Thanks
Thanks to Laura Diamond, of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, for bringing attention to the issues raised in this blog. Also, thanks to our tech guy (Heath) for all that he has done to set up and run the technology. That has been his sole role and he has performed quite well and selflessly. Finally, we thank those of you who have sent emails or placed comments of support on the blog, your courage and determination is inspiring.
Now that the facts are out, it remains our hope that the truth will be known and it will set us all free.
posted by The Truth Will Set You Free @ 12/03/2006 12:31:00 PM
29 comments
29 Comments:
In response to the AJC article about the blog, Dr. McClure wrote, "This is all a bunch of nonsense," "I have reviewed all the allegations and discussed them with the superintendent. There are no nefarious deeds going on here."
He said the money paid to Hopewell Baptist Church was for advertisements to recruit prospective employees.
McClure said the technology program can be difficult for some to understand. He said the program is cost-effective. Roach said the district continually reviews equipment and services to ensure competitive pricing in all areas".
Based on numerous conversations that I have had with Dr. McClure, I am not surprised by this response! I believe that we need to demand the "proof" that he has reviewed and we need to see evidence of this in December's Board Meeting! This won't happen if one or two of us make this demand. I encourage all of you to write to the Board Members and tell them what you expect....also submit by Thursday, Dec.7 to Dr. Cindy Loe that you want to have this topic added to the Agenda for December's Meeting. The sad thing is that Wilbanks has final approval on the Agenda so I am not quite sure how we can be assured that this will be a topic of discussion.
P.S. I am in a recruiting position and $1,000 to a church for recruiting is a bit extreme! I want to see proof that justifies this expense!
I think the suggestion to meet and organize before the upcoming December 14th 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!).
The story appeared prominently on the front page of the Gwinnett Section of the Sunday afternoon edition of The AJC. The AJC piece was balanced, I was hoping for more digging and investigation on their part. They should have requested GCPS documents to review for themselves and hopefully will still do so for a follow-up story on this. Hopefully the District Attorney will be thorough in his review as well and ask to review School District HR documents and Accounting records and School Contracts? Not just relying on interviews.
The School Board Chairmans comments were a little ridiculous that he completely relies on the Superintendents account of the facts without looking into the accusations more thoroughly himself, so much for oversight. Or how about hiring an outside consultant to review the contracts and dealings providing a second set of trained eyes for the School Board. Or request the State of Georgia's Department of Audits to review the charges and the underlying documents involved in depth. Dr.McClure might be a good Dermatologist but he is not expert at running an organization as large as GCPS and seems to put too much faith in Mr. Wilbanks which might come back to bite him someday! The citizens must pressure the District Attorney and School Board to do a complete investigation and watch how they handle this very closely! Again contact Danny Porters office politicians only fear the ballot box...
Thank you,
Parent and Voter.
From the GCPS website:
Procedures for Addressing the Board
The agenda is prepared in advance of each meeting. Anyone wishing to speak before the Board should inform the Superintendent's office in writing by noon on the Monday prior to the Board meeting. Items for the agenda may be suggested by any Board member, staff member, or citizen.
Before each regular meeting, a public forum is held at 6:30 p.m. to allow persons not on the agenda an opportunity to address the Board. Citizens may sign up at the Board meeting to speak during the 30-minute public forum period. Speakers are asked to keep their comments brief, and no Board action is taken.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny J. Porter Gwinnett Co. Justice & Admin Center 75 Langley Drive Lawrenceville, Georgia 30045 770-822-8400 ...
If you are an employee of GCPS with useful unethical or illegal information about GCPS, contact The District Attorneys Office!
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
Attend the next School Board meeting on 12/14 get on their agenda...
It is time for a change!
The Central Office is definitely Anti-Jewish and Anti-People of Color. Yes, Miss Davis has hired a few, but they are her close friends. The district is also anti-gay. There are only 15% or less minorities in the Central Office and schools, even though the student population is approximately 60% minority. They do not reflect in any way shape or form the population they are serving. A large percentage of minorities apply, but they do not hire them.
IBM is just the tip of the iceberg! Mr. Wilbanks spent over $250,000. on his new office furniture when the move was made to the new building plus $6,000. for just the designer fabric for his lobby chairs! Why could he not use the very expensive funiture in his former office??? Also, why are any investigations by the DA's office dropped? i.e., the disciplinary discrepancies several years ago, the school police not being notified of drug and weapons arrests within the schools. Mr. Steel's fraud of the police retirement system, the purchase, remodeling, selling and leasing of the new building - and on and on and on. For some reason, the media and the DA's office just back off from investigating the system. WHY????
GCPS Employees follow your conscience report unethical and illegal activity you witness to Gwinnetts DA and continue to post them on this blog!
It only costs $50 to post an add in Monster.com. Why would they pay a church $1,000 for an add when all of the mega churches allow you to post ads for free. I am not aware of any churches that charges such a fee for recruiting, and I am sure this church doesn't. This is just a coverup. Call the church and find out how much they charge to post an ad or for recruiting in 2005. I am sure it is no where near 1,000 dollars.
All GCPS Employees and former employees do what is right if you have questions about things you have seen that might be or might not be illegal, unethical or just improper. Please for the sake of our children contact the AJC reporter at the following e-mail address: ldiamond@ajc.com...
Call the District Attorneys Office at the number below, I am sure things can be held in strict confidence.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny J. Porter
Gwinnett Co. Justice & Admin Center
75 Langley Drive
Lawrenceville, Georgia 30045
770-822-8400 ...
Do what is right do not be part of the cover-up that appears to be going on right now by members of GCPS Senior Staff and our School Board.
Make your voice heard when it will mean something.
Do the right thing!!!
Dr.McClures comments to the AJC don't match the documents because they indicate that Mr.Wilbanks wrote a personal check for the $1,000? Either GCPS cut the check or Mr. Wilbanks wrote the check. They both cannot be true? Someone is not telling the truth....
Concerned Parents can set-up a Picket Line outside the Central Offices on the night of the Board Meeting. I am sure this would receive media attention.....
Has anyone put in a Phone call to the Anti-Deflamation League, The NAACP,ACLU, The Push Coalition or Atlanta Pride's office in Atlanta. If you know of religious or racial discrimination at GCPS please contact these organizations. Also contact The US Department of Education Office on Civil Rights enforcement?
When Weiler took the information to Wilbanks, he responded by saying that “this should have never come to you like this” and proceeded to right a personal check for the full amount of $1,000. If it was for recruiting why did Wilbanks write a personal check?
In response to the AJC article about the blog, Dr. McClure wrote, "This is all a bunch of nonsense," "I have reviewed all the allegations and discussed them with the superintendent. There are no nefarious deeds going on here."
He said the money paid to Hopewell Baptist Church was for advertisements to recruit prospective employees.
P.S. I am in a recruiting position and $1,000 to a church for recruiting is a bit extreme! I want to see proof that justifies this expense!
It only costs $50 to post an ad in Monster.com. Why would they pay a church $1,000 for an ad when all of the mega churches allow you to post ads for free. I am not aware of any churches that charges such a fee for recruiting, and I am sure this church doesn't. This is just a coverup. Call the church and find out how much they charge to post an ad or for recruiting in 2005. I am sure it is no where near 1,000 dollars.
Excuse me, I've been known to be a bit slow at times so could someone please explain.
Why in the world would Mr. Wilbanks write a personal check to a church for advertising while setting in his office where he could easily have just had a county check cut?
Since they now claim it was for advertising, can we assume Mr. Wilbanks expensed it out?
The person who posted the suggestion to meet please post a contact e-mail address or phone number here so people know how to contact you so we can meet....
It is a good idea!
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 !
PS:Why did they break into to Keith's locked desk what were management looking for?
I have made arrangements for anyone that wants to meet to develop a strategy to collectively address the Board at the 12/14 Board Meeting. Our planning meeting will be held at the Gwinnett County Justice Building on Langley Drive in Conference Room A which is on the 2nd floor at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, December 5.
I realize that current GCPS employees may not feel comfortable attending but if you are a concerned parent or want to be an involved citizen, please attend so that we can determine how we want to proceed to present an united front. We can also determine who we want to put pressure to attend the meeting (TV, newspapers, politicians, etc), determine specific questions we want to ask to ensure answers, and develop a contact list if needed for future meetings.
I look forward to seeing you all!
A Concerned Parent and Taxpayer!
letters to the editor of the gwinnett section and comments about the article should be sent to the ajc. if they see an interest, perhaps they will investigate further. they're in the business of selling news. they'll do more if they feel this story has a following.
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.
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.
FIGHT AND STOP ALVINGATE NOW !!!!
GCPS Truth League...
It would be interesting to ask Mr Smith and others who left GCPS, why they chose to leave the largest school system in Ga for a smaller system and commute a long way. I understand he is not the only person to leave Finance for another smaller system and long commute?
"So what did Gwinnett County's Attorney General say about this? He refused to view this blog and told us the only way Gwinnett County would investigate is if we filed a police report. This does not seem like the due diligence that I would expect from public official.
FYI not only did GCPS give money to the church, they for a number of years supplied them with a computer and onsite technical support.
I was personally ask (by my supervisor) to go to the church after business hours and help them sort computers so that the church could get rid of some of the obsolete items.
Ernie Smith,
Former GCPS Coordinator of Technical Support Services"
So much for not using public money to support religious institutions?
Wilbanks is trying to put up a smokescreen... trying to divert all attention from what's REALLY going on by saying this information is coming from disgruntled employees. They might be disgruntled, but they are exposing the truth! Our monies are being spent as if there is no limitation.... An Open Records Request needs to be done on one, seeing how much money was actually spent on moving into the ISC and two, requesting what ALL the Central Office Administrators salaries are now... starting with Wilbanks and going down to all the Chiefs... you would be amazed...also, the REAL total of Wilbanks salary, not just what is made public. Ask for a copy of the Payroll Authorization breaking down what he is REALLY paid. Since the recent "reorg", salaries have been increased substantially yet AGAIN, while the support staff positions, (the ones who do all the work) do not increase except for the small cost of living increase and MAYBE a step increase, which is not much.
Please understand there is so much going on behind the scenes you would be shocked... Wilbanks needs to be asked to step down and let's start over with a new board also....
Why are we expecting the foxes to investigate what’s going on in the hen house??? Stop going to “do nothing” Danny Porter! GCPS receives federal money and ultimately answers to the U.S. Dept. of Education. We need to get the feds involved! Let’s REALLY get busy!!!
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 they deserve!
The citizens should attend all future Board Meetings asking questions and demanding School Board action! Keep an eye on how your money is being spent...
Attend the planning meeting tonight 12/5 at 7:00 PM at The Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 2nd floor, Conference Room A, lets put up a unified front!
Post a Comment
<< Home