Category Archives: Michael Thurmond

Michael Thurmond is the Interim Superintendent for DeKalb County School District.

05/01/2013 – Thurmond at DCPC

Posted on May 2, 2013 by | 3 comments

Dunwoody Chamblee Parent Council
Wed 5/1/2013 @ 9:15 AM

Meeting Summary
Michael Thurmond was visibly disconcerted during his Q&A with the DCPC (Dunwoody Chamblee Parent Council) on Wednesday. He steered away from citing too many data points and made it clear he intends to spend a lot of time and money on low performing schools saying “lifting from the bottom” and getting parents involved will elevate all schools. Terry Nall and Fran Millar peppered Mr. Thurmond with facts as he refused to support dual accreditation for high schools across DeKalb. Mr. Thurmond implored parents to acknowledge things were getting better to no avail. One parent summed it up saying before they endorse this administration “What I’d like to see, and I don’t think I’m alone in this, is to see a commitment to some sweeping changes”.
DCSD Updates

  • Commencement Speakers – As reported in the AJC, Governor Nathan Deal is among several high-profile figures who will give commencement addresses for DeKalb County high schools.
  • 90 Day Plan – The 90 day action plan has been released.
  • SACS – DCSD is prepared and looking forward to the upcoming SACS/AdvancED visit.
  • United Parent Councils – Representatives from parent councils across the county came together recently to discuss how they can improve the district in concert.
  • Top 15 High Schools – US News and World Report reported that 3 of the top 15 high schools in Georgia are in DeKalb.
  • $16 Million Dollar Deficit – Given the new funding mandates, DeKalb is fortunate to have only a $16 million dollar deficit.

Fact Checker

TRUE
Thurmond: “US News and World Report reported. And the media covered it in passing that of the 15 highest performing, top high schools in the state of Georgia, 3 of them are located in DeKalb County.”
The fact that most of the traditionally highest ranked schools in Georgia didn’t break the top 20 calls into question the methodology of the report. DSW has a good thread on that, Where’s Lakeside on the US News list of top high schools.
TRUE
Thurmond: “We are projected, primarily, the only evidence of mandated increases and insurance costs and health costs and step increases mandated by the state, a $16 million dollar operating deficit for F.Y. ’14.”
While it is true that benefit costs determined by the state have increased, this happens frequently. DCSD should be able to build in some increases to benefits just as private companies are forced to do.
FALSE
Thurmond: “We will on this week impose and implement and enforce a strict nepotism policy. One that did not exist in the district. “
There is an Employment Of Relatives Policy, but it just doesn’t use the word ‘Nepotism’. The policy is consistent with state law which prevents the hiring and promotion of relatives of the board to positions of AP or higher. It delineates when board members must abstain from voting on a hire. It demands that every employee disclose all familial relationships with the board and senior staff. If an employee does not, they are subject to termination.
C. EMPLOYMENT OF RELATIVES
“The District permits the employment of qualified relatives of employees, provided such employment does not, in the judgment of the Superintendent or his/her designee, create actual or perceived conflicts of interest. d. All District employees are required to disclose, on an annual basis, whether they are a relative of any other current District employee.”
UNDETERMINED
Thurmond: “We’re not going to spend $9.2 million on attorney’s fees in 2014.”
The budget process just started, no cuts have been made to date, and Mr. Thurmond doesn’t know enough about education administration to be able to accurately make this prediction. I would drill down hard on this one. I don’t expect the data to bare Mr Thurmond’s prediction out.

Q&A Summary
Question: It’s not a wise policy for the administrators to tell principals to control their parents.
Thurmond: Parents are an untapped resource we are going to use to lift this district up from the bottom.
Fran Millar: What are your thoughts on the charter clusters and dual accreditation?
Thurmond: I will not support anything that undermines the value [of full district accreditation]. I love charters, I love theme schools. But at the end of the day, I gotta fix [all the low performing] schools.
Question: Exactly what is your strategy to get parents in low performing schools more involved?
Thurmond:To reach out to you and reach out to parents across the district. … To encourage the [parents] to participate in the education of their children.
Page Olsen: I disagree with you on dual accreditation. Also, school councils have been neglected, underfunded, and need a larger role in the selection of schoolhouse employees.
Thurmond:I agree with that. The policy on the table being discussed is that the council would have an advisory role.
Question: We’re looking for some big moves to show that you mean what you say.
Thurmond: What we have to do is evolve and to accommodate. Things are getting better every day.
Don McChesney: We have a nepotism policy. Please stop saying we don’t.
Thurmond: Even if we had it, but it’s not respected, not adhered to, then in my mind we don’t have it.
Stan Jester: Why can’t you just implement the old one?
Thurmond: It wasn’t strong enough. It doesn’t really make sense.
Question:Class sizes are too big.
Thurmond: Oh, absolutely.
Question: Will DeKalb once again be asking for a waiver from the state that their class sizes be 8 students higher than the state maximum.
Thurmond: It’s a status quo budget.

3 Comments

Posted in Michael Thurmond

04/17/2013 Michael Thurmond at ELPC

Posted on April 18, 2013 by | Comments Off on 04/17/2013 Michael Thurmond at ELPC

Michael Thurmond spoke with the Emory Lavista Parent Council Wednesday, April 17 about the state of the school system.

Meeting Summary
Wherever you see Michael Thurmond speak, he’s usually delivering one of the following talking points. The ELPC meeting this past Wednesday was no different.

  • Assets – In any crisis situation the first priority is not so much to focus so much on the crisis and the deficit, but to focus on the assets.
  • Central Office is only 6% of Employees – 6% of the total number of employees actually work in the central office. I was shocked. I didn’t believe it.
  • Parental Engagement – Student achievement is correlated to parental involvement. We’re gonna have a much more aggressive investment strategy and focus on getting parents involved.
  • North/South DeKalb Divide – One side isn’t favored by the administration over another.
  • Enlightened Self Interest – When you become interested in other people’s children.
  • Most Unpopular Guy In DeKalb – You not going to be totally happy and no one else. But the decisions will have to be made.

Fact Checker

FALSE
Thurmond: “I’m a researcher by heart. I’m not sure people know that. I love to research. So, I said OK. Let’s research the policy to see where we stand related to nepotism. What we found out was DeKalb School District did not have a policy prohibiting nepotism.”
There is an Employment Of Relatives Policy, but it just doesn’t use the word ‘Nepotism’. The policy is consistent with state law which prevents the hiring and promotion of relatives of the board to positions of AP or higher. It delineates when board members must abstain from voting on a hire. It demands that every employee disclose all familial relationships with the board and senior staff. If an employee does not, they are subject to termination.
C. EMPLOYMENT OF RELATIVES
“The District permits the employment of qualified relatives of employees, provided such employment does not, in the judgment of the Superintendent or his/her designee, create actual or perceived conflicts of interest. d. All District employees are required to disclose, on an annual basis, whether they are a relative of any other current District employee.”
FALSE
Thurmond: “6% of the total number of employee actually work in the central office.”
Slide 7 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Development Presentation given on April 16, 2013
Of the 10,429 employees paid for by the General Fund, 622 employees are Central Office. That’s 6% of the employees.
As noted on slide 6, Mr. Thurmond neglects to mention the 982 employees paid for by Special Revenue and 11 employees paid for by SPLOST.
When Thurmond says 6%, he only means paid from the General Fund. It doesn’t account for the other categories which are 20% of the employees.
TRUE
Thurmond: “Based on recent legislative decisions, we will have an increase of about $16 Million dollars in expenditures. Mostly health and retirement benefits that the state has dictated.”
While it is true that benefit costs determined by the state have increased, this happens frequently. DCSD should be able to build in some increases to benefits just as private companies are forced to do.
TRUE
Thurmond: “DeKalb Tax Assessors Office, revenues, at least the county ad valorem tax revenue will be flat. About $734 million dollars.“
Property values have decreased, but in 2012 the DeKalb County Board Of Education voted to raise the millage rate to 23.98. It is one of the highest in the state.
TRUE
Thurmond: “We will get a slight increase in revenue from state government because we’ve had an increase in student body.”
TRUE
Thurmond: “before we go to work, is a deficit of about 2%.”
MISLEADING
Thurmond: “When you have a property tax base that declines by $7 billion dollars from the beginning of the recession to right now, the overall ad valor em tax base in this county had declined by $7 billion dollars.”
The property values have declined. One mil of property tax does not yield as much revenue as it did a few years back. However, DCSD received federal stimulus money to offset declining property tax revenue. We are in a business cycle that is not generating a rapid recovery to the most substantial loss of real estate values in our lifetime. Given the sustained, and thus now predictable, smaller tax base, we should have made significant structural changes to the district to ensure the sustainability of DCSD in this economic climate.
FALSE
Thurmond: “The state has continued to reduce its investment in local public education.”
DCSD will receive more money from the state this year than it did last year. The state isn’t reducing the QBE amount from last year. QBE, by the way, is just a formula and was never intended to be fully funded.

Comments Off on 04/17/2013 Michael Thurmond at ELPC

Posted in Michael Thurmond