Druid Hills Charter Cluster withdraws its petition

In a letter published on its Facebook page, the  Druid Hills Charter Cluster explains why it has decided to withdraw its petition to create a charter cluster involving the Druid Hills High School and all its feeder schools.  See https://www.facebook.com/DruidHillsCharterCluster for the whole statement.

Update(ish) on Druid Hills Charter Cluster

The conversation continues regarding the Druid Hills Charter Cluster (DHCC) petition, although it appears to have become very one-sided in recent weeks. DHCC advocates have been pushing the district and school board over the last several months to put the revised petition onto the school board agenda for another vote. And information from the DeKalb County School District's (DCSD) perspective? Cue the crickets chirping.

Representatives from both DHCC and DCSD were invited to speak at the September meeting of the Emory LaVista Parent Council meeting. David Moore, legal counsel for DHCC, presented a lengthy history of the charter petition from origination (out of concern regarding disparities in learning achievement between the five feeder elementary schools) to today (a revised petition has been sitting at the county offices since May 1, 2014; any actions taken by DCSD are largely unknown). The representative from DCSD, Dr. Frazer, kept her presentation to a strict description of the charter application timelines as they are presented on the DCSD website. During the question and answer period, it was clear that Dr. Frazer was not going to or was not allowed to answer questions on anything other than timelines in a general sense. As one might imagine, this left the audience (and DHCC representatives) feeling rather frustrated and confused. You can read more about the ELPC board's response to this here.

This past week, the Druid Hills Charter Cluster published their account of interactions with the school district from the beginning of the process. It is, of course, one side of a two-sided story - but it is a disturbing read. Since DCSD and the board aren't talking, we don't know their perspective on the petition review and (non)approval.

The next school board work session and business meeting are scheduled for Monday, September 8, and based on the agendas that were posted Friday afternoon, there will be no vote or discussion on the DHCC petition. Cue the crickets again...

How long will this continue? Anyone's guess, it seems. However, even if approved, it is hard to imagine how such a ground-breaking charter cluster could ever be successful without these two parties entering into more constructive conversations.

Druid Hills Charter Cluster meeting [Aug 27]

Ongoing dissatisfaction the DeKalb County Board of Education's management of the schools under its care is a key driver for calls for cityhood and annexation that are currently fragmenting DeKalb County.

Parents, educators and concerned neighbors have been exploring ways to improve DeKalb public schools serving our area. The Druid Hills Charter Cluster was created (visit their site here) with a goal to enhance "school autonomy, parental involvement, and student and teacher progress."  The cluster includes its namesake, Druid Hills High, as well as its feeder schools: Druid Hills Middle School, Briar Vista Elementary, Fernbank Elementary, Laurel Ridge Elementary and McLendon Elementary.

The initial charter was not approved and a revised version has been submitted. The Emory La Vista Parent Council has a sample support letter that challenges the Board of Education's rejection of the initial proposal (click here to read it). This rebuttal notes that "the State Office of Charter Schools and the DeKalb County Schools Director of the Office of Charter Schools found the DHCC petition met the Georgia Charter Schools Act criteria". The cluster would grant

"...governance of seven diverse school communities - five feeder elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school - to a non-profit board sourced from educational professionals including former Georgia Department of Education officials, former principals of DeKalb County Schools, and individuals vested in the cluster and its surrounding businesses and organizations."

The Emory La Vista Parent Council has  organized an information meeting to educate residents about how the proposal works and what is at stake.

Charter Cluster Meeting
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Sagamore Hills Elementary School
1865 Alderbrook Road, Atlanta, GA 30345
Join us at 9:15 am
(refreshments begin at 8:45 am)
http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=c09842563353870ea220d16ae&id=3ac17695c8

If you are unable to attend, please consider voicing your support directly to the DeKalb Board of Education. The above petition website includes a sample letter and quick link with email addresses for all DeKalb Board of Education leaders: michael_l_thurmond@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, melvin_johnson@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, jim_mcmahan@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, john_w_coleman@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, marshall_orson@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, michael_erwin@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, david_campbell@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, joyce_a_morley@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, karen_carter@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us, thaddeus_mayfield@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

DeKalb BOE rejects Druid Hills Cluster

Per the AJC,

"In a contentious 5-4 vote tonight, the DeKalb County Board of Education rejected the Druid Hills Charter Cluster petition.

The "no" vote followed about four hours of tense debate. Those voting for the cluster were Thaddeus Mayfield, John Coleman, Marshall Orson and Jim McMahan. Read the rest @ AJC's DeKalb board votes down Druid Hills Charter Cluster after long, tense meeting

Next steps are unclear.

DeKalb Board of Education: Druid Hills Charter Cluster vote [Nov 11]

via Druid Hills Charter Cluster:

The Board of Education vote to determine the future of the Druid Hills Charter Cluster is tomorrow,  Monday, Nov 11th at 7:00 pm. 

WE NEED YOU AND YOUR KIDS THERE TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
This is the time we have all been working towards and we need to be there in force to show the board how passionate we are about the Charter Cluster.
The address for the meeting is:
1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard,
Stone Mt., Georgia 30083
The Charter Cluster Governing Board will be there for this important meeting.  In case you haven't met the governing board, let us quickly introduce you to them and help you understand their role on the Charter Cluster.  Each has valuable and complementary skills that will make this Governing Board a huge asset to the Charter Cluster.   

CHARTER CLUSTER GOVERNING BOARD 

Scott Bonder:  Brings legal experise to the DHCC.  Mr. Bonder is a business litigator with experience in multi‐million dollar cases spanning multiple jurisdictions and involving state, federal and foreign laws.   He is a former President of the Fernbank Elementary School PTA.   

Fred Daniels, Jr.: Brings financial and business expertise.  Mr. Daniels is  Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Atlanta-based Citizens Trust Bank.    Daniels’ current tasks give him charge of governance, credit risk, portfolio management, and loan administration over the $400M community bank.    Mr. Daniels is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Marta. 

Theresa Johnson-Bennett:  Brings legal and procedural expertise.  Ms. Johnson-Bennett is a Paralegal with the State of Georgia- Department of Community Health.  She previously served as Chief Deputy Clerk in the Recorders Court of DeKalb County and as an Investigator with the Office of Public Defender for the City of Atlanta.   She is currently the PTO President at Avondale Elementary School and was previously Secretary for Avondale Elementary School Council.    As a paralegal, she is knowledgeable of policies, procedures, and governing laws. 

Matthew Lewis:  Brings business and organizational expertise.  Mr. Lewis is a businessperson who spent his career playing leadership roles in a number of well-run organizations including Bank South, CheckFree, and most recently First Data Corporation.  At First Data, Matthew was President of the Financial Services Division where he oversaw a $1.8 billion budget and 6000 associates.    Matthew recently served as the Chair of the Druid Hills High School Council and has two children who have grown up in the DeKalb County schools.

Kathleen Boyle Mathers: Brings educational expertise.   Ms. Mathers is an independent educational consultant with strong analytic, project management, strategic planning, communications and research skills.   Formerly the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement and the Program Director of the Math Science Partnership.   Ms. Mathers was a teacher in DCSS for 8 years. 

David Roberts:  Brings public sector improvement expertise.  Mr. Roberts is a Director in KPMG's Government Advisory Practice where for 13 years, he has been driving operational and financial improvement programs/transformations.  He has worked with a range of public sector organizations , including the Atlanta Public school system, the University of Chapel Hill and the Georgia State Accounting Office. 

Robert Thorpe:  Brings education and educational change experience.  Mr. Thorpe is a retired DeKalb Country Middle School Principal.  Mr. Thorpe led Druid Hill Middle School's  (then Shamrock) successful pursuit to become an International Baccalaureate school.  Prior to joining DeKalb County, he was Principal in the Gainesville School system where he successfully implemented three "theme academies".   Mr. Thorpe is a veteran in education, having served as a Teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal.   He has 3 grandchildren currently residing in the Druid Hills cluster. 

Copyright © 2013 Druid Hills Charter Cluster, Inc., All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the Druid Hills Charter Cluster initiative.
Our mailing address is:
Druid Hills Charter Cluster, Inc.
1798 Haygood Drive Northeast, Druid Hills, GA
Atlanta, GA 30307

Parents say YES to the Druid Hills Charter Cluster

Please go to the AJC for the full report:

The petition for a charter school cluster centered on Druid Hills High School passed by a huge margin Tuesday. 

Not counting provisional ballots, there were 1,036 for approval and 94 against, said lead organizer Matthew Lewis. The 92 percent vote for approval “shattered” the 60 percent threshold required under the law, he said.  Read on @ AJC

UPDATE: also see the report on the Get Schooled blog.

Druid Hills Charter Cluster Petition Vote [Aug 13]

Tuesday August 13th is voting day for the Druid Hills Charter Cluster petition. This vote will take place from 4-8pm at Druid Hills High School. The petition can be reviewed online; an executive summary is also posted.

Visit the FAQ for answers to questions such as:

"What is a Cluster?
A Cluster is a group of feeder schools that feed into a middle school and ultimately a high school.  A lot of Cluster's have more than one middle school that feed into one high school.  The Druid Hills High School Cluster is unique in that it has 5 elementary schools that feed into only 1 middle school, Druid Hills Middle.  Druid Hills Middle feeds into Druid Hills High School.
What is a Charter school?
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public funding (and like other schools, may also receive private donations).  They are subject to some of the rules and regulations that apply to other public schools, but generally have more flexibility than traditional public schools.  Charter schools are expected to produce certain results, set forth in each school's charter.  In exchange for flexibility, charter schools receive less funding and although they provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition.
What is a Charter Cluster?
In 2005 the State of Georgia passed a law that allowed Clusters of schools to apply for what is called a Charter Cluster.  This would allow all of the schools in the High School Cluster (elementary, middle and high) to run as an entire Charter together.
What schools are in the Druid Hills Cluster?
Avondale Elementary, Briar Vista Elementary, Fernbank Elementary, Laurel Ridge Elementary, McLendon Elementary, Druid Hills Middle School & Druid Hills High School.  Continue reading @ http://www.druidhillschartercluster.org/faq"

The group also has a Facebook page.

Druid Hills Charter Cluster: survey

via Facebook

The Druid Hills Charter Cluster Committee is encouraging EVERY stakeholder (parents, teachers, citizens) is this area to take this survey about your education desires going forward. Have a say-so whether you support the charter or not! Feedback from the community is CRUCIAL in this process! Complete ASAP if you haven't already. Thanks! 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DHCC_Survey1