News for Thursday, December 15: Ahmann leaves Decatur School Board, Morningside parents petition over redistricting, Smyrna development being marketed, Buckhead opposes all redistricting options.
Ahmann leaves Decatur School Board. Morningside parents petition over redistricting. Smyrna marketing 47 acres. Buckhead opposes four redistricting options.
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Garrett Goebel will be sworn into office Jan. 10.
John Ahmann ended more than eight years on the Decatur School Board Tuesday night, saying he hoped the board would step outside its comfort zone in a quest for excellence. "We have to push ourselves even when the pushing is uncomfortable," Ahmann said. "If I'm going to leave something, it's to always push." Ahmann has sometimes been the maverick on the board, questioning the administration and voting against the majority. Last month, for instance, he was the only one to oppose giving Superintendent Phyllis Edwards a raise. Board members had good things to say about him Tuesday night. Board chairman Marc Wisniewski, for instance, noted that Ahmann was a leader in converting Decatur to a charter system. "I think that's done a lot to shape …
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He decided not to seek re-election to the Decatur School Board.
John Ahmann will step down from the Decatur School Board after Tuesday night's meeting. He's served two terms representing District 1, Post B, and was usually the most vocal and critical member of the board. Just last month he challenged the administration's budget projections and was the only member to vote against giving Superintendent Phyllis Edwards a $5,000 raise. Ahmann decided not to seek re-election. He'll be replaced by Garrett Goebel, who defeated Peg Bumgardner in the Nov. 8 election. Julie Rhame will start another term representing District 2, Post B on the school board. She didn’t face any opposition in the election. Goebel and Rhame will be sworn in at the January meeting. Superintendent Phyllis Edwards, in her report to the …
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Principals will be given about $60 per student to spend at their discretion.
In these times of tight budgets, the Decatur School System found itself with too much money this year. That's why the Decatur School Board voted Tuesday night to amend the 2012 fiscal year budget by $1.3 million. The board handed principals about $60 per student to be spent at their discretion and added $425,000 to the capital project budget. But the board knows financial problems remain. School finance officials said the system will deplete its fund balance by fiscal year 2015 if the city's tax base does not grow and even if the board does not give raises to staff. If the system offers raises, the board may be faced with raising taxes or cutting other services, they said. System finance director Greta Tinaglia said the system was …
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Outgoing board member John Ahmann cast the only no vote for Superintendent Phyllis Edwards' contract extension.
Decatur Superintendent Phyllis Edwards got a $5,000 raise Tuesday night as the City School Board approved a new contract paying her $175,000 for 2011-2012 and $180,000 for 2012-2013. Edwards is also eligible for an annual performance bonus of up to $20,000, which she said she'll decline. She earned a $18,602 bonus for the fiscal year ending in June, and the board decided to distribute the bonus to school system employees -- $75 for each instructional staff member and $50 for non-instructional staff employees. Edwards’ contract, posted as a PDF accompanying this article, includes: The board may terminate the contract for cause, such as failing to perform her duties. If the board wants to terminate without cause, it must give 90 days notice…
Lame duck Decatur School Board member John Ahmann criticized the new policy, but failed to persuade his colleagues to adopt a more stringent rule.
The Decatur School System could hire immediate family members of the superintendent and other administrators under a nepotism policy adopted Tuesday night over the protests of a lame duck member. Board member John Ahmann, who is not running for re-election, tried unsuccessfully to persuade fellow school board members to adopt a more stringent nepotism policy that would forbid the system from hiring any immediate family members of the superintendent or board members. “We ought to do everything we can to make sure our judgment is clear,” Ahmann said. “The only one here who hasn’t had a family member who works for the school system is me.” Board member Julie Rhame did not attend the meeting. In an email sent Wednesday, Rhame said she and …
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8:03 am on Thursday, October 13, 2011
Good job, Diane. You have reported well on another unsettling development at CSD. more ›
Departing Board member John Ahmann opposed the hiring, citing concerns about nepotism.
The Decatur School Board voted Tuesday night to hire Chairman Marc Wisniewski's son for a part-time job, then discussed and tabled a new nepotism policy. The hiring vote was 3-1, with board member John Ahmann voting against employing Joseph A. “Andy” Wisniewski as a part-time after school program provider at College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center at an annual cost of $5,767. Andy Wisniewski, a 2006 Decatur High School graduate, is the son of Marc Wisniewski. He is attending Georgia State University and majoring in nursing-pediatrics, according to his father's biography on the school system website. Marc Wisniewski recused himself from the discussion and did not vote on the hiring. Caroline Wood, the system's director of human …
Decatur School Board member thanks community for support, lists accomplishments.
John Ahmann, a two-term member of the Decatur School Board, announced in an email Thursday afternoon that he will not seek re-election. Two people have already said they'll run for Ahmann's seat. Garrell Goebel, who currently serves on the Fifth Avenue School Leadership Team and ran unsuccessfully for the board previously, and Peg Bumgardner, who has served on the Renfroe Middle School Leadership team, have announced their intentions. Qualifying starts Monday for two seats on the five-member school board. Julie P. Rhame's term is also ending. She said in a Thursday email that she'll run again. Ahmann sent this email to Patch: Over the last eight years, I have worked hard to contribute to helping City Schools of Decatur be among the best of…
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6:49 pm on Friday, August 26, 2011
John's dedication to the improvement of education for all students in City Schools of Decatur has been outstanding over his eight year tenure. He has consistently asked some tough questions, looked at the long range impact of decisions, and worked to bring those decisions to fruition. Thank you John for your hard work. I'm excited to be seeking a seat at the table of the Board of Education. … more ›
Decatur school enrollment rose by 11 percent, double the system's projections, and prompted the superintendent to create a committee to study the system's growth.
Decatur schools opened with 11 percent more students than when they closed in the spring, double what the school system had expected, and the school superintendent wants to appoint a committee to study growth projections. The system’s enrollment is 3,233, Associate Superintendent Thomas Van Soelen told the Decatur School Board Tuesday night. The city system’s enrollment actually dropped one percent, after students who had been expected to attend the system didn’t show, Van Soelen said. The largest growth was a whopping 24 percent increase in the system’s kindergarten class, which enrolled 352 students by Tuesday, more than the 284 the system had projected, or the 298 the system had in May, Van Soelen said. He explained the system’s …
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6:44 am on Wednesday, August 10, 2011
"when she should seek public comment and when she should act on her own" I say the superintendent can do that when she no longer needs the public's tax dollars to run the school. Why is it that the higher enrollment took the superintendent and board members by surprise. Don't we have school board members in the community to interact and know what is happening. Most people in Decatur are aware of … more ›
Laura Martin
9:17 am on Thursday, November 10, 2011
Would not possible without those SPLOST= YES votes...how does THIS expenditure help YOUR children? more ›