Dr. Walker Loses Round One; Holds Out Hope with Supreme Court

Dr. Eugene Walker becomes the third of the suspended DeKalb County Schools’ Board of Education members to learn that an Administrative Law Judge is not giving them their jobs back.

Walker told All News 106.7 that he is disappointed in the decision, but not surprise. Walker still believes O.C.G.A Section 20-2-73, the Georgia law that allowed Governor Nathan Deal to suspend the six board members, is flawed. Walker went on to say, “Judge Wood was fair in allowing us to present our case, but he was also clear that he was bound by that law”. At this point Walker says he will just have to wait on the outcome of the constitutionality challenge of the suit that’s now in the hands of the Georgia Supreme Court.  Chief Administrative Law Judge Maxwell Wood ruled Thursday against Walker’s reinstatement request to be reappointed to his elected seat.

Last week Judge Wood ruled against suspended board members Sarah Copelin-Wood and Dr. Pam Speaks. Two other board members, Jesse “Jay” Cunningham and Donna Elder still await the Judge’s decision. The sixth board member, Nancy Jester, resigned her seat in February and was not a candidate for reinstatement.

In February Governor Nathan Deal suspended six of the nine school board members after the district’s accreditation was placed on probation by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SACS over governance, financial and student performance issues.

Since then, the remaining three board members, Interim Superintendent Michael Thurmond, and the six new governor appointed members have been in place working hard to save the district’s accreditation. Their efforts were reviewed in May.

In July the DeKalb County School system received a report from AdvancED, the parent company of SACS, stating that the district has made “recognizable progress” in addressing the issue raised by SACS late last year. At that time there were 11 required actions that have to be corrected in order for the district to regain unconditional accreditation.

While AdvancEd is remaining cautionary in its views, right now the district appears to be making progress.

However, Eugene Walker maintains that since he was elected by the people, the Governor’s board suspension actions was illegal.

So one question on the minds of many DeKalb residents now is: What kind of impact, if any, could the Georgia Supreme Court’s decision have on the new DeKalb board and its progress?

DeKalb County students return to school on Monday, August 12.

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DeKalb board gives short notice on vote for school officials’ raises

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Posted: 4:52 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, 2012

DeKalb board gives short notice on vote for school officials’ raises

By Ty Tagami

                                                              

Four administrators in the DeKalb County school system will get a pay raise because of a vote Monday afternoon that occurred with just over four hours public notice.

The money that flows to the central office is typically controversial in this cash-strapped school system, but in this case the critics were quiet, possibly because many didn’t know about the planned vote.

“If they’re not violating the letter of the law, they’re at least violating the spirit,” said parent Cheryl Miller, when told of the 2 p.m. vote, which was added to the agenda just after 9 a.m. The meeting was announced Friday but had nothing on the agenda except disclosure that the board was to meet privately for litigation and personnel matters.



Miller has tussled with DeKalb over transparency involving decisions to build cellphone towers on school grounds, and noted that DeKalb routinely calls meetings with a day’s notice. She suspects officials want to keep the public in the dark.



“They’re calling these meetings at the last minute for an administrative item when they have a regular meeting coming up,” Miller said. “They know there’s no way anyone with a job can just drop what they’re doing and rush down there.”

Four of the nine school board members failed to make the meeting. The five who did voted 3-2 to give four administrators pay commensurate with jobs they were moved into during the summer. At the time of the promotions on July 30 the school board voted against pay raises pending stabilization of the budget.

“As far as I know, it’s balanced,” said Paul Womack, who voted for the raises Monday along with Jay Cunningham and Donna Edler.

Board Chairman Eugene Walker and member Sarah Copelin-Wood voted against the raises. Walker said the school system is in “austerity mode.” He said Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson put the pay item on Monday’s agenda.

The school system is under scrutiny by an accrediting agency over allegations of school board mismanagement. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) will send a team to DeKalb in October because of reports the board failed to oversee the system’s finances and meddled in administrative affairs.

The agenda published online Monday doesn’t say how much the administrators will be paid. Atkinson’s spokesman, Jeff Dickerson, said the board in July gave Atkinson through September to resolve the pay question. She realized “at the last minute” that the month is almost over.

“She wanted to comply with the board’s request,” Dickerson said.