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The DeKalb County school board Wednesday night voted to end the school district’s status as plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit. The suit alleges that a 2011 state law authorizing the governor to remove school board members violates the state constitution. Wednesday’s meeting was the first since Governor Deal replaced six suspended members of the board last week.
Most votes were unanimous, all board members were polite and focused on business. You could say it was a kinder, gentler school board with a sense of urgency. Karen Carter, one of the appointed members, underscored that tone.
“When I got back to my office last Wednesday after swearing in, I had a note from Christopher Mitchell, ‘I am going to be in kindergarten in 5-and-a-half years. Please have everything fixed by then,” she said.
Among the items to fix are the district’s accreditation, which was placed on probation in December, the budget, which was projected to run a $24 million deficit in the next fiscal year, and the pending lawsuit.
The lawsuit named the district and former board chair Eugene Walker, one of the suspended members, as plaintiffs. But current board chair Melvin Johnson didn’t have any trouble finding support to end the district’s participation.
“Call for a motion for approval of the termination of the DeKalb County school district’s status as a plaintiff in the court case?” Johnson asked.
The board unanimously decided not to pay attorneys to argue the case. When the district was placed on probation, its accrediting agency cited financial mismanagement as one reason for the sanction. The board also froze hiring and spending on discretionary expenses until the end of year. But that will exclude positions at the school level and instructional purchases.
After the meeting, parent Jennifer Hatfield, said she was impressed by the “new” board.
“It was refreshing, having been to so many board meetings previously and having seen the divisiveness and division,” Hatfield said, “I think it was definitely a good indicator that this board is committed to working together.”
The board has a lot of work ahead of it. The district has until December to get off of probation or lose its accreditation altogether.
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