School Crisis

For a while now the Clayton County School Board has had the threat of it’s accreditation being revoked by (SACS) The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. SACS has recommended revocaking the district’s accreditation if certain mandates are not met by September 1, 2008. Some of SACS mandates are:

1. 
   Establish a governing board that is capable of fulfilling its role and responsibilities.


2. 
   Enact and commit to an ethics policy that governs the actions and work of the members of the board.


3. 
   Conduct a full forensic audit of financials by an independent, certified accounting firm.


4. 
   Secure the services of outside consultants with expertise in conflict resolution, governance and organizational effectiveness.


5. 
   Appoint a permanent superintendent with expertise and experience t lead the school district and establish the proper conditions for effectiveness.
   
   I have never seen a group of people so hell bent on failing. The Clayton County Board of Education or what remains of it has made it clear that they won’t tolerate any input from parents, elected officials and certainly not an accrediting agency. The board continues to violate its own policies and state law by conducting closed door meetings in relation to the accreditation crisis. Within the last few weeks one of the board’s members was removed from the board because he lived outside of Clayton County,. It was later determined by a state investigation that he did reside in Clayton County. The board’s chairwoman Erica Davis resigned her post, making it available for special election before the SACS deadline. The most recent chairman of the board has announced his resignation and the attorney hired to help the school board weather the accreditation crisis has also tendered his resignation. Both men cited the board’s unethical behavior, and the way the board hired it’s new “corrective superintendent.”
   
   The president and CEO of SACS’ and two liaisons appointed by Governor Purdue have all said that the new superintendent is not qualified. However that did not stop the board from not only hiring him, but giving him unprecedented authority. He has the ability to hire consultants, create new administrative positions with no clear budget limitations. The new super can make changes without board approval regardless of current policy. He will receive security if he feels the need. He’s allowed to take 107 of the 240 workdays off as vacation/sick time that is much more than the school system’s regular employees. The new super can also take 2 paid days a month to do consulting work outside the school district. And finally he’s entitled to a car for business and personal use. His salary is more than 285,000 plus $2,000 monthly housing stipend. I think this guy has taken total advantage of the school system’s situation to get a dream deal. On the other hand, I don’t think there are too many people willing to come in and try to fix the mess the school board has created. So I’ll give him credit for that, but the board has signed off on his contract. I think the best thing parents can do is get behind the new superintendent and support him as he attempts to save the Clayton County Schools accreditation.
   
   The school board is another matter, they’ve ignored the law and it’s own policy. It makes one wonder if the board cares about the student’s best interest. Why would they ignore the advice of experts and the agency that is trying to remove the school system’s accreditation? They should all be removed from their seats. It’s a shame that the school board has allowed this situation to get out of control. What happens to the thousands of students and their future academic career? I guess everything is riding on the new superintendent and what plans he implements to save the school system.