What Problem

As in "what problem are you trying to solve?" Around daVille this plays like a procedural series, with the bad guys being a bureaucracy of government pitted against the often naive public. Happens all the time. And it's happening right now with the scene of the crime being, once again, public schools. If it seems like  a re-run, that's because it is. 

And what is the problem? Money. 

Here's a shocker: DeKalb County Schools are running out of money. What they are not running out of is things to spend it on. That's growing, largely because they failed to properly maintain facilities. Turns out that "stitch in time" is spot on, but now it's time to pay for the other nine. DCSD has done more than neglect maintenance, they ignored the State of Georgia, particularly the State's requirements for funding local schools, which DCSD ignored because parents would come after them should they follow those guidelines. So why do parents turn down the money?

Because the State's funding all but requires large, 950+ seat, schools. At the elementary level. The rationale is higher efficacy of these larger schools--more, and better learning for less money. The issue is that a 950+ seat elementary school is not a "neighborhood school," it is an edu-factory. Maybe an edu-fantasy. But it is a full-on assault against Dunwoody's sacred cow: Vanderlyn Elementary. What makes Vanderlyn more precious than say, Austin, a neighborhood school that has already been traded in for a state approved mega-mill? Hard to say. But it is the last one standing, and the reality is sinking in, even with Vanderlyn parents, that Vanderlyn Elementary is not long for this world. Some parents are simply hoping it stands until their children move onward and upward. 

That's their problem.

Our problem, with "our" being residents without children attending Vanderlyn who are financially supporting DCSD, even with all its inefficiencies. According to the State, Vanderlyn is one of those inefficiencies and has been for a long, long time. 

The over-arching problem? DCSD. It doesn't work. Not by any measure. Nor is it getting any better. That is the problem.

Watch The Tantrums Begin

DeKalb County Schools are once again facing realities, not new realities, just the same old ones. Enrollment is declining. Some schools are at or above capacity but far more are under capacity. Even some "neighborhood schools" are under capacity, including the sacred cow: Vanderlyn. In the AJC's reporting on the issue, Vanderlyn was in the lede sentence. 

There are other forces at play. Those with power have decided that neighborhood schools belong in the previous millennium. State funding essentially dictates 950+ seat elementary schools. Many are hardly half that capacity with Vanderlyn being one. The fervent support for Vanderlyn is largely because it is a neighborhood school and consequently homes in that neighborhood carry a price premium. The property value issue is always raised when DCSD considers changes to Vanderlyn. 

Vanderlyn is now on the list for closure. 

After the shock, and it may already have dissipated, expect a rapid response from Team Vanderlyn to prevent any changes impacting that school. Expect them put away the "greater good" arguments they use discussing other issues. 

Horton Heads To Whoville

Is it too soon? Maybe.

As everyone now knows the allegations against Dr. Horton have resulted in Federal indictments, and as a result he has submitted his resignation which has been accepted. Nice try, but some in the public are calling for board members to resign, suggesting those who voted for Dr. Horton are culpable for this outcome. It is as if they feel the root problem lies with the individuals, that they themselves elected, holding board positions. 

The problem is far greater and a new batch of clowns on the school board will fix nothing.

Let's start with the Acting Superintendent, Dr. Norman C. Sauce III. 

Is he a potential Superintendent, the secret sauce, or is he just a Great White Nope? If you guessed the latter, you see a problem, one that will not be fixed by the board, no matter who holds the seats. This problem is institutionalized. Educational doctrine states that Black students perform best when they see positions of leadership filled by Blacks. There is no claim this performance level is adequate, just better, but this has been institutionalized, and urban school superintendents are overwhelmingly if not exclusively Black. Is a full meritocracy a solution? Perhaps, but politically it is an unacceptable solution, suggesting the top priority is other than highest educational performance.

Not buying it? Consider Carstarphen. She had to go. Despite performance exceeding any who came before or after she was shown the door. Do you have a credible explanation other than the obvious?

Glad we got that out of the way. 

Now to the pipeline. Where do we get superintendent candidates? Not just the executive search firms, but what system produces these candidates? Certainly some of it is a component of each and every school system in America, as they set the parameters of what they want and what they will accept. It is also the educratic institutions that control the agenda, the narrative. Certainly unions (and teacher organizations) are a part of this, but so are those who teach, train, certify and accredit systems and individuals. What isn't happening is a clearly articulated set of skills and capabilities of school leadership, at the top, and at the lower levels as well. So why should we expect the next candidate to be substantially better than previous candidates? Bear in mind, Michael Thurmond is one of the very few highly capable leaders DCSD has ever had and it is noteworthy that he is not a product of this system. He was not squizzed out of that pipeline. It simply is not clear how we find the next Michael Thurmond. We are more likely to find the next Dr. Horton.

As for the board, the fact is the board not only will not fix our longstanding issues with superintendents who cannot long endure, but they cannot. They are structurally prohibited from exercising any control over operations other than hiring, firing and accepting resignations of superintendents. In fact, should they step out of line, the accrediting agency will step up and step in to defend the administration against the board. And it has been proven that should this occur, board members will be removed. Mom with a calculator, dad with an attitude...it doesn't matter. The board has one employee, the superintendent and bypassing that one employee is verboten. This is the same structural defect crippling Dunwoody and the other Porter-dales.

So, if the board members don't matter then what about your vote? Well, by extension, it doesn't matter either. Not only is the board serving a largely ceremonial role, even when they have a vote for approval of an administration initiative the superintendent knows he only has to please, to convince, a simple majority. Not only do you elect the relatively powerless, once elected, their power, their influence, is greatly diminished. 

Is this situation hopeless? Yes. Yes it is. Expect more of the same.

Like A Good Neighbor?

Well, that is certainly NOT DeKalb County Schools. They have this annoyingly bright video sign at Austin.  They run this thing 7x24. Nonstop. And it flashes. Not seizure inducing, but annoying. Certainly it is nice for the kiddies to see their name/birthday out there for all to see. And it may be helpful for parents to get a clue about upcoming events while they sit, all but parked, waiting to drop kids off. Almost like there is no other way to let them know. Like maybe a web site, text message or email. 

Knowing that the school system is its own sovereign government you can be certain there is nothing the city can do, but is it possible to negotiate with the school? Maybe they could turn this thing off from about 6P to 6A when there really is no one around for them to "inform." Seriously, is that asking too much?

Play Nicely Children

Schools are back in and you may have noticed a change in traffic patterns. If you haven't, everyone hopes your Tuscan vacation is going well. This traffic is more than a reminder of the approach of summer's end, sweltering, some say "unwalkable" heat notwithstanding, it is also a reminder that the safety of our children, particularly those who do walk, is of no concern to the city.  Consider also that a majority of those walking will be among the youngest as there are more elementary schools placing more within walking distance. You would think this would put our local PD on a safety alert but you would be wrong. This is not the distinction with which they serve, unsurprising given the community is not who they serve. 

Dunwoody, along with a few other DeKalb cities, is in a pissing contest with the school system regarding Camera Cops in school zones. Dunwoody wants them because they get the revenue without doing a thing to protect the community or even show a police presence. Problem is the schools have to authorize/request these cameras. Some are boiling this down to just the money and while following the money is reliable there may be more there there. Some of that there may be opportunity. For the city to act like adults.

According to rumor there have been efforts withing DCSD to scare up some money for traffic officers during high traffic hours (usually morning drop off) to keep traffic flowing and children, parents and teachers safe. They need money because they (think they) must hire off-duty officers. You may think that odd. Any taxpaying member of the Dunwoody electorate should. And they should think that at the polls and vote accordingly. What they should not be is surprised. Dunwoody PD has made it painfully clear that traffic enforcement and community service is beneath them. One [former] resident has the emails to prove it. So does the city.

So. Is this an intractable standoff? Is this the best that is humanly possible? With the humans currently available, probably so. The easiest way to break this logjam lies with the city, not the schools. First, the city should enforce traffic laws and if anything, most aggressively in school zones during school hours and events. Presence, not platitudes. Then, they should provide traffic control during drop off and pick up. Do your job and quit asking everyone else to do it. And consider this: perhaps the reason the legislature lets the cops get the money from these cameras is to offset the revenue they lose by displaced police enforcement. But if you're not there, never have been there, and have no intention of going there then you should not get any of this money.You need to earn it.

So why don't you just try playing nice? Protect our children, our community and our schools. Make our streets safe. Maybe you'll make a friend. And then maybe they will play nice with you.

DeKalb Schools' Epiphany

The heavenly purse strings opened and DeKalb County Schools' new superintendent had an epiphany pledging his career and our money to COB,O.

 

That's right, Horton has zealously pledged his full faith to the divine teachings of the Minstrel of Margaritaville because, as the faithful know, come Monday it'll be alright. A deficit of 400 teachers? Believe! It'll be alright! A 110 headcount, $12M bloat to administration? Have faith, after all COB,O works in mysterious ways. But lordy, lordy it works. And you can help by keeping sobriety at bay.

Now, as you may imagine, this is gonna be one hell of a weekend especially for the most secular amongst us. Try to stay hydrated. And...Fins UP!

What's With All The Blind Squirrels?

First it was our favorite semantic vegan whose word salad-spinner inadvertently spat out a truth. Which had to go back in the spin machine. No five second rule for accidental truths. 

Close to home we now have a School Board member best known for open loop rantings who spoke truth to power. Well, really, to the powerless as it was fellow board members who recently hired a new supe effectively their last chance at a power play until they hire the next one. In a couple of years. But this particular, rogue member pointed out that this "new and improved" supe is really just the same ole same ole. What her pollyannish see as the great, new hope, she sees yet another rinse and repeat. And here is the shocker: she is absolutely correct. The new supe, like those before, is bloating admin, adding positions to be filled with prior colleagues--his hallelujah chorus. Next we'll be treated to multi-million-dollar trendy edu-babble junk program with materials, training to waste teachers time even while they are terribly understaffed. 

There is an interesting metric: student/teacher ratio. While this number is manipulated by including "teachers" without any direct classroom responsibilities, it is a metric. Maybe we need a new one: student/administrator ratio. Oh, and we should include those non-teaching "teachers" in the admin headcount.

If Your Child Cannot Add...

...thank a teacher. Outside of the death toll the largest harm done by the pandemic and the government-union complex has been to the nation's students. Recent measures by the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows significant negative progress with reading scores falling to 2004 levels and for math, even worse, now at 1978 levels. Almost a 50 year setback. 

And why is this?

Teachers and their associations and unions were a powerful force behind closing public schools and keeping them closed either by fiat, government collusion or demanding impossible-to-achieve measures. Teachers found it much more pleasant to "teach" from a Caribbean island than a local school. And "virtual teaching" involved significantly fewer hours with the same pay and perks. Who would want that to stop? It IS worth noting that these "dedicated educators" abandoned the mission of educating our children. For these folks this is certainly not an avocation and there is not much dedication to the vocation.

And yet we have a $1.9 billion budget and a millage rate higher than the constitutional limit. This is for 92,000 students or over $20,000 per student. That's private school tuition and then some. It gets worse. This is apparently a jobs program with 14,000 employees of which only 6,600 (47%) are listed as teachers keeping in mind that not all "teachers" are in the classroom. 

The next time an eSPLOST rolls around remember what they did. 

Keeping Secrets

Or not. In this case, the shenanigans of a closed, "executive" session of the DeKalb BOE was exposed by one of the board members in attendance.  This apparently broke no laws and isn't an ethics violation but instead is a breach Board rules. It should come as no surprise that the breach comes from one of the most outlandishly outspoken members who gives Trump a run for his money when it comes to open-loop rhetoric, disdain for facts and a very flexible relationship with recent history. That she continues to be re-elected should scare the living daylights out of the anti-Trump crowd. How does this happen?

The board's disciplinary options rise [almost] to the level of nanny-nanny-boo-boo with the most interesting option the imposition of a formal, public apology from the now named and shamed violator. This should greatly expand the wealth of "apology that isn't an apology" that we have been getting from politicians for the last several decade. Cannot wait to watch the toothless board gum their way through that.

Will This Really Fix It?

Over at decaturish.com suggestions have been put forth that might address the long running, systemic, perhaps even structural dysfunction of the DeKalb County School Board. Specifically this includes: term limits; pay rises; and super districts. The second of these suggestions sounds alarmingly familiar to anyone watching the circus that is public education. No matter the problem the solution is always [more] money. Always. Despite the fact this invariably ignores TOD's law: where there is no solution there is no problem, only a situation. Since [more] money has yet to show even partial success in addressing education's issues, it is difficult to say there is a problem. Unless we avoid the attempts to take money for a solution.

The similarity is also strikingly similar to the incessant calls for teacher pay rises. Every year. Every budget. The feigned logic is that better pay will attract better teachers, ignoring the elephant in the room: it is all but impossible to fire underperforming teacher to make way for these better, and better paid, candidates. 

So maybe decaturish is onto something. Though incumbency is a powerful force, it is possible to remove elected officials by the ballot box or, as we have seen, with action by the state. If these pay rises are combined with the first suggestion, to impose term limits, we might well see improvements at a less than glacial pace. Otherwise we can expect to witness ongoing degradation of the system.

A Never-Ending Disaster

That pretty much describes the DeKalb County School District. 

First we have a sole finalist  for superintendent who will be the fourth in four years and who is liked by no one outside of the School Board. And, it isn't certain he is that well liked there, but when you have the track record of DCSD you may find yourself more a beggar than a chooser. It also turns out that a quick Google search would turn up some things about the candidate that may not be well aligned with DeKalb, especially given a demographic that includes Latin and Asian communities.

Then we have an elementary school teacher who answered nature's call but seemed to have forgotten that he left his loaded gun in the restroom. Oops. Surely there is a story there and we may hear it if this goes to trial as he has been arrested. When we discuss classroom discipline perhaps we should include teachers who know and follow the rules.

Dead Cat Bounce

Since the days of the TRS-80 governments, especially public schools, have had a troubling relationship incorporating technology into anything they try to do. It isn't clear why, but to the outside, objective observer it appears they don't know what they're doing, they don't even know what they want to do. And they clearly do not know how to do it. 

And this is odd. Out in the real world technology has been used for over three decades to improve operational efficacy and offer stakeholders new features and improvements to existing services. Over that time systems have been installed, maintained, upgraded and replaced without the disastrous results we see in the DeKalb public school system. It is almost as if they are trying to fail. 

But all is not lost. One board member, leveraging the favorite technique of politicians, relativism, has hope:

“I’m looking forward to an even better report next year.”

Perhaps this member is sure it cannot get worse. Smart money would not underestimate this school system's ability to fail.

Sometimes Fast, Sometimes Slow

That is the way DeKalb Schools operate. Maintaining buildings? Glacially slow. Firing a superintendent? Hair trigger. Hiring a replacement? Fixin' to get ready to start thinkin' 'bout sifting thru some resume's. Almost a year after the abrupt firing. 

And about that firing. No one ever came clean on the real cause, but the board had commissioned a former FBI agent to do an investigation, firing the supe before the investigation was complete. And yet. There was a report. A report exonerating the supe but implicating two top career officials for unauthorized actions. Oh, and keeping the supe in the dark. So, the board fires the supe, retains the dopes at their $200K/yr salary. 

Should this board be hiring anyone?

Only Happens Here

Looks like there is going to be some belly-bucking between DCSD and some cities hereabouts over traffic cameras. Some background...

Cities, including Dunwoody, have been pushing DCSD to install these traffic cameras to enforce traffic ordinances and collect revenue from issuance of tickets. As it sits right now the money collected would not necessarily go to DCSD because the law says the administrative agency will not be DCSD but the local jurisdiction. In a nutshell, Dunwoody would get revenue and would escape all costs: DCSD installs and maintains the cameras and service and DPD would not (and never have) bear the cost of traffic enforcement. Our chair force can cool their jets in those Aerons. 

DCSD will lobby for legislative changes to set this right. DCSD Board Chair sees this as win-win: DCSD will keep Dunwoody safer; and DCSD will be duly and properly compensated for doing DPD's job for them. Common sense. 

Not to Dunwoody's mayor who has reportedly been pushing hard for these cameras. The city, through one of the top bungle brothers who is directly in charge of traffic enforcement in this city, whines that they cannot come to an agreement to get DCSD to submit an application to GDOT for the cameras. Well chief, how about until they do you actually have your troops do the very job we voted this city into existence to get done: enforce the traffic laws. 

Feigning surprise that money is involved the mayor laments that if student safety is paramount these cameras would be in place. J.M.J! Maybe, just maybe, the mayor has been pushing on the wrong lever. Maybe the mayor should look inward where the mayor's responsibility lies and push hard, really hard on those levers. Maybe then the city would be informed, with empirical evidence, of the cost of actual police enforcement of these traffic safety measures and then, and only then, an informed cost/benefit evaluation could be made. This would aid any revenue sharing discussions with DCSD as the city would know exactly how much money would be saved with traffic cams over actual policing. Only that revenue in excess of the policing costs should stay with the city and the rest should go to DCSD? Why? Because this city and the mayor and the council have demonstrated time and again that safety if NOT a priority and their not ensuring safety for our school children. Frankly the city doesn't deserve a single dime of this revenue. 

If Dunwoody, if the mayor, if the council, if the city manager, if the police chief, if any of them were doing their job to protect our community this would not be an issue at all.

Go Set A Watchman

No. This is not about that book. But since we're on the topic, if ever there was proof that Truman Capote wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, it is Watchman. This actually about some interesting cameras cropping up in our community.

This one is just (barely) outside a school zone and sports a wired connection to nearby telecom service cabinet. Police departments, who insist on NOT doing their own damn job have been pressuring the school system to install, or rather contract with a for-profit firm, to install and operate traffic enforcement systems. This includes the Dunwoody Chair Force.

This invokes an interesting thought exercise to answer a pressing question: since the city refuses to enforce laws where can we, the mere citizens turn? Well, decades ago public schools charted a course away from education towards a land of expansive wrap-around services. The greater community, including Chair Forces, have not only supported this expansion they are now demanding it. Why shouldn't we? We already know that schools have a police force. Now we know they can levy fines outside the school grounds. Or they can at least contract it out. So, here's the thought: what other laws can they enforce and what other fines can they levy? How about this: maybe these cameras can be used to track illegal truck traffic through the school/no-truck zones and issue some hefty fines to egregious offenders. Like Coke, who sends multiple trucks each day into violation. Makes you want to drink Pepsi or go all Birkenstock against all manner of fuzzy brown sugar water. 

So maybe we should just agree with city hall and give up on the city ever doing their job and direct our efforts to the school system. They'll at least try. 

What We Got Here...

...is a failure to communicate. Or...so says an audit of DeKalb County public schools. Seems a couple of years ago DCSD decided to install a new financial system, something they are in sore need of and should really learn how to use. Of course no software system can fix stupid especially when you have no clue about anything related to finances. Remember that these are the fools who refused to adopt the standard accrual method preferring instead to keep cash in brown paper bags. No one, absolutely no one, was surprised they never reported financials on time. 

Setting up this software went the way it ALWAYS goes: off the rails. But in the real world, where things have to work or you go out of business, you watch this process very closely and when things go pear-shaped you do something immediately. But these folks are on the public dole, responsible to no one and accountable for nothing. So here's the real shocker: they didn't even know the train was off the tracks until someone else told them.

The Ga DoE put them on a tight lease. Sort of. They have 120 days to come up with a recovery plan with unanimous board approval...but...they have already indicated they have no intention of complying. Board member Dr. Joyce Morley indicated her willingness to delay that process, asking, “What if we don’t all agree?” Dr. J seems to be setting the stage willful noncompliance. Others on the board seem less rebellious but equally out of touch with reality. Dierdre Pierce offered up: “I just want to thank you for getting us from late and high risk to on time and moderate risk.” Is this because they're running a system built on social promotions and participation awards where any improvement no matter how unacceptable the accomplishment is cause to cheer. Anything but abject failure gets an A for participation. Allyson Gevertz rosily cheer leads with “Just in my years on the board we have come light-years on the audit” riffing on Deirdre Pierce's “I just want to thank you for getting us from late and high risk to on time and moderate risk.” 

Even though educators are supposed to be society's great communicators, it is unsurprising this project has gone open loop. What continues to surprise is how voters keep approving eSPLOSTs. 

The Most Important Name

The DeKalb County School System is ditching over fifty-eight hundred diplomas because they don't like the way they're printed. Not that the printer screwed up. No typo-s were found. What they don't like is the name on them. These "bad" diplomas have the name of the superintendent they just fired and there is no abiding that. 

This is so stupid it's funny.

They are still paying the super they fired and lawyers are tee-ed up to make sure they pay even more. And all they had to do is set a very, very slightly later termination date to save the costs of binning these and the ensuing rush job for replacements. Simple arithmetic suggests there should have been about twelve hundred more so maybe the schools' inability to retain and educate has saved some money. But sometimes you get the feeling board members are playing checkers when they should be playing chess.

When all is said and done isn't the most important name on any diploma that of the student who earned it?

Defunct The Police

In a recent letter to the editor the writer pushed back against the movement to force schools to install traffic enforcement cameras in school zones. His point, well made, was that turning this function over to private profiteers would result in a company putting profits over safety. This touches on the point that it is always about the money.

And that is a touchy point that should be touched a little harder. It begs the question: what exactly are we paying for this city to do? Specifically when it comes to the police farce it certainly is not to provide enforcement, particularly enforcement to ensure the safety of our roads and neighborhoods. When they refuse to protect our children in school zones then we need to consider alternatives. Maybe instead of privateer's cameras we should give traffic enforcement authority to our school systems' SROs. Let them keep our streets safe and let them keep the public safety enforcement revenue in public hands.

Pots And Kettles

Folks often go on about the hypocrisy of sinners in church, but where would you like the sinners to be? Don't you expect the mentally ill to be in contact with mental healthcare workers? But, you don't expect the inmates to be running the asylum. Unless it is the DeKalb County School System and their Board of Education.

In that case what you get is a completely broken accounting system, totally in conflict with GAAP and state requirements, which has been broken since time began. But what we also get are the folks running this insanity who refuse to play by the rules. The financial rules.

You'd think a CPA would know better, would do better. You'd be wrong.

Voter's Remorse?

Got it yet? No. No. This isn't about the disastrous vote for cityhood. Most of the disappointed Dunwoody-Yes-ers have moved on to warmer waters. No, this is about DeKalb County Schools.

For some mind-boggling reason folks in this county, without fail, vote in favor of every eSPLOST put before them. Even when it doesn't even include a single mention of what the money will be spent on. Now we find out that money from the first five may (or may not) have been spent but it sure as hell wasn't maintenance of our schools as they are sinking into a literal cesspool. Still think that "yay" vote for eSPLOST-VI was a good idea? 

Then there is the board, so bad it is an insult to every dysfunctional bureaucracy in the modern world. You DO know that YOU voted those fools in, right? And remember what Bush said after Trump was elected? "I'm not looking so bad right about now." The Jesters are probably thinking the same thing as the current District 1 either posts vapid puff pieces or worse yet goes before groups to discuss what is going on, only to continually say she's not going to talk about that right now. A spin on "trust me" which speaks to a level of trust that hasn't been earned. How 'bout that vote, eh?

Maybe next time there is a chance to vote the outcome won't be quite this stupid.