2015 – Archived Posts

DeKalb’s Challenges Ahead for 2016
December 30, 2015 – “As the New Year approaches, I’d like to share my thoughts about what DeKalb County issues you should watch for in 2016.” — DeKalb Commissioner Nancy Jester

Doraville Tax Allocation District
December 22, 2015 – The Commission approved the TAD earlier this year. TAD participation by the school district would lead to higher collections of e-SPLOST sales taxes. The district could negotiate for the building of a high school or an auditorium large enough to hold graduations with their portion of the TAD. Right now, no such space exists in DeKalb.

Education Reform Commission – Final Report
December 19, 2015 – Governor Deal charged the Education Reform Commission with reshaping and revolutionizing Georgia’s education system. How to revolutionize the way Georgia recruits, retains and compensates K-12 educators was one of the more controversial subcommittees.

DeKalb Schools – Not a Fan of the TAD
December 16, 2015 – The City of Doraville has embarked upon a major redevelopment opportunity to create a regional mixed-use employment and activity center at the site of the old General Motors plant.

DeKalb Schools Central Office Reorganization
December 12, 2015 – “Central to this restructured design is the reallocation of resources, one that flattens the layers of bureaucracy through decentralization, placing critical human capital and other services in the field.” — Dr. Stephen Green

2015 Milestones Results
All Georgia Middle Schools

December 11, 2015 – Here are all the Georgia Middle Schools ranked by their Georgia Milestone results.

Chamblee Charter High School Petition
December 10, 2015 – Chamblee Charter High School (CCHS) opened in 2000 and focuses on STEAM and the Mastery Learning System. On Monday the Board of Education approved their petition for a 5 year charter term.

Pay Raises For Teachers
December 9, 2015 – More than 8,700 employees including 6,000 teachers will receive a pay raise in their January 15, 2016 check. Teachers will receive an increase of up to $14,000 annually.
.

DeKalb Principal Salary Schedules
December 6, 2015 – For many years I’ve been concerned about the inconsistencies in principal compensation. Dr. Jackson-Davis answers a few general questions I had about principal salaries.

2015 Milestones Results
Distinguished Learners
All Georgia Elementary Schools

While Proficient Learners are at grade level, Distinguished Learners are students identified by the 2015 Milestones tests who demonstrated advanced proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary, as specified in Georgia’s content standards.

School Council Fact Sheet
November 26, 2015 – School Councils and Principals are the gateway to the community. School Councils shall provide advice and recommendations to the school principal, the board of education, and superintendent on any matter related to student achievement and school improvement.

2015 Milestones Results
All Georgia Elementary Schools

November 25, 2015 – Here are all the Georgia Elementary Schools ranked by their Georgia Milestone results.

DeKalb Schools a Strategic Waiver School System
November 24, 2015 – DeKalb Superintendent Stephen Green’s thoughts on the Strategic Waiver School System (SWSS). “The Board will be presented with an opportunity to adopt a resolution supporting a Strategic Waiver School System (SWSS) Letter of Intent at the December 7, 2015, Business Meeting”

2015 Milestones Results
All Georgia High Schools

November 19, 2015 – Res ipsa loquitur. Here are all the Georgia high schools ranked by their Georgia Milestone results.

Austin Elementary Renovation/Rebuild
Update 11/17/2015

November 18, 2015 – “Austin Elementary School Council met with the DeKalb County School District for the District to update us on the renovation/rebuild.”  –Austin School Council

2015 Milestones Results
DeKalb Middle Schools

November 18, 2015 – Where did your DeKalb middle school rank in the 2015 Georgia Milestone results?

2015 Milestones Results
DeKalb Elementary Schools

November 17, 2015 – Where did your DeKalb elementary school rank in the 2015 Georgia Milestone results?

2015 ES & MS Milestones Results
Compare Metro Atlanta Districts

November 16, 2015 – How did DeKalb elementary and middle schools stack up against the other big 8 metro school districts? Well … at least we’re not Clayton.

Georgia Milestones Update & FAQ
November 15, 2015 – The GaDOE released 2014-2015 Georgia Milestone (EOG and EOC) results to school districts beginning November 2, 2015. GaDOE will release EOG and EOC data for schools and districts Monday, November 16 to the general public.  Update and FAQ from iDeputy Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction, Cynthia Bricston.

2015 Graduation Rates
November 9, 2015 – The DeKalb County School District graduation rate is up nearly 10% from last year. There is no doubt, the biggest reason for the significant increase in the graduation rate is social promotion combined with the elimination of the GHSGT (Georgia High School Graduation Test).

STEM and a Helicopter Land In DeKalb
November 8, 2015 – Captain Irving and The Ford Motor Foundation donated the funds for Dr. Green to Fly-in to each high school to greet the students and kick off the STEM Expo.

Marlon Walker

Charters Vs Failing Schools in DeKalb
November 6, 2015 – On Monday, the school board passed the DATE charter renewal petition, but not before an interesting conversation and perspective on charters and failing schools in DeKalb.

Mike Davis

Mayor Mike Davis – Austin ES Update
November 5, 2015 – “Austin Elementary has a current enrollment of approximately 660 students and a maximum capacity of 616, hence the need for four portable trailers on site. After initial discussions of the current issues, we all agreed something needs to be done to address the long-term success of Austin.” –Mayor Mike Davis

Vasanne Tinsley

Licensed Nurses & the Care of Diabetic Students
October 26, 2015 – Dr. Vasanne Tinsley is currently the Director of Support Services. Here are Dr. Tinsley’s answers to some follow up questions I had regarding practice, board policy and state mandated care of diabetic students. Dr. Green said, “The practice as implemented in 2004 was to ensure that every student with diabetes was supported by a licensed nurse during the entire instructional day.”

Over-Crowded Buses
October 19, 2015 – 13 percent of the total 1,485 school bus runs at DeKalb Schools are over-crowded.The DeKalb County School District follows the industry standard of three students per seat for grades K-5 and two students per seat for grades 6-12.

School Health Care Realignment of Services
October 10, 2015 – On Thursday Oct 1, ten(10) school nurses across the district were given two days notice they were being transferred to other schools. I asked Superintendent Stephen Green to help us understand the guidance the district used to make these recent school nurse reassignment decisions.

School Flexibility Option Update
Region I Community Engagement Sessions
Where: Dunwoody High School
When: Wednesday, September 23
Time: 6:00 PM

Cross Keys Cluster Over-Capacity Issues
September 17, 2015 – Administrators were met with a full house on Tuesday when presenting proposals to address over-capacity issues in the Cross Keys Cluster. Another community meeting will be held tonight – Thu, Sep 17th at 6 PM, Sequoyah MS.

2015-16 Class Size Waiver
September 16, 2015 – The DeKalb Board of Education passed the latest annual class size waiver resolution for the 2015-16 school year. Dr. Preston answers some follow up questions I had for him on the class size waiver.

Class Size Analysis – Elementary Schools
September 8, 2015 – This analysis shows the reported average class size for each grade by elementary school. The average class size for the school (grades K-5) were ranked and ordered from smallest to largest. Comment on this post and let me know if these class sizes are not accurate in your school.

Gifted and High Achievers
September 6, 2015 – ITBS and CogAT tests are coming up over the next few weeks. To be eligible for gifted services, students must qualify in three of four areas. DeKalb County Schools offers the Discovery Program in elementary schools and the Impact Program in the middle and high schools.

Fast Facts – DeKalb Schools
September 4, 2015
101,216 students enrolled in Infinite Campus
29,441 breakfasts served, 64,631 lunches served
6,361 teachers hired, 113 Vacancies, 98% staffed

High School SAT Rankings
September 3, 2015 – 2015 SAT scores are out and 2 of the top 15 high schools in Georgia are in DeKalb. Go here to see the top 15 high schools in the state and how all the high schools in DeKalb stack up.

DeKalb Charter Updates
September 2, 2015 – Conversion-Renewal and Start-Up Renewal Petitions will be reviewed in the Fall. School Flexibility Option Community Engagement Sessions will be adjusted and set to occur during the middle of September.

Waivers

65% and Class Size Waivers
August 27, 2015 – “Classrooms First for Georgia” – Requires, at a minimum, 65% of a system’s total operating funds to be spent in the classroom. Georgia law also limits class size. Dekalb Schools’ Director of Allotments Scheduling & Budgets talks about DeKalb Schools Waivers here.

Stan Jester

Revised Testing Calendar
Religious Holidays Addressed

August 25, 2015 – DeKalb Schools Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green will remove all potential conflicts with religious observances on the school testing calendar for CogAT and ITBS.

Nancy Jester

2015 DeKalb Schools Testing Schedule
August 24, 2015 –
Open Letter to Dr. Green from Nancy Jester:
I am writing today to express my concern about the dates for the upcoming administration of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) in the DeKalb County School District.

Testing Dates and Religious Holidays
August 22, 2015 – I have expressed my concerns to DeKalb Schools about the testing calendar and the conflict and burden it places on our Jewish community’s most important Holy Days. Superintendent Stephen Green responds to my latest request to change the ITBS testing dates.

DeKalb Corruption Update
August 21, 2015 – Last week, Interim CEO Lee May talked about the ongoing corruption investigation on WABE’s “A Closer Look”. Commissioner Nancy Jester responded this week on WABE’s “A Closer Look”.

DeKalb Schools

DeKalb Schools 2015 – 2016 Testing Calendar
August 20, 2015 – Rosh Hashanah will be observed on Mon, September 14th and Tue September 15th and Yom Kippur will be observed on Wed, September 23rd. I have asked the district to change the ITBS testing dates.

DeKalb Teachers

Salary Increases Comparison
August 18, 2015 – The administration recommended a 4-3-2 plan salary increase for DeKalb Schools employees earlier this year. How did that compare to other school districts?
.

DeKalb Teachers

Salary Review for Teachers
August 17, 2015 – Superintendent Green is working with Finance and Human Resources to conduct a comparative analysis to metro area school districts of the salary schedule for teachers, principals, and other instructional support staff at the local level.

DeKalb Charter Updates
August 15, 2015 – Board members met in mini meetings with administration and lawyers to discuss charter schools and policy. The discussions were confidential and privileged, but I asked for this information to be declassified.

Epic HR Fail
Teacher Vacancy Report

August 11, 2015 – The DeKalb Schools Human Resources Department has no doubt left the district behind the eight ball in having qualified staff on day one.

DeKalb Teachers

Liquidated Damages – Charging Teachers $750
August 10, 2015 – Open Letter to DeKalb Schools – I implore the district to not charge teachers $750 for “Liquidated Damages”. I am concerned about the potential liability and have we not shortchanged the classroom enough?
.

Board Agenda Today – Give Million Dollar No Bid Contracts To Our Friends
August 3, 2015 – For the last two years DeKalb Schools has been giving Ex DeKalb administrators millions in no bid contracts. I’m perplexed as to how this made it back to the agenda. It strains credulity … don’t it.

DeKalb Schools Board Meeting
Monday, August 3, 2015
2:00pm – Work Session
5:45pm – Community Input Session
7:00pm – Business Meeting

Nancy Jester

Because It’s DeKalb
July 28, 2015 – Nancy Jester talks about the budget. South DeKalb commissioners band together to defund the investigation … guess things were getting a little too close to home. (psst … too late)
.

DeKalb Teachers

Unified Theory of Political Corruption
July 27, 2015 – When opportunity strikes, opportunists strike, and people are at their core, somewhat opportunistic. But DeKalb County exacerbates the potential for corruption by making opportunities for corruption more available.

DeKalb Teachers

Merit Pay For DeKalb Teachers
July 26, 2015 – During the week of July 20, 2015, the DeKalb County School District distributed merit pay from a federal program, Race to the Top, to 1,830 teachers, who were identified as the top 20 percent of teachers in 2014-2015 school year.

Atticus LeBlanc

DeKalb has waited long enough
July 24, 2015 – Atticus LeBlanc is a community leader and activist. While KIPP, Drew Charter, and The Museum School continue to outperform the vast majority of schools in the state and serve as models of student achievement, our Board has done nothing to either bring more of these types of schools to DeKalb, or to even attempt to model the best practices from these or other successful schools in our own public education system.

Charter School Showdown – Part II
July 23, 2015 – Chronicling the law, policies, memos and emails between DeKalb Schools and the Ga Department of Education. The central office is refusing to give up control of conversion charters.

Charter School Showdown – Part I
July 22, 2015 – It seems that the established bureaucracy in DeKalb does not appreciate, or respect, the new rules and guidance from the State Department of Education (DOE), regarding charter school autonomy. A showdown may be brewing between the State DOE and DeKalb unless the new Superintendent makes a course correction.

School House Vacancy Report
July 21, 2015 – DeKalb Teachers report back to work in 2 weeks. We need effective teachers in place on day one. This is the School House Vacancy Report by region as of July 16, 2015.

Updated Principal Vacancy Report
July 20, 2015 – Principals are 12 month employees and school starts 3 weeks from today. We are down to 2 Principal vacancies. Here is the updated Principal Vacancy Report as of July 13, 2015.

Million Dollar No Bid Contracts for Ex DeKalb Schools Employees
July 11, 2015 – It seems like school district officers left DeKalb Schools and started getting no bid contracts. 2 of the 4 leaders left just a few months before INTALAGE received contracts for millions. What is the school district’s position on this?

Substitute Teachers
July 10, 2015 – Is there a substitute teacher crisis on our hands in metro Atlanta? The DeKalb Schools FY2015 Sub-Finder Report showed that a substitute teacher was found only 65% of the time they were requested.

Rewriting DeKalb Charter School Policies – Part II
July 9, 2015 – DeKalb Schools administration has taken another stab at rewriting the charter school board policies and it is on the agenda for the July 13 board meeting. Share your thoughts again.

DCSD Facility Educational Adequacy Assessment
July 06, 2015 – Open letter to Sam Mandola at Parsons, a capital project management firm who provided DeKalb Schools with the questionable facilities condition reports which were used to determine the capital projects list in the current SPLOST IV.

2015-2016 School Calendar
June 30, 2015 – Teachers will have a full week of planning starting Aug 3, 2015. First day of school is Aug 10, 2015. There will be a total of 180 days of class and 190 work days, no Fall Break and the last day of school is May 26, 2016 with a post planning day on May 27.

How The District Funds The School House
June 24, 2015 – How does the district decide how many teachers and principals a school receives? Dr. Kaveous Preston is DeKalb Schools’ Director of Allotments Scheduling and tells us how the school house is funded.

Homestead Tax Exemptions
June 17, 2015 – Homestead exemptions provide a significant reduction in annual property taxes and are available to individuals who own and reside in a home in DeKalb County. Learn more about homestead exemptions, who qualifies and how to file.

School Principal Update
June 16, 2015 – Effective principals are an important characteristic of effective schools. School performance is higher when principals have greater organizational management skills and demonstrate greater ability to recruit and retain high-quality teachers while removing low-quality teachers.

Rewriting DeKalb Charter School Policies
June 15, 2015 – In light of the Druid Hills Charter Cluster petition and the various other conversion charters up for renewal this year, the administration has rewritten DeKalb School’s charter policies. Let me know your thoughts.

Vanderlyn ES Wins the Georgia Elementary Science Olympiad
June 11, 2015 – This year’s Georgia Elementary Science Olympiad State Champion is Vanderlyn Elementary School from the DeKalb County School District.

Superintendent Green Reflects Back On KC Schools
June 8, 2015 – Incoming DeKalb Schools Superintendent Stephen Green spoke with the NPR affiliate station in Kansas City and reflected on his tenure with Kansas City Public Schools. They discussed curriculum, student achievement and how to rebuild a system that has lost accreditation.

Superintendent Stephen Green – Resume
June 4, 2015 – Dr. Green has been the Superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools and Community School District 28 in New York. He was also Executive Director for The College Board for 8 years. Read more about his education, teaching and professional experience.

2015 – How To Appeal Your DeKalb County Property Value Assessment
June 3, 2015 – All personal property must be appraised annually at its fair market value. Look at the Current Year Value you just received in your Annual Assessment Notice. Oh yeah … avail yourself of this article…

DeKalb Charter System Update
May 30, 2015 – By June 30, 2015 each local school system must make a charter flexibility decision. DeKalb Schools Region 2 Superintendent Trenton Arnold responds to some questions I had regarding this state law.

New Superintendent Contract
May 29, 2015 – On Thursday May 28, the Board of Education approved an employment contract with Dr. R. Stephen Green as Superintendent of DeKalb County Schools, effective July 1, 2015. Here are the details of his contract.

Bio – Dr. Stephen Green
May 15, 2015 – The Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA) named Dr. Green its 2015 Pearce Award winner. The award is given annually to Missouri’s superintendent of the year. Green received a Bachelor of Science in English Literature and Composition and a Master of Arts in English Literature from Ball State University.

DeKalb Schools Has A New Superintendent
May 14, 2015 – Dr. Stephen Green, superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri, will become DeKalb Schools’ next superintendent on July 1 of this year. Earlier this year, he was recognized for his achievements by being named “Superintendent of the Year” by his peers, the Missouri Association of School Administrators.

U.S. News – Best High Schools
May 13, 2015 – U.S. News released the 2015 Best High Schools rankings today. We’ve ranked DeKalb’s high schools by their College Readiness Index. What is your high school ranked?

Value-added Rankings of Colleges
May 11, 2015 – A college’s “value-added” is the difference between the actual mid-career salary of graduates from that college and an estimation of what a student from a similar school would have earned. See how Georgia’s colleges stack up.

New Superintendent In Our Very Near Future
May 8, 2015 – On Wednesday, the school board met again and are moving forward with a list of highly qualified candidates. Nelson Mullins, the district’s outside counsel, has a great deal of experience with superintendent searches and will step in to close the process. A list of 1 to 3 superintendent finalists’ names will be released in the “very near future”.

DeKalb Schools Proposed FY16 Budget
May 6, 2015 – DeKalb Schools unveiled a preliminary FY2016 budget. The administration proposed a budget giving employees a 3% – 37% increase. The administration indicated that they are considering allocating $10 million for a TSA contribution.

DeKalb Superintendent Search Update
May 3, 2015 –  The DeKalb County Board of Education met this weekend, at a location near the Atlanta airport to interview candidates to replace outgoing superintendent Michael Thurmond. School Board Chairman Melvin Johnson said in a press release that the School Board has narrowed down the list of applicants

Deal Signs Opportunity School District Bill
May 1, 2015 – Yesterday, Governor Deal signed SB 2 and SB 132, both of which remove barriers to dual enrollment participation and expand opportunities for students.
.
.

DeKalb Superintendent Search Update
April 24, 2015 –  The Community Liaison Group identified their top candidates to be brought before the Board Of Education for consideration for an interview. The Board Of Education reviewed candidates and selected the top candidates for the first round of interviews. We are very much looking forward to the first round of interviews and taking the next step to announcing the new superintendent in late May to early June.

Deal Signs Opportunity School District Bill
April 22, 2015 – Yesterday, Governor Nathan Deal signed a pair of bills to improve education across the state and to ease governmental burdens on new Charter Schools. GaPundit’s Todd Rehm writes about it in his Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for April 22, 2015.

Education And Economic Development
April 21, 2015 – If you are wondering what “progress” DeKalb schools has made, here’s a table of the 2014 CCRPI data. Out of 10 school districts in the metro area, DeKalb is last place for aggregate achievement in elementary and middle schools. It is circling the drain with APS and Clayton in High School achievement.

DeKalb Schools Proposed FY16 Budget
April 16, 2015 – Since 2012, tax collections for the school district have increased by roughly $100 million. The superintendent proposed spending $20 million of that on teachers with the following news release.

DeKalb Superintendent Search Update
April 15, 2015 –  The DeKalb Schools superintendent application deadline passed on April 10th and PROACT Search received applications from 120 candidates.
.

FY2016 Budget Priorities
March 31, 2015 –  The board will discuss the FY2016 budget priorities at the Wednesday board meeting. Question: What do you feel should be the board’s budget priorities?

Projected FY2016 Enrollment And Utilization
March 31, 2015 –  How many teachers and trailers will we need for FY2016? This will depend on the enrollment and capacity of each school. Here are the projected enrollments of each school by region.

Earn College Credit in High School
March 30, 2015 –  Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit programs provide opportunities for Georgia high school students to take college-level courses and earn concurrent credit toward a high school diploma and a college degree while still in high school.

Independent School District Update
March 25, 2015 –  Tom Taylor will hold the independent school district bill until 2016. This is a constitutional amendment that would allow cities in Georgia to form independent school systems, something that has been prohibited by the State Constitution since 1945.
.

Update From Superintendent Search Liaison Representatives
March 20, 2015 –  Rick Callihan and Al Tiede, Superintendent Search Liaison Representatives from District 1, give us an update on the process and provide some timelines.
.

Austin Elementary Construction Update
March 19, 2015 –  Cynthia Brictson and Michael Thurmond were on hand at the Austin Elementary School Council meeting Wednesday where John Jambro, Director of Design & Construction, delivered an Austin Replacement School Update.

DeKalb Schools Accredited With Quality
March 18, 2015 –  The 23 high schools in the DeKalb County School District have met 100 percent of the Georgia Accrediting Commission’s (GAC) standards and received the designation, “Accredited with Quality,” their highest rating.

2014-2015 Employment Contracts
March 16, 2015 –  Contracts for school-based employees will be electronically issued on MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015.  Employees recommended for contract renewal will receive an email with a contract link from “Division of Human Resources via DocuSign” through Office 365 Outlook.

Nurses and Healthcare Workers
March 12, 2015 –  Staffing services provide an updated staffing report of nurses and healthcare workers and provide a plan to staff every school in the DeKalb County School District.
.

DeKalb Superintendent Search Update
March 9, 2015 –  At the March 2nd board meeting, PROACT presented a Superintendent Position Profile and Marketing Plan for recruiting. The minimum qualifications include an Education Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) and a minimum of five (5) years of experience in a public school administrative position (e.g., principal, superintendent).

$50 Million More For DeKalb Teachers?
March 4, 2015 –  At the DeKalb School Board meeting this past Monday (March 2), the CFO said it would take $50 million to $60 million to get us to 65% classroom expenditures in FY16.

Legislative Update – Day 24 of 40
March 3, 2015 – Crossover Day is the last day for legislation to pass the state house or senate and cross over to the other chamber for consideration. That day is currently set for March 13, 2015. Here’s what’s going to the Senate Rules and House Rules.
.

Just Say NO to Waivers
February 28, 2015 – “Classrooms First for Georgia” – Requires, at a minimum, 65% of a system’s total operating funds to be spent in the classroom. The statute was enacted in FY2008 and DeKalb Schools has never been in compliance.
.

Update – School Choice Registration
February 20, 2015 – Once again, the technology team has been working night and day to fix the problems. Factchecker editors hear that DCSD is cleaning up the data and everything will be working like it should be by Monday.
.

School Choice Registration Down on Monday
February 13, 2015 – School Choice Online Enrollment will be down for maintenance on Monday. On behalf of the DeKalb County School District, I apologize for any inconvenience or delay experienced by parents attempting to utilize our online school choice application process. –Michael Thurmond
.

Legislation To Help Failing Schools In DeKalb
February 12, 2015 – Governor Deal unveiled a plan Wednesday allowing the state to assume management and operations of failing schools. Schools that score below a 60 on the state’s College and Career Performance Index three years running, including 26 DeKalb Schools, are on the list to be recovered.
.

Epic Fail – School Choice Registration
February 11, 2015 – Opening day of DCSD school choice online registration has been characterized by many as an EPIC FAIL. Get Schooled Maureen Downey’s note to DeKalb Schools reads, “This is unacceptable. Fix this today.”
.

1st Quarter Legislative Update
February 6, 2015 – The first quarter of the 2015 legislative session is now behind us. Where do we stand? The House Education Committee passed three bills which will move on to the House Rules Committee before moving to the House action items.
.
.

GAC Accreditation Update
February 5, 2015 – Georgia Accrediting Agency (GAC) visited all 23 DeKalb high schools last week and gave an exit report at the 02/02/2015 board meeting. To qualify for the HOPE Scholarship, a student must attend a school accredited by SACS or The Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC).

Your Input on a Superintendent Search Committee
January 29, 2015 – Question: Do you support having a Superintendent Search Committee? Why?
.

Dekalb Commissioners Call For School Superintendent Search Committee
January 28, 2015 – DeKalb County Board of Commissioners unanimously came together and approved a resolution to ask the “DeKalb Board of Education to adopt a Superintendent search protocol that includes a Selection Committee of parents, leaders, and community members, to manage, guide, and recommend the best qualified candidate to be the Superintendent.”

Student Growth Percentile

New Data – Student Growth Percentile (SGP)
January 26, 2015 – The Georgia Department of Education released Student Growth Percentile (SGP) data for the 2013-2014 school year. SGPs describe the amount of growth a student has demonstrated on the CRCTs relative to academically-similar students from across the state. See your school’s median SGP.

Superintendent Search
Public Engagement Schedule

January 22, 2015 – PROACT has scheduled the following public engagement meetings to collect input used to help develop a profile to drive recruiting for the next superintendent of DeKalb County Schools.

DeKalb Schools Superintendent Search Update
January 19, 2015 – Various members of the community have asked that the administration step away from the process and follow best practices by letting a community search committee drive the search.

HR 4 – Independent School Systems
January 15, 2015 – House Resolution 4 (HR 4) was submitted this year “proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to authorize any municipality in the State of Georgia to establish by local law an independent school system;”
 

CEO Lee May’s Letter To The School Board
January 14, 2015 – DeKalb CEO Lee May offers his recommendation concerning the process and external participation in the superintendent search process.

Official 2015-2016 School Calendar
January 13, 2015 – Teachers will have a full week of planning starting Aug 3, 2015. First day of school is Aug 10, 2015. There will be a total of 180 days of class and 190 work days, no Fall Break and the last day of school is May 26, 2016 with a post planning day on May 27.
.

Marshall Orson On Annexation and the Druid Hills Cluster
January 9, 2015 – Marshall Orson, DeKalb Schools Board Member, talks about the Druid Hills Cluster and annexation saying, “Perhaps it would have been better to just say nothing but I think an informed public is critical to any decisions that may be made. So, here goes:”
.

2014 AP Exams – How Did Your High School Do?
January 6, 2015 – Here are the results of the 2014 AP exams by High School. How does your high school measure up to other schools?

Stan Jester’s Fingerprint Background Checks
January 5, 2015 – I completed a police background check before Christmas, sent the report to the board chair, and posted it on my website. Let’s get all the facts straight. Here is the complete story …
.
Archived Older Posts