Up the road in East Central Georgia Warren County, the local school system has lost their accreditation to the Southern Association of Colleges & School Council on Accreditation School Improvement.A SACS team visited the system in June, 2009, and a different team returned in November for a follow-up. During both visits, the special review team conducted interviews with members of the Board of Education, superintendent, district staff and community representatives, as well as reviewed supporting documentation.
Superintendent Carole Jean Carey and Board of Education Chair Clara Roberts were sent a report of the findings of the special review team. The 14-page report outlines the "standards of governance and leadership" that were investigated in June, along with the list of nine recommendations for improvement that were given to the board at that time.
The report describes sources used by the review team, as well as an analysis
"It should be noted that Warren County received SACS CASI District Accreditation in 20007. At that time, there were many outstanding achievements within the school district. ... The actions of the current Board have eroded public confidence and negated much of the positive work of the past, and the quality of education for students in Warren County Schools has been affected," the report reveals.
The investigation revealed members of the Board of Education failed to comply with their own policies, and went as far as to change their ethics policy so they wouldn't have to sign it.
The board made limited improvement on the recommendation to adopt Roberts Rules of Order for their meetings, with voting records revealing "an inordinate number of 3-2 votes" and "an inappropriate use of the right to abstain from voting."
The review team also found that the board made progress in professionalism in their public meetings, but failed to carry that over to executive sessions. The report reveals executive session discussions included comments that are illegal to consider when employing applicants, including age, race, etc.
"The community is not happy, the kids won't have the Hope Scholarship and they won't be able to get into some colleges," Mrs. Carey said. "And we can't have dual enrollment classes... The board members are the ones that have to do the action. There's nothing more anyone else can do."
1 comment:
What do you expect? Three new members on the board: a former superintendent who ran the system into the ground academically and financially during his tenure, a former high school teacher who is a racist (yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a black racist), and a former elementary teacher who couldn't cut it in the classroom. Add to this a superintendent who is running off every effective teacher and administrator to hire cronies from her former system, and you have the making of an educational disaster. These egos can't even fit in the same room, much less the same school system. Let the state go in and take over, and maybe it can clean up the toxic mess.
Post a Comment