Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Jim Redovian: The DeKalb school system is too large

The Dunwoody Reporter recently published an editorial by former District 1 board member, Jim Redovian.  He makes a very interesting point, that the DeKalb County School System is much too large to efficiently deliver a quality education.

The new DeKalb County School Watch Blog highlighted the article and as usual some of the comments are as worthwhile as the article itself.  Please check it out if you are interested in the future of the DeKalb County School System

DeKalb County Schools: A view from the inside out
The very-much-maligned DeKalb County School System seems to find itself in the news almost weekly with a new crisis or shortfall.

It is easy to put the blame for all the problems squarely on those charged with running the system or those working in the system.

In the bigger perspective, however, I believe there is a much bigger factor that drives the weaknesses in the system. It is my opinion that the most profound deterrent to good operation is the overall size of the district itself.

More at the link above.
For your added educational enjoyment - a little history.

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3 comments:

  1. Bob FiscellaApril 25, 2012 at 9:07 AM

    John,
    Jim is absolutely right. The heart of the problem with DeKalb Schools is the size of the system.
    Dividing DeKalb Schools into at least 3 separate districts (4,5 or 6 would be even better), would eliminate most all of the issues with the central office, and put taxpayer money back into the classroom, as well as have a lot more accountability and local control.
    I urge our state Sen. Fran Millar state Rep. Tom Taylor to make this a priority!
    Bob Fiscella
    www.dunwoodyusa.com

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  2. SDOC Publishing Internet SolutionsApril 25, 2012 at 10:00 AM

    Dittos. I've been thinking the same thing for over a year.

    The city I grew up in had a total population of 100K. A county-based school system in a dense urban center with that many students alone is unworkable. If you think I'm kidding check out NYC or LA public schools. They have the same issues, for the same reasons.

    DeKalb is no longer a rural county, it is an urban county with urban issues.

    If constitutional amendments can be passed to incorporate cities, then constitutional amendments can be passed to create school districts. It's time.

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  3. Bob TurnerApril 27, 2012 at 8:49 PM

    Agreed. County's gotten too big to be accountable and responsive to all the citizens and children. Segmentation sounds like the way to go.

    ReplyDelete