Education

Georgia is one of 45 states that have adopted a set of education standards called the Common Core. States developed the standards which aren’t federal mandates. But the Cobb County school board has been debating whether to invest in math materials aligned to the standards. 

The board voted “no” on the adoption in April, against the recommendation of a committee of more than 100 Cobb teachers. Before the vote, district superintendent Michael Hinojosa implied some board members may not understand the limits of their authority.

Fulton County school employees are getting a boost in pay. Earlier this week, the county’s school board approved a 3 percent cost of living increase. The additional money is the first permanent increase school system employees have received in five years. Robert Morales is the District’s Chief Financial Officer.

  “The salary increase will be a great morale booster for our employees that are currently here and for new employees that are able to join our school district.”

The Gwinnett County School Board is considering a plan to raise property taxes. If approved, it would be the first increase in eight years.

The board is considering a total millage rate increase of 1.3 mills. That would mean approximately $101 more per year for those living in a $200,000 dollar home. Rick Cost is the Chief Financial officer for the district. He says the plan has been proposed to help avoid teacher furlough days, add school resource officers and repay bonds used for constructing classrooms.

Did the Georgia statute that allowed Governor Nathan Deal to remove members of the DeKalb County School Board violate the state’s constitution?

Monday, June 3rd, both sides argued before the Georgia State Supreme Court.

Up first for the plaintiff was attorney Thomas Cox.

There are many problems with the state law that allowed Governor Nathan Deal to remove those school board members said Cox.

He’s representing former DeKalb board chair Dr. Eugene Walker.

The Atlanta Regional Commission has issued a report showing a demographic shift in metro Atlanta school districts.

In 2000, six percent of metro Atlanta public school students were Latino. That number grew to 16 percent by 2012. In the same year, the white student population was 37 percent. That’s a 15 percent drop from 2000, according to Mike Alexander, who manages ARC’s Research and Analytics division.

 State data show more Georgia high school students are earning diplomas. Last year, about 69% of high school seniors graduated, compared to about 67% the year before. 

The Cobb County school board is expected to vote Thursday night on a budget for the upcoming school year. The district is facing an $86 million deficit.

To balance the budget, the board is considering some steep cuts. Board member David Morgan says the district has to adjust to living within its means, which includes a shrinking tax digest.

  Gov. Nathan Deal Wednesday issued an executive order regarding Georgia’s adoption of a new set of education standards, called the Common Core.  The order comes after some Republican lawmakers have publicly opposed the standards. 

The governor’s order states that federal education standards won’t be imposed on Georgia. He also distinguished between standards and curriculum.

Today the Spelman College Leadership and Women of Color Conference gets underway at the Georgia International Convention Center.

This is the ninth year for the event that includes guest speakers and panel discussions.

WABE’s Rose Scott reports on the overall mission of the conference and this year’s theme.

Dr. Jane E. Smith gives credit to one woman for instilling the importance of leadership.

Five of six suspended members of the DeKalb County school board have petitioned Gov. Deal to get their seats back. The governor suspended, and then replaced, the six members at the recommendation of the state board of education. 

Former board chair Eugene Walker, Jesse Cunningham, Donna Edler, Sarah Copelin-Wood, and Pam Speaks are the five who’ve submitted petitions. Gov. Deal’s spokesperson Brian Robinson says the clock is ticking.

Educators hope a statewide longitudinal data system will help them address critical issues, such as increasing retention and graduation rates. The system tracks students from Kindergarten to 12th grade. 

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education hosted a panel discussion on data uses. Educators discussed how to use the data system to help students. Panelist Andy Parsons, an assistant commissioner with the Technical College System of Georgia, said the data system can identify gaps, such as which students need remediation.  

Georgia is one of 45 states adopting a new set of education standards called the Common Core. The state-led initiative was devised with input from educators, parents, and other stakeholders. But recently, some state lawmakers have opposed Georgia’s adoption of the standards. 

Georgia is wrapping up year one of Common Core implementation in Math and English/Language Arts. Lawmakers who support the move, such as Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody), say it will help boost achievement.

This interview is part of WABE's continuing coverage of the fight against human trafficking in Georgia.

On May 13 and 14, teachers and other educators in Georgia gathered at the Carter Center in Atlanta for a conference on human trafficking, sponsored by the state Department of Education.  

The idea is to help teachers, counselors and others learn how to keep children from becoming human trafficking victims, especially in the child sex trade.  

Officials with the DeKalb County schools originally predicted the district would run a deficit of tens of millions of dollars next year. But when interim superintendent Michael Thurmond released his proposed budget last week, it revealed a surplus of more than $9 million. 

District spokesman Jeff Dickerson says the money came from federal and state reimbursements that district officials didn’t know to ask for.

The Georgia Department of Education Tuesday unveiled a new way of grading schools. The new system is part of the state’s waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The new College and Career Ready Performance Index replaces the Adequate Yearly Progress requirement of No Child Left Behind. Test scores determined whether schools met AYP. State superintendent John Barge says test scores still matter, but they won’t be the only criteria for the CCRPI.

A trial date has been set for the thirty-five indicted former Atlanta Public Schools educators.

The presiding judge, Fulton County’s Jerry Baxter, has already made some key decisions.

May 5th, 2014 is the day and barring any plea agreements, how will Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter handle a trial with thirty-five defendants?

It won’t be easy says WABE legal analyst Page Pate.

Many metro Atlanta school districts are facing big deficits in the upcoming year, due to shrinking property tax revenue. 

  Cobb County school officials are trying to find new sources of revenue to shore up an $86 million budget gap. Board chair Randy Scamihorn says Cobb officials have asked lawmakers to consider relaxing some of the spending limits for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

The faculty of Emory University’s College of Arts and Sciences voted against a motion of no confidence in President James W. Wagner.

In February of this year, Wagner came under fire for using the three-fifths slavery compromise as an example to the benefits of a compromise regarding the school’s impending academic changes.

The voting window began last Monday and ended Friday.

President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal includes $75 billion to expand pre-kindergarten programs.  It’s the same plan the president introduced when he visited a pre-k center in Decatur in February. Due to the success of its pre-k program, Georgia could receive a share of the money.

The president’s proposal increases the cigarette tax to pay for the expansion. Bobby Cagle, the commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, says  he supports a pre-k expansion, but favors an alternative funding source.

The Fulton County school board this week approved a 90-day probationary period for new hires. The measure will allow the district to let those employees go during the first semester even though they’ve signed a contract.  The move has been criticized by teachers’ groups, who say it will make it hard for the district to attract good teachers.

But Fulton County Superintendent Robert Avossa said the policy isn’t meant to penalize those who are new to the profession.

The Georgia Department of Education will receive about $17 million in federal grant money. State officials will award the money to low-performing schools.

This is the fourth round of School Improvement Grant funding Georgia has received. Only “priority” schools, those that have scored in the lowest 5% on state tests and have a graduation rate of less than 60%, are eligible. Previous schools can’t apply. Georgia Department of Education spokesman Matt Cardoza says applicants will have to explain how they’ll use the money to improve achievement.

Atlanta Public Schools superintendent Erroll Davis says the district is continuing to build stronger and more ethical leadership at every level.

This comes after 35 former APS employees have been indicted on charges ranging from racketeering to theft by taking.

Superintendent Erroll Davis says there was no satisfaction in watching former educators walk in and out of the Fulton County jail.

“I believe all failures are leadership failures and I see this as a massive failure of leadership at every level.”

The 65 count indictment of former Atlanta Public Schools educators includes acts of racketeering, theft by taking and influencing witnesses.

The district attorney’s office separates the charges by specific schools.

Criminal defense attorney and WABE legal analyst Page Pate says breaking up the charges school by school could mean some defendants opt to have some charges removed.

Georgia’s Republican House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey withdrew a bill he sponsored from the legislature last week. But the so-called “parent-trigger" bill could be revived before the end of the Legislative Session. 

The bill would let dissatisfied parents and teachers petition school boards to convert low-performing schools into charter schools. It made it through the House, but stalled in a Senate Committee last week. Lindsey then withdrew it. 

But Tuesday, Lindsey told WABE he’s considering attaching the bill to other legislation.

Beginning this week, Georgia educators will have access to a new teacher-led classroom resource.

It’s designed to educate middle and high school students on the dangers of using methamphetamine.

It’s called the Meth Prevention Lesson Plan.

The addiction recovery rate for meth use is extremely low, says Georgia Meth Project Executive Director Jim Langford.

Books for Africa began collecting and shipping school books to nations in Africa from a warehouse in St. Paul, Minnesota 25 years ago.  

Now with a warehouse in Smyrna, Georgia, BFA is the world's largest shipper of donated text and library books to the African continent.

Here, Brad Mattson, Development and Operations officer with the non-profit, talks with WABE's Steve Goss.

In one of their first decisions as a new board, the DeKalb County school board Wednesday unanimously agreed to end the district’s status as plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit. The suit was filed by six former board members who were suspended by the governor.