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Sept 13, 2010

ODE Lobbying on Testing Reduction Successful!
 
We are delighted that Interim Deputy Superintendent Dr. Morcease Beasley announced on Thursday the additional benchmark testing is being discontinued immediately.  ODE has advocated and lobbied for this change since it started.  Thank you to all of our members who attended the August AR meeting when Dr. Beasley spoke, listened to our concerns, and answered our questions.  I relayed our concerns to Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson several times and in person when I met with her late last month.

DeKalb to Receive $18 Million in Federal Education Jobs  Bill Funding.  ODE Lobbies DeKalb Board of Education to Pass Money onto Employees

Three ODE leaders and I addressed the DeKalb BOE at its work session on Tuesday, September 6 to urge them to use the money from the federal education jobs bill to benefit employees by reducing the number of furlough days and possibly giving a COLA or Step Increase.  I made this same request to the Superintendent when I met with her last month.  We also lobbied BOE members Paul Womack and Don McChesney when they spoke at our AR meeting in August.  Over 50 ODE members attended the BOE Work Session on Monday, many of you wearing your ODE shirts to show your support!  Thank you for attending! It is important that we continue our lobbying efforts in an ongoing manner, and not just at the BOE meetings during the Citizens' Comment time.
 
On another note, the much publicized GFT rally at the meeting was a big flop.  The Georgia Federation of Teachers President spoke and a handful of their members attended, including only one wearing a GFT shirt.

DeKalb Board of Education Policy GBS
 
DeKalb BOE Policy GBS: Professional Organizations states: No business of employee organizations, including recruiting, literature distribution, or meetings, shall be conducted during regular work hours. 
 
The Georgia Federation of Teachers has been flagrantly violating this policy.  Please immediately report to the ODE office any instances of GFT recruiters showing up during the school day to recruit members.  Some principals are not aware of this policy.
 
I am deeply concerned that the GFT in their desperation to recruit members is deliberately misleading DCSS employees to believe they are a "real union."  Collective bargaining for public schools in Georgia is not legal.  A simple review of tax records available on the Internet shows that ODE/GAE has far more members in DeKalb County than the GFT has statewide.  We have 5 full time employees dedicated to helping ODE members.  The GFT does not have a DeKalb local and has no full time employees dedicated to assisting their members in DeKalb.  Furthermore, they have not successfully represented employees at Internal Investigations or with Area Superintendents.  Their dues are slightly lower because they do not have local dues.  We will not be able to assist any educator that leaves ODE/GAE/NEA to join the GFT and does not receive adequate representation from them if they experience problems.  The GFT simply does not have the resources or infrastructure to effectively and successfully assist their members in DeKalb.  Please caution your fellow members about believing their misinformation.

DCSS Undertakes Review of All Board of Education Policies
 
Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson announced that the school system is undertaking a systematic review of all Board policies.  We are establishing a committee to review the policies and provide input to the school system.  Four policies impacting the DCSS report to SACS were passed at the BOE meeting on August 31.  Notably, Board of Education member Zepora Roberts was the only board member to vote against the Conflict of Interest Policy.  (ODE had three representatives at the meeting, the GFT and PAGE had no representation at the meeting.)

DeKalb Board of Education censures Zepora Roberts
 
The DeKalb BOE voted 8-0, with Mrs. Roberts abstaining, to censure her for threatening to slug a CBS Atlanta Channel 46 reporter.  ODE was the first to call for Mrs. Roberts to resign and still believes she should resign from the Board of Education immediately.  I will not publicly respond to her bizarre attack on me at the May BOE meeting.  Suffice it to say that on numerous occasions her words and actions have been inappropriate for a Board of Education member.  I reported her inappropriate comments at the Area 3 meeting held about one year ago to then Superintendent Crawford Lewis, Chief of Staff Alice Thompson, and DeKalb Board of Education Chair Tom Bowen. ODE will make endorsements in the DeKalb Board of Education races this year.

DeKalb Legislators Hold First Hearing on DeKalb Board of Education Governance
 
On Thursday, September 9, I attended the first DeKalb Legislative delegation hearing concerning DeKalb BoE Governance.  The thing that concerned me the most was the statement made by Georgia School superintendent Brad Bryant, that the DeKalb BoE and DCSS had repeatedly rebuffed offers of state assistance.  The joint House Senate Committee is co-chaired by Senator Emanuel Jones and Representative Mary Margaret Oliver.  I met with Sen. Jones last month to relay our concerns and will meet with Rep. Oliver next week.  (No one from the GFT or PAGE attended the hearing.)  Two ODE leaders and I attended the joint meeting of the Chamber of Commerce and the DeKalb Legislative delegation with the DeKalb Board of Education in August. (Once again GFT and PAGE were not represented.)

ODE/Towers High School Cluster Back to School Rally on Saturday, September 18
 
Our annual Back to School Rally will be held at Bethune Middle School on Saturday, September 18, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.  The guest speaker is DeKalb County Commissioner-Elect Stan Watson.  Volunteers are needed to staff the ODE Math and Reading tents and the ODE table.  Gift card drawings will be held for volunteers.  Gift cards include two $50 gas cards.

Avondale, Columbia, Towers, Southwest DeKalb (ACTS) Parent Council Forming
 
Several ODE members have been assisting parents in the central part of DeKalb County to form a parent council similar to the Chamblee-Dunwoody and Emory-LaVista Parent Councils.  An informational meeting will be held for parents from the Avondale, Columbia, Towers and Southwest DeKalb clusterson Saturday, September 18, 9:00 am in the Bethune Middle School Media Center.  Breakfast will be served.  The meeting is open to PTA Officers, School Council members and other parents from the four high school cluster schools.
 
I hope to see some of you this morning at Commissioner Larry Johnson's Health Walk at Arabia Mountain.
 

David Schutten
President
 

message from the president

I hope everyone has had a great start to the school year, in spite of the added stress.  In response to concerns raised by our members, I have invited two guest speakers to the AR meeting on Thursday:
 
Paul Womak, Chair of the DeKalb Board of Education Budget Committee will speak and answer questions concerning the DCSS Budget, furlough days, TSA, etc.
 
Dr. Morcease Beasley, Interim Deputy Superintendent for Instruction will speak and answer questions at 6:15 about issues centering around Teaching and Learning, i.e., Lesson Plans, Assessments, etc.
 
The Georgia Federation of Teachers is planning some type of protest concerning pay issues for the September 7 BOE meeting.  Some of our members have shared that they felt ODE did not do enough concerning pay issues in relation to the 2010-2011 budget.  Please be aware that the GFT did little if anything to address concerns about the budget and pay issues as the budget was being developed.  Where were they when we were there pressing the BOE to enact a small millage increase to prevent some of the furlough days and cuts in the Board TSA?  I find it laughable that they think showing up at the BOE meeting in green T-Shirts after the fact will make any difference.
 
Unfortunately, a handful of our members have succumbed to their misinformation that they are a "real union"  and will provide better representation.  Collective bargaining for public school employees is against Georgia law.  The only thing that might make them think they are a "real union" is the fact that they are members of the AFL-CIO and pay an excessive amount in per capita dues assessments to the Atlanta Labor Council, the regional AFL-CIO, the state AFL-CIO, and the national AFL-CIO.  How does paying those extra dues benefit GFT members in DeKalb?  When it comes to negotiating working conditions, pay issues, and personnel issues in DeKalb County, there is no bang for the buck with these extra dues to the AFL-CIO.  They have no experience in working through issues in DeKalb County nor do they have a DeKalb local.  From what we can surmise, ODE probably has more members than the GFT has statewide.  If they show up at your school during the school day to recruit members, please report this immediately to the ODE office as this is not allowed. 
 
As for their statements regarding the fact the most NEA state affiliates in the South allow administrators as members, this is true.  However, we always represent the lowest ranking member.  We also try to mediate disputes and have been extremely successful at doing this.
 
How many employment issues has the GFT successfully resolved in DCSS?  What have they accomplished for DCSS employees?  They have been Missing In Action for a very long time.  Get the facts before you decide to join the AFL-CIO.
 
As many of you know, Tricia Audrain is out on maternity leave.  GAE is providing extra staff assistance as needed.
 
Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson will be our guest speaker at the September AR meeting.
 
Thank you for your membership.

David Schutten
President
ODE
 

message from the president

By this time everyone has received their 2010-2011 contracts which reflect the realities of the budget challenges facing the DeKalb County  School System.  The contracts show what you will be paid under the worst case scenario: the equivalent of a 6.25% salary reduction for 12 month employees.  Although under all budget options, 10 months employees will receive at most at 5% salary reduction, all contracts reflected the 6.25%.  We are advocating that the BOE choose furlough days as opposed to salary reductions.  The BOE is considering choices of 1.25%, 3%, or 5% salary reductions for 10 month contract employees.

At the BOE Finance and Budget Committee meeting on March 18, several BOE members expressed support for a 3% salary reduction.  However, the BOE now believes they must cut around $115 million from the proposed budget.  Jim Redovian has emerged as the BOE member who is most sensitive to how the proposed budget cuts will adversely affect the employees. 

Coupled with the salary reduction is the proposal to suspend either half or all of the payments to the BOE sponsored Tax Sheltered Annuity.  Dr. Eugene Walker, who at the previous meeting was most adamantly opposed to suspending payments, did a complete reversal and stated that he believed teachers would rather give up the TSA than to increase the class size by one student.  During the Citizen's Comments period, I told the BOE members that I did not believe that is the way employees felt.  Since that time I have talked to scores of teachers, and everyone has told me they would be willing to have an increase in class size in order to maintain all or part of the TSA.

When the employees voted to leave the Social Security System in the mid 1970s, the DeKalb BOE promised to fund the Tax Sheltered Annuity with the funds they would no longer pay into Social Security. For over 35 years the DeKalb BOE kept its word.  It is obvious that many of them as well as the majority of the citizens in DeKalb County do not understand the implications of DeKalb County employees not being a part of the Social Security System.  They clearly do not understand the hardships caused by the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision which cuts Social Security payments to DeKalb County School System retirees who have earned them.  It is imperative that you contact the DeKalb BOE members to let them know what you think.  E-mail them from your personal e-mail or call them! Their contact information is on the school system web site.  Our voices must be heard! 

Below is the link to the page on the web site that lists BOE contact information.  Click on their name under the picture to bring up each individual BOE member's e-mail, address and phone number so you may contact them.


http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/board/members/   


Other areas of concern include:


1.  A proposal to cut the salaries of all Paraprofessionals in order to save the pre-K programs.  However, the amount of funds saved from a 10% salary reduction for all Paraprofessionals appears to be far greater than the $800,000 saved from keeping pre-K in only high needs areas of the county.


2. Elimination of graduation coaches or reduction in pay of graduation coaches to state funded levels.  I told Dr. Jamie Wilson yesterday, that we did not believe this reduction would be fair as DCSS only hired counselors for these positions.  All graduation coaches need to be offered a 10 month employee job, preferably as a counselor, for which they are qualified.


3.  Elimination of a planning period for schools with a 7-period day.  This would mean that teachers in these schools could have upwards of 180 students with only 55 minutes of planning time.  With talk of eliminating the block schedule in some high schools, this could impact far more than the teachers at the three schools currently on the 7 period day.


4.  Elimination of in school summer school for high school students.  Many students do not have a computer available at home to take on line classes.


5.  Reductions of Paraprofessionals, Counselors, Assistant Principals and CTSS.  This eliminate part of the safety net in many schools and make everyone's job far more stressful.


6.  Lack of understanding about the Reduction in Force policies for the DeKalb County School System as these policies and procedures are not published.  Employees in the central office jobs whose positions will be eliminated will be placed under the RIF procedures.


We also hope that the BOE will consider a millage increase to alleviate some of the budget stress.  At this time four members appear to be in favor of a millage increase: Jim Redovian, Zepora Roberts, Eugene Walker, and Sara Copelin-Woods.  Four members are opposed:  Tom Bowen, Don McChesney, Pam Speaks, and Paul Womak.  Jay Cunningham is undecided.  A one mill increase would result in the average homeowner paying an extra $10 per month in property taxes.


Please take the time to look over the different budget plans and options.  The best way to describe the plan options is to look at it as menus from which the BOE will make their final decisions.  Below is the link to the budget planning page on the DCSS web site:


http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/superintendent/fy2011-budget.html   

Again, please take the time to contact DCSS Board of Education members.  Your voice counts!


We ask that each school send members to the next three critical budget meetings all being held at the Brad Bryant Center at 6:00 pm on the following dates:  Monday, April 12; Wednesday, April 15; and Wednesday, April 22.  Please plan to arrive early if you want to be able to get into the meeting.
Again, thank you for your membership. 

Contact us if you have questions.
 
David Schutten
President, ODE