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A few new businesses are trickling into Clayton County. At a time when much of the attention is focusing on problems in the school system, it’s refreshing to learn new jobs are being created. Read my latest blog entry on Wordpress
Home > Clayton.Talk > Archives > 2008 > September
September 2008
Should Thompson stay or go?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Corrective Superintendent John Thompson recently agreed to amend his contract which violates board policy, and rescind the extraordinary power he currently holds over his bosses.
SACS mandate number 9 requires that the Board of Education “Appoint a permanent superintendent with the experience and expertise to lead the school district and establish the proper conditions for effectiveness.”
There are many residents who want Thompson gone, and didn’t think he should have been hired in the first place. Yet other residents, although not thrilled with Thompson, believe we need to keep him in order to satisfy the mandate. And yes, there are some who believe he is on the right track and doing well.
That being said and without taking anything away from the seven sitting board members, constituents of Districts 1 and 9 are not represented, and should be before appointing any permanent superintendent since this decision affects all of us, not just those seven districts.
Thompson’s contract issues are on the agenda for tonight’s meeting, taking place in the Board Room of the Clayton County Public Schools Administrative Complex, 1058 Fifth Avenue in Jonesboro, 6:30 p.m.
This is another meeting that should be filled to the raf ters with residents, although every meeting should be packed these days. Do you think Thompson is the man for this job? Should the superintendent search be revived? Will changing superintendents at this juncture hurt our chances to regain accreditation, or help?
FYI: The next BOE P ublic Participation Session is scheduled for Thursday, October 2.
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Best laid plans for CCPS?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Corrective Superintendent John Thompson in conjunction with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement will unveil a plan of action to reinstate accreditation. Mark Elgart and Thompson will jointly address the BOE at tonight’s meeting.
As per press release, “The plan includes specific steps the school district must implement in order to meet the remaining eight requirements for accreditation,” says Acting Director of Communications Charles White and AdvancED Vice President of Communications Jennifer H. Oliver.
Thompson always stated that SACS was vague as to whether or not they were on the right track to retaining accreditation, and believed they only had to be working towards completing the nine mandates, not actually accomplishing them, prior to losing accreditation.
Time is running out fast. This action plan should clarify exactly what needs to happen, when and by whom so that we can successfully achieve those final eight mandates. A clearly defined plan will also help residents hold our superintendent and board members accountable, if necessary.
Residents will surely play a role in this action plan as well, and we will need to step up in several ways if we want Clayton County Public Schools to be accredited come Sept. 1, 2009. That means attending board meetings, making our concerns heard during public comments, getting involved in our school system, VOTING and a host of other duties.
In addition, being sworn in tonight are: Lindsey McDaniel III (District 2), Jessie Goree (District 3), Trena Morris (District 5) and Mary Baker, who will serve until the end of the year (District 6). This ceremony will begin at 5:45 p.m.
The BOE meeting will take place in the Board Room of the CCPS Administrative Complex, 1058 Fifth Avenue in Jonesboro, with the Executive Session beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting itself at 7 p.m.
Will you attend tonight’s meeting? Does SACS’ involvement give you hope and/or confidence of getting accreditation reinstated? After their plan is disclosed, please come back and give your thoughts as to if you think it will be effective.
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Did outside influences destroy CCPS?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For months there has been blog banter about the “outside influences” that indirectly brought Clayton County Public Schools to its knees. Being new to the area I, as well as other new residents, are not always sure who to be leery of, or why.
SACS mandate number 2 (removing outside groups/individuals) was one of the eight we missed. There was insufficient evidence to prove that former Board of Education members eradicated outside influences from their midst, particularly the Clayton County Education Association (CCEA) and the Metro Association of Classroom Educators (MACE).
Many solely blame John Trotter and his MACE organization in part for CCPS’ downfall after he allegedly vowed to destro y the system. If that is true, all I can say is “mission accomplished”.
Three of the “final four” who had to be removed by Executive Order were MACE members when elected, along with Noresse Haynes.
Nevertheless, the actions of the last regime as a whole, regardless of union affiliation, contributed to this mess.
In addition, we as residents need to take responsibility for not thoroughly researching candidates before voting them in, or essentially not voting at all. I suspect the final four refused to resign believing recall efforts against them would be unsuccessful. If we don’t vote, why would we show up to recall?
District 6 will elect their BOE member this week. Twelve candidates in District 1 and five candidates in District 9 want your vote, and residents in those districts have little more than two months to weed out the good from the bad.
Who and/or what20types of “outside influences” should Clayton voters be wary of? Should candidates who refuse to disclose their relationships with outside influences be automatically discounted? Do endorsements affect your vote?
Do you believe we will ever truly rid our BOE of outside influences?
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Give new BOE members a chance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
School board member Michael King’s (District 4) short stint in office is off to a rocky start. At a recent meeting (the legal one), some of his constituents were already voicing displeasure and talking recall.
Isn’t it ironic that King spent his first days publicly berating colleagues for illegal acts, and is now accused of committing similar illegal acts himself?
As per Clayton County Public Schools, attorney King violated at least six board policies last Friday alone, possibly setting a new Board of Education record for the most infractions committed during one meeting.
But I digress, King deserves a chance to redeem himself since they all are learning exactly what this job entails as they go. But he should have already known that one of the nine SACS mandates requires him to attend training sessions, which King skipped last weekend. As a newly elected member, he should welcome this training.
Interim Chairwoman Alieka Anderson (District 8) and Trinia Garrett (District 7) also deserve an opportunity to learn and understand the parameters of their new position. Hopefully the addition of Jessie Goree (District 3) will only strengthen our BOE.
All were elected in the midst of the accreditation firestorm. This problem was not created overnight and will not be resolved immediately, regardless of whom we elect or how much experience they possess.
“It’s time for us to work together. Once we get everybody working together, from the school board to the community, everything will flow so that we can accomplish retaining accreditation and take care of the students,” says Anderson. “But we’ve got to come together and work together. The community needs to look at themselves as being a part of this team, too.”
Since community involvement is also a SACS requirement in order to retain accreditation, we need to find ways to work with those elected, as well as Corrective Superintendent John Thompson, yet hold all=2 0accountable when necessary. The next school board meeting will take place on September 22.
On September 16, either Marcela Bodkin or Mary Baker will be elected to represent District 6 - who gets your vote, and why?
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State takeover of the Clayton BOE?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The newly formed “Lovejoy of Clayton For Accreditation” is a group of residents taking this fight into their own hands, and all the way to the Capitol.
“The last time we were put on probation by SACS, it was related to academics. This time, it is administrative. Leave the children out of it, they are not political ploys,” says Lovejoy City Council Member and co-organizer Marci Fluellyn. “This is an adult problem and adults need to fix it.”
LCFA would like Gov. Sonny Perdue to intervene and allow the State to take control of the Clayton County Board of Education until a full board has been elected and properly trained.
“The goal we have is for the State to step in, run the board while they are being trained and when they are capable of handling it themselves, turn it back over to them,” says Fluellyn. “In the meantime, give us our accreditation back and handle administrative issues in an administrative way.
On September 9 at 7 p.m., an open forum and Q&A will be held at the Lovejoy Community Center (11622 Hastings Bridge Road, Hampton) with Dr. Judith Simmons, Deputy Superintendent; Derrick Manning, Assistant Superintendent of High Schools; and Dr. Anthony Smith, Chief Academic Officer, who will provide facts regarding our children’s academic future. Corrective Superintendent John Thompson will also be in attendance to meet with parents and answer questions. Residents will meet immediately afterwards to decide what the next move will be.
“That is one thing we want to do differently than other groups, strategically make plans for other actions that will put us closer to our goal,” adds Fluellyn. “We will keep striking while this iron is hot.”
LCFA asks Clayton residents to demand that Gov. Perdue remain involved with our accreditation fight, and continue putting pressure on all legislators and school administrators to successfully resolve all nine SACS mandates by emailing Gov. Perdue or writing: Governor Perdue c/o Heather Teilhet, Director of Public Affairs, The Office of the Governor, State of Georgia, 203 State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. Check the Lovejoy website for LCFA updates and information about an upcoming rally to save accreditation on the Capitol steps.
Will you support a state takeover of the CCBOE? Why or why not?
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