Nancy's News
Wheel-a-Palooza and Pedal Parade - 8/2/2013
Children ages 12 and under are invited to decorate their bike, wagons, scooters, or wheelchairs to compete for the top prize Read More >>
Georgia will develop its own tests for Common Core. So, how will we know where we stand nationally? - 7/22/2013
By Maureen Downey
State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge and Gov. Nathan Deal announced today that Georgia is withdrawing from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test development consortium. Read More >>
Do City School Districts Perform Better? - 7/14/2013
With recent efforts to form new cities, talk of city/independent school districts and autonomous charter clusters, I decided to review the data on city districts in Georgia. My latest blog details my review and observations of the 21 city school districts in our state relative to the performance and demographics of the state as a whole and the county districts. Do city districts perform better than county districts? Read the blog to find out! Read More >>
DCSS Budget and "Relinquish" - 5/20/2013
Links to the FY14 draft budget documents and my thoughts on the budget. What should we look for in a new Superintendent? Think DeKalb is the only school district with interesting legal arrangements? Check out this story in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer about the Muscogee County School District. The Georgia Council for History Education (GCHE) & The Carter residential Library are hosting "The Making of the Constitution". Read More >>
Dual accreditation with the Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC) - 4/19/2013
Pursuant to state law (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-519) accreditation by SACS (AdvancEd) or The Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC) satisfies the HOPE scholarship eligibility requirements. Many DeKalb high school communities are asking the Superintendent for permission allowing their school to pursue GAC accreditation with the provision that the school community will pay for it. So, the budget impact to DeKalb is zero dollars. Read More >>
Board Norms - 3/31/2013
The Work Session at 3pm contains the item E.1.a. - "Board Norms". This item has no detailed documentation associated with it. Previously, the board was provided with a list of "board norms" that included the following ten items to which they are to commit themselves Read More >>
HB123(Parent and Teacher Empowerment Act) - 3/22/2013
Unfortunately, HB123 did not make it out of the Senate Education Committee. Recall that it did make it out of the House. It is disappointing that the Senate would not embrace this bill, empowering parents and teachers, as the House had done. I would like to commend Rep. Lindsey (R-Atlanta, District 54) for his leadership on this issue. Thank you, Rep. Lindsey, for your commitment to Georgia's children, parents and teachers. Read More >>
Mom With A Calculator - Thank You - 3/19/2013
To catch up on the recent issues with the DeKalb Board, please read my "Thank You" blog. It was my privilege to serve you on the board. With your support, I was able to uncover the deceptive budgeting practices that plagued the district for many years. Until I brought these matters to light, no SACS report or State Audit alerted the public to these problems and the deficit they created. Along with you, I hope that the new board will be diligent in monitoring spending and academic success for our children. Read More >>
Dekalb Board Member Calls for Drastic Change - 1/16/2013
From WABE News, By Martha Dalton - The Dekalb County school board will face the state board of education at a hearing Thursday. One board member says if the board can’t agree on some big changes, the governor should replace them all. Read More >>