Category Archives: Superintendent Search

Superintendent Search & Anna Hill, CPA, For Board of Education

DeKalb Schools continues to look for the right Superintendent. The vote on Monday on DeKalb Schools’ sole finalist brings to light why I strongly suggest that you take a look at voting for Anna Hill, CPA, for DeKalb County School Board of Education, District #1 in the upcoming June election.

Superintendent Vote

The DeKalb Schools Board of Education has been in the news recently (WSBTV-2, AJC) regarding our search for the next Superintendent. I did not favor hiring the finalist that was presented to the public. Some of my objections are the same as those voiced by constituents and community members. Some of my objections were internal process problems.

I am grateful that the majority of our Board listened to the community and worked together and earnestly to do what they saw was in the best interests of students, communities, and taxpayers. While I think the finalist announcement was rushed and unwise, characterizing the outcome as a failure is simply not accurate. The children, communities, and taxpayers are always better off when mistakes in leadership choices are averted, even when these choices make some people uncomfortable.

Election – DeKalb Schools Board of Education

All of this has me thinking about what I’m seeing in the current campaign to be the next Board of Education member from District 1. I have chosen not to seek reelection. There are 2 candidates seeking this position. Hill’s opposition recently posted on Facebook some statements on the search and subsequent vote on Monday.

My thoughts on some of his statements

“If Mr. Jester was so concerned about the choice, why did he not come up with valid arguments and persuade others to make a different choice?”

Everything about this part of his post shows his naivete and willful ignorance of the process. To suggest that I wasn’t “persuasive” is an ad hominem attack and demonstrably false as denoted by the vote.

This candidate went on to criticize the perspective and votes of BOE members from other districts; asking

“Why did Dr. Morely and Mr. DaCosta appear to change their minds, despite Dr. Morely saying today that she wasn’t against Dr. Crew? What happened behind those closed doors? Is there a better, second choice waiting?”

This is an odd critique given that this BOE candidate has consistently said that he is going to single-handedly change the tone and relationships on the BOE. It’s also condescending to those BOE members that took the time to listen to the public. The BOE can’t get public feedback on a candidate until the state mandated 14 day waiting period. Should BOE members not be responsive to the concerns of their community?

Did this candidate reach out to the other BOE members that voted “no”? He didn’t reach out to me. I suppose that’s par for the course for him.

He was involved in a school community group whose original mission included the statement, “Provide a forum for parents in Region 1 clusters of the DCSD to hear from DCSD leadership and School Board Members, and interact with those leaders”. At the time, I reached out to him on numerous occasions with no response in return. He ran a closed social media page for this “public group” that was not open to all parents or community members. He organized meetings of this school community group, held in a public building, with the administration about issues that were important to the whole community but did not permit public attendance. This established pattern, to oppose transparency and full participation of the community, is deeply troubling. It contradicts much of his campaign sloganeering. This candidate consistently campaigns on one thing while doing the exact opposite with in his public educational group.

Anna Hill, Certified Public Accountant – DeKalb Board of Education – District #1

There is a candidate that appears to be listening to the people of DeKalb, looking at the data, and adding value. Her name is Anna Hill.

Anna Hill DeKalb Schools Board of Education

Anna Hill is a CPA. She’s been engaged with the school district and BOE regarding the current problems with the audits. She met with Board members one-on-one to give them important information that was not being accurately represented to them by the former CFO.

DeKalb Schools lost their credit rating over the fiasco with the audits. That is proof positive of the need for a CPA to be on the Board. History has solidly indicated that DeKalb’s BOE needs to have a more assertive approach to the financial management of the district. Over the years I have tried to highlight many of the financial problems. You can’t fix the problems in schools if you aren’t managing the taxpayers’ money properly. The district will certainly be negatively impacted financially given the current economic crisis. Now more than ever, a CPA is needed on the Board.

I strongly suggest that you take a look at Anna Hill, CPA. I’m impressed with her.

Superintendent Stephen Green – Resume

Better Know DeKalb County Schools
.pdf link icon Superintendent Stephen Green’s Resume
Employment Contract
Bio

Pioneering, deeply committed mission- and metric-driven educator, reformer, and humanitarian providing bold, visionary leadership grounded in reality while setting heightened expectations and building a reputation for providing motivational leadership to educational corporations, nonprofit organizations, and public education institutions, and achieving academic excellence at the college and high school levels for over 25 years.


Professional Experience
KANSAS CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, (KCPS) Kansas City, MO
CEO and Superintendent                    2011 – Present
I was named the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Superintendent of the Kansas City Public Schools by a unanimous vote of its Board of Directors in April 2012, after serving as interim superintendent since August 2011. Under my leadership, KCPS made unprecedented gains in its 2013 MAP scores and achievement data. After doubling its scoring in the state’s accreditation rating system in just 12 months. I have lead the process of stabilizing district in the midst of tumultuous change and have helped maintain focus on its principles and priorities. As a result, KCPS has qualitied for provisional accreditation based on a vision that includes innovative classroom instruction, engaging programs, highly qualified employees, and an involved and well-informed community.
Key Metrics:

  1. Three consecutive years of perfect financial audits
  2. In 2013, 56.5 point gain in the State’s Annual Performance Report (APR), from 27.5 to 84 points, from
    19.6% to 60%, eligible for provisional accreditation, (70 points or 50%)
  3. In 2014, increased in the State’s and additional 8.5 points. In response, Missouri’s Board of Education
    recognized the gains made by the school district by granting KCPS provisional accreditation. Attendance
    also increased by 7.5%.

KAUFFMAN SCHOLARS, INC. (KSI), Kansas City, MO
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)                    2005 – 2011
•  Successfully actualized the legacy and vision ofthe founder to foster the pursuit and achievement of higher education for young people of Kansas City
•  Presided over long-term strategy and operations to fulfill mission of increasing college enrollment and graduation rates for urban and low-income students
•  Established reputation for building institution as a nationally recognized and emulated model for achieving the mission for at-risk populations, delivering on commitment to attain top level performance and test results, and 100% compliance with regulatory bodies
•  Assumed command in second year after program stumbled out of the gate after the first class of 198 in 2003, stabilized, redesigned and re-Iaunched the program, positioning among the top college access programs in the US, mapping out a 5-Year Operational Plan and presenting to the Kauffman Foundation Board of Trustees
•  Made significant inroads in a number of standard benchmarks for educational success, easily besting national averages showing 50% offirst-generation, low-income students dropping out after first year of college and 25% in second year, while 125 of KSl’s first class of 131 gained college entry (95%) and 122 (93%)
will complete their second year of college this spring.
•  Achieved desired recognition and classification from the IRS”as a school and attracted a caliber of people who have made it the success that it is
•  Developed targeted, forward-looking educational program strategies to meet a broad variety of goals impacting diverse populations
•  Noted industry spokesperson with extensive history of delivering presentations, authoring articles for publication, offering quotes and being profiled in industry, print and broadcast media
•  Authored whitepapers, articles, and marketing materials for dissemination or publication within the education industry ”
•  Cultivated and leveraged an extensive nationwide network of educational contacts of alliances and partners, as well as regional college & university partnerships
NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION, New York City, NY
Superintendent, Community School District 28                  2003 – 2005
Local Instructional Superintendent, Region 3
•  Led the largest urban school district in the US during the historic, revolutionary School Reform plan spearheaded by Mayor Bloomberg, and attracted national attention for achieving significant gains in reading and math scores, signaling the plan’s success
•  In a combustible environment stained by gang and drug-related violence, worked famously with a school board divided among professionals and the working poor, facilitating understanding of one another’s unique perspectives, backgrounds and needs
•  Identified and championed educational and operational best practices for district-wide adoption and led the regional rollout of instructional best practices
•  Appointed school principals and served as rating officer, reviewing and approving decisions on teacher tenure and school budgets
•  Served as the face of the district, i.e. spokesperson for all media and parent associations and liaison to the Community Education Councils (CECs)
THE COllEGE BOARD, New York City, NY                     1995 – 2003
National Executive Director – College Ed Program
National Executive Director – School-level Services
National Director – Pacesetter Program
Associate Director – Pacesetter Planning and Development
Director of New York Outreach
•  Earned fast-track promotions through four positions within seven years based on significant improvements in performance in each assigned area
•  Key participant in the authorship and launch of Pacesetter™ program, later named Spring Board™, which helped teachers improve effectiveness in the classroom with a wide assortment of learning types, a program trademarked by The College Board
•  Led the Nationwide 10-Year Equity 2000 Project to its successful conclusion, demonstrating that low-level track classes set expectations too low which suppressed student motivation, and that with ongoing support urban students can and do rise to heightened expectations in all subjects
•  Enhanced The College Board’s Upward Bound Program based in Washington, DC involving a three-way partnership ofThe College Board, the DC Public Schools, and American University
•  Designed, developed, and launched The College Board’s CollegeEd™ Program modeled after driver’s education but focused on helping student “steer” their way to college.
METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT OF LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, Indianapolis, IN
Assistant Superintendent, 1991-1995
Assistant Principal, lawrence North High School, 1989-1991
Assistant Principal, Belzer Middle School, 1987-1989


Teaching
INDIANA UNIVERSITY ADVANCED COLLEGE PROJECT (ACP)
Adjunct Professor of College Composition          1985 – 1987
METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PIKE TOWNSHIP and WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Indianapolis, IN
English Instructor, Pike High School I ~nglish Instructor, North Central High School                   1981 – 1988
BUTLER UNIVERSITY
Adjunct Professor of African-American Literature and Director of Minority Student Affairs                             1981 – 1988
INDIANA UNIVERSITY 
Danforth Fellow and Associate Instructor of English and African-American Literature                             1978 – 1983
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
Associate Instructor of English                  1976 – 1978
MUNCIE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, Muncie, IN 
Instructor of English and Physical Education, Muncie Central High School
1976 – 1978


Education
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Doctor of Education (D.Ed.) 1995
Dual Majors: Curriculum & Instruction, Education Administration
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Specialist in Education Degree 1995
Dual Majors: Curriculum & Instruction, Education Administration: Superintendent’s License
BUTLER UNIVERSITY
Master of Arts in Education (MA) 1988
Education Administration
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Danforth Fellowship Sabbatical 1978-1981
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
Master of Arts (MA) 1978
Major: English Literature. Masters Thesis: The Anatomy of the Conceit in John Donne’s Songs and Sonnets
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science (BS) 1976
Major: English Literature and Composition. Minor: Physical Education