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Budget Meeting Tonight

Public Budget Hearing Tonight, Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The DeKalb County School System will hold a public budget hearing for citizens to share their comments with the Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Atkinson related to the proposed budget for the 2012 – 2013 school year. The public budget hearing will be held at 6 p.m. at the Administrative and Instructional Complex (AIC) at 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd.

The school system is projecting a $6 million shortfall this year and a $73 million shortfall next year. To balance the budget, Dr. Atkinson has proposed increasing class sizes by as many as three students and increasing taxes by as much as 2 mills. A number of other cuts are also being considered.

To review the Superintendent’s proposed budget and related documents, click here.

The Blue Ribbon Task Force’s Final Report on Fernbank

Remember the Blue Ribbon Task Force? This was a group of highly involved, intelligent, diligent parents and community members given the task of evaluating virtually all of the programs in DeKalb schools by Dr. Lewis. After well over a year of very hard work, they submitted a myriad of well thought out reports, most of which Dr. Lewis tossed in a dust bin. You see, he didn’t really want reports, he just wanted to keep these very involved parents busy while he ran around doing what he wanted.

Anyhoo – For what it’s worth, we would like to share the final report issued by the Blue Ribbon Task Force back in 2006. If Dr. Lewis had acted on their suggestions, perhaps Fernbank would not be on the chopping block today.

The entire report is available in our FILES by clicking here:

Fernbank Science Center Blue Ribbon Task Force

Below is the intro letter from the chairperson, Sally Sears:

This final report contains strong recommendations. The two dozen people who sat down to this job almost exactly a year ago share many of Fernbank’s admirable characteristics. They are thorough, committed, bright and questioning. Yet the job of defining the future of this wonderful place was complex. We did not succeed in creating a blueprint for its future. It frustrated many of us. We found:

1) The Science Center critically needs attention, oversight and support from school administrators and the
public.

2) We struggle to find basic documents about the Science Center’s finances, lease agreements and
teaching arrangements. The methods of record keeping and the records themselves seem opaque.

3) The talent and dedication of the faculty is dimmed by conflicting missions and leadership.

We support several ideas better to align the Science Center with your goal of improving science education throughout Premier DeKalb County Schools. The immediate changes to polish the gem that is Fernbank include:

• A dramatic increase in the number of students offered the premiere class, Scientific Tools and Techniques, for school year 2006-2007, to demonstrate commitment to greater access and revamping middle school science teaching.

• Use technology in sharing terrific teaching through the system

• Require mastery of science before promoting students

The Subcommittee working on programming and instruction finds many nagging problems at Fernbank Science Center consistent with lack of funding, conflicting missions and oversight. Maintenance, the future of the forest, bus schedules, and poor follow-through from classroom teachers figure in the problems we found. But perhaps most discouraging was our difficulty clarifying and evaluating what Fernbank Science Center actually does, and who its target populations are. (See page 14 of attached report.)

The remaining three subcommittees struggled with similar issues. They did not choose to create reports.

We have great admiration for the staff and faculty at Fernbank, and offer particular thanks to Ann Johnson for her friendly diligence in recording, transcribing and making sense of long meetings. She was careful and successful in her work. Your staff made our job easier. Thank you for meeting with us twice, and sending us so many highly placed administration leaders to help us.

Sincerely,

Sally Sears, Chair
Executive Committee
Blue Ribbon Future of Fernbank Committee

Time is running out…..

If you are thinking of running for one of the open school board seats, time to get that done is running out!  The deadline is noon TODAY, Friday, May 25, 2012!

Here’s the latest from the Dunwoody ‘Patch’ on the upcoming summer elections -

The DeKalb County voter’s office has updates on who has qualified for the ballots through Wednesday.

Elaine Boyer has qualified for the District 1 Board of Commissioner seat, according to the DeKalb voter’s office. She registered through the county’s Republican Party, per the guidelines for DeKalb’s partisan candidates.

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis will face challenges from within the Democratic Party. Gregory Adams and Jerome Edmondson have qualified.

Sheriff Thomas Brown Jr. has qualified to run as an incumbent.

In the non-partisan races, Paul Womack will face challengers for his seat on the DeKalb County Board of Education. Tom Gilbert, Jim Kinney and Jim McMahan have qualified for the District 4 race.

In District 2, Don McChesney will face Marshall Orson. In District 6, Denise Etienne McGill  and Terrilyn C. Rivers-Cannon are running against Melvin Johnson.

In the State Legislature, Rep. Tom Taylor, (R), and Sen. Fran Millar, (R), have qualified for the ballot.

FRIDAY UPDATE:

Jim McMahon, a Sagmore parent and PTA rep for the district has also qualified for District 4. 

Denise Etienne McGill  and Terrilyn C. Rivers-Cannon qualified yesterday to run in District 6.

Don McChesney (District 2 incumbent) qualified yesterday to run.  

Pam Speaks (District 8 incumbent) qualified yesterday as well. 

2012-13 Budget Proposals so far…

Check out this spreadsheet we got from Nancy Jester’s website. It’s from the superintendent’s proposed budget package. (Click on it to see it better.)

In addition, we have uploaded this and all other files we have collected on the budget to our Audits/Budgets page under our FILES tab.  Please be sure to download this one:

proposed-budget-(2012-2013).pdf

This proposed budget appears to show the proposed cuts in more detail. As far as some of our bloggers can tell, Fernbank Science Center actually receives MORE money next year, the superintendents office and the board of education budgets both increased as well as the department of communications and the deputy superintendent of instruction’s office. However, the department of special education has been decimated and over 200 parapros will be cut from the classrooms.

The last few pages have lots of information on potential cuts and comparing class size maximums with other metro districts. Compare them. You will see that DeKalb now boasts far and away the most students per teacher.

Also, there are some cuts that simply must be replaced elsewhere and may not net the savings indicated. For example, they plan to eliminate the International Teacher program. These teachers generally teach math and science. Obviously we can’t cut math and science teachers (we hope) so this line item will have to be replaced with new teachers.

Unbelievably – there is a page called “Previously Unbudgeted Fixed Costs” for things like electricity and healthcare which total over $44 MILLION!

For more info, click on this link at the superintendent’s website.

This article in the Dunwoody “Patch” has a pretty clear explanation:
Jester Calls for No Tax Increase for DeKalb Schools

And here is a recent very clear article from the AJC on the topic by Ty Tagami:
DeKalb schools’ draft spending plan has $30 million in new taxes

The AJC article includes this quote, which emphasizes the deadline crunch:
“I cannot support a two mill increase,” said Paul Womack, who nonetheless voted with the majority in the 5-2 decision Tuesday afternoon. He wasn’t alone. The board had to adopt something prior to a public hearing Tuesday evening to comply with Georgia Department of Education rules. A final budget typically must be in place before the fiscal year starts July 1, and changes are likely.

Calling ALL DCSS Retirees!

Skeletons in closets. Bodies buried in out-of-the-way places.  You know where they all are.

You kept your job in return for keeping silent.

Now that you are retired (or soon will be retired when the school year ends), you no longer have to worry that you will lose your job for telling the truth. Your TRS pension is secure, also, unless, of course, your former boss and co-workers decide to throw you under the bus to “save” themselves. Beat them to the punch – tell us what you know, first.  We will help you.

Think of the corruption, dishonesty and wrongdoing that is pervasive in DCSS. It is like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. You likely are holding one or more of the pieces of this puzzle. But, because you have only a few pieces, you cannot see the big picture.

With your help, we can — and we will take it to the authorities.

This is the time to come forward with what you know. Contact us, confidentially, at dekalbschoolwatch@gmail.com. Only two of us have access to that e-mail — and our lips are sealed. We could provide references, but then we wouldn’t have sealed lips! There are several safe ways you can tell what you know and protect yourself:

(1) Point us in the right direction – just tell us what to ask for. We will make the necessary Open Records requests. We will never reveal your name.

(2) Take a flash drive to work this week and copy all pertinent information from your hard drive. (Even better, just move documents from your hard drive to your flash drive.) Forward all pertinent e-mails to your personal e-mail and/or to dekalbschoolwatch@gmail.com. You will need these documents to prove coercion, if necessary. Remember, once you leave, everything in your e-mail and on your hard drive disappears into oblivion – or into the computers of the well-placed and corrupt so they can use it against you if the finger points in their direction.

(3) Let us scan any hard copy documents you have. We have a portable scanner and are willing to meet you in public at a location of your choice. Bring a flash drive and we will leave you with scans of these documents that you may keep on your computer. We will keep a copy of the scans, as well, for future use.

(4) Just tell us the whole story that you have to tell. We will keep your name confidential. Whatever you tell us makes the picture clearer and more detailed.

Think of the DCSS people who bullied and threatened you – and thought they could get away with it. You have nothing to lose by telling the truth. But the corrupt people who once bullied and threatened you because they could have everything to lose. Now that you are retired (or are retiring very soon) they have no more power over you. It’s your turn now – and karma is a bitch.

We will do what it takes to assure your confidentiality. We will tell the story and help to corral the corrupt.

PS    This article was suggested by a long-time DCSS employee who knows more than can be told — until retirement.

Lots of news from District 1 board rep Nancy Jester

From “Nancy’s News” email blast May 21, 2012:

Budget Update

Last Wednesday, the Superintendent and CFO presented a summary of their proposed FY2013 budget to the Budget Committee. Here are links to the documents that were presented:

Budget Cover Letter
Budget Detail
Budget Summary

There will be two public budget hearings:

Tuesday, May 22nd at 6pm
Wednesday, May 30th at 6pm

Administrative and Instructional Complex
1701 Stone Mountain Blvd.
Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Please note that this proposal was drafted by staff for the Board and is a starting point for our budget discussions. For the past year, I have publicly inquired about, and expressed my frustration with, many line items that were significantly over budget. Their consistent variances from the budget suggested that these items were not properly budgeted for years. Still other discretionary items were also over-budget because of a lack of fiscal restraint. These factors, along with a $15 million increase in benefit costs from the state, and falling property tax revenue have resulted in DCSD starting the budgeting process assuming a $73.8 million budget deficit.

The new Superintendent and CFO have also recognized the budget problems that I have pointed out consistently since before they arrived in DeKalb. Their new budget has approached the fixed costs realistically. The Superintendent has reorganized the central office and eliminated many positions there. (I await her final tally regarding the number of positions. When I have these numbers, I will share them with you.) In my opinion we need to make even further cuts to the central office. We will need to take a hard look at all of our services and programs. We also need to usher in a culture of fiscal restraint. I have shared my thoughts about this publicly at meetings and privately with the new leadership team. While it is true that DeKalb’s millage rate has not been raised in 8 years, it is also the highest in the metro area. ( Click here for a listing of millage rates from around the state.) Sadly the opportunity to build greater reserves when the property tax base was expanding was not taken.

SPLOST IV

On Thursday, May 17th, the Superintendent and COO provided an overview of their planning for the upcoming SPLOST IV program. Below are links to the documents that were presented to the Board.

SPLOST IV Overview Presentation
SPLOST IV Schedule

New tab on my website

I’ve added a new tab on my website called “What’s Up With That?”. It’s an interactive blog where I’ll put up common questions that I receive along with my answers. You can also leave your comments. If you have something that you think might be a good topic for the blog, please drop me a line at:

nancywhatsupwiththat@gmail.com

–Nancy

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Thank you Nancy!
Click here to visit Nancy’s website.

Charges note lawyers’ roles

According to a recent article in the local, very expensive, exclusive legal newspaper, the Daily Report, “A new indictment of former DeKalb County School District Superintendent Crawford Lewis says he worked with the school district’s attorneys to conceal criminal acts involving school construction projects.”

The sub-title of the article, “New indictment alleges DeKalb school chief ‘colluded’ with school attorneys”, gives insight as to the extent of the newly released Second Grand Jury Presentment’s evidence against Lewis (available in our FILES under the FACTS & SOURCES tab) as well as the possibly questionable behavior of his attorneys.

The article continues in part,

“In his role as executive officer of the Board of Education, Lewis “manipulated and colluded with general and outside counsel” to minimize the details of crimes he had blamed on the school system’s operations officer, Pat Pope, according to the May 1 indictment.

“The indictment describes two meetings Lewis had with school district lawyers in which they discussed his concerns that Pope, now known as Pat Reid, was trying to blackmail him. But while one lawyer agreed with Lewis that they should “go for blood” if Pope turned on Lewis, they were also balancing how to keep Pope as an allied witness in high-stakes civil litigation against a former school contractor, Heery International.

“Both meetings with Lewis included the school district’s construction counsel, Greg Morgan and Al Phillips; the district’s general counsel Josie Alexander; and John Hinchey, now a retired partner at King & Spalding who was hired to represent the school district in its civil fight with Heery International, according to the indictment.”

The article includes some history and an update to the facts:

“In May 2010, a DeKalb County grand jury first indicted Lewis, Pat Pope and her architect ex-husband Tony Pope for corruption and conspiracy related to the school district’s construction contracts for four projects.

“The new 132-page, six-count indictment adds racketeering and bribery charges. It also dismisses charges against Pat Pope’s former secretary, Cointa Moody, who was originally charged in the 2010 indictment.

“In the new indictment, prosecutors accuse Pat Pope and Tony Pope of bid-rigging, falsifying documents, authorizing illegal payments and misrepresenting material facts to the school board. Lewis is accused of signing off on illegal actions, soliciting and accepting bribes, and using school district funds to pay for hotel rooms where he met with his mistress.

“Crawford Lewis and his Chief Operations Officer, Patricia Reid, aka Pat Pope manipulated and inappropriately funneled contracts to Mrs. Pope’s husband and to contractors for whom they received illegal benefits,” states the new indictment. “In so doing, Pat Pope and Tony Pope went from near bankruptcy to substantial wealth in just a few years. This illegal conduct allowed Crawford Lewis to maintain a lifestyle beyond what he could afford.

“The prosecution also alleges that Pat Pope and Lewis hindered the investigation.”

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To read the article in its entirety, ask a lawyer you know to borrow a printed copy of the May 11, 2012 edition of the Daily Report.