As of the 2020-2021 school year, it had 756 students. 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. A graduate is considered college ready in Reading or Math if he or she has met or exceeded the college-ready criteria on the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) test, the SAT or the ACT test. Students in Dekalb ISD are part of the Texas Education Agency's Region 08. A student can be enrolled in more than one program. Visit our Active Searches page for more information. Explaining how African midwives performed C-sections before it was common in Europe | Expert Interview with Padmini Murthy, M.D., M.P.H. Decaturish is now on Mastadon. "I think, overall, it's a good deal," Galloway said. DK District 2021-22. I will fight to fulfill my commitment to the children of DeKalb County School District, Watson-Harris said. We also had a chemistry position open half the year and ended up going through three different substitutes. Dekalb Academy of Technology & Environment. Theres some things that we find that can be positive, but we also have our concerns too.. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Mastadon: https://newsie.social/@Decaturish/, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Decaturish, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decaturish/. To follow us, visit:https://newsie.social/@Decaturish/. These figures are expressed as a percentage of the total teacher full-time equivalent. In Athens, families have been satisfied with the four-day schedule, Sims said. School Board Chair Diijon DaCosta said Tinsley is diligently working to fill the central office vacancies. "I will not recommend DeKalb County Schools facilities plan for State Board of Education approval while these fundamental issues and concerns remain," Woods said. 2021 Region 8 ESC (903) 575-2600 Mailing: PO Box 1894 | Mt. View Event. I was not given any reason for termination, Watson-Harris said. Pleasant, TX | 75456 Shipping: 4845 US HWY 271 N. | Pittsburg, TX | 75686 Roughly 80 people attended and 13 spoke all of whom were in favor of moving to a four-day week. The soon to be released Cognia report shows the weakness in the District does not lie with the students, teachers, administrators or even the superintendent. In a statement to 11Alive, Watson-Harris wrote she was "blindsided" by the Board of Education's action. They made a passionate case in the now viral video, asserting the conditions are not suitable for young minds to learn. Our board would have to approve it. The percentage of test-taking students in grades 11 and 12 who passed at least one AP or IB exam in the 2019-2020 school year. I have. Yet the board still rejected a proposed plan to modernize, which would have fixed many of the issues students said plagued the nearly century-old building. School days are slightly longer from 7:45 a.m.-3:42 p.m. to 7:35 a.m.-4 p.m. Because some parents of elementary students are concerned that their children wont be able to handle the longer days, the district will be monitoring student engagement and performance. With over 90 years of combined experience in public education, Dr. Marshall and Mr. Dunlap can provide your school board with unmatched personal service. It measures the number of students who were absent for at least ten percent of the school year. No one will work harder for you than Arrow Educational Services, Inc. State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced these distinctions on February 16. Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every day? Board Member Jason Wilson, left, Superintendent Chris Galloway and Board President Kyle Dooley have a discussion Monday, April 18, 2022, during a DeKalb Independent School District board meeting. The firing follows weeks of reports on the bad conditions at Druid Hills High School, where her own child attends. So you had basically six times the amount of actual work time as you had for your prep time.. DeKalb County, GA DeKalb County Schools officials are crafting a budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which begins on July 1. Superintendent's Cabinet Superintendent's Profile Budget Strategic Plan Cabinet Regional Superintendents Academic Regions (map) MR. ERICK HOFSTETTER Chief Operations Officer Profile, Function, & Departments MS. MONIKA DAVIS Chief Information Officer Profile, Function, & Departments 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. Were going to provide them with some instruction thats not exactly the same as they get on a daily basis, Bartram said. Board members voted to name Dr. Vasanne Tinsley as the interim superintendent. The board made the vote during a virtual executive meeting, deciding to name Dr. Vassane Tinsley as interim superintendent. DeKalb County, GA The DeKalb County School Board has received 26 applications for its superintendent vacancy, according to the Georgia School Boards Association, which is helping the board with its search. In the Class of 2020, 100% of students received their high school diplomas on time or earlier. But going with the four-day school week would take some doing. Here's a timeline of events so far. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Sauce is the proud husband and father to his wife and twin boys. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. A spokesperson for the school district says it has everything covered, despite the number of vacancies. There were hours of discussion and public comment at the meeting. Why were you terminated? Winne asked Watson-Harris. The Information Technology department comprises of customer service-oriented professionals dedicated to the integration and implementation of technology across Dekalb County School District. Superintendent . 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. He earned his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Southern California, his Master of Education degree from the University of California Los Angeles, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from California State University Long Beach. 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. Twenty-seven Texas districts implemented the change for the 2022-2023 school year, hoping to attract and retain teachers. 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). All rights reserved. Interim Superintendent, DeKalb County School District Dr. Vasanne S. Tinsley serves as interim superintendent of the DeKalb County School District, managing the day-to-day operations of a diverse educational system with more than 94,000 students, 14,500 employees and a budget of $2.6 billion. Learn more about how four-year graduation rates are defined. I was notified by the board of education chair and vice chair that I was terminated. Four-day school weeks are gaining popularity among small, rural school districts in Texas. In the meantime, each cabinet vacancy is competently filled with temporarily reassigned professionals carrying out the essential functions of DCSD. Winne asked Watson-Harris. Before being hired in DeKalb County, Watson-Harris served as first deputy chancellor, senior director of field support and . Heres what a state committee found. 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. Right after the district announced that it had a new four-day schedule in April, applications started rolling in. Union says DeKalb schools should tear up new contract containing vague performance factors The head of the Georgia Federation of Teachers, Verdaillia Turner, told Channel 2's Richard Belcher that the school district needs to start over. On March 10, the state launched the Teacher Vacancy Task Force to address staffing challenges facing Texas public schools. Watson-Harris said she was blindsided by her firing. The DeKalb County School Board, during its Nov. 14 meeting, approved an $877,000 contract for an audit of how the district spent its COVID-19 relief money. Everything thats happening, it isnt just about me. Allow us to assess your instructional needs and provide solutions that will meet the expectations of your community and taxpayers. Click to Subscribe. That was the main driving force of why were not going to a four-day week, said district Chief of Communications and Marketing Nikita Russell. A lot of our kids work. 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 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. 02 Mar. 2023 Cox Media Group. How working families would adjust to a schedule change was a driving force in the conversations at Everman Independent School District about adopting a truncated school week. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the state 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. Fired DeKalb superintendent says she was blindsided by her termination After the vote, the board released a statement saying the relationship with Cheryl Watson-Harris had been deteriorating for some time.". So as we were experimenting with it the first year, March of that year is when all schools closed, said Nick West, who was superintendent at the time. Before the meeting started, students and parents stood outside with signs urging school officials to take action. I know that both as the superintendent and also as a mother my son is a tenth grader at Druid Hills.. Varsity Girls Softball vs Rewater @ DeKalb. We have lots of needs in our facilities across the county lots of needs. 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. Four years later, its at the top, 4-day school week helps some rural Texas districts hire teachers. Yes. In February, Clarksville Independent School District superintendent Kermit Ward pitched the idea to the school board to help with recruitment, and they voted against it. These figures are for students graduating in 2019-2020. While most districts hope the change helps them hire and retain teachers, some Texas districts said they were motivated by increasing student enrollment. We might do more hands-on that day, it may be team teaching where a couple of teachers are team teaching a small group. The school is hiring a dean, developing courses and working to get licensed. . 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. Residents in the DeKalb County School District on Monday voiced complaints about teachers being ordered back into . I still have not received any formal communication, Watson-Harris said. New Boston ISD is expected to vote on the same topic Thursday, April 21. Previously, Dr. With three years of the shortened schedule under its belt, Athens Independent School District calls itself Home of the 4-Day Instructional Week. Superintendent Janie Sims says its helped the rural district compete with larger districts in Dallas-Fort Worth and Tyler. (See extended coverage in Wednesday's edition of the Gazette. The percentage of students who started ninth grade in 2016-2017 and received a high school diploma on time by Aug. 31, 2021. Texas assigns ratings to districts and campuses that designate their performance in relation to the state's accountability system. When Decaturish asked DaCosta if not having a CFO will be a concern as the district develops its budget, he said, Not at all.. But are they the answer? The average ACT composite score for students graduating in 2019-2020. Cheryl Watson-Harris spoke exclusively with Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne on Thursday, just two days after the board of education voted to remove her as superintendent. New Summerfield Independent School District in East Texas, with just over 500 students, is making the change starting Aug. 8. The only requirement now is that districts operate for a minimum of 75,600 minutes. Watson-Harris, who took reins in 2020, added that she was not invited to be a part of the executive session meeting after the student appeal discussion and was released from the virtual meeting without notice. 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. Executive Support Superintendent's Cabinet - DeKalb County School District ! Teachers typically teach six or seven hours a day, with about a 45-minute conference period, Bobbitt says. Childcare for the younger students was an issue, forcing elementary teachers to still have classes on the fifth day. In need of improvement. Watson-Harris started in the position in July 2020. Because we couldnt fill it, we had one pre-K classroom with 35 students last year, superintendent Chris Galloway says. 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. The districts said they will be watching the rate closely this year to see if the shorter week improves attendance. They will remain in these roles until permanent leaders are chosen. Youve got more class time. A passing score on the AP exam is a 3, 4 or 5. You have more time to give remediation during those periods also.. These figures are expressed as a percentage of the total teacher full-time equivalent (FTE) as of the 2020-2021 school year. How can Texas keep more teachers in classrooms? The maximum score is 36. Arrow consultants areuniquely qualifiedto provide instructional assistance to schools. Druid Hills High School is one of the highest needs, Watson-Harris said. The DeKalb County Board of Education voted to approve a separation agreement with DeKalb County Schools Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris, effective immediately. 2023 February Week 4 Mon30 Tue31 Wed1 Thu2 Fri3 Sat4 Sun5 Mon6 Tue7 Wed8 Thu9 Fri10 Sat11 Sun12 Mon13 Union says DeKalb schools should tear up new contract containing vague performance factors. DaCosta said the district has received numerous inquiries for its vacancies, including the office of superintendent. Last school year, the DeKalb Independent School District in East Texas struggled to recruit enough educators to teach its 800 students. Decaturish is now on Flipboard. As Executive Director of Elementary Education, Dr. This story was originally published August 14, 2022, 5:00 AM. Our 2A District proudly serves three campuses and approximately 875 students, grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12th. Druid Hill High School was on the priority list for renovations in 2022, but the school board voted to take it off in February. DeKalb CUSD 428's mission is to provide an equitable and inclusive education that supports students holistically, providing the tools they need to thrive by partnering with families and supporting staff to meet the needs of each of our students. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. The Board says they are beginning a formal search for a permanent superintendent. The Board of Education and superintendent appreciate these individuals for their support of DeKalb County Schools.. The division consist of the major departments of Purchasing, Payroll, Budgeting, Accounting, Accounts Payable and Systems. The school district posted the update to social media, showing Dr. Vassane Tinsley taking new leadership. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. 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 CFO would play a key role in crafting any budget. Gov. How would it affect our families? Its just hard for us to stay on the same pace as them.. As of Thursday, the projection is slightly over 61% and tracking toward the state threshold of 67%. Make sure the box for "Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls" is, Select the Advanced tab. The board reviewed those applications in an executive session on Thursday, Feb. 9, according to GSBA spokesperson Justin Pauly. Amid statewide teacher shortages, four-day school weeks are gaining popularity among small, rural school districts in Texas. A district survey found that 86% of students, 78% of staff and 68% of parents were in favor of the growing trend. N/A No data is available, or the number is zero. Dr. Tinsley brings 25+ years of servant leadership, a love of community and a genuine passion for education. Woods said the state will be in touch with the board to help develop "immediate, short-term, and long-term plans.". Mabank, Texas 75147. Superintendent. The total number of students divided by the total full-time equivalent count of teachers for 2020-2021. Out of the student vote, 74% voted in favor of the shorter week. 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.. Photo by Dean Hesse. She served as a school counselor and ultimately as Deputy Superintendent of Student Support and Intervention until she retired in 2020. Dr. Tinsley first joined the DeKalb County School District in 1994. From the emergence of a viral video to a sitting superintendent's termination the entire debacle transpired in under a month. 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