Georgia school district loses accreditation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) announced today that the 50,000-student Clayton County school system is the first in the nation to lose accreditation since 1969. The ruling confirms the worst fears of Clayton’s 271,000 residents. Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell, who was in the meeting at SACS headquarters in Decatur when the announcement came, confirmed the loss of accreditation. “I’m disappointed. I think we still have a window of hope because there is an appeal process,” he said. Bell said he summoned the committee of citizens who helped the school district when it was on probation five years ago. No accreditation means students will have a tougher time getting into some colleges and universities. They may also have difficulty obtaining scholarships. Without accreditation, Clayton will also lose pre-kindergarten funding and some teacher benefits. The county also expects more students to flee. About 2,000 students have already left, superintendent John Thompson said. In March, the national commission unanimously voted to revoke accreditation unless the school system met nine mandates by September. The first mandate was to establish a board that fulfills its roles and responsibilities. This is the second time is five years SACS cited Clayton for micromanaging, abuse of power, conflict of interest and other unethical violations.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/28/08, By Megan Matteucci
[Editor’s Note: For background, see the links below. Meanwhile, the Naples Daily News reports that Florida’s Collier County School Board faces its own accreditation peril with SACS as a result of poor working relationships among its members. While board acrimony continues to be a problem, the board (1) has approved a revision to its policies, some of which had not been updated in 34 years; (2) has participated in training session by the Florida School Boards Association and others; (3) is exploring “working with Florida Gulf Coast University to identify areas for improvement in conjunction with the development of a strategic plan to include board and superintendent goals and evaluation measures”; and (4) is considering adopting a code of conduct for its members based on the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA) Code of Ethics. The code can be accessed on ISBA’s website, below, by clicking on the “Code of Ethics” link in the left-hand menu.
Earlier this month, the director of accountability for Tennessee’s state Department of Education warned Nashville school board members about “micromanaging or going around schools and berating newly installed principals,” against the backdrop of the school district’s having entered restructuring status under No Child Left Behind and the prospect next year of state takeover and removal of school board members. For details and background, see the next two links. Finally, the Northeast News chronicles the dispute between the North Forest School Board and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott’s announcement that he plans to replace the district’s school board and the superintendent. U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who supports the present board, says TEA’s action may violate the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.]
NSBA School Law pages on Clayton County board
Naples Daily News, 8/22/08, By Katherine Lewis
Indiana School Boards Association Code of Ethics
Tennesseean, 8/7/08, By Natalia Mielczarek
NSBA School Law pages on Nashville school reform
Northeast News, 8/27/08, By Staff