DEL.ICIO.USClayton superintendent offers to trim power
School board member wants to end contract
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, September 29, 2008
Clayton County superintendent John Thompson says he will surrender his power to violate policy on Monday if it means getting the school system’s accreditation back.
The move may not be enough to salvage the controversial superintendent’s job at the helm of the state’s fifth-largest school system.
• Photos: Timeline of Clayton schools' woes• AJC editorial: Less hope
- Read the full report to SACS:
• Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Large PDFs) - Read SACS' report (PDF)
On Monday, board member Michael King will present a resolution asking the board to terminate Thompson’s contract and continue with a national search for a superintendent.
“I want to go ahead and continue the search. That’s the best option to get accreditation reinstated,” King said. “A permanent superintendent is one of the first steps.”
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked the 50,000-student district’s accreditation effective Sept. 1,
citing a dysfunctional board and the superintendent’s exceptional powers.
SACS criticized Thompson’s contract, which grants him the authority to violate school policies and circumvent board approval.
Thompson promised to submit an amended contract to the school board on Monday night.
“I’m going to remove all clauses that state unusual powers,” Thompson said. “I’ll give the power back to the board.”
The district has pledged to meet nine improvement mandates by April to have accreditation reinstated. That would allow Class of 2009 graduates to receive an accredited diploma.
However, one of SACS’ mandates requires Clayton “conduct a legitimate, professional search that results in securing the services of the best available candidate as the next superintendent.”
The previous school board hired Thompson in April as the district’s corrective superintendent. The board gave Thompson a 14-month contract with a $285,000 salary, 107 vacation days and $2,000 monthly housing stipend. The contract expires at the end of June.
When they hired Thompson, the board ordered search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to postpone the national search for a permanent superintendent and said they would resume the search in January. The board has already paid the firm $44,000 for the search.
“The search firm recommended a seasoned superintendent who doesn’t have any eyes on a permanent position and doesn’t have to worry about pleasing anyone, ” former Clayton accreditation attorney Glenn Brock said in March.
On Friday, state Rep. Roberta Abdul-Salaam (D-Riverdale) said she doesn’t understand why board members are trying to go back on what they told the public.
“My understanding was the corrective superintendent could not be considered permanent,” Abdul-Salaam said. “I don’t have anything against Dr. Thompson, but I have my concerns about extending the contract.”
School board members Lindsey McDaniel and Mary Baker said they don’t want the board to get bogged down on a superintendent search when it should be focusing on working to regain accreditation.
“To go through and fire him, that’s going to jeopardize our chances of accreditation and I don’t want to do that,” McDaniel said.
Board vice chairwoman Jessie Goree said she has heard from constituents on both sides: some who want Thompson to stay and others who want a new school leader.
“If we were to get rid of him, we’re right back in the same boat and do not have stable leadership,” Goree said. “We want to do a permanent search when the new nine [board members] come in. I just want us to move on.”
Board chairwoman Alieka Anderson and members Trinia Garrett and Trena Morris declined to comment.
Thompson said he is the permanent superintendent and wants to remain.
“I want to stay here as long as the community will have me,” he said. “One of the things that is missing is consistency.”
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Comments
By Dana
Sep 30, 2008 1:03 AM | Link to this
CCPS has had no consistency and has not even given Thompson a chance! He as only been here 5 months! His salary is in line with other Superintendents in similar sized systems in the U.S., which is great considering the turmoil of CCPS. Get rid of him, and forget meeting mandate no. 9. The new board will spend months and months trying to find a new Superintendent who would want to walk into this MESS with a brand new board and with the history of getting rid of Superintendents. In the meantime, they'll have an interim Superintendent, and they'll miss the mark on no. 9.
By NMS
Sep 29, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
TO ERIKA,
PLEASE, GO BACK NORTH!!!!
GO TO THE STATE OF GA DEPT OF EDUCATION WEBSITE. THE ANNUAL YEARLY PROGRESS OF EVERY SCHOOL IN THE STATE IS LISTED, AS WELL AS TEST SCORES, GRADUATION PERCENTAGES, ETC. CLAYTON COUNTY SCHOOLS YEARLY PROGRESS IS THE SAME IF NOT BETTER THAN MANY OTHER LARGE DISTRICTS (E.G. DEKALB COUNTY) NEWTON COUNTY HAS LESS SCHOOLS WITH THE SAME AYP. GET A GRIP AND CHECK YOUR FACTS BEFORE YOU START SPEWING WRONG INFORMATION.
THE PROBLEM IS THE SCHOOL BOARD, NOT THE CHILDREN!!
By The Captain
Sep 29, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
I may be wrong here, and don't have the articles in front of me, but wasn't Thompson one of the candidates with the HIGHEST salary requirements? Certainly a far cry from "cheap". And Amen to Mr. Dowdell: Why was this extraordinary power required or demanded in the first place? A further "red flag" was that he had been terminated or asked to leave the last two districts he oversaw. Is this the "stability" people want? I notice he isn't volunteering to give up that ridiculously high salary, or the incredibly ludicrous number of vacation days, or his hand-picked, no-board-review staff, either.
And the point cannot be well enough made that SACS specifically told Clayton County that Thompson was not capable of helping them save or regain accreditation. How in the world do you think they would get it back with him in charge?
Thompson's gotta go. NOW. Let the next Superintendent be hired publicly, with a contract that is of public record, and with full accountability. In fact, state law should require those things, along with a required contract clause that allows the board to terminate his employment for cause. Don't hand me the crap about not being able to hire good superintendents. The same garbage is said about corporate CEO's. Look at what the current situation has gotten.
I believe that good superintendents are to be had, and would be willing to accept fully openness about the position.
By Paulette
Sep 29, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this
This does not make any sense. This is the instability that SACS is refering to. Perhaps Clayton County and most importantly the children who attend Clayton County Schools will benefit from the State or Federal Government coming in and taking over the system.
By JimBob
Sep 29, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this
Sounds like erika is a Thompson supporter. And maybe even him. Try reading the news about what he has done. SACS even said to fire him much less the fact they even said DON'T hire him. How much more proof do you need????
By erika
Sep 29, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this
Buster--did you see clayton county CRCT scores--the system can't even pass AYP--enough said,,,
By PJ
Sep 29, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this
This school board folly has gone on long enough. As a lifelong resident of Clayton County I am so glad that my children graduated at a time when we still had a respectable school district, not this horse and pony show we have had. If Ernest Stroud & Joe Lovin could see this now, they would be disgraced. This "Joe Clark" wantabe with his inflated salary and cheesy clothes needs to do the right thing & pack up and go and join Victor Hill on the Magical Mystery Tour and ruin another county and leave Clayton for good.
By Buster
Sep 29, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this
Gee, erika, I would say you are the "most whiniest" person commenting so far. Please do us all a favor and get back up north right away. We already have more than enough illiterates here as it is.
By erika
Sep 29, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this
One last comment, clayton county and ga are the most whiniest country folks I've seen--y'all complain and protest after the fact--no one votes--the polls tell it all--then when something goes wrong you look for a scapegoat and start pointing fingers--I can't wait to get back North.
By good memory seer
Sep 29, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this
I say Thompson should be replaced because his contract was offered to him illegally in a closed meeting that should have been open to the public, by the old board that contained 4 members that where dissmissed by the Governor. In addition SACS warned CCPS not to hired him in the beginning. Remeber his title is Corrective Super. not Permenant Super. One of the 9 mandates was to hire a Permanant Super.
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