Article Upcoming in the AJC
Good news! The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has decided to run a story on the blog on Friday. Laura Diamond, the education reporter for the Gwinnett section, will be writing the piece. I am grateful for the AJC taking an interest in the site and look forward to a fair, well-balanced article, given the AJC's reputation as a newspaper and Ms. Diamond's journalistic integrity.
Below is my e-mail interaction with Ms. Diamond...
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 19:15:07 -0800 (PST)
From: "Heath Mills"
Subject: Re: Fw: gcps.blogspot.com
To: "Laura Diamond"
Laura,
Again, I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I would like to thank both you and the AJC for choosing to write about our blog. Given your paper's readership, I am excited about the number of Gwinnett citizens that your article will direct to the blog.
I also would like to thank you for taking the time to contact me before writing your story (and I am sorry again for allowing you to do so much searching before I had an opportunity to respond). I am the blog's creator, but serve merely as "the technology guy." My role doesn't extend farther than that.
Unfortunately, after receiving the nature of your questions, I feel like the nature of your interest in the blog is misguided. I was disappointed to see that you are more interested in the messengers than the message that is provided. It has been disheartening that some who visit the site are so caught up in who may or may not be involved in the blog’s production beforehand that they fail to consider the message being delivered. The good news is that most readers have not fallen into that trap and have elected to read what is presented with an open mind.
I plan to post our e-mail conversation later this evening so that readers of the blog will know to expect your upcoming story. Once again, thank you for choosing to write about the blog. I hope that you will encourage your readers to visit the site and form their own opinions about the information that is being presented.
I have read many of your previous articles and am sure you are set to do many more great things in your journalistic career. I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors. Hope your Thanksgiving weekend was relaxing and enjoyable and your upcoming holiday season is even better.
Best Regards,
Heath Mills
To: "Heath Mills"
Subject: Re: Fw: gcps.blogspot.com
From: "Laura Diamond"
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:13:52 -0500
Hi Heath –
I understand how busy things can get with work.
Would it be possible for us to meet in person rather than talking over the phone? If not, I will be in the office until about 6 today. That number is 770-###-####. From about 6:30 on you can reach me on my cell phone. That number is 404-###-####.
I'm sure once we talk I will have more questions for you. Basically I am interested in: whether you work/used to work for Gwinnett schools; why you started the blog; where you found the posted information; and what you hope will be the result of making this information available.
I look forward to speaking with you.
-- Laura
Laura Diamond
Staff Writer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ldiamond@ajc.com
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 10:36:23 -0800 (PST)
From: "Heath Mills"
Subject: Re: Fw: gcps.blogspot.com
To: "Laura Diamond"
Laura,
Please allow me to apologize as work has interfered in my chance to get back to you sooner. I would like to respond to any questions that you have for me. If you could, please e-mail me whatever you are interested in knowing, and I will call you this evening. Thanks.
-Heath
To: heathmills2000@yahoo.com, gwinnett2@mail.com
Subject: Fw: gcps.blogspot.com
From: "Laura Diamond"
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:56:29 -0500
Mr. Mills -
Hello again.
I am planning to write an article for Friday's newspaper about your blog and would still like to ask you a few questions. I'd appreciate it if you were to call me at 770-###-####. I have also left messages with every Heath Mills I was able to find listed in Georgia in the hopes of speaking with you.
I hope to speak with you soon.
-- Laura Diamond
Laura Diamond
Staff Writer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ldiamond@ajc.com
To: heathmills2000@yahoo.com, gwinnett2@mail.com
Subject: gcps.blogspot.com
From: "Laura Diamond"
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:21:42 -0500
Mr. Mills -
Hello. My name is Laura Diamond and I am a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Your name and email address was posted as a contact on the gcps.blogspot.com site. In another posting you were identified as the blog's creator.
I am working on a story about the blog and other stories about some of the allegations raised on the site and would like to ask you a few questions. If you could please call me I would greatly appreciate it. I can be reached at 770-###-####. I should be in the office until about 6:30 p.m. today. If there is another time you’d like to speak, just send me the time and a contact number and I will call you at your convenience.
Thank you for your time. I hope to speak with you soon.
-- Laura Diamond
Laura Diamond
Staff Writer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ldiamond@ajc.com
posted by The Truth Will Set You Free @ 11/30/2006 10:15:00 PM
37 comments
37 Comments:
bravo! having dealt with the ajc in a similar situation, i feel confident that these issues will be brought intelligently and without bias to the attention of the public. this is very good news!
After the article comes out the citizens of Gwinnett must keep up the pressure. By e-mailing and calling members of The School Board and Gwinnett County's Distict
Attorney to conduct a thorough investigation of all these allegations and others not disclosed here. Providing the Taxpayers with answers!
The citizens should attend all future Board Meetings asking questions and demanding School Board action!
Problems and Concerns !!!
1. Problems with the management of our classrooms.Wilbanks Philosophy and interference!
2. Problems in the Transportation Department.(mismanagement and hiring).Buying plush houses for staff member use? Contributions to only area Christian Church's by the department with public funds?
3.Problems and games played in Human Resources, the HR Director supporting her church and others with GCPS Assets. Coaching selected candidates for interviews behind closed doors ? FD's relatives and church members being hired and given favortism...
4.Problems in Accounting and Auditing. False leave reports by Keith Knight for years. Unqualified people hired without professional certifications and graduate degrees. Auditors not working 8 hours a day? No oversight by Mr. Wilbanks apparently. Rush to hire replacements for new openings without proper advertising for positions... No new procedures put in place to prevent these problems in the future?
5. Overspending on Computers and Peoplesoft implementation. Where was Mr. Wilbanks again ??? IBM abusing GCPS employees and writing their own PO's? Wilbanks using his County Platinum American Express Card to lavishly decorate his offices...
6.Nepotism in the Schools and the central office, why was this allowed ?
The School Board must look into these things now and if some of them are true, fire Mr. Wilbanks today!!!
The Public needs to speak out using all available means now !
Use the Open Records Law to look for proof yourself, call, write and e-mail GCPS Senior Management and School Board Members demanding answers now!
Look what the American Public did by speaking out in stopping the publication of OJ's new book. Gwinnett County citizens can be as successful if eveyone tries!
Y'all need to read between the lines. Appears to me that Ms. Diamond may have been more interested in who than what.
I'm kind of looking for that type of slant in her article. I guess we'll see.
I looked in todays paper no article is someone lying or games being played by the ajc?
i'm guessing they meant next friday. it would take awhile to do a good job with this much info.
Jose Perez was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Perdue on April 12, 2004. The state BOE sets education policy and judges legal appeals that are not resolved at the local (School Board) level.
Just 13 months after Perez was appointed to the board, GCPS Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks initiated a consulting deal with Target Market Trends, whose president and sole-proprieter is Jose Perez. This 1-year contract was in the amount of $150,000 to work on Phase III of the district's Hispanic Outreach Initiative. We neither know of nor have found any documentation of TMT working on previous phases of the Hispanic Outreach (prior to Perez being appointed to the BOE).
As the schedule shows, the contract was to provide recruitment strategies for Hispanic teachers and administrators, support the development of the GCPS foundation, improve performance among Latino students and develop Latino awareness courses for current employees. No itemized billing for professional services was required.
Interestingly enough, the contract also allowed for at least one trip for Perez and two GCPS employees to Puerto Rico that totalled more than $2,400 that was covered by additional taxpayer dollars. (Note: One GCPS employees was Human Resource Director Frances Davis, who will appear in multiple future blog entries).
During the time of this contract, The record will show that the state Board acted on at least several appeals relating to employment termination disputes raised by now-former GCPS employees. This is a clear conflict of interest. However, it does make life a lot simpler for Wilbanks and those pulling the strings within GCPS each time they immediately terminate any district employee who dares to question or look into other questionable spending practices by the school system.
To further the audacity, Wilbanks and Perez signed another 2-year deal on June 6th to continue the consulting payments to Perez. The contract dictats that Perez and TMT will receive $100,000 a year to provide “Hispanic outreach,” “NCLB reauthorization, including Monthly DC interaction,” “support GCPS Professional development and Foundation efforts,” and “provide support for the Georgia Legislature and the PSC.”
Not only is this new contract a clear conflict of interest, it obligates GCPS to a 2-year contract with no provision for non-appropriation by the School Board. Why? Because Alvin Wilbanks believes that no one has the right to question his authority or decisions.
I agree the questions concerning
Internal Audits and what has happened in the department and GCPS in general, needs to be addressed at the next Board Meeting on 12/14 with the News Media and the general public present in mass! Some people peacefully holding signs at the meeting would help get the message across.
They are replacing the Director of Internal Audit who was forced out for questionable reasons? His
replacement should be someone of unquestionable ethics in light of things discussed on this blog. A capable professional who has had alot of Supervisory experience in the Internal Audit or Public Accounting Sector. A person who has a CPA or CIA certification at a minimum. Someone who has not been involved with this ongoing mess! A person who is independent ethical and not part of the old boy network that currently exists at GCPS. Someone with no ties to Dr.Davis or Mr.Wilbanks. Someone who will make auditors work a full day!
Hopefully it is not too late to see this independent type of strong professional hired by GCPS !
Hiring of a replacement is in process currently. The hiring process needs to be evaluated in the open. Outside Public Accountants should be part of the search and hiring process. An outside consultant should probably look at the role of the Internal Audit Department and function at GCPS.
The general public should demand it and watch who eventually does get this very important job closely. This person should report directly to our local school board! Please call and or write your School Board representative and demand that this is done now... Hopefully it is not too late. The School Board will respond to public pressure or the next election is not that far away. Let's clean up this mess and demand excellence and the best schools in the state....
Thank you,
Concerned Parent
The article should not go in The Gwinnett Section but the Metro Section. This due to the consulting contract with the State BOE member?
I have now given information to Danny Porter and WSB-TV, about the waste in transportation, as well as in the past to at least two members of the board. I will continue to help fight for what is right.
I looked up the job description of the Board of Education Members. Interesting as to what they "should" be doing!
From my viewpoint, they aren't doing the following adequately:
- not enough “control” in place to ensure they are overseeing the Superintendent (#2).
- the staff, parents and local citizens are not permitted under this current administration to participate in the development of programs and policies (#3).
- most alarming is that there isn’t evidence of a teaching climate that ensures the best possible education because JAW won't allow the teachers to use their creativity, etc.(#4).
We need to call on the Board to act and do what they have been elected to do or allow us to put people on the Board that will.
Read on!
1)Provides an educational program and instructional arrangement which permits each child to develop to his/her full potential;
2)Develops and provides data appropriate for the management functions of planning, evaluating, organizing, controlling, and executing;
3)Ensures that staff, students, parents and all local citizens are provided the opportunity to participate in the develop and evaluation of programs and policies:
4)Provides an effective teaching climate to ensure the opportunity for the best possible education.
5)Provides a system level comprehensive school improvement plan that includes a component for staff development and professional development. In addition, the Board shall require the appointment of a staff development coordinate/director and a staff development advisory committee.
We all need to attend the Board Meeting on 12/14. If we want the Board Agenda to address our concerns, we must send a request to the Board by 12/7 with specific material that we wish to be covered. Perhaps a group of concerned parents should figure out a way to strategize prior to 12/7 so that we can ensure we are on the agenda and that our issues/concerns are addressed. As parents, we shouldn't be afraid of retalliation! If we stick together and demand that this be added, the Superintendent can't choose to leave it off the Agenda.
Please comment if there is interest and we can figure out a way to meet.
I, too, am a teacher with GCPS. In addition, I train, support, and encourage new teachers in my subject area. And, I'm totally sick and tired of how county office bureaucrats are forcing talented and highly competent instructional personnel to violate their training, instincts, and best judgement in order to develop a bland "cookbook" model in Gwinnett for teaching and learning.
This crowd of administrative fools are literally sucking the fun, excitement, and creative energy out of our students' learning programs. This 'teach by the numbers' experiment has been a dismal failure and a disgrace.
Superintendent Wilbanks has been training a cadre of young, inexperienced and completely clueless "educators" to take over as Principals as older school leaders are shoved aside. These hardheaded young neophytes are being trained at Dacula High or North Gwinnett, then fed into high schools (most recently Peachtree Ridge, Norcross, and Grayson) and middle schools to enact Wilbank's grand vision to scuttle the broadbased, liberal arts-oriented curriculum that has served our diverse democracy so well throughout the past 125 yrs. of public education... in favor of an educational focus on technical-vocational careerism. I'd like our kids to learn how to spell, read, appreciate their history and culture, and learn how to use their heads before using only their hands.
Several dozen educators in Gwinnett have now organized an advisory group, known as the Society of the White Rose. It is our intention to soon launch a new professional association of teachers, support staff, and friends under the banner of 'The Teachers' Alliance of Gwinnett (TAG)' Goals will include educating the public; forging partnerships with parents; assisting teachers/staff when they are under direct assault by the Wilbanks crowd, though not actually guilty of any serious offense, etc.
We hope and pray that the community will lend its support. We not only want Wilbanks OUT, but his complete team and his total agenda as well.
To the contrary of anti-color....thanks to Francis Davis, a black woman, more blacks have been appointed to Principal and Assistant Principal than ever before. The Human Resources dept. is full of black people. She has done a good job of mixing up colors of employees.
However, Her picks as principals have failed. Arthur Knight, her friend from church was promoted to Lilburn MS Principal. Under his leadership the school not went from bad to worse in scores, violence and moral. He had the highest turnover rate of any school in GCPS. But he promoted Francis Davis's sister to an AP position before he was yanked mid school year to some made up county position in student discipline where he failed again...He was last seen as a teacher somewhere...
Principals at Meadowcreek ES and HS were also blacks and friends of FD.....one was forced to resign after she stole money from the PTA and altered reviews of her staff without anyone's knowledge. The other was abruptly removed from the HS mid year, where she also had a huge turnover rate of teachers, scores were down, AYP issues.....
Other friends of FS have gone from obsecurity as teachers to AP's to principalships in skyrocket time. One now is at the county office working for her as one who hires administrators, all in less than 7 years.
I have seen good outstanding teachers and leaders get bypassed for AP positions while their fellow teachers of color get promoted. TO make it worse, they are lousy leaders who do not follow thru, have zero discipline skills, ignore requests of teachers for leadsership, while they persue their next goal of being a principal!
No I am not racist but the actions of FD are causing alot of people to think that way.
So to counter the earlier poster, GCPS is quite the Affirmative Action organization!
Color has nothing to do with being a good leader....
FIGHT AND STOP ALVINGATE NOW !!!!
GCPS Truth League...
Mr. Wilbanks, IBM does not have GCPS best interest at heart. They are one of the largest companies in the world that have one motive, 'make money'. I am not sure $611 to setup a computer is really a bargin. You say there is more to this story, what could it be? Even more charges
I for one would agree with much of what you have stated. As a former fellow GCPS employee, I see wastefulness in many areas. Yet, our leaders are constantly requesting more and more handouts.
PLEASE FLOOD GCPS WITH E-MAILS TO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT USING THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL FORMAT ASKING QUESTIONS THAT CONCERN YOU AND DEMANDING CHANGE FOR THE BETTER NOW:
firstname_lastname@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Leadership Team:
Dr.Robert McClure School Board
Chairman
Louise Radloff Vice Chairwoman
Alvin Wilbanks School Superintendent
Francis Davis HR Director &
Associate Superintendant
Division of Academic Support
Associate Superintendent
Bobby Crowson
Division of Teaching & Learning
Dr.Cindy Loe
Associate Superintendent
Rick Cost, Chief Financial Officer, GCPS
Chief Operations Officer
Jim Steele
Using the following e-mail address
format below for each person e-mailed:
firstname_lastname@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
ex:alvin_wilbanks@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Democracy is about speaking your mind and paticipating and being vigilant.
Also remember the sqeaky wheel gets the oil....
Why were the former CFO Jeff Weiler and The Former Director of Internal Audit Mr. Keith Knight escorted out of the Central Offices on the same day a couple of months ago by School Police Officers (SRO) at the same time ? This always seemed strange to me and others. This was also
never explained by Mr. Wilbanks? The whole building saw what happened !
I wonder if The School Board members were interviewed for The AJC article individually or just the blog administrator?
GCPS Phone Numbers for your Info and use:
Department/Office Phone
Chief Financial Officer (678) 301-6200
Administrative Information System (678) 377-7369
Budgets and Financial Reporting (678) 301-6210
Business Services, Purchasing (Bids) (678) 301-6390
Document Services (Records) (678) 301-6300
Finance and Accounting (678) 301-6210
Internal Audit (678) 301-6233
Payroll Services (678) 301-6260
Property Management (678) 301-6390
Retirement Services (678) 301-6267
Department/Office Phone
Chief Human Resources Officer (678) 301-6100
Executive Director of Human Resources Staffing (678) 301-6055
Executive Director of Human Resource Systems (678) 301-6103
Department of Internal Resolution (678) 301-6050
Department of Professional Learning (678) 301-7095
Department of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) (678) 301-7258
Benefits Administration (678) 301-6108
Central Office Staffing (678) 301-6082
Compensation (678) 301-6108
Elementary School Staffing (678) 301-6085, (678) 301-6121, or (678) 301-6122
High School Staffing (678) 301-6058
Middle School Staffing (678) 301-6060
Recruitment and Retention (678) 301-6075
Substitute Staffing (678) 301-6072
Teacher Certification and CPI (678) 301-6070
Department/Office Phone
Associate Superintendent (678) 301-7000
Office of Area Superintendents (678) 301-7255
Department of Curriculum and Instruction (678) 301-7030
Continuous Improvement (678) 301-7002
Curriculum Development and Instructional Support (678) 301-7011
English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) (678) 301-7077
Fine Arts (678) 301-7015
Foreign Language (678) 301-7020
Gifted and Talented Education (678) 301-7020
Health (678) 301-7040
International Newcomer Center (678) 985-5200
Language Arts (678) 301-7043
Lead Data Administrator Title Schools (678) 301-7013
Mathematics (678) 301-7037
Physical Education (678) 301-7040
Prekindergarten Programs (678) 301-7126
Science (678) 301-7036
Social Studies (678) 301-7028
Special Education and Psychological Services (678) 301-7133
Technical Education/Computer Science/Apprenticeships (678) 301-7050
Department/Office Phone
Associate Superintendent (678) 301-7286
Executive Director for Academic Support (678) 301-7287
Executive Director of Accountability, Assessment, and Advisement (678) 301-7025
Director of Development (678) 301-6025
Accountability (678) 301-7053
Advisement and Counseling (678) 301-7063
Assessment (678) 301-7057
Athletics, Student Activities, and Community Schools (678) 301-7274
Federal and Special Programs (678) 301-7060
Health Services, School Social Workers, Home School Office, and Transfers (678) 301-7273
Media and Information Services (678) 301-6431
Planning (678) 301-7085
Research and Evaluation (678) 301-7090
Safe and Drug-Free Schools (678) 301-7033
Safety and Security (770) 513-6715
Safety and Security Hotline (770) 822-6513
School Nutrition (678) 301-6246
Student Discipline and Behavior Interventions (770) 513-6607
Does someone have Mr. Wilbanks and Dr Davis's home addresses and phone numbers to post on the blog ?
For your use in writing letters, sending faxes and making phone calls to our public servants, hold them accountable and question them...
Dr. Robert McClure, District IV, 2006 Chairman
1446 Oleander Drive
Lilburn, GA 30047
Board Business (770) 736-0001 Fax (770) 736-4591
Louise Radloff, District V, 2006 Vice Chairman
4439 Plantation Lane
Norcross, GA 30093
Home (770) 923-4784 Fax (770) 931-5700
Carole Boyce, District I
3287 Bailey Road
Dacula, GA 30019
Phone (770) 995-5334 Fax (678) 376-8633
Dr. Mary Kay Murphy, District III
4516 Ridgegate Drive
Duluth, GA 30097
Home (770) 840-9752 Fax (770) 582-7507
Daniel D. Seckinger, District II
4583 Mulberry Fields Lane
Auburn, GA 30011
Home (770) 962-3214 Fax (770) 338-4854
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny J. Porter Gwinnett Co. Justice & Admin Center 75 Langley Drive Lawrenceville, Georgia 30045 770-822-8400 ...
I noticed that nobody has disagreed with the statements concerning the lack of Jews in the Central Office and School leadership positions. Also GCPS has contributed technology and aid to Christian Church's. Every Jewish
Synagogue in Gwinnett County should request similar assistance from GCPS via phone or letter today....
Who Does What: Meet the AJC Ed Team
By Patti Ghezzi | Saturday, January 1, 2005, 02:30 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NOTE: OUR STAFF IS IN TRANSITION NOW DUE TO ATTRITION AND OTHER ISSUES… I TRY TO KEEP THIS RESOURCE CURRENT. Patti Ghezzi
Keith Graham, editor kgraham@ajc.com
Fran Jeffries, assistant editor fjeffries@ajc.com
Andrea Jones, reporter, higher education 404-526-7217, ajones@ajc.com
Patti Ghezzi, reporter, statewide prek - 12 issues and trends; Atlanta Public Schools, private schools; blogmaster; 404-526-2782, pghezzi@ajc.com GOING ON LEAVE NOV. 21. CONTACT KEITH, FRAN AND/OR BRIDGET IN MY ABSENCE. (My personal e-mail address is pattighezzi@hotmail.com)
Fulton County schools: POSITION VACANT; PLEASE SEND NEWS TO KEITH AND FRAN
Laura Diamond, reporter, Gwinnett County schools 770-263-3892, ldiamond@ajc.com
Bridget Gutierrez, reporter, Fayette and Coweta schools/Legislature 770-716-8505, bgutierrez@ajc.com
Chris Reinolds, reporter, Cherokee County schools CURRENTLY ON MATERNITY LEAVE. SEND CHEROKEE NEWS TO FRAN. 770-373-8708, creinolds@ajc.com
Diane Stepp, reporter, Cobb County schools and Marietta city schools 770-509-4041, dstepp@ajc.com
Kristina Torres, reporter, DeKalb County and Decatur city schools 404-479-8604, ktorres@ajc.com
Heather Vogell, reporter, Clayton County schools CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO AN INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT. PLEASE SEND CLAYTON NEWS TO 770-282-8304, hvogell@ajc.com
Permalink | |
It was the Manager of IMD whose daughter was employed several years back as the IMD receptionist.
In a privately owned company if the owner wants to employ and supervise his own daughter there is no problem. This is not proper in a government agency using public tax dollars.
Who is the anonymous contractor who supposedly works in HR that earns over 100K a year? He used to go into the office for two hours a day and now does not show up at all and continues to draw a paycheck. Why is it that FD continues to misappropriate taxpayers funds. And please tell me why she is buying textbooks for JF in HR who earns over 116k a year to go to grad school. There are numerous of teachers who earn far less and they do not get assistance from the county to attend grad school. Is this a new program that only JF benefits from,the FD scholarship fund for JF!
And to piggyback on the earlier comment, where did they find the new principal of MHS? What quality of leaders are they promoting? I surely am glad that my child does not attend that school.
Who is the anonymous contractor who supposedly works in HR that earns over 100K a year? He used to go into the office for two hours a day and now does not show up at all and continues to draw a paycheck. Why is it that FD continues to misappropriate taxpayers funds. And please tell me why she is buying textbooks for JF in HR who earns over 116k a year to go to grad school. There are numerous of teachers who earn far less and they do not get assistance from the county to attend grad school. Is this a new program that only JF benefits from,the FD scholarship fund for JF!
And to piggyback on the earlier comment, where did they find the new principal of MHS? What quality of leaders are they promoting? I surely am glad that my child does not attend that school.
Unfortunately, the majority of the people working in central office are too worried about keeping their jobs to be able to speak out. The environment of distrust and the Frances Davis Reign of Terror are overwhelmingly apparent in the new offices in Suwanee. Most employees have been with the county too long to risk giving up their retirement benefits and therefore continue to work in that unethical environment. Believe me, there are huge numbers of current employees reading this blog daily and nodding their heads in agreement. As a former employee of GCPS, I have seen first hand the damage that has been done and continues to happen by Frances Davis. How many employees has she hired from her church that had little or no experience? How many employees have lost their jobs or been moved to a different department because they had the audacity to question the Great Doctor Davis? And what happened to the Assistant Director of HR? Is her absence yet another internal scandal?
I continue to admire those of you who continue to plug away, mouths closed, eyes wide open, doing the work that the Public pays you to do. You are doing a great job! Hopefully you will soon be rid of the current Superintendent and his cronies and Gwinnett County will bring in a fresh group of leaders: Leaders who believe in ethical behavior, truth, honesty and who have the children of Gwinnett County as their priority.
In this day of free speech, how can our director threathen us with termination if we add to the blog and he finds out?
Georgia is a Right to Work State you are an employee at will. You can be terminated with no reason which allows this type of intimidation that exists at GCPS.
Contact your State Legislator to change this law in our state.
I think the suggestion to meet and organize for the upcoming board meeting is a good one! We could meet at a library that's centrally located and discuss our concerns and the presentation to the board. For those that would prefer to speak on their own, they could place themselves on the board agenda as well. Public comment is also available from 6:30-7:00 pm. ***But you will not be on the record and the board members won't respond to you during the public comment period (unless of course they like what you've said!).
I’m noticing lots of comments about Francis Davis. What seems to be overlooked here is that she isn’t in charge of GCPS. Alvin Wilbanks is in charge and is accountable for EVERYTHING that goes on! She couldn’t “reign” if he didn’t want her to do so! In a school, it is the principal that sets the tone for the building. For a school system, it is the Superintendent that sets the tone. The school board’s job is to oversee the Superintendent. 'Nuff said!!
Someone needs to post an actual meeting place or an e-mail address contact to bring this about?
This is sickening! Why does Human Resources need an outside contractor? There are enough people employed in that office to do what needs to be done in GCPS. If they got rid of the fluff, the people who call themselves coordinators and directors, who intimidate the support staff who actually do the work, then outside contractors would not be needed.
Where are the board members? We as Gwinnett County citizens need to make them accountable for the actions of the superintendent and his staff.
Again as stated in a previous comment. HR spending $100K is pocket change for Grant Reppert and the transportation department. That much is spent weelky on consultants. FOR WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All Dr McClure would need to do is take a look at where the money goes, rather than take JAW's word, and he and the board would have to do something.
69 Million dollars transportation budget, where miliions on millions is not being spent to transport our kids safely to and from school, but to build as big a army as can be buikt. Take a look at the furniture expenses, take a look at who and why people travel all over the US, take a look and you will see the Director working on presentations for vendors who will pay for his travel, while he is being paid by GCPS. Take a look at the number of people who have been taken out of the driving ranks and put in office positions, much like FD because Grant or someone he commands wants that person. Take a look at the watse of money using those county cars to get to and from work. Take a look at all the houses around the county that were purchased for hundreds of thousands of dollars to be use as a dinning room for drivers and supervisors. Take a look at how many buses are still on the road when our kids are in school and buses should be parked. Take a look at when buses should be picking up kids, sitting in parking lots getting paid to be there. Take a look at the money spent to send Grant and as many of his staff as possible to conventions where there is more time being spent playing golf and family fun time than work related time.
All you have to do is ask us who work under the thumb of Grant. Those of us who have gone to Grant or office manager over and over again to let them know how out of control overtime pay has gotten.
All you have to do is look into this one department spending and assure the people you speak with that they do not have to woory about their jobs, and they will speak.
Just someone take the right stance and ask, don't just take JAW words.
To the individual with all the facts on The GCPS Transportation Department why don't you e-mail them to Laura Diamond with the AJC and share them with the District Attorneys Office?
The information about the wasted spending habits in transportation are about to be exposed in a big way. The county and board is about to see just how out of hand the transportation department spending is. I do believe that when this information is presented then the rest of the school system will be open to either addressing how the money is wasted or changes in the Director levels will begin to help JAW safe face. This one is big I mean real big. I have been able to get in contact with I believe a great source to help expose the spending waste that is going on in transportation. First hand paperwork of where the tay payers money is going. Misc. spending out of control.
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