ATLANTA- State Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) pre-filed House Bill 22 today, giving DeKalb County voters an opportunity to choose the number of members that make up their school board. This legislation is aimed at creating a more effective school board that will be better able to work with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) in ensuring the county’s continued school accreditation.
“In light of SACS actions and governance and conduct issues of the DeKalb school board, I believe the size of the board should be reduced; I believe smaller boards serve children better,” said Rep. Oliver. “I hope this legislation and proposed referendum will engage the voters in this important discussion.”
If passed by the General Assembly and approved by the Governor, Rep. Oliver’s legislation would place a referendum on the November 2011 DeKalb County general election ballot. The referendum would allow voters three choices: keep the current nine person school board, reduce the school board to seven members, or reduce the school board to five members. If DeKalb County voters choose to change the size of their school board, new district lines will be drawn during the upcoming reapportionment session. A new school board following those new districts would then be elected in 2012 general election.
In addition to the referendum, Rep. Oliver will also introduce legislation to create an independent ethics commission for the DeKalb County school board.
“As a proud graduate of DeKalb County schools, I believe we must all work to meet the challenges of the SACS review by instituting needed leadership changes,” added Rep. Oliver. “The current interim superintendent needs our support and the school system needs to address the board’s ability to govern effectively.”
The DeKalb County School System has already begun its regular five year accreditation renewal. However, a number of school board controversies over the past year have put the accreditation renewal at risk. Chief among these controversies was the indictment of Crawford Lewis, the school board’s former superintendent and CEO, and Pat Reid, the school board’s former chief operating officer, on multiple criminal offenses.
SACS required the county to submit documentation concerning hiring, discipline, nepotism, training procedures, fiscal oversight, checks and balances, enforcement of policies, and the current superintendent search. The school system complied with this request, sending 2,500 pages of documentation, and also instituted a number of reforms. After receiving this information, SACS announced plans to send a review team to DeKalb County in early 2011.
Rep. Oliver’s referendum and legislation will build on last session’s Senate Bill 84, which stated an ideal school board size of 7 members. SB 84 also included sweeping reforms in school board governance and clarified the roles and responsibilities of board members and superintendents. For more information about SB 84, please click here.
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Representative Mary Margaret Oliver represents the citizens of District 83, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2002, plus five years previous service. She currently serves on the Appropriations, Governmental Affairs, Judiciary, and Science and Technology committees.