The weakness in DeKalb County Schools is the DeKalb County School Board. Woods rebuked the DeKalb School Board once again, calling their move to fire Watson-Harris "a step backward" in making progress and addressing change. The entire debacle transpired in under a month. Allow us to assess your instructional needs and provide solutions that will meet the expectations of your community and taxpayers. And a whopping 66% of educators throughout Texas said they have recently considered leaving their jobs. He is planning, however, on proposing the schedule for specialized positions the district is short on including speech therapists, physical therapists and diagnosticians. The districts said they will be watching the rate closely this year to see if the shorter week improves attendance. is also looking for a new superintendent to replace Cheryl Watson-Harris, two-dozen applications to replace Watson-Harris. 2023 February Week 4 Mon30 Tue31 Wed1 Thu2 Fri3 Sat4 Sun5 Mon6 Tue7 Wed8 Thu9 Fri10 Sat11 Sun12 Mon13 To address learning gaps, students at Hull-Daisetta have a half-day one Friday per month. At least three staff members with over 20 years of experience came to DeKalb from other districts, mainly due to the four-day week. Four years later, its at the top, 4-day school week helps some rural Texas districts hire teachers. Before returning to DCSD, Dr. I will fight to fulfill my commitment to the children of DeKalb County School District, Watson-Harris said. Instead of spending the weekend preparing for the week ahead, theyre able to do so on the fifth weekday. Certified by the Texas Education Agency as continuing education providers and with a record ofsuccessful experience in all aspects of school operations, consultants at Arrow Educational Services, Inc. offer a unique combination of positive leadership experiences for a superintendent and board of trustees. Parents who arent working or can be off on Fridays are spending additional time doing things for their kids, they enjoy that, Sims said. DeKalb, New Boston, Malta and Hubbard have mulled shortening the school week for months. JUST NOW #DCSD swore in Dr. Vassane S. Tinsley as Interim Superintendent. #iLoveDCSD To learn more about Dr. Tinsley: https://t.co/Hu7HAcBlEn pic.twitter.com/lMz8ydMSen. It makes it difficult for students that need consistency.. Before being hired in DeKalb County, Watson-Harris served as first deputy chancellor, senior director of field support and Brooklyn executive director for the New York City Department of Education. Students who started eighth grade in 2008 in this region had a college graduation rate of 23.6 percent. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. How would it affect our families? There were hours of discussion and public comment at the meeting. A school superintendent provides the leadership required for converting a shared vision of educational excellence into reality. The overall grades are based on three categories: student achievement (how well students perform academically), school progress (how well students perform over time and compared to students in similar schools) and closing the gaps (how well schools are boosting performance for subgroups such as students with special needs). After implementing a 4% raise, Ward was still able to hire enough teachers for the school year. Through making the change just this year, Mineral Wells Independent School District has already been able to enroll 200 more students, from 3,245 to 3,436. We also feel like its going to help us with our mental health program for students, Kuhn said. He cited his April 25 letter, saying he previously called on their team to empower the former superintendent to take immediate action. Example video title will go here for this video. Previously, Dr. Assisting Kaufman ISD in the search for a superintendent, Assisting Diboll ISD in the search for a superintendent, Seagraves ISD named Dr. Bonnie Avey as Lone Finalist, Assisting Little Elm ISD in the search for a superintendent, Assisting Schulenburg ISD in the search for a superintendent, Assisting Meridian ISD in the search for a superintendent, Ferris ISD - Mr. Hector Madrigal, Superintendent, Hillsboro ISD-Dr. Darrell Brown, Superintendent, Buna ISD -Dr. Tiffany Spicer, Superintendent, Alpine ISD-Dr. Michelle Rinehart, Superintendent, Dime Box ISD - Mr. Jeff Conovan,Superintendent, Eustace ISD - Dr. Julia McMains, Superintendent, Simms ISD - Mr. Edward May,Superintendent. In Athens, families have been satisfied with the four-day schedule, Sims said. Last school year, the DeKalb Independent School District in East Texas struggled to recruit enough educators to teach its 800 students. Druid Hill High School was on the priority list for renovations in 2022, but the school board voted to take it off in February. In the meantime, each cabinet vacancy is competently filled with temporarily reassigned professionals carrying out the essential functions of DCSD. 2023 Cox Media Group. New Boston ISD "Trust happens when what you say matches what you do." CONTACT US: New Boston ISD 201 Rice Street New Boston , Texas 75570 Phone: 903-628-2521 Fax: 903-628-8990 Students in Dekalb ISD are part of the Texas Education Agency's Region 08. Were a small district, were not as fortunate, just like a lot of other smaller school districts, as far as our pay, superintendent Joe Brannen says. The board remains fully committed to an open and transparent process and supporting the students of DCSD., In a news release, the district did not give a reason as to why the board decided to fire Watson-Harris but said their relationship with her had been deteriorating for some time to the point the association became irreconcilable.. DeKalb ISD DeKalb Middle School 7th Grade Science, 6th-8th Grade STEAM, 8th Grade CTE Horticulture Read Biography Janie Coheen Judson ISD Elolf Elementary School PreK Read Biography Eric Hale Dallas ISD David G. Burnet Elementary 1st & 2nd Grade Self-Contained Read Biography Tiffany Kilcoyne Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Hurst Junior High School I still have not received any formal communication, Watson-Harris said. Dekalb ISD is a school district in Dekalb, TX. Yes. Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 15_4_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/15.4 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1. So you had basically six times the amount of actual work time as you had for your prep time.. Moments later, 11Alive captured Tinsley walking into the county meeting to join district officials. Theres some bigger schools around our area here that have increased their pay scale. As smaller, rural districts in the area struggle with the ongoing teacher shortage, the new schedule format is meant to reduce teacher stress and become a key tool in the recruitment of teachers. 20.8% of students were considered at risk of dropping out of school. DeKalb superintendent criticized over district's handling of COVID-19. Gov. Dr. Tinsley brings 25+ years of servant leadership, a love of community and a genuine passion for education. DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. DeKalb County's fired school superintendent says she is a woman of integrity and has not been told why she was terminated. View Event. 2023. The Board of Education and superintendent appreciate these individuals for their support of DeKalb County Schools.. When asked about the vacancies, DaCosta said they have been caused by an abundance of things., There has been a nationwide shortage in teachers and staff in the field of education, so its an abundance of things, he said. Click to Subscribe. I know that both as the superintendent and also as a mother my son is a tenth grader at Druid Hills.. This figure for the 2020-2021 school year refers to tenure the number of years a teacher has been employed in any district, whether or not there was an interruption in service. Before being hired in DeKalb County, Watson-Harris served as first deputy chancellor, senior director of field support and . So what we did find was that we were attracting the mid-range, the teachers we were attracting had 10 to 12 years of service, which is phenomenal.. DeKALB, Texas The DeKalb Independent School District Board of Trustees approved moving to a four-day school week starting next school year by a vote Monday night. The Finance Division is the principle organizational entity responsible to the Superintendent relative to the long and short-term financial preparedness of the School District. Our working families, they would have to find childcare, she said. Sauce served as principal of Chamblee High School within DCSD, and as an elementary principal within Fulton County Schools. Now-former DeKalb County Schools Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris sent a letter home to parents and guardians commending the kids who made the video for putting the renovations back on the school board agenda for the following week. These figures are for students graduating in 2019-2020. We had been getting for several years a lot of brand new teachers, which does impact student learning, because it takes a brand new teacher a few years to get accustomed to everything and get their craft going, Sims said. Of 346 parent responses on DeKalb's survey, 66% voted that they would be in favor of the four-day week, while 21% voted no and 13% voted maybe. Its just hard for us to stay on the same pace as them.. Its bad. The changing environment of school finance presents a set of challenges unique to other governmental entities. "We are not asking for too much. I have been the seventh superintendent in I believe the last 10 or 11 years. To help ease students, teachers and parents into the new schedule, several districts are providing meals, low-cost childcare and academic enrichment on days off. Most parents in the district work Monday through Friday, according to Russell. Copyright 2023, Texarkana Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below), so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue. Nearly 43,000 Texas teachers left their job in the last school year, according to a July report from the Texas American Federation of Teachers. Hull-Daisetta Independent School District superintendent Tim Bartram noticed they'd lost some students to three neighboring districts Devers ISD, Liberty ISD and Hardin ISD that switched. In a statement, Georgia's governor accuses the school board of choosing politics over students. Realizing the state superintendent has said in a letter, how would you characterize Druid Hills High School? 15 DeKalb County Schools Recognized as 2023 Advanced Placement Honor Schools by the Georgia Department of Education (STONE MOUNTAIN, GA)- Fifteen DeKalb County School District (DCSD) high schools were named 2023 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools. Privacy Policy Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Yes, I have, Watson-Harris said. Decaturish is now on Mastadon. They claim the nearly 100-year-old building is falling apart, showing mold, dirty and nonfunctioning bathrooms, sewage leaks, extensive water damage, and electrical issues. These figures are expressed as a percentage of the total teacher full-time equivalent. Everman ISD is located a short drive south of Fort Worth. I was not given any reason for termination, Watson-Harris said. In a recent DeKalb ISD survey, 97.2% of staff members voted in favor of the four-day option. New Boston ISD is expected to vote on the same topic Thursday, April 21. Stone Mountain, GA 30083 | P: 678.676.1200. The Board says they are beginning a formal search for a permanent superintendent. Twenty-four percent of the staff said they took the job because of the four-day week, and 53% said its motivated them to continue working at Athens ISD. It is calculated by dividing the number of dropouts by the number of students who were in attendance at any time during the school year. Decaturish is now on Flipboard. Dekalb Academy of Technology & Environment. DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. DeKalb Countys fired school superintendent says she is a woman of integrity and has not been told why she was terminated. Mastadon: https://newsie.social/@Decaturish/, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Decaturish, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decaturish/. On an IB exam, it is a 4, 5, 6 or 7. Masked This statistic is hidden because it may make it possible to identify a student. When Decaturish asked DaCosta if not having a CFO will be a concern as the district develops its budget, he said, Not at all.. Federal Report Card Letter Hubbard ISD 2022 Spanish; Federal Report Card State 2022 In the Class of 2020, 100% of students received their high school diplomas on time or earlier. To follow us, visit:https://flipboard.com/@Decaturish, To advertise with Decaturish, click hereor email [emailprotected]. It has 10 schools and 5,648 students. I keep pondering what it will be like if I continue to serve on a Board where progress is stifled, adult egos prevail and students are forgotten, Gervetz wrote. Photo by Dean Hesse. Here's a timeline of events so far. RELATED: Vote to make repairs at Druid Hills High School still comes with opposition. How can Texas keep more teachers in classrooms? We didnt want to put that additional burden on them.. (See extended coverage in Wednesday's edition of the Gazette. Teachers felt the kids werent getting enough time in the classroom, and students test scores declined. Before COVID, Hull-Daisetta had an average 95% attendance rate, then it dropped to 92% for elementary students and 89% for junior high and high school. All rights reserved. The dropout rate for students in grades 9-12 was 0.4% during the 2019-2020 school year. ), Print Headline: DeKalb ISD votes in favor of four-day school week. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. The DeKalb ISD Board of Trustees officially named Dr. Christophor Galloway Lone Finalist for Superintendent at a Special Meeting on May 13. Superintendent . Dr. Tinsley first joined the DeKalb County School District in 1994. School Board Continuing Education From the emergence of a viral video to a sitting superintendent's termination the entire debacle transpired in under a month. How would you characterize in a word, or a sentence if you need it, the state of the DeKalb County School System? Winne asked Watson-Harris. Board of education fires DeKalb County Schools superintendent. MORGAN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: ADOPTED DISTRICT OF INNOVATION (DOI) Adopted Budget 22-23; Parent & Family Engagement Plan; Curriculum Resources; 2021-2022; 2020-2021; 2019-2020; . (Staff photo by Andrew Bell), Brandy Smith: Never Going Back and Never Backing Down, Local teachers organization holding gala to support fellow educators, Texarkana College Trustee Kaye Ellison retires; Derrick McGary sworn in as Place 5 successor, Texarkana nonprofit Grace House to raise funds with Souther Soiree Gala, Copyright, Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions. But are they the answer? As Executive Director of Student Support Services, he supervised and supported GSCS Departments of Student Services, Exceptional Students (Special Education), Mental Health and Positive Student Supports, and Counseling Program. "Instead of moving deliberately and decisively in line with my recommendations, the board chose to largely meet this moment with dysfunction and deflection," Woods wrote. Woods said the state will be in touch with the board to help develop "immediate, short-term, and long-term plans.". The parents who are working say it gives their kids an extra day to sort of unwind from school and maybe more playtime.. Everman ISD has put in place incentives for new and existing employees that include competitive starting salaries and retention bonuses. The former CFO, Masana Mailliard, worked for the district for 12 years before starting a new job withGwinnett County Public Schools in January. If you appreciate our work on this story, pleasebecome a paying supporter. Also, students in those districts as well as New Boston and Silverton who need academic help can get tutoring on certain Fridays throughout the year. The school district is also undertaking two in-depth audits. It measures the number of students who were absent for at least ten percent of the school year. There is a shortage of qualified candidates, and those with senior-level experience have multiple leadership opportunities from which to choose. The termination signifies a boiling point as tensions around Druid Hills High School's renovations or lack there of rather arise. One of the early adopters, Dimebox Independent School District in Central Texas, switched to the shorter schedule in 2019. To change this setting: (Any questions and answers will post here for all to see). Theyve been able to keep experienced teachers and hire more. Please check back often for updates and tell a friend! We have some teachers that say before they were struggling to get the curriculum covered, Francis said. 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