offices. Start over. Yeah, it will suck for a couple of years, but then if there’s transparency it will get better. Plus it will have more local control so the “communities” can focus on their own.

    Here’s what’s going to happen. Some flunky from some other state will come in (and the community he/she comes from will be thrilled to see some other sucker paying him/her). They will bring their friends, but no one in the current office will get moved out or replaced, just reassigned with the same incredibly inflated salary. The new super will make noise about doing something, but will accomplish nothing. The board will say we can’t do anything, our hands are tied. And in … what was it … 3.8 years, we’ll do it again. Meanwhile, more good teachers will retire or leave. And our kids keep getting screwed.

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  32. Kennard M. Weever

    WE MUST DO BETTER IN DEKALB COUNTY. Maybe the issue is not with the individual(s) who is hired, but the individuals who are elected. It would refreshing if our elected officials would lead/govern from what is BEST for the community and less from emotions. The superintendent informed them, before the school year started, that he was not interested in renewing his contract/the board decided not to extend a renewal. Either way, it was known prior to the start of the school. If the concern, for releasing him now, was really about “THE SUPERINTENDENT LOOK FOR ANOTHER JOB” that should have been addressed at the beginning of the year.

    It is proper for the superintendent to begin looking for future employment, that is breaking his contract, the law nor committing a sin. May teachers/staff members have already decided they are not returning to DCSD at the end of their 2019-20 contract. Im sure they already began the process of looking elsewhere. Would the board advise the interim superintendent, Ms. Tyson, to round up those teachers/staff members and release them from their contracts early, while paying they through the end of the year and bring in substitutes who must be paid also? THE RATIONALE MAKES NO SENSE.

    We are now paying TWO SUPERINTENDENTS andca search firm, and there are schools without adequate classroom resources. Students do not have books, teachers are limited on making photocopies, but we can find additional funding to fund our EMOTIONS.

    WE HAVE TO DO BETTER IN DEKALB COUNTY.

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  33. Kennard M Weever

    WE MUST DO BETTER IN DEKALB COUNTY (Correction). Maybe the issue is not with the individual(s) who is hired, but the individuals who are elected. It would BE refreshing if our elected officials would lead/govern from what is BEST for the community and less from emotions. The superintendent informed them, before the school year started, that he was not interested in renewing his contract/the board decided not to extend a renewal. Either way, it was known prior to the start of the school. If the concern, for releasing him now, was really about “THE SUPERINTENDENT LOOK FOR ANOTHER JOB” that should have been addressed at the beginning of the year. IT WAS KNOWN THAT HIS LAST YEAR WOULD BE A LAME DUCK YEAR. It could have been a year where he served to help the new superintendent transition into the role.

    It is proper for the superintendent to begin looking for future employment, that is NOT breaking his contract, NOT breaking the law NOR committing a sin. Many teachers/staff members have already decided they are not returning to DCSD at the end of their 2019-20 contract. Im sure they already began the process of looking elsewhere. Would the board advise the interim superintendent, Ms. Tyson, to round up those teachers/staff members and release them from their contracts early, while paying they through the end of the year and bring in substitutes who must be paid also? THE RATIONALE MAKES NO SENSE.

    We are now paying TWO SUPERINTENDENTS and a search firm, and there are schools without adequate classroom resources. Students do not have books, teachers are limited on making photocopies, but we can find additional funding to fund our EMOTIONS.

    WE HAVE TO DO BETTER IN DEKALB COUNTY.

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  34. Smaller districts now please

    @same old, you are spot on. The only way that we can fix this mess is to break up into smaller districts. Trying to serve the vast needs of so many students hurts everyone. If there were more local control, perhaps the super, the board, and the administrators wouldn’t be so out of touch with the needs of the students and teachers of their area. We wouldn’t be dealing with these issues all over the county. Each region has it’s own unique needs. I live in region 2 and have no familiarity with the school houses or regional supervisors in districts 3-7. Is the board chair of region 7 intimately familiar with the issues of region 1? Probably not, yet we are relying on the vote of 6 other board members, who have their own constituent’s issues, to make lasting decisions that impact children in other regions that they never even drive into or visit. Why?? Stan, what are your thoughts on this? How can we break up the district into smaller regions? Is that a state initiative? I am not talking about city districts. We are in unincorporated Dekalb and do not have any city to represent us. We just need to cut Dekalb into 3rds or quarters so that we can have leaders in touch with the students and teachers that they purport to lead.

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  35. Hi Stan,
    Why is it necessary to start from scratch on the search? This is now the 4th search since we’ve been in DCSD (Brown, Lewis, Green). Why would the search firm need to waste everyone’s time and taxpayer $$ with another “exploratory” process of learning what the community wants/needs and all that primary due diligence when none of that has changed in the three years since the last time? You can literally copy/paste the entire process from last time and save all of us time, effort and money. Why not just pay for the firm to simply post and recruit? Another wasteful process. Thanks for all you do.

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  36. You forgot Atkinson, so there really is 5.

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  37. Dr. Green was obviously immovable on some things. What changes would you like to see before the permanent superintendent comes in?

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  38. 1. Publish the evaluation process for all central office administrators and employees making more than the highest PhD teacher.

    2. Establish a policy that requires all certified “educators” to work as substitutes for as many days as the average number of days we teachers have worked as substitutes.

    3. Implement a student and staff evaluation of school administrators that cites specific job titles and roles.

    4. Use student, teacher, and staff feedback to make financial, instructional, employment decisions.

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  39. What changes would I like to see?

    I would like to see my elected board rep get on the phone or have a meeting with representatives from the State of Georgia (governor, school board, financial officials given the mismanagement of money going on in DeKalb), locally elected house and senate members, and anyone else with a dog in this fight to find out how we can tear down and rebuild DeKalb County schools. Put everything on the table from state control to breaking the district into smaller school districts, see what’s possible and what’s not, and report back here your findings.

    Anything else is just politics as usual.

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  40. @ Stan
    The items dekalb teacher listed are a great start for academics which should be the first focus. Here are others:
    1. complete a personnel audit identifying every employee, his/her job description and an evaluation of the district’s need for each position/duplication as well as the standard market salary for each position by an outside agency; be prepared to support the new superintendent to make the cuts needed once identified – do not leave the super hanging like the BOE did Brown when he tried to do what was asked.
    2. resolve the TSA
    3. change BOE policy on BOE meetings to hold a work session and citizen comment one week with business meeting the following week each month: this allows staff members to get answers to BOE members’ questions, BOE members have time to digest and seek feedback from constituents and allows public a chance to give feedback to the BOE rep before an item lands on the consent agenda
    4. change policy to require superintendent to bring anything over $50,000 to the BOE
    5. Require the superintendent to provide receipts for his/her “discretionary budget” spending and reduce discretionary budget by at least half
    6. eliminate mini-meetings with the Superintendent
    7. Require the CFO to create sub accounts for each item in a principal’s discretionary budget so there is accountability and a means to track income/expense by line item
    8. push the pause button on the SPLOST V/GO bond process
    9. Ask the new IT person to do an assessment and provide his/her evaluation of our current IT status/problems; Address the chrome book rollouts/issues, fix the web site that is impossible to navigate and often the home page has outdated info
    10. Have facilities create a routine maintenance plan for HVAC, gutters, water fountains, trailers
    11. Demand the district provide the needed supplies for each school to appropriately stock bathroom facilities daily

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  41. Based on above, it looks like Mr. Green did some good, but became unable to effect change long-term. It looks like Ms. Tyson did some good things, but the county only wants her to be temporary. My guess is that Mr. Green arrived with good intentions and was aware of SPLOST funding (increased sales tax every 5 years with proceeds to go to capital improvements/renovations) which is helpful for building. But he ended up needing to spend over half of the recent five year splost on fixing the Cross Keys cluster which had 40 trailers on three ES’s (I believe) and a very old HS. So they build some ES’s in Cross Keys cluster and are rebuilding a new HS and this all took about $240 million of the total $440 million SPLOST anticipated taxes to collect over the five year SPLOST which left way less money available to fix/build/renovate/expand the many other buildings (ES, MS, HS) needed in Dekalb County. This in turn required him to have to pitch the idea of a Bond Referendum to raise more funds in order to do more building. So basically, the amount of work/building/renovation needed in Cross Keys cluster took up more funding than anyone anticipated so there is not much left to do many other projects. The excess funding needed in Cross Keys cluster seems like (guessing) due to that cluster being ignored for renovations for many, many years which pushed all of its projects to having to be done now which Mr. Green decided to do which left less funds for elsewhere which required proposing a Bond/taxes which resulted in low reception by all in the county for this which likely led to Mr. Green realizing that there is not much else he will be available to do building/renovaton-wise without more funding which is maybe why he decided to not renew. This is all a guess.

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  42. Good day Mr. Jester.

    It is always a difficult decision as per hiring and letting go of employees. I am sure much thought and discussion were involved, and obviously not all agreed. However, a decision was made as regards Dr. Green. It is now time to move onward. I hope the search for a permanent Superintendent will go well. In the mean time, we should get behind Ms. Tyson. We can not wait any longer; our most important components/resources – students and teachers – need for the system to work fully. Transparency as per the workings of the school system, redistricting (including Magnet and High Achiever Schools), building construction/maintenance, class sizes, procurement for supplies and textbooks, the use of Chromebooks (all students should be given one at the beginning of the year if their use is our chosen path) excessive testing (give a pretest at the very beginning of the year so teachers can see their students overall strengths/weaknesses and plan the year out – let us not do benchmarks which take time away from instruction…, a well-laid-out and supported curriculum (including all equipment/supplies), training that reflects the needs of students (which does not demoralize teachers), the need for sensible/time-honoring/worthwhile paper work (thinking lesson plans, etc.), the problem of the TSA, and more need addressing… now. If not, the best will not be attracted to/remain in DeKalb, nor will our children and students excel in a competitive world. Let us begin together to heal the system and move it forward. Healing does not require us to wait….. It does not require a singular person. It requires that we admit our shortcomings, value the good, and move forward… together.

    Be well.

    Mike Pastirik – Lakeside High Schoo

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  43. Dear Stan,
    Changes I would like to see:
    1. I would like to see a true audit that will be done of both school and district level finances. Some schools do not carefully monitor their finances. I don’t think that there is any accountability for the way that money is spent. This directly impacts services for the students.
    2. I also hope that we will look at our hiring and training processes.
    I think that teachers and school staff need to be able to provide input on the evaluation of their administrators.
    How are their voices heard?
    3. Clean up our schools. It seems that no one monitors the condition of our schools.
    4. Resolve the TSA suit. It is hard to have faith in a school district that will not honor its word.

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  44. There are many school buildings which need to be renovated/built that everyone’s energy seems spent on this. Fulton County schools seem all built or renovated. They don’t seem to have these critical needs to build/renovate schools. The only recent issue seems to be to rebuild North Springs HS rather than renovate it. The fields at their elementary, middle, and high schools are also built/functional. Cobb County schools seem to be all built/renovated and they don’t seem to have this constant, critical need to address really old or small schools. They renovate ES’s in East Cobb rather than build new ones: Mt Bethel, Tritt, Sope Creek, Rocky Mount. Folks are ok with old schools that have been renovated as it works. Sope Creek is in an expensive area and the folks probably could have demanded/received a new school years ago but the school was renovated/expanded. And the fields are all functional. The HS’s all have nice Arts buildings also. So Cobb and Fulton can focus less on building and more on the curriculum. Gwinnett built super-sized HS’s (3 or 4 or 5 thousand which seems too large) but they seem all set for buildings and their fields are adequate. Meanwhile, in Dekalb, we had (1) Austin with a worn-out field of crushed rubber for a playground and parking taking up much of playground (could have purchased church next door when it was for sale and used it for parking), (2) Kingsley with a worn out field where water pools up and massive erosion against sidewalk), (3) Vanderlyn/Kinsley/Chesnut schools built in 1960’s (55 years old), (4) Peachtree MS with a flooded field full of geese before it was converted to baseball fields with monies given by county for the new Austin site (the fields still cost city an extra $2 million of our money since its renovation was costlier than estimated), (5) a MS that should have been built closer to street that would have provided more land behind it for fields/expansion/trailers but we now end up with lots of empty land in front now filled with trailers, (6) a high school whose field and track were subpar until parents fundraised and made it better, and (7) a HS lacking an arts wing to accommodate properly band, choir, orchestra, drama students. This is just in Dunwoody and doesn’t include issues with Chamblee, Cross Keys, Lakeside, etc.

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  45. It’s deja vu all over again!

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  46. escapee from Dekalb

    AB– we are halfway to your #1 with the Compensation and classification debacle from last year and earlier this year– remember that HR cluster? I think making a case for each position may be a bit much, but if we get a wish list,… I would be up for that– and again– clean house and get competent people in many of our executive level jobs. A trained, competent HR department would do wonders on so many levels.

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  47. I nominate Mike Pastirik for Superintendent. He’s an intelligent, ethical, sensible and compassionate veteran DeKalb teacher who is retiring and will be available! It’s way past time that we have an actual teacher be in charge at DCSD – he will prioritize learning, which sadly has not been the focus in DCSD’s administration for many years.

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  48. I’ve never been a big Ramona Tyson fan. If I remember correctly, she came to DCSD from (I believe) BellSouth and eventually became the head of IT. I’m not sure what her qualifications are that allowed her to rise to the level she did.

    So now, in addition to a half-dozen or so C-Level positions filled with “Interim” placeholders, we now have the Superintendent position filled on an “Interim” basis as well.

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  49. @ Insider. Ramona Tyson started with DCSD as a teacher at Lakeside for two years. She taught either business ed or computer science. Then she left for Bellsouth. When she came back to DCSD, so worked in MIS (management information systems) at the time. Maybe some of you “older DeKalb followers” will remember she was in charge of MIS when Jamal Edwards (son of Board Member at that time, Frances Edwards) and he did not show up for work for six months and instead hung out at Nancy Creek. This was brought to Ramona’s attention, but she failed to take action and relieve him of his duties.

    ***** At this time, Frances Edwards still has a daughter (media $63K) and a son in law (who works in transportation making $116K) and the other son, Jamal Anderson still works for DCSD (supervisor of technology information making $72K)******

    Friends and Family is still around…….

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  50. For a little history – here are the results of a search of Ramona Tyson on the DSW1 blog >>
    http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/search?q=+ramona+tyson
    We wrote about her quite a lot.
    No matter how things change, they always seem to stay the same.

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  51. DSW2Contributor

    @Stan – “What changes would you like to see before the permanent superintendent comes in?”

    A change I’d like to see is for DCSD leadership to begin celebrating successes that are happening around the district. We don’t do that now since celebrating success threatens the failing.

    Bill Torpy wrote a great article about Carstarphen:
    https://www.ajc.com/news/local/carstarphen-pulls-aps-from-ditch-then-gets-tossed-into-ittorpy-large-carstarphen-pulls-aps-from-ditch-gets-tossed-into/eXeBYMFfjEEB8Wg6y6reDO/

    This part describes what she excels at:
    ———————————————————————————————————————————–
    Carstarphen was her own publicity-generating juggernaut. Not long after her hire, she became the Face of the System, a presence at PTA meetings, school dances and the endless education-oriented gatherings.

    Two summers ago, I saw her at a football practice at Benjamin E. Mays High School, an ongoing activity where she’d arrive at a school, don pads and a helmet, run through drills and catch a couple of passes. During this particular drill, she pulled up lame and had to be helped from the field. Still, she limped back to address the team and shoot a ton of selfies. Sure, it was shtick. But the next day, 50 kids who were opinion leaders at their school told other students about their crazy (in a good way) superintendent. It showed them someone up there gives a hoot.
    ———————————————————————————————————————————–
    She is always on Twitter, sharing positive news and success stories — she even congratulates individual kids as they receive their college admission letters. Meanwhile, DCSD is renting billboards and passing out “I love Dekalb Schools” stickers.

    Principals do celebrate successes, but I’m not seeing district-wide leadership doing it.

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  52. DSW2Contributor

    @Cere – At the Principals meeting, Tyson stated she told the board that she was only willing to serve for 7 months.

    I think we can agree that her return is proof that Dr. Green failed to be the “change agent” he was supposed to be!

    1
  53. DSW2Contributor,

    In June 2015, I filed a complaint with the GaDOE against DCSD for not having substitute teachers for students with disabilities. This got me a meeting with the new superintendent in July. It was supposed to be a one-on-one meeting, but Tyson was there. I asked for her to leave and Green wouldn’t do it.

    The fact Tyson is still employed by the district is proof Dr. Green embraced the Friends and Family culture. The fact she was “earning” $225,000 for a position with no job description is proof the Friends and Family culture is still alive and well.

    Tyson is not going to change anything in a positive way. I fear she will promote people to fill vacant positions. I am afraid the next budget will contain more waste, more administrative bloat, and less money for classrooms.

    1
  54. Based on today’s news about Green covering up abuse, can we all agree that Tyson is a cancer just like Green?
    The whole swamp should be drained IMO.

  55. escapeefromDekalb

    Cere,
    One comment really stood out to me that would make Ms. Tyson NOT the one to “interim” lead DCSS again—

    This comment from her public lackey/spokesperson Jeff Dickerson– “Ms. Tyson is unaware of any significance her salary would have on her Retirement.” This is when she was removing the real workers right and left, but got a 44% increase in 2011.
    — what happened to the others– more furlough days, no TSA more $ for benefits.
    If she cannot manage this basic concept of the very lucrative TRS system, then she has proven herself an incompetent person.

  56. DeKalb’s Green investigated over teachers’ violations not reported

    https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-green-investigated-over-teachers-violations-not-reported/FMJ03b91M0frAMtaQpuCpK/

    The BOE had a difficult decision to make. There may not have been a perfect solution. But I think that the more ‘issues” that can be resolved before a new superintendent is appointed, the better it is for the school system.

  57. Joy,

    Then, Tyson was the worst possible choice. She knows everything that has been going on and has been involved in all of it.

    She will not solve any issues. If she attempts to, you can expect the solution to include paying large amounts of money to unqualified Friends and Family.

  58. @ garbage fire, Bingo! Tyson (Green’s right hand for years) and everyone else in the central office/DCSD with knowledge of these incidences had a responsibility to report them to PSC. After all, each employee is a mandatory reporter…She is as guilty as Green. Anyone can file a complaint with PSC anonymously for investigation.

  59. DSW2Contributor

    @Kirk – DCSD’s treatment of students with disabilities is indefensible. We are lucky to have advocates like you.

    @Cere – Back in September, the Board hired Tyson for a new job, executive administrator, that reported to the Board, *not* Green:
    https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-schools-chief-staff-takes-new-position-reporting-school-board/IJKb1KstzE23KX434CrB3O/
    I don’t remember anyone complaining about her hiring then.

  60. DSW2Contributor,

    I complained in June when I saw her salary was going to be $225,000. Allyson Gevertz didn’t see a problem with that and none of the other board members replied.

    Green had a different chief of staff before July. So Tyson probably started before Sept. However, she has been up to her eyeballs in everything Green was until this year. If Green has acted unethically, Tyson was advising him to, or was aware of it.

  61. DSW2Contributor

    Good article by Marlon Walker, titled “Communication, hiring problems preceded DeKalb school chief’s exit”:
    https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/communication-hiring-problems-preceded-dekalb-school-chief-exit/M8qy5fERSaUG4r9BrgZwBN/

  62. I received this email from the district’s legal department yesterday. They are finally getting me the documents requested in an ORR dated Oct. 31.
    ___________________________________________________________________

    Good afternoon Mr. Lunde,

    The District would like to clarify the positions below and the associated salary schedules:

    Chief Administrator to the Board: Ms. Tyson, former Chief of Staff, transferred over as Chief Administrator to the Board and maintained her Chief salary of $225k. The board has since voted to eliminate the Chief Administrator position and to fill this position at the Executive Director Level in the future. See the attached job specification for Executive Director and salary schedule PG134.

    Office Administrator to the Board: Ms. Brown is Office Administrator to the Board. This position is associated with salary schedule PG122.
    __________________________________________________________

    This was my response. The links won’t work, but they go to approved budgets.

    Ms. Qualls,

    According to previous detailed budget (page 7), Ms. Tyson was not earning $225,000 in her position as Chief of Staff. The budget for that position in FY ’19 was $178,115. How can she maintain a salary of $225,000 if she was not earning that much? Are you suggesting she was actually earning $225,000 in the position of Chief of Staff?

    Please share the link to agenda item for the board vote to eliminate the Chief Administrator position. In the approved FY ‘2020 budget, (page 11) the position is listed as “Chief Administrator of BOE.” I assume the vote to change that has happened since the FY ’20 budget was approved in June.

    Additionally, aren’t all candidates for Executive Director positions supposed to be approved by the BOE? Please, share the link to the agenda item for that vote.

    Also, there has been a hiring freeze in place since the first of July. The BOE is supposed to vote to approve filling positions outside of the schoolhouse. I am assuming this would be the same agenda item as the vote to approve Ms. Tyson. If it is not, please share a link to the agenda item approving the Executive Director position in addition to the vote to approve Ms. Tyson for that position.

    I look forward to a timely response to my questions and requests.

    Thank you, very much.
    _________________________________________________________________

    Not only is the legal department a week and a half late, but their explanation doesn’t make sense. Tyson wasn’t making $225,000 last year. The BOE has not voted to approve Tyson as their Executive Director. The legal department does not give out accurate information.

    If I get another response, I usually don’t, it will only be because I CC’d someone in the State’s Attorney General’s office and Marlon Walker at the AJC.

  63. Vanessa Thompson

    I checked out the current searches listed for BWP & Associates just to see what they said about DeKalb.
    Lo and behold, the two person team conducting the search includes Dr. Percy Mack!
    Why now just appoint him? He was a really good guy.

  64. Kirk,

    I think you must be one of the few people paying attention. The board has allowed this school district to squander millions and disadvantage thousands of students. Anyone pretending that Green is the only problem or Tyson is a welcome “leader “ is willfully ignorant or shamelessly lying.

    I have little faith in any legal or educational body that supposedly provides oversight. There’s no way we would be here if anyone other than teachers and paraprofessionals and bus drivers are accountable.

  65. Vanessa Thompson,

    I just did that too and saw the school district still refuses to acknowledge their offices are in Tucker. Tucker has been incorporated for 3 years and they still won’t admit the palace is within the city limits. I wonder why?

    It is so sad they are either ignorant or spiteful.

  66. Kirk… they still have the Stone Mountain ZIP regardless of being in the city. Did the post office say 30083 could use “Tucker”?

  67. concerned citizen

    I worked with Percy Mack years ago when we were both administrators; he was as fine a man as they come. He was an excellent principal, won a car for being Principal of the Year! (no more of that), and other than Stan he has my vote for superintendent. He won’t be going along with any stupidity! Also, Tyson needs to go. She hasn’t got any sense being supt. Stan or Percy, yes!

  68. Witsend,

    I don’t know. I guess I should ask.

    Lots of municipalities have more than one zip code.

  69. Give Carstarphen a shot at DCSD.

  70. Laptopboy… oh hell no. After she privatized schools in Austin and did the same in Atlanta, that should disqualify her from being a superintendent anywhere.

    Kirk… 30083 and 30087 are Stone Mountain. That’s a little different than using another city’s name.

  71. Sent this ORR today. The administration is already in violation of the open meeting act by not having the agenda items posted.
    ________________________________________________

    Pursuant to the state open records law, Ga. Code Ann. Secs. 50-18-70 to 50-18-77, I write to request a copy of the action items approved by the BOE during the November 11, 2019 called meeting. These items are identified in the video of the meeting as a “separation agreement” and an “interim superintendent contract.” These items are not posted with the online agenda of the meeting. (http://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=4054&MID=82273) An electronic version of the requested documents may be emailed.

  72. DSW2Contributor

    From the AJC: “Kansas City Public Schools officials manipulated student attendance records to regain full accreditation between 2013 and 2016, when former DeKalb County School District Superintendent Steve Green led the Kansas City district, a published report says.”
    https://www.ajc.com/news/local/report-dekalb-schools-chief-last-district-finds-inflated-attendance/gcxz9M6g70e1ffGg08lwrI/

    Read the full article!

  73. Vanessa Thompson

    Which search firm found Dr Green for DeKalb?

  74. Vanessa. The board used the search firm ProAct to find Green. In the middle of the search, a number of developments came up with that search firm and the board fired them. By then, the board already had a list of candidates to choose from and moved forward independently to determine who the next superintendent would be. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/District_Dossier/2015/05/georgia_district_hires_superin.html

  75. DeKalb Taxpayer

    Can the board please explain why they thought hiring Robert Stephen Green was a good Idea after he had been sued by the Federal Government for fraudulent acts as an area superintendent in the state of New York. Just paste this case number in your web browser and the case will come up in full detail. How in the hell does the board not google these things and catch these rats before they hire them? Want to know where 50 million in unaccounted money is that the school board can not account for? Read this article and you will find out quickly. This needs to be forwarded to the AJC. The board needs to be held accountable for this mis-judgement!

    Case 1:09-cv-06876-BSJ Document 47 Filed 01/30/13

  76. AnotherDekalbTaxpayer

    His first name is Robert? Why does he go by Stephen? Just read this document. Is this the same person ?
    That is very concerning.

  77. Robert Stephen Green. That was our superintendent.

    A lot of people use their middle name.

  78. DSW2Contributor

    The “Stipulation and Order of Settlement and Dismissal” that “Dekalb Taxpayer” referred to:

    http://www.jonesday.com/files/upload/Wendel/U.S.%20v.%20Princeton%20Review%20-%20Settlement%20%28Green%29.pdf

    An interesting sentence: “As to Green, the Federal Complaint alleges that he pressured his subordinates to increase daily attendance figures, and was on notice that they responded by falsifying daily student attendance records to make it appear that more students had attended Princeton Review’s SES tutoring classes than had actually attended. “

  79. DSW2Contributor

    Also see this new AJC article, “Ex-DeKalb school chief’s Kansas City contract had attendance bonuses”

    https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-school-chief-kansas-city-contract-had-attendance-bonuses/tHgYUURTIRYuO8OiLTJTkO/

  80. DSW2Contributor

    And a Thursday article in the Kansas City Star newspaper, titled “Ex-KC school leader had big motivation to falsify data, says former board member”:
    https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article237585689.html

  81. DSW2Contributor

    And from yesterday’s Kansas City Star, “KC schools waiting to learn what the fake attendance data scandal will cost them”:
    https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article237681704.html

  82. Vanessa Thompson

    Many people have the same name

  83. DSW2Contributor

    Tuesday, January 29, 2013 Press Release from the US Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of NY:
    https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-sues-testquest-criminally-charges-one-former-testquest-manager

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Tuesday, January 29, 2013
    Manhattan U.S. Attorney Sues TestQuest, Criminally Charges One Former TestQuest Manager, And Announces Guilty Pleas Of Two Former Directors At Princeton Review For Defrauding Federal Government Into Paying For Tutoring Services That Were Never Provided
    Former Princeton Review Directors And Vice President Settle Civil Lawsuit In Connection With The Same Fraudulent Scheme

    Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Brian M. Hickey, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Northeastern Region of the United States Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (“ED-OIG”), announced today a number of civil and criminal actions relating to false claims for reimbursement submitted by educational testing services companies, TESTQUEST, INC. (“TESTQUEST”) and THE PRINCETON REVIEW, INC. (“PRINCETON REVIEW”) in connection with a federally-funded program that provides tutoring services to public school children. The actions include: (1) the filing of a civil fraud lawsuit earlier today against TESTQUEST and MICHAEL LOGAN, a former Manager at TestQuest, seeking treble damages and civil penalties under the False Claims Act for the fraudulent reimbursement claims submitted by TESTQUEST between 2005 and 2012; (2) the arrest this morning of LOGAN on fraud charges; (3) the guilty pleas of ANA AZOCAR and ZORAYMA AZOCAR, two former Site Managers and then Directors of PRINCETON REVIEW’s New York City Supplemental Educational Services program (“SES”), to fraud charges and the settlement of civil claims filed against them; and (4) the settlement of civil claims filed against ROBERT STEPHEN GREEN, a former Director and Vice President of PRINCETON REVIEW. LOGAN was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV this afternoon. ZORAYMA AZOCAR pled guilty before U.S. District Judge John F. Keenan on January 11, 2013, and ANA AZOCAR pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman on January 15, 2013.

    The Government reached a settlement in December 2012 with EDUCATION HOLDINGS, INC. which was formerly known as THE PRINCETON REVIEW, INC. for its role in the government billing fraud.

    Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Today, we continue our push to clean up corruption in the tutoring of our school kids perpetrated by those who put their pockets before their pupils. In little more than a month since we exposed and resolved a scheme by Princeton Review to fraudulently bill the government for critical tutoring services that could make the difference between a child’s academic success or failure, we are now holding individuals to account – both criminally and civilly – for their roles in that scheme. But today we go even further – charging a second company and one of its principals for allegedly feeding at the trough of government largesse by targeting the same Supplemental Education Services program and manufacturing student beneficiaries of those services out of whole cloth.”

    ED-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Brian M. Hickey said: “The Supplemental Education Services program provides critical resources for children to improve their academic performance. Ana Azocar, Zorayma Azocar, and Robert Stephen Green were trusted to provide those services, but instead they chose to abuse that trust for personal gain, and that is unacceptable. And Michael Logan is alleged to have done the exact same thing. I am proud of the work of our office in holding these individuals accountable for their fraudulent actions and we will continue to track down those who cheat this important program and the students and families that rely on it.”

    According to the Criminal Complaint against LOGAN, the Criminal Informations against the AZOCARS, the Civil Complaints against PRINCETON REVIEW and TESTQUEST, and the Settlement with GREEN filed in Manhattan federal court:
    The Supplemental Educational Services Program

    Each year, the New York City Department of Education (“NYCDOE”) receives funds from the federal government to pay for SES, such as after-school tutoring and other remedial and supplemental academic enrichment services for students attending underperforming public schools. NYCDOE typically enters into contracts with private entities and organizations to provide SES tutoring to students in New York City public schools. Students are eligible to receive SES tutoring if they meet certain criteria, such as attending a school that has been identified as needing improvement or restructuring for at least two years. Private entities contracted by NYCDOE to provide SES tutoring are required to have each student who attends a class sign a standard attendance form. The tutor of each class also is required to sign the form attesting that he or she provided SES tutoring to the students whose signatures appear on the attendance form. As a condition of getting paid for providing tutoring, the private entities are required to certify to the NYCDOE that their attendance records are “true and accurate.”
    TESTQUEST

    From 2005 through 2012, TESTQUEST contracted with the NYCDOE to provide SES tutoring to students in New York City. It provided individual tutoring to students at their homes and group tutoring at various New York City public schools, including the Monroe Academy of Business and Law/High School of World Cultures (“Monroe”) and the Global Enterprise Academy/Christopher Columbus High School (“Columbus”). TESTQUEST received tens of millions of dollars of federal funding for tutoring during this time period, including more than $2.3 million for purportedly providing tutoring at Monroe and Columbus alone.

    MICHAEL LOGAN was an employee of TESTQUEST responsible for managing its SES tutoring program at Monroe and later at Columbus. LOGAN also worked as a long-term substitute teacher and computer technician at Monroe and, at times, coached Monroe’s baseball team. As a result of LOGAN’s conduct, TESTQUEST employees repeatedly submitted to the NYCDOE bills for students who never received any tutoring. LOGAN instructed TESTQUEST employees to forge student signatures on attendance forms and to have students sign attendance forms for tutoring classes they had not in fact attended. On some occasions, LOGAN caused TESTQUEST employees to fraudulently obtain students’ signatures by collecting them from students assembled in the school cafeteria or participating in afterschool activities such as baseball or basketball practice. LOGAN would direct employees to participate in this fraud by saying, for example, “if you can’t find the students, sign them in,” “make them sign or you won’t get paid,” and “I already got paid, this is how you get paid.” Further, when LOGAN learned of the criminal investigation, he coached others to lie. In one recorded conversation, LOGAN encouraged another witness to lie about teaching classes that occurred when the witness and LOGAN were actually coaching after-school sports, saying “…we just gotta stick to we taught the classes.” Through the fraud conducted at LOGAN’s direction, TESTQUEST was paid substantial sums for tutoring that never occurred.

    TESTQUEST’s management knew of, deliberately ignored or recklessly disregarded the fraud by LOGAN. For example, during the 2008/2009 academic year, little or no tutoring was taking place at Monroe, and employees collected student signatures on attendance forms in the school cafeteria. During other years, the reported attendance at TESTQUEST’s afterschool tutoring at Monroe and Columbus was greater than the number of students actually receiving tutoring. Moreover, TESTQUEST’s management was exposed to clear warning signs of the fraud, including one occasion in 2010 when TESTQUEST’s President saw student signatures on an attendance form and expressly stated that they looked forged.
    PRINCETON REVIEW

    From 2002 to 2010, PRINCETON REVIEW contracted with the NYCDOE to provide SES tutoring to students in New York City. Between 2006 and 2010, however, Site Managers at PRINCETON REVIEW’s New York City SES division falsified entries on daily student attendance sheets to make it appear that more students had attended the PRINCETON REVIEW’s SES classes than had, in fact, attended. In some cases, Site Managers falsified entire daily student attendance sheets for SES classes that did not, in fact, take place. If a Site Manager failed to report a sufficiently high rate of student attendance at PRINCETON REVIEW’s SES classes, the Site Manager’s Director would threaten to terminate and/or lower the hours and pay of the Site Manager.

    ANA AZOCAR and ZORAYMA AZOCAR worked as Site Managers and then as Directors of PRINCETON REVIEW’s New York City SES division, responsible for supervising Site Managers at schools throughout New York City, including in Manhattan and the Bronx. As described in the Informations to which they pled guilty, as well as the civil settlements they entered into, ANA AZOCAR and ZORAYMA AZOCAR not only falsified attendance records on their own, but also pressured and instructed the Site Managers they supervised to commit fraud in this manner. ROBERT STEPHEN GREEN was also a Director at PRINCETON REVIEW and, later, the Vice President in charge of PRINCETON REVIEW’s New York City SES program. As he admitted in the civil settlement he entered into, he gave the Site Managers he supervised a daily quota for student attendance and pressured the Site Managers to meet the quota, including by threatening to fire them or lower their pay if they reported low attendance. He texted or called the Site Managers on a daily basis demanding that they continually report higher attendance and said, for example, “find 15 more students,” “get more students,” and “make it happen, I don’t want any excuses.” GREEN admitted that even after he became Vice President, he was “repeatedly put on notice that Site Managers were in fact falsifying entries on the daily student attendance sheets.” Through the fraud committed at the direction of ANA AZOCAR, ZORAYMA AZOCAR and GREEN, PRINCETON REVIEW billed for and received millions of dollars in federal funds for SES tutoring that it had not provided.

    MICHAEL LOGAN, 48 of White Plains, New York, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and the U.S. Department of Education, and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The charges in the Criminal Complaint against him are merely allegations and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    By filing its Civil Complaint, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had previously been filed against TESTQUEST under the False Claims Act.

    ANA AZOCAR, 36 of New York, New York, and ZORAYMA AZOCAR, 35 of New York, New York, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud a federal program and one count of federal program fraud. They both face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. ANA AZOCAR will be sentenced by Judge Furman on May 23, 2013, and ZORAYMA AZOCAR will be sentenced by Judge Keenan on June 26, 2013.

    Separately, ANA AZOCAR and ZORAYMA AZOCAR settled civil claims filed against them, made admissions concerning their conduct, and agreed to pay $1,043,400 and $1,020,500, respectively, in restitution and forfeiture in satisfaction of the civil claims against them.

    ROBERT STEPHEN GREEN also settled civil claims filed against him, made admissions concerning his conduct, and agreed to execute a judgment in favor of the Government in the amount of $3.2 million, and to pay $221,058 in satisfaction of the civil claims against him. The $221,058 represents the maximum of GREEN’s ability to pay a monetary settlement to the Government. In addition, in connection with their civil settlements, ANA AZOCAR, ZORAYMA AZOCAR and GREEN have each agreed not to participate in any procurement or non-procurement transactions with the federal Government for a period of five years.

    The Government reached a settlement in December 2012 with EDUCATION HOLDINGS, INC. which was known as THE PRINCETON REVIEW, INC. until May 2012, for PRINCETON REVIEW’s repeated submission of false claims for reimbursement. In the settlement, EDUCATION HOLDINGS admitted, acknowledged, and accepted responsibility for engaging in fraudulent conduct while it was doing business as PRINCETON REVIEW and agreed to pay up to $10 million to the United States in damages and penalties under the False Claims Act.

    Mr. Bharara thanked the Office of the ED-OIG for its extraordinary assistance in this case.

    The criminal cases are being handled by the Complex Frauds Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph P. Facciponti and Christopher B. Harwood are in charge of the prosecution. The civil cases are being handled by Christopher B. Harwood of the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit.

    The Civil Frauds Unit works in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, on which Mr. Bharara serves as a Co-Chair of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

    The charges contained in the Criminal Complaint against LOGAN are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    U.S. v. TestQuest, Inc, et al. Complaint
    U.S. v. Michael Logan Michael Complaint
    U.S. v. Education Holdings1, Inc (Princeton Review) Amended Complaint
    U.S. v. Zorayma Azocar Information
    U.S. v. Ana Azocar Information

  84. DSW2Contributot

    @Vanessa Thompson – “Many people have the same name”
    ——————————————
    Here’s an April 3rd, 2012 article from the Northeast News of Kansas City, titled “KCPS hires Green as official superintendent”:
    http://northeastnews.net/pages/kcps-hires-green-as-official-superintendent/
    Last paragraph includes this sentence: “HIs leadership experience also includes a stint as superintendent of Community School District No. 28 and a Local Instructional Superintendent in Region 3 for the New York City Board of Education.”
    —————————————–
    Preet Bharara’s press release includes this line:
    “ROBERT STEPHEN GREEN was also a Director at PRINCETON REVIEW and, later, the Vice President in charge of PRINCETON REVIEW’s New York City SES program. ”
    —————————————–
    I *suspect* that “Local Instructional Superintendent in Region 3 for the New York City Board of Education” is describing his “Vice President in charge of Princetown Review’s New York City SES Program” job.

  85. AnotherDekalbTaxpayer

    How did the board not know any of this? Especially if a hiring firm was used? Don’t they vet potential candidates for the job. I just read Mr. Green’s contract with Dekalb. It was very generous. Happy my tax dollars paid for that (insert sarcasm).

  86. DSW2Contributor

    ^ AnotherDekalbTaxpayer, the school board was apparently victimized by a white collar criminal. That’s what criminals do, they take advantage of people. I cannot blame the board for being victimized.

    When Dr. Green was hired, I spent a lot of time searching for articles and information on him. I missed the fraud in NYC even though Preet Baharra’s press releases were online back then.

  87. DeKalb Taxpayer

    Well I am not a lawyer by any stretch of the imagination but you board of education have just been thrown a bone I believe. If Robert Stephen Green was not forthcoming in his past legal issues that lead to he being sued by the federal government for monetary theft of federal dollars in which according to the legal summary he enter a guilty plea, then why would DeKalb be responsible for any remains pay checks to this rat or settlement fees. I would think aligned with past judgements, the contract between he and DeKalb county school systems would be null and void immediately. This would solve the issue of paying 2 superintendents currently. He is a fraud and should be serving time behind bars for acts such as these. However my guess is the board of education was aware of this and decided to hire him anyways and defraud the district of a sound ethical leader and a path to success for all DeKalb students and families. They are just as guilty and should be held accountable as well! This continues to repeat itself consistently and the only common denominator is a board of education continuing to make very poor decisions with hiring and oversight. This is unacceptable and needs to be addressed. Stop hiring firms to do your job board! You were put in to position to over see and manage the school district and you performed as poorly as the board the was removed by the governor. Stop bringing rats in from outside the state that can not connect to our culture and has no understanding of what our district needs! Hire somebody from the state of Georgia that is not a criminal, is ethical, and has a proven record of change in education. Chirp, chirp, chirp. I hear crickets from Stan now.

  88. @DeKalb Taxpayer,
    It sure would be nice if DCSD had a Chief Legal Officer to investigate whether this new information invalidates Dr. Green’s contract with DCSD.

    It sure would be nice if DCSD Legal hadn’t retracted, or been pressured to retract, its request for additional personnel for this year.

    But as for your complaints against Stan, keep in mind that he is one of seven BOE members. He votes No very frequently, but a 6-1 request passes just the same as if he had just voted Yes to not make waves.

    Stan’s not the whole solution but he’s certainly not the problem.

  89. The fraud case discussed here is not the same guy and the speculation based on a common name is irresponsible. Scroll down.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-green-a8544177

  90. Vanessa Thompson

    I was concerned about common names

  91. DeKalb Taxpayer

    @Anonymous,

    I agree whole heartedly with what you have said Stan can not govern the entire board by himself. My complaints are not against Stan standing alone but the entire board as a whole. Maybe this is not the same Robert Stephen Green but it is worth investigating and getting to the bottom of it. It is not a coincidence that he was in the area at the same time and the actions were similar to what was written in the AJC in his previous school district. The fact of the matter is that DeKalb has been hammered with poor hiring practices over the last 20 years and it starts with the hiring of a superintendent that the board is responsible for.

    @D,
    Your comment is un founded, you posted a gentleman randomly off of Linked that does not even have the full name Robert Stephen Green and in no way have you tied this guy to the case either and you have even less evidence to back your assumptions as well. This makes you incredibly irresponsible. Nice try though. You must be one of Robert’s foot soldiers. Fact is yes it may not be Robert Stephen Green that ran our school district but it sure smells fishy and should be investigated.

  92. DSW2Contributor

    AJC – “Ex-DeKalb Schools chief, now inactive employee, to be paid until June”:
    https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-schools-chief-now-inactive-employee-paid-until-june/XMsipsZyN0S9li8vEyBcgN/

  93. Why DeKalb will never get better. From the AJC — Percy Mack, the consultant quoted (who by the way is a former DeKalb district employee – SHOCKING) said about the prospective new Superintendent:

    “That person has to have the support of the community … and bring a lot of skills here.”

    Notice the order of that sentence. Not that he/she needs skills first. Nope – they have to have the support of the COMMUNITY.

    Gee, I wonder WHAT community they are talking about???

    Bend over N. DeKalb. More of the same on the menu.

  94. Vanessa Thompson

    Since Dr. Hallford, how many superintendents served their whole contract and weren’t given a buy out?

  95. Vanessa Thompson, Great question!! I would like to know that too.

  96. Let’s see:
    Johnny Brown – no
    Crawford Lewis – no
    Cheryl Atkinson – no
    Michael Thurmond – not really handled like a real superintendent
    Steve Green – no

  97. Vanessa Thompson

    Of those listed, how many were hired based on an expensive search?

  98. @Vanessa: Brown, Atkinson,and Green…..Thurmond was a questionable behind the scenes “interim” deal pushed by Orson…Lewis came up through the ranks.

  99. Some DeKalb Teachers Retroactively Punished by GAPSC

    https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/some-dekalb-teachers-retroactively-punished-state-ethics-probe/UFm6wAZZ6nR95DZrTqGRoL/

    The new superintendent will need to be a strong and ethical person. There is so much that he or she will have to try to correct.