SACS' Verdict is in: PROBATION for DCSD

DeKalb school district in “conflict and crisis,” put on probation by accreditation agency

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An accrediting agency is accusing the DeKalb County School District of a decade of “poor, ineffective governance,” announcing Monday that it’s placing the district on probation, leading to possible removal of the school board.

After a six-month investigation, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools found evidence of missing money, school board nepotism and board member influence on which schools students, particularly athletes, attend.

Despite exerting influence in areas where they had no formal role, members of the school board failed to oversee their primary responsibility: the money. DeKalb is “perilously close” to running out of cash, said Mark Elgart, the president and chief executive officer of SACS parent company AdvancED. Despite annual revenues approaching $1 billion, some students don’t have textbooks and most have no access to computers or the Internet. This is because the school board, administrators and others in decision-making positions put the interests of adults before those of children, he said.

The findings prompted SACS to bring the ultimate threat: loss of accreditation. It could happen a year from now. Meanwhile, DeKalb is now on probation, Elgart said. School officials have the interim to address the concerns. SACS will be sending teams to monitor the response in the spring and fall.

School board chairman Eugene Walker said he was disappointed by the decision. “Nobody wants to be on probation,” he said. He also said he understands why SACS reached its judgment. The school board will take the message seriously and respond to restore its accreditation, he said. “I’m also optimistic that we’re going to rise to the occasion.”

Walker said he’s not concerned that Gov. Nathan Deal will remove the school board, which is possible under a new state law that covers districts on probation. “We’ve not done anything egregious,” Walker said.

The new law requires the state school board to convene a hearing on the SACS findings within 30 days. After that, the state board can either make an immediate recommendation to the governor or monitor the situation and give the local board time to address the concerns.