Words of the Wise: Citizens Speak Out Against Cell Towers at Schools.

For a historical look back at the fight to keep cell towers off school grounds in DeKalb County, you can view some of the school board meetings that saw parents and community members speak to their concerns and their plans to take the fight as far as they needed to in order to get the school board to reverse its decision.

Starting with this meeting, February 13, 2012: http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=dekalbschga&eID=58 

Start at the 40:40 mark for speaker Rudy Evanson (above) and Richard Marion (below).

Cell Tower at a Virginia Public School Catches Fire

GTCO-ATL:  When we brought up the many reasons why we did not want to place cell phone towers at our public schools in DeKalb County, most of the politicians and school administrators we spoke to simply dismissed our concerns.  Reading things like this should serve as a reminder to everyone who spoke out against the cell towers that were planned in Dekalb County, GA.  When it is your neighborhood or you child who could be placed in harm's way, the "what if" scenarios suddenly do not sound so far fectched.   

"We did the right thing," says Paul Miller, co-founder. 

Friday, June 19, 2015

Newport News, Va. – A cell phone tower in the 5800 block of Marshall Avenue caught on fire Monday around noon, according to the Newport News Fire Department.

Fire Chief Stephen Pincus says a company was working on the tower doing some welding when some insulation to the wires caught on fire.

Crews arrived to find a massive amount of fire at the base of the tower and wires burning along the full length of the tower.

With heat index values already over 100 degrees in Newport News, fire crews had some difficulty putting the fire out because the heat was so taxing. It took approximately 25 minutes to get the fire under control.

The structural integrity of the tower was compromised due to the heat of the fire and the tower is now leaning. The damage is extensive and the tower has been disabled...

...The tower is located on property in between Heritage High School and Achievable Dreams Middle & High School. Students were not in school but teachers were at both locations.

Towers Just Seem to Stop Once They Get Out of the Poor Communities

From Montgomery County, Maryland:





This report is very similar to what we were seeing in DeKalb, before the contracts were finally cancelled. Now we've figure out even more about why they were going at certain schools and not others. The towers appear to dot the map, quite literally, right around the areas that are now slated for the November ballot where new cities could be formed.

The cell tower fight was only the beginning. savetuckerfromlakesidecity.blogspot.com.

Here a Fiber, There a Fiber, Everywhere a Fiber, Fiber

When DeKalb County School Board members approved 30 year lease agreements that have finally

Comcast Fiber steps  up to compete with Google Fiber

been withdrawn after years of protest and a court case that supported the county's right to uphold its zoning laws, Get the Cell Out was formed to spread the word about what was going on.  One of our complaints to the  now-removed by the Governor board at the time was that technology is changing so quickly that there is no way anyone can predict whether or not cell towers will be allowed, needed or even legal 30 years from now.   Without an "out" clause to protect the taxpayers' investment, what would happen if, let's just say for example, something else came along that was faster and more reliable than wireless?

They had no answer, of course, but it has been only four years, not thirty, and guess what?  Those cell towers are no longer seen as money makers and instead could be losing ground even quicker than we predicted.  Google Fiber announced its plans to connect several areas as test markets and Sandy Springs, Decatur and Avondale Estes were selected.  If all goes well, they are predicting a full scale launch in more cities across the US.     As more events like this one take place across the county, we could easily see ourselves evolving to a society that is  a lot less dependent on cell towers and a lot happier and healthier for it, too!

Comcast offers new product


The announcement that Google Fiber will be moving into the Atlanta market is already creating change for local consumers.

Comcast, for example, the area’s leading high speed internet provider, has announced plans to roll out 2 gig internet service to 1.5 million customers, starting this Spring.

That’s faster than the gigabit internet service Google Fiber plans to offer.

What's better about fiber?

Well, there may be many benefits, but here are just a few:

1.)  Not as easy for hackers to intercept a signal

2.) More reliable point-to-point transmission

3.)  Faster

4.)  Does not emit RF radiation

5.)  Does  not ask for you to give up school grounds to install its equipment.

6.)  Not listed on anything published by the CDC in terms of possible Carcinogens.

7.)  Does not lower property values

8.)  Does not  take advantage of children by seeking space on their playgrounds.

While we still have a lot to learn about how these products work, we are pleased that there are alternatives being brought to market that will challenge wireless for space in the conversation about what's safe and effective and allowed by local zoning.

It's Over!

Get the Cell Out - ATL was started in May 2011 

by just a few concerned parents simply walking 

their own neighborhood, talking with 

neighbors about the cell towers 

proposed for multiple schools 

across the county.  

We grew to an overwhelming outpouring of 

support when we hit an all time high of 75,000 voters 

who said "No" on a ballot referendum in July 2012 

when asked if they were in favor of 

"wireless telecommunications towers"

being placed on public school grounds.

Jan. 14, 2015:  Get the Cell Out - ATL has learned some news regarding our four year battle with T-mobile and our school system over the issue of cell phone towers that were approved for 9 schools back in July 2011.  

"The decision is important because it helps limit exemptions to zoning laws intended to protect neighborhoods from incompatible development," says County Commisioner Jeff Rader.

 "Governments (Federal, State, Local and Public Schools) retain this important prerogative, but it should only be exercised to directly advance their public mission, not simply to generate revenue."

We will have a statement on this issue in the coming days, but wanted to first get this information out to you as expeditiously as possible.  Dekalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader from District 2 has issued a press release, which can be read below, about the end to the six-way battle between the residents, the school board, the school administration, the county commissioners and the county CEO's office and, of course, T-mobile.  

Radar's statement was , unfortunately, not signed or dated. We believe it is legitimate, nonetheless.  But, we are still in the process of confirming its origin.  When we know more, we will post an  update on our website.  


Get the Cell Out - ATL was also informed just before the holidays by official sources that the school system's Superintendent Michael Thurmond reports that the contracts for all 9 of the schools originally slated for T Mobile cell towers "have been dropped."   As advised, we have waited until an "official announcement" before making any statements of our own, but we have remained on top of this issue and involved in the process as we have vowed to see it through to its conclusion.

Congratulations to everyone involved in every community who helped bring this subject to the forefront of their conversations and who held their elected officials accountable for their actions.   And thank you to every person involved in this fight and similar battles taking place across the country.  Your willingness to put yourself on the line in order to learn the truth and face skeptics should be an inspiration to others.  We would never been able to stand up to the "system" here if there were not success stories of others who had faced the same Goliath, and won their battle before ours.      


We appreciate Commissioner Jeff Rader , Commissioner Kathie Gannon and the entire DeKalb County Board of Commissioners for stepping up and taking on this fight against T Mobile while upholding the zoning code in our communities. 

If you have not educated yourself about the many adverse effects that have been documented about cell phone towers, please look over the many sources available on our website or email us with your questions.  A good source of information can also be found at the Center for Safer Wireless.

www.GETtheCELLoutATL.org

sayno2celltowers@yahoo.com

We also encourage everyone to thoroughly read the new zoning ordinance as suggested by Commissioner Rader and voice any feedback to the county commissioners and CEO's office as soon as possible. 

                                ---  Get the Cell Out - ATL

Now,  here is the statement from Jeff Rader's office:

Cell-phone Tower Update

One of the most pervasive signs of our mobile communications society is the proliferation of cell phone towers across the landscape.  In DeKalb, the mobile communications revolution occurred after the widespread development of the landscape, so the infill installation of these structures has been perceived as intrusive in many residential neighborhoods.  One recent decision and one pending regulation are relevant and noteworthy.

The recent noteworthy decision is the dismissal of a suit against DeKalb County by T-Mobile, a cellular provider.  T-Mobile had sued DeKalb seeking a building permit for structures on two DeKalb County School System (DCSS) properties in District 2: Lakeside High School and Margaret Harris Comprehensive School.  T Mobile had entered into a contract with DCSS seeking to invoke DCSS’s exemption from zoning regulation to erect the towers in residential districts where they are otherwise prohibited.  Encouraged by the DeKalb Board of Commissioners, the DeKalb County Administration declined to recognize the requested permits as exempt from zoning since the cell towers were not educational facilities.  T-Mobile sued, but canceled their contract with DCSS after the Federal Courts ruled in favor of DeKalb. T-Mobile also paid DeKalb County court costs incurred in our defense.  

Regardless of any bad publicity you may have heard about our county commissioners, 

they at least did the right thing for the communities they serve when they all signed a 

letter to the CEO's office, advising that any attempt to gain an "administrative permit"

instead of using the proper channels should be denied and our county's zoning ordinances 

should be upheld. 

The decision is important because it helps limit exemptions to zoning laws intended to protect neighborhoods from incompatible development.  Governments (Federal, State, Local and Public Schools) retain this important prerogative, but it should only be exercised to directly advance their public mission, not simply to generate revenue.

The pending decision on the regulation of cell towers is in our new zoning ordinance, which will soon be considered by the Board of Commissioners.  After considerable public input and a thorough investigation of relevant federal legislation, the current proposal would allow cellular antennas within or attached to nonresidential structures legally permitted in single-family neighborhoods.  These would include houses of worship or other institutions that are legally permitted to be of sufficient height to make a cellular antenna attractive to a carrier.  The new proposal would not allow the cell towers that were the object of the T-Mobile controversy.

The proposed policy turns on the inherent incompatibility of a free-standing antenna with a surrounding single family neighborhood, and not on the concerns that some citizens have about the radio waves generated by the antenna.  This is important because federal communications regulations prohibit local regulation of cellular antennas based on radio wave concerns.    We convened citizen stakeholders interested in this issue recently, who made suggestion on refining the policy for adoption.  

The new zoning ordinance can be found online at http://planningdekalb.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/finalDraftZoningCodeJan20151.pdf 


The commissioner can be reached at:  www.commissionerrader.com  *jrader@dekalbcountyga.gov*

Where We Stand on the Upcoming May 20 School Board Elections

     The DeKalb County School Board Election is perhaps one of the most vital to the future of DeKalb as residents have seen in some time.  After the Governor removed former board members, several of them are determined to regain their old titles and in one district, the husband of a removed board member is the sole choice for voters.

PLEASE VOTE MAY 20 in DeKALB COUNTY, GA!

Here are the races and the candidates from the DeKalb County election website:

BOARD OF EDUCATION

District 1:  Stan Jester  

(Appointed Member John Coleman is not running for election.  Jester is the spouse of former board member Nancy Jester who was removed by the Governor.  He also has children currently enrolled in the public school system in DeKalb County.)

     Without another choice, GTCO-ATL is in favor of Stan Jester for this seat.  Our main concerns with this candidate is that the Dunwoody homeowner's association has been politically active and vocal about their desire to form their own school system, separate from DeKalb County's system.  We are unsure how Jester will resolve the conflict that would seem to put him in an awkward spot of wanting to help the current system succeed while not wanting to harm the chances of his constituents in their push toward gaining a separate system.  It is not clear how both goals can be achieved as the removal of funds from the north end of the district and return of children who live outside its boundaries would seemingly have a negative impact on the more poor portions of the county, mostly assumed to be in South DeKalb, but also located in the central part of the county where there is a large refugee area.

     Jester's wife Nancy was one of the only "no" votes against cell towers and was able to keep her Dunwoody district without a named school on the proposed list from 2011.  Stan has assisted GTCO-ATL with records requests and bringing the truth to light by his "fact checker" website and video / audio recording of key school board meetings.  GTCO-ATL favors Stan Jester as a positive addition to the board and hope that he continues his efforts toward an open and transparent school system leadership.

     Nancy Jester is running for the state school Superintendent's position and will face considerable competition in the primary election.  If you are a fan of Ms. Jester, she likely needs your vote on May 20, but you will need to request a Republican voting card in order to have an impact on her race for the state seat.  Any runoff elections will not be held until later in July. General elections will be held in November.

District 2:  Don McChesney, incumbent Marshall Orson  

(Orson was elected, not appointed, but did not serve on the former board.  He defeated then-incumbent McChesney so this election is a bit of a re-match between the two.  McChesney is a former teacher and Orson is an attorney in Atlanta with children in the school system.)

    This is a very tough district and the choices are not so much between the old and the new as they are between Briar Vista and Fernbank Elementary School districts.  McChesney has fought in the past for the Briar Vista neighborhood and their school which suffered a loss in student population under the new plan first brought forward by Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, former Superintendent who left amid a flurry of SACS allegations, possibly illegal hiring and firing practices, and her refusal to comply with Open Records Requests.  McChesney was the board member who offered the amended solution to the original cell tower debate that removed the three most vocal schools before the full board voted on the issue in July 2011, but he did not attend public meetings intended to gather input from the school communities in his own district which upset many taxpayers, especially those living in the Briarcliff Heights area near the Margaret Harris School for the physically and mentally impaired.

The location of the original schools affected by the cell tower decision.

   Orson is the former President of the highly influential Emory-Lavista Parent Council and has stepped up in an effort to assist GTCO-ATL and the Margaret Harris neighborhood in their co-joined efforts to determine the current status of the cell tower permits and to get a possible vote on a school board resolution against the cell tower practice in the future.  He has been accused in the past of favoring the Fernbank Elementary School community over others, but since his current tenure on the school board he has presented himself to be a very intelligent and thorough board member.  Most notably, he helped in the settlement of the Heery Mitchell lawsuit that was costing the school district tens of millions of dollars.  That alone has enabled our schools to begin to pay teachers a bit better and reverse all furlough days that had become a standard practice.  Orson is also the board member credited for the recommendation of former labor commissioner Michael Thurmond for the position of Superintendent, so depending on how you feel about him, that might influence your vote.

   GTCO-ATL will accept either of these board members as favorable to our cause as we believe they both have taken the time to research and understand the issue of cell towers and the concerns of their constituents. We have been mostly in favor of the progress of the new board and the hiring of Super. Thurmond, so for those reasons, we favor Marshall Orson in this district.

District 3:  Jerrie D. Bason, incumbent Michael A. Erwin, Jarrod Jordan, Atticus LeBlanc, Willie R. Mosley, Jr

(Incumbent Michael Erwin was appointed to the board by Gov. Deal)

   GTCO-ATL has no solid information that would lead us to believe any of the candidates for this seat would be pro-cell tower.  We have generally favored the job that the current appointed board members have done to date, so for this reason, we favor keeping the appointed current member Michael A. Erwin.

District 4:  Incumbent Karen Carter, incumbent Jim McMahan, John Oselette, Ella “Coach” Smith

(Incumbent Dr. Karen Carter was appointed by Gov. Deal, Incumbent Jim McMahan was elected to replace former board member Paul Womack, the board member who first brought the cell tower issue to the school board in 2011.)

Dr. Karla Drenner held multiple hearings at the state capitol in 2011 in an
effort to ban the practice of using school grounds for corporate
gain by the telecommunications industry.

     The only person in this district who has publicly opposed the cell tower issue is Ella "Coach" Smith.  Smith is our pick for District 4.  She was one of the only residents to attend a cell tower meeting held back in May 2011 and she opposed the practice both verbally and in a written statement to the board.  She came forward during the time when it was very controversial to do so because she knew then, and knows now, that the health of our children is not something to be gambled with.  A former teacher at Lakeside High School, who was also a cheer and gymnastics coach for many years, Smith has been a contributor to the Dekalb School Watch blog and other public forums in her support for the children all over the county, not just in her own district.  She has made considerable effort to mend fences between the warring sides of Lakeside vs. Tucker which were very heated during the most recent battle over city lines.  And, she gave up her teaching position to work in Fulton County specifically so that she could become a more outspoken advocate for the children and call out the poor governance practices she witnessed.

     We are not specifically opposed to Dr. Karen Carter and the job she has done, but we are unclear as to where she stands on the cell tower issue.  We have presented a resolution to refrain from using cell towers as a revenue stream and provided quality evidence to show the board that the money in other markets has only been used as a slush fund to further corrupt practices.  While members like Mayfield and Orson as well as the Superintendent have reached out to us and others who oppose the towers to help us with learning where things stand in the process of permits and contracts, we have not heard from McMahan or Carter.  Oselette appears to only be campaigning in a very limited area with a highly political tilt.  For these reasons, we are in favor of Ella "Coach" Smith as the best candidate from a perspective of healing this district and remaining in firm opposition to the placement of towers at our schools.  Many of the schools on the list for cell towers were based in and around this specific area of the county.

    We also do not specifically oppose Jim McMahan, but have concerns over his poor attendance record on the current board.  He has made good voting decisions and did speak with us on more than one occasion to tell us that he supported our efforts to keep cell towers off school grounds.  McMahan would not be a poor choice for the cell tower issue, however, we are concerned over his association with the Tucker Parent Council and some behind the scenes changes to staffing at some Tucker schools that may have been an effort to assist the Lakeside City Alliance.  The city issue would have split Tucker nearly in half and has been a very destructive element in this district.  We believe that anyone who is involved in this battle for city borders should not also be simultaneously involved in school related groups when their efforts in one area may be counter productive to their responsibilities in the other.  The children must always come first.


District 5:  Pia “Chaz Afzal” Bhatt, Jesse “Jay” Cunningham, R. Alexander Fitzhugh, incumbent Thad Mayfield, Vickie B. Turner

(Incumbent Thad Mayfield is a current appointed board member.  Jesse "Jay" Cunningham is a former board member who was removed by the Governor.)

    Thad Mayfield has been a very detailed and effective board member since his appointment.  He has listened to the concerns of GTCO-ATL and we believe he would be the best choice for District 5.  We favor Thad Mayfield for several reasons, but on the issue of cell towers, we believe that he has researched the issue, listened to the complaints and would likely vote against the practice of using towers for a revenue stream or slush fund.

Parents at MLK High School in DeKalb showed up to oppose cell towers and meet with their then-board member Jay Cunningham back in 2011.

District 6:  Bridgeman Bolger and incumbent Melvin Johnson

(Incumbent Melvin Johnson is a current board member who was elected.)

       Between the two candidates, we favor Bridgeman Bolger for this race.  We recently learned that Bolger worked for Rep. Karla Drenner, who fought a very good fight in the state House of Representatives in an effort to completely ban cell towers from our school grounds.  Bolger has reached out to GTCO-ATL to make an introduction, which we appreciate.  He understands the cell tower issue and has also worked through  his position with the Young Democrats of DeKalb to ensure federal funds for the refugee resettlement communities are getting to the right places, including the schools that are expected to educate these children, many of whom do not know any English.

     While we do not have any specific issues with Dr. Melvin Johnson, the incumbent and current chairman of the school board, we are aware that he has a somewhat controversial past.  He was a long time employee with the school system and some of his opponents believe he worked for the system during the timeframe that saw a huge increase in administration while schools were being forced to close or run with minimal staff and support.

District 7:  Kim Ault, Lee V. Dukes and incumbent Joyce Morley

(Incumbent Dr. Joyce Morley was appointed by the Governor.)

    It is with heavy heart that we are reminded of the passing of former board member Donna Edler.  Ms. Edler was a friend to GTCO-ATL and one of the only two board members to vote against the cell towers initially (although eventually all except Dr. Eugene Walker stated that they would vote differently if they had the choice to do over again).   Ms. Edler died from cancer and was a true fighter until the very end, never letting her illness get in the way of her efforts to provide a better school system for the children in DeKalb County.  Edler's children are still in the DeKalb County School System and our condolences go out to them as well as her husband.

   This is another difficult choice and GTCO-ATL is not completely in favor or opposed to any of these candidates, lacking sufficient information.  However, we are aware that parent Kim Ault has been at the forefront of many efforts to bring the former board members and their poor governance practices into the light.  We believe she would be an honest representative who has her own children in the system and has sufficient knowledge of where we have been in order to serve her district well.

     However, we slightly favor Dr. Joyce Morley as she has done a fair job during her appointment to the board.  She has taken her position seriously and seems to be very committed to continuing the good work that the current appointed board has done so far.  For this reason, GTCO-ATL favors Dr. Joyce Morley.

Georgia school shooting: Antoinette Tuff hailed as hero

Everyday Heroes Do Exist!  

Thank you to Antoinette Tuff and the other staff members at McNair Elementary for keeping the children safe and treating the gunman as a human being who was in need of help, not a monster who had a fate already determined.  

This woman put herself between the gunman and the children and when she had the chance to run, she stayed.  She stayed calm and saved the lives of herself, the gunman and likely many, many others.  We are grateful to the teachers and police officers and families for handling themselves so well and keeping the kids from being harmed that day. 

One tough man with a gun met his match ... One "Tuff" woman with a brain who cared!

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.

Please leave respectful comments below:

Mumbi Engineer Starts Cell Tower Newsletter to Educate the Public on the Radiation Dangers

Cell Phone/ Tower Radiation Hazards and Solutions - Prof. Girish Kumar's Newsletter - July - August 2013 by Neha Kumar

Stan, Stan, He's Our Man!

(Jester and Watson Join Our Quest for Cell Tower Truth)

There is a new website / blog about events in DeKalb County Schools.  It's called "Stan Jester, Fact Checker," and is run by none-other than former School Board Member, District 1, Nancy Jester's husband Stan.  We are big fans of husband and wife teams since that is how Get the Cell Out - ATL originated and we greatly appreciate the hard work that Stan Jester is doing to help us and every other taxpayer out there who has been following the ongoing fraud and waste in our school system.  Nancy Jester was one of two board members to vote no on the cell tower proposal in 2011 and she called out the financial questions about the proposal from the beginning.  Thank you to both Stan and Nancy Jester!

Stan's website recently reported some of the details from the meeting held last month by the Northlake Community Alliance.  He transcribed some of the statement that was made during that meeting by County Commissioner Stan Watson, who is also on our "favorites" list for his contribution and input into the cell tower issue and for his stand against unsupported cities that are a ruse for taking over the power and budgets of our county officials who have been willing, so far, to protect the rights of the citizens in DeKalb from the unlawful siting of cell towers  too close to homes, schools or other structures.  

Here's the quote from Stan Watson as posted by Stan Jester:  

Cell TowersDeKalb County Commissioner, Stan Watson, was there to provide a cell tower update.  “It is being reviewed right now by our legal department.  And we want to make sure that we address the item of the cell towers in such a way that we could be responsible to the legalities of the cell tower.  We’re trying to treat it just like a special land use plan right now, SLUP, to make sure that we’re in complete compliance legally to make sure that it works.  So, right now, it has been tabled, Tom.  And we’re actually looking at it in our legal department.  It should come out this summer and we’ll be happy to come back and report what we’re going to do with it.  But, right now, we have it in our legal department to make sure that we can do it as a legal department and as a county.”

Stan Watson also has a web page.  It's not dedicated to deciphering school news, however.  He is actually running for re-election in Super District 7 which includes the Eastern half of DeKalb County.  His website says that he is in favor of an open and honest government.  Let's hope he means that because we are counting on him to let the public know the status of the cell tower permit application for Lakeside High School, which will trigger all remaining contracts if it is deemed to be permissible by the Legal Department for the county. 

So, we have two Stans looking out for the rights of DeKalb citizens, Stan Jester (Fact Checker) and Stan Watson (County Commissioner).  Thank you to them both for putting the truth in front of the taxpayers and trusting them to be able to handle it.  

We have added links to both the websites on our Links Page, in the right-hand column of our home page.

Please leave respectful comments below:

SACS Visits DeKalb and Other News

Some insightful reporting by Ty Tagami from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Is Dr. Atkinson out there laughing at us somewhere?

Is she enjoying her fat payout at the expense of our

children and homeowners?  Will the nightmare for

DeKalb's schools finally come to an end?  Or is

this just the beginning?  Traditionally, the worst decisions

that affect the most people and cost us the most

money have taken place of the Summer months, mainly

in July.  So, regardless of whether or not you have

children in the school system, if you pay taxes and

plan to live here for a while, please pay attention to

all issues affecting our county and, most of all,

don't lose sight of the school board's actions just

because the kids are out for Summer break!  Corruption

doesn't take a holiday.  It waits to strike when it thinks

no one is paying attention!  

Accreditation agency visits DeKalb

May 17:  The school accreditation agency that placed DeKalb County on probation last year has returned for a review of the school district in preparation for a May 31 report.

A monitoring team from AdvancED, the parent company of accreditation agency the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, visited the DeKalb County School District Friday with plans to continue interviewing staff Saturday.

The team met with principals, teachers, administrators and board members, a school system spokeswoman said. DeKalb will be judged on progress addressing 11 concerns. SACS gave the district a December deadline to address them.

and...

DeKalb schools change budget hearing plans

May 14:  Hours before a final hearing Wednesday on next year’s budget, the DeKalb County School District cancelled and rescheduled the event for noon on June 3.

No reason was given for the abrupt change of plans. The school board is now expected to hear from the public just a week before a possible June 10 preliminary vote on the fiscal year 2014 budget, which starts in July.

A final budget vote is now expected June 26.

and, just prior to that:

DeKalb schools’ finance chief leaves amid questions about the budget

May 8:  The same day the cash-strapped DeKalb County School District released a proposed budget with millions of dollars in surprise revenue, the district’s finance chief turned in his resignation, two events a district spokesman said were unrelated.

Michael Perrone’s decision to leave Tuesday had nothing to do with the district’s release of a budget that day with $27 million in revenue that did not exist in his earlier projections, district spokesman Jeff Dickerson said.

“He left on amicable terms and all is well,” Dickerson said, adding that Mike Bell, a government finance veteran, will step in temporarily.

Perrone’s departure after an accounting discovery obliterating a projected shortfall for fiscal year 2014, which begins in July, left some observers uneasy.

“With the discovery of what has been called a surplus, there are a lot more questions than answers,” said Gil Hearn, a Dunwoody parent. The founder of Parents for DeKalb County Schools said some worry the new money is not real. “It introduces significant doubt into the process,” he said.

Superintendent Michael Thurmond told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution how he found the money: Some of it, such as a state subsidy associated with a growing population of students who don’t speak English, was always there and unrecorded, he said. But some of it DeKalb had failed to collect, he said. For instance, the district gets federal dollars to feed children, but failed to bill the government for the cost of administering the grant, Thurmond said.

“Some of it, we got it but we didn't know we had it,” Thurmond said. “Some of it, you had to know to ask to get it.”

School board chairman Melvin Johnson said he’s confident in Thurmond’s discovery. He said DeKalb can collect the unbilled money for the current fiscal year, and will try to recoup money from prior years — though he was less optimistic about the prospects for that.

Johnson said he assumed Perrone left because of the revenue revelation. “He probably looked at the budget and saw the discrepancies that had been revealed and decided to resign,” Johnson said.

Perrone did not return messages left on his district cellphone or on an older cellphone he brought with him from Florida. No working number could be found for him in the Jacksonville, Fla., area, where he worked as a school finance officer before he was hired last year by former DeKalb Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson.

Perrone is the first member of Atkinson’s cabinet to leave under Thurmond, who took over in February.

School board member Marshall Orson said he does not know why Perrone left but said it could have been a simple changing of the guard.

“It’s not unusual when you have a change in leadership that some people end up going,” Orson said.

The new superintendent’s budget is a sharp departure from Atkinson’s. With Perrone’s help, Atkinson engineered some of the deepest cuts in school district history. DeKalb sheared off $78 million in spending, implementing a $730 million budget that increased class sizes by reducing teaching positions, laid off library workers, interpreters and bus mechanics and imposed two additional furlough days — unpaid leave — on teachers.

Thurmond is recommending a $759 million budget for fiscal year 2014 that cancels one of those furlough days and gives bus drivers and other support workers a cash incentive for showing up to work regularly. He is also asking the school board to buy new textbooks, hire interpreters and invest in planning for a career academy when they adopt the budget in June.

Teachers advocate David Schutten said the canceled furlough day is a welcome, if small, concession. The president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators visited a half-dozen schools Wednesday and said teachers at all of them expressed “hope but cynicism” about the newfound money.

Schutten was surprised to learn of Perrone’s departure and said it will only deepen suspicion. “He struck me as being competent, so I’m just kind of taken aback,” Schutten said. “What people are going to want to know is, does this have anything to do with the money?”

Please leave respectful comments below:

Can a Cell Tower and a School Just Be Picked Up and Moved?

Here is a recent 2013 WSB-TV map of cell tower schools.
Note the location of Narvie Harris.

DeKalb residents voted yes on SPLOST IV.  Are we facing the same issue that has been reported in Fulton County? (see Patch article below)  Does this mean our Atlanta-area school systems be working together on a "master plan" that has not been revealed to homeowners and taxpayers?


Or is it a coincidence that schools approved in the Fulton SPLOST are now being torn down and rebuilt elsewhere and a recent WSB-TV maps shows a school (Narvie J. Harris Elementary) suddenly appearing in a new location?

Here is a map from a 2011 WSB-TV report  on cell towers.
Note the location of Narvie Harris.

DeKalb approved money in SPLOST for "demolition" without any clear indication of what exactly will be demolished.  Are they planning to tear down schools, homes, businesses, or more?  Will Fernbank, Smoke Rise and other schools we thought were going to be rebuilt in their current locations actually going to be moved elsewhere?  The same name but a totally new school in a new location?

Has this plan already started with Narvie J. Harris Elementary School?

Homeowners Fight Fulton BOE in Eminent Domain Claim
From the Sandy Springs Patch:

Twenty-one members of Riley Place Homeowners Association sent a letter to the Fulton Board of Education to protest possible relocation of Heards Ferry Elementary to their neighborhood on the southern end of Riverside Drive. The site is across from St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.

“We’ve already been threatened with eminent domain.” said Herb Carter, one of the homeowners refusing to sell his property.

Fulton County BOE makes threats to take
over homes that residents don't want to sell.

The homeowners' letter said in part: “The site on the southern end of Riverside [Drive] would require condemnation of at least two homes which homeowners do not want to sell…This is very valuable property made up of minimum 2 acre tracts, and the cost of land per acre, even after condemnation, would be about as high as any residential land Fulton County could consider acquiring.”

On Wednesday, more than 100 residents attended a public meeting at Riverwood International Charter High School on the relocation of Heards Ferry Elementary. Most at the meeting said they are opposed to moving the school to any new location.

Patrick Burke, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, said that by voting for the SPLOST referendum in November 2011, Sandy Springs residents approved moving Heards Ferry. He later added, “We’re studying what it would take to build on this site and keep things on this site.”


More on the SPLOST vote below.
During the meeting Burke said eminent domain is rarely used. “That’s not to say that we won’t use it,” he said.

The Riley Place homeowners represented in the letter do not have confidence in the Fulton County Board of Education. They complained in the letter that two previous meetings this year, on moving Heards Ferry, were not adequately announced to nearby residents and the general public.

Chris Clark, head of Riley Place HOA, said residents learned the Fulton County Board of Education was interested in their neighborhood about two months ago. “Out of six pieces of property that they need, [owners of] four have been approached by a mystery realtor,” he said. “We have not heard anything from [those property owners]. We assume they made a deal.”


Did you know the 2011 SPLOST referendum approved moving Heards Ferry?
Several residents say they now realize that they didn't understand the SPLOST referendum approved in November 2011.

Linda Gold's children attended Heards Ferry and Riverwood. “[Burke] kept saying that the voters voted for us to replace the school. I didn’t vote to replace the school,” she said.

Gold added, “I wouldn’t have voted for the SPLOST had I known they were going to rip Heards Ferry down. I thought that the money was going to build a new place on the site or repair it. I had no idea and neither did any of my friends.”


Did you misunderstand the 2011 SPLOST referendum? How do you feel about homeowners possibly being moved out by eminent domain?

See also: Residents Strongly Oppose Moving Heards Ferry Elementary

Gov. Deal Announces New Board Members for DeKalb County

Thanks to Maureen Downey from Get Schooled for getting this information to the public so quickly!
 For her full report, click here.

The new members of the DeKalb County school board, who will be sworn in at 1 p.m. today are as follows:

District 1 (formerly Nancy Jester's district)

John Coleman
Coleman is a strategic planning manager at Invesco. Previously, he held a variety of leadership roles at McKinsey & Company. He also serves on various nonprofit boards. Coleman has a master’s in Business Administration from Harvard and a master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. He resides in Atlanta.

District 3 (formerly Sarah Copelin-Wood's district)

Michael Erwin
Erwin is a U.S. Navy veteran and has been a research assistant at Duke University Medical Center and the University of South Carolina. He has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Services and is past chair of the NOAA fisheries committees on fish species and fish diseases in Maine and South Carolina. In 2008, he earned a Ph.D. in Biological Science from the University of South Carolina. He has been a member of the faculty at Georgia Gwinnett College since 2009 and teaches undergraduate students in biological science. He graduated from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s in Biology and a master’s in Biological Science. Erwin resides in Decatur.

District 5 (formerly Jay Cunningham's district)

David Campbell
Campbell is a senior manager with Georgia Power, where he supports the company’s energy conservation efforts. He is a certified public accountant with managerial experience. Campbell received a degree in Business Administration from Albany State University. He is a former chair of Leadership DeKalb, a member of the DeKalb 100 Black Men and an active member of St. Phillips AME. He formerly served on the Stephenson High School Council and resides in Lithonia.

District 7 (formerly Donna Edler's district)

Joyce Morley
Morley is the chief executive officer of Morley and Associates and is a nationally known public speaker and trainer. She is a certified counselor, a trained mediator and serves on several local and national governance boards. Morley has a doctorate in Counseling, Family and Worklife from the University of Rochester. She received her specialist’s and master’s degrees in Counseling Education from the State University New York College at Brockport, and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the SUNY College at Genesco. A Stone Mountain resident, Morley has lived in DeKalb County for more than 22 years.

District 8 (formerly Dr. Pam Speaks' super district)

Karen Carter
Carter serves on the faculty of Georgia Perimeter College where she is chair of the Business and Social Science department. She received a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications from Denison University and a law degree from Ohio State University. Carter has served as a classroom teacher and has held several senior administrative roles in the field of education. She is a graduate of Leadership DeKalb and is an active community volunteer and a PTSA member. Carter is a resident of the Lakeside Community.

District 9 (formerly Dr. Eugene Walker's super district)

Thaddeus Mayfield
Mayfield is a senior partner with FOCOM, Inc., a Georgia-based business development firm. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Mercer University and received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Tougaloo College. He co-chaired the successful Friends of DeKalb Education SPLOST IV Campaign and is an active member of several business and civic organizations in the metropolitan area. Mayfield is a resident of Lithonia.

To the Students of DeKalb County

Source: creativeldsquotes.blogspot.com via Sierra on Pinterest

To the students of DeKalb County,

You have seen and heard a lot lately about your schools, haven't you? You've watched as Superintendents, Principals, PTA Parents, Teachers, Reporters, Counselors, Community Leaders, Religious Leaders and adults from all over have been making comments about the education you have been receiving. Some say it isn't good enough. Some say you deserve better. Some want to move you around, put you on a bus, separate you from your friends and then test you on a bunch of stuff that probably sounds pretty meaningless right now.

Then, a federal judge was called in to hear the school board argument for why they should continue to decide how to best spend our money so it can best help you. And, you may have missed this part, so we're breaking it down for you right now.

 He said in his own legal sort of way that you are more important than any of the adults you have heard talking or seen on TV lately. He said that your education is more important to the state than the jobs of the people who are fighting to keep control over our money.

We don't know if you understand what that means, but here's what it means to us... there is chaos and disorder in life whenever there are changes on the horizon. There will be unrest and disagreements and battle lines drawn even among friends. But the sides that are fighting are the ones who believe things were better the way they used to be and those who say they are better the way they are now.

But looking only at the past or only at what we have now is ignoring one important part of life:  the future.  That's the part that is unpredictable.  That's the part that's also the most exciting.  That's the part that is, ultimately, up to you.  You may not have a say right now about what has been going on with the school system.  But, you will have total control of your life once you graduate.  And all this fighting will seem pretty lame.  The folks who are talking the big talk ... They don't really know what you will do, where you will go or how you will use the information you have learned by sitting through school and by watching and listening to them.  And that scares them.

The educational landscape is not about the past or the present. It is about turning out quality adults who will be the leaders, workers, parents and taxpayers of tomorrow. The future belongs to you, not them. Don't let the things they say affect who you will one day become. You are in the driver's seat.  Where do you want to go? You are the one who needs an education to survive. So, figure out how to get it and don't let anything stand in your way, even if the roadblocks are put there by people with good intentions.

You know what it will take for you to really learn, excel and succeed. If you don't, then it is up to you to figure it out.  Carve your own path. You don't need any of the stuff you are hearing in the news to hold you back. You also don't need anything different to propel you forward. What you need is to set your mind to the fact that learning is the most important thing you can do now to ensure you will have a happy life.

If you want happiness, then find a way to learn.

We have faith in you, but no one can make you learn.  That part is up to you.

Thank you for reading our website, learning about the dangers associated with cell towers.  We hope you also learned about the destructive power of greed and that there are people who are willing to stand up for other people, and children, because they know it is right.  We hope you have seen how people on opposite sides of the same issue might both be wrong.  And, in the fight to stop the cell towers, we hope you learned that people who are willing to work together on the side of what is right can accomplish amazing things.


Your education may be something you hear a lot of people talking about these days, but what it really comes down to in the end is you.  The future belongs to you.  Make the most of it and don't let anything stand in your way.  We can't wait to see all the amazing things you will do.

Sincerely,
Get the Cell Out - ATL

Keep reading our website:  www.GETtheCELLoutATL.org and you can like us on Facebook, too!
https://www.facebook.com/Get.the.Cell.Out.ATL

What the Judge Said... in Layman's Terms

In case you don't know legaleeze (the language of lawyers and judges in the court system today that sounds a little like English but reads like jibberish), we've translated the federal court ruling in the case of DeKalb's School System and Dr. Eugene Walker vs. the State of Georgia Board of Education and Gov. Nathan Deal. This version is in "regular" English. Note, we do not guarantee the accuracy of the translation. We are not attorneys. We simply did the best job we could to put it in layman's terms for our followers (and some school board members who may have needed help with it, too!)

DeKalb County Federal Court Ruling in Layman's Terms by Get the Cell Out - Atlanta Chapter

Will Gov. Deal Succumb to Old Fashioned Georgia Cronyism?

Pressure on to fill DeKalb school board

Posted: 6:58 a.m. Wednesday, March 6, 2013

By Greg Bluestein and Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  From today's AJC:

Wanted: Six new DeKalb County school board members willing to untangle the needs of one of the state’s most troubled school districts. Must be politically savvy, knowledgeable about finances and educational policy and palatable to Republican leaders. The pay is $18,000. No election required.   (...)  

“They should be looking for individuals who understand the community and who, if appointed, will be viewed by the public as competent, capable and committed to student achievement,” said state Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta. “It is also critically important that this process be inclusive and not driven by politics or cronyism.”

*********  But, can Georgia do the "no cronyism" thing?  We have some serious concerns, especially after seeing and hearing this phone conversation, sent by a group called "Better Georgia."  ******

Transcript of the telephone call:  (to listen to the audio of this portion of the call, click here.)

Taxpayer: I understand. Since we’re on the phone and we have broached the subject I’d like to know where you stand on, do you believe Chip Rogers is worthy of that position?

Sen. Gooch: No, sir. I’ve told a few other people this and I’ll tell you the same thing. We’re in the Legislative branch. As you probably understand the three branches of government at the federal and state level.

We budget for the entire state government but we don’t tell the governor who to hire and who to fire. That’s his job, totally.

We don’t have any responsibility for hiring and firing employees.

Now I could cut $150,000 out of that budget if I had enough votes to go with me. We could have amended that budget and we could have taken $150,000 out of the Georgia Public Broadcasting budget but they probably would have cut somebody else’s job, to be honest with you. In fact, they probably would have cut three or four employees and kept him.

Because we don’t have any control over who they would have fired. That was more of a political move on the Democrats’ part.

Taxpayer: I understand that was a political move on the Democrats, and I understand what they were trying to get at. And I understand the fallout that could have happened.

What I’m trying to get across to you is that I would appreciate if you would bring some political pressure to bear on it. Get some of your Republican cohorts, or fellow senators and talk to Nathan Deal. Say that this is making us look bad. Because it does, it makes Georgia look real bad when that kind of cronyism is going on.

Sen. Gooch: Well, we sent that message to him privately. We don’t do it in front of a TV camera because of respect for him and his position.

You don’t go down here and fall down on your sword on things you really can’t change and you want to fight the fight that needs to be fought but that wasn’t one you’d want to fight in front of a TV camera.

That’s one you’d talk about behind closed doors.

And to be honest with you, Chip Rogers and I — I wouldn’t call us friends but we were acquaintances for two years.

He was the Majority Leader in the Senate. I respected him. He was a conservative from Cherokee County. I got along with him well but there were a lot of disagreements I had with him and one was the way we ran the Senate for the last two years.

It wasn’t functional at all.

So we moved him out of that position in December — November. And that’s when he decided to quit.

And he took the job with the governor’s, you know, influence there on that Georgia Public Broadcasting.
So we didn’t support him doing that.
The Senate did not support it. The House did not support it.
But it is the discretion of the governor who he hires and who he puts in places like that and all his appointments.
Some appointments he makes we have to confirm in the Senate but most of those are board appointments like the DOT or the Board of Regents or so forth.
But that’s not one we had any control over.
We can show our displeasure by it but if we do it in a disrespectful way then he can come back on us in other ways and punish us or put us in a bad position in our district.
We tend to pick our battles. As bad as it was, the way it happened, it does smack of cronyism. And it wasn’t a smart move on his part.
But I don’t …

Taxpayer: Well, I guess the political fallout is for him then, huh?

Sen. Gooch: That’s right, that’s exactly right.

And I just want to let you know I’m embarrassed by that remark that my aide made and it shouldn’t ever happen. That’s just not the way I operate. If you know me personally, you know that’s not me.

Taxpayer: I’ve actually met you.

Sen. Gooch: OK.

Taxpayer: I have nothing against you, it did perturb me coming from a public servant. And so I decided this person needs to be told that ‘I’m the boss.’

Sen. Gooch: I respect that greatly. I understand where my position is. I am a voice of the people in the 51st district and I respect that process so I would never respond to an email like that. 

Taxpayer: well I appreciate your time and calling me, Sen. Gooch and you have a great day.

Sen. Gooch: I appreciate it. Bye, bye.

The audio presented in the video above has not been edited in any way. The telephone conversation was cut down to only the portion that addresses Gov. Nathan Deal’s appointment of Chip Rogers. To listen to the entire, uncut telephone conversation, visit this link.

***********  Let's hope the commission Gov. Deal appointed to recommend the appointments are smart enough to do the right thing for the children and not for the politicians or we'll be right back in front of a judge, or worse - SACS - in no time.   SACS has said they are willing to work with the new board, but only if there is a genuine effort to make real reform and real change that is in the best interest of the children of DeKalb County.  Let's hope this nominating committee gets it right.  And, then let's hope Gov. Deal is wise enough to know whether or not they got it right before  he makes those appointments to our board.  And, if he doesn't, let's hope that our voters understand how urgently we need them to show up at the voter polls in July 2014 to make sure WE, the VOTERS AND TAXPAYERS, can get it right for ourselves!  *****************  

Here's how to apply!

Reminder:  Here's how to apply, by 5 p.m. TODAY for the open board seats.  EVERYONE lives in ONE of the SUPER-DISTRICTS, both of which are up for grabs.   If you are not planning to apply, please inform everyone you know who is duly qualified with common sense and book smarts, and appears to like children at least more than they like their cell phone, so that they might consider it.  Thank you!

Applicants should send the following information to dekalbschoolboardnominations@georgia.gov:

1. Legal name, contact information and home address

2. District seat for which one is applying

3. Resume or brief biography

4. Statement of interest

The panel will accept applications until TODAY (MARCH 6) at 5 p.m.