Here are my draft minutes and notes from the budget committee meetings this year:

1/19/12

Meeting Notes and minutes 1.19.2012.docx (37.77 kb)

2/15/12

Meeting Notes and minutes 2.15.2012.docx (118.93 kb)

3/8/12

Meeting Notes and minutes 3.08.2012.docx (41.50 kb)

3/22/12

Meeting Notes and minutes 3.22.2012.docx (44.31 kb)

Yesterday the DeKalb Delegation finished the approval process for the reapportionment of the Board of Education.  Here is the final map:

DeKalb Delegation Final Map.pdf (2.16 mb)

This map was not one I favored and it is not the map that the Board sent to the delegation, upon their request.  To my knowledge the delegation didn't communicate with the Board about why our map wasn't discussed or approved.  Pursuant to approval from the Department of Justice, this will be the district map until the next reapportionment in ten years.

This is the consensus map that the Board sent to the DeKalb delegation:

deksb-import-3-7-12-corr.pdf (1.87 mb

This is the compliance data for the map above:

deksb-import-3-7-12-corr-table.htm (2.56 kb)

Here's the latest map I've worked on. 

deksb-imp-rev2.pdf (1.88 mb)

Here are the statistics for the map:

deksb-imp-rev2-stats.pdf (50.18 kb)

Here is the new map with an overlay of the old districts:

deksb-imp-rev2-overlay.pdf (1.93 mb)

·         This map is the most likely to pass judicial scrutiny and compliance testing based on the traditional redistricting principles of for “compactness” and “dispersion”.  The districts in our map are more compact than those of the Oliver-Benfield map and represent a low dispersion quality.  They will have more favorable compliance numbers on both the Plosby-Popper scale and Reock/convex hull measurements.   

·         High School attendance lines change and schools close.  The DCSS planning department has stated that redistricting for school zones will occur more frequently than in the past.  If we are building districts on the current attendance areas, they will soon be incongruent with each other.   

·         It complies with SB79.

·         It keeps communities of interest united.

    Late breaking news: Sen. Millar has developed a bill to delay the implementation of SB79 so that the complex issues surrounding it can be worked out.  Stayed tuned...

Here's an updated map with 7 Board districts.  It keeps or unites communities of interest.  The "deviation" numbers on this map are the only ones that I have seen that are below the acceptable threshold (<1%).

DCSS Map.pdf (2.02 mb)

Here are the corresponding statistics for this map: DCSS Map Stats.pdf (50.06 kb)

Draft map for reapportionment of BOE district drawn by DCSS staff:  

BoardDistrMapping_Seven_20120125 (3).pdf (592.49 kb)

Draft map for reapportionment of BOE district drawn by members of DeKalb delegation:

maps from delegation.pdf (5.87 mb)

Winter Break is almost upon us!  I just spent some time updating my website.  I've added a link on the "links" page to the Chamblee Charter High School Construction page.  The current drawings for the new high school are on this page.  I will update my meetings page with the 2012 meeting dates as soon as I have them so check back soon for those. 

I recently read an interesting article on school system management by William Ouchi.  Click here for his Wikipedia bio.  Click here to read the article.  I found his analysis about bureacracy (decentralized and centralized), its correlation to student achievement and his observations about successful urban school systems an interesting starting discussion point for DeKalb.  Let me know what you think.  

Happenings around District 1

Click here to check out this great article about the new Ecology Club and organic gardening at Chesnut Elementary.  Click here to go to their blog. 

Congratulations to the Henderson Mill Elementary School community for their work in starting a foundation to benefit their school!  Click here to visit their website.

HMES foundation.pdf (394.61 kb)

Hawthorne Elementary School celebrated turning 50 in 2011 with a festival.  Congratulations Hawthorne!

2 DCSS elementary schools were named 2011 Georgia Schools of Excellence - Top 10%.  Click here to see the Georgia Department of Education press release about this accomplishment.

Do you have an event, accomplishment, news, award or tidbit that you want to share?  Send me an email at nancyjester@gmail.com and I'll include it here. 

(This blog entry is updated as of 9.3.2011 and now includes the text of Mr. McChesney's statement from the 8.29.11 meeting.)

Today, the DeKalb Board of Education voted, 6-3, to approve the hiring and contract for Dr. Cheryl Atkinson.  She will start as superintendent in mid September.  I was one of the dissenting Board members, along with Mr. McChesney and Dr. Speaks.  You can read the statements that Don McChesney and I made at the meeting by clicking on the PDFs below. 

Nancy Jester's Statement 8.29.11.pdf (182.03 kb)

Don McChesney's statement 8.29.11.pdf (78.14 kb)

Now that the Board has selected the next superintendent, I encourage everyone to support Dr. Atkinson as we work together to improve the educational lives of all children in DeKalb.  Please stay in touch and keep me informed of your thoughts and suggestions. 

--Nancy

At yesterday's Board meeting I dellivered the Inspriration to begin the meeting.  Click the link to the PDF below to read my speech.

BOE Speech 4.18.2011.pdf (247.23 kb)

If you would like information on the Math Options for the 2011-2012 click here to go to the DCSS webpage with updated information on this topic. 

The lastest status report regarding DCSS's response to SACS is on the DCSS website.  Click here for the link.