So you want to run for a position on the Richmond County Board of Education?

Many people qualify but for one reason or another they do not run for this position. Sometimes the reason is due to not knowing where to start. The first site you can check is the Augusta government website. Under the Departments tab select A-E, then Board of Elections. You can visit the RCBoEd site to see the school board members, districts, contact information and when their terms are due to expire. As you can see from the site, personnel holding the positions for Districts 1, 4, 5, 8, 10 (At large district) expire December 31, 2012. This means if you want to run for one of the positions, you must register between Wednesday, May 23 beginning at 9:00 AM and no later than (NLT) Friday, May 25, 2012 by noon.

Qualifying
Qualifying for partisan (Democrat and Republican) and non-partisan offices opens Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 9:00 AM and closes at 12:00 Noon on Friday, May 25, 2012.
Information regarding the qualifications and requirements to seek public office may be found in the publication Qualifications and Disqualifications to Seek Public Office, which is published by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.

Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act of 2010
To locate information on the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act of 2010 and to file campaign reports visit the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.

This information is from page 252 of the 272 pages of the Qualifications and Disqualifications for Holding State or County Elective Office in Georgia.
MEMBER, COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Qualifications
1. Must be a citizen of this state. 
2. Must have been a resident of the county from which elected for 12 months immediately
preceding election.
3. Must be a qualified voter. O.C.G.A. § 45-2-1
4. Must reside within the school district in which he or she seeks election and in the election
district which he or she represents. Ga. Const. Art. 8, § 5, ¶ 2 O.C.G.A. § 20-2-51
Cross-Reference:
Art. 8, § 5, ¶ 2, and O.C.G.A. § 20-2-51 establish county school districts under the management and control of a county board of education.
Annotation:
Residency requirements for the election of local school board members cannot be established
by local board bylaws. Op. Atty. Gen. U97-25.
5. Must not be
a) employed by or serving on the governing board of any private educational body or
institution;
b) employed by the local board of education and be on the same board;
c) employed by either the State Department of Education or the State Board of Education.
O.C.G.A. § 20-2-51 (c)
Term of Office and Election
6. Term of office is four years unless otherwise provided by local act or constitutional
amendment. Ga. Const. Art. 8, § 5, ¶ 2 O.C.G.A. § 20-2-52
7. Elected in the general election held on Tuesday following the first Monday in November
in each even-numbered year next preceding the expiration of the term of office.
O.C.G.A. § 21-2-9
8. Elected in partisan elections unless nonpartisan elections are provided for by local law.
O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-56, 21-2-139
9. A candidate for member of a county board of education must pay a qualification fee or
file a pauper’s affidavit.
O.C.G.A. §§ 21-2-131, 21-2-132, 21-2-153
Annotations:
1. If a candidate is unable to pay required qualifying fee, candidate may execute a
pauper’s affidavit in lieu of qualifying fee and be afforded the opportunity to run.
Op. Atty. Gen. 72-48. See Georgia Socialist Workers Party v. Fortson, 315 F. Supp.
1035 (N.D. Ga. 1970).
2. A candidate for the final half of an unexpired term must pay the full qualification
fee just as if he or she were running for a full term. Op. Atty. Gen. U70-77.
3. For the purpose of computing qualifying fee, only the salary which the law provides
for the office directly involved should be included and not the additional compensation
paid for the ex-officio position held by the incumbent. Op. Atty. Gen. 70-53.
4. An elected official cannot rely on payment of an incorrectly advertised qualifying
fee to compel the governing authority to compensate the elected official beyond the
salary permitted by statute. Rowland v. Tattnall County, 260 Ga. 109, 390 S.E. 2d
217 (1990).

If you qualify, the next step is to bookmark this site, Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission and select your role, Candidate, Non-Candidate Committee, Lobbyist, Public Official, Qualifying Officer, State Employee, and/or Vendor. 

Select Candidate, check out the site and:
1. File a Declaration of Intention to Accept Contributions.
2. File a PIN Application for e-filing CCDR & PFD (Candidates / Elected Officials).
3. If you have  designated someone to file your reports or  if anyone is collecting your contributions or expending your contributions, file a Registration Form for a Candidate’s Campaign Committee.
4. File a form for Choosing Option of Separate Accounting.
5. File reports according to your schedule.

Do you want to see reports submitted by existing office holders or other campaign reports? Search reports by types:  Campaign Reports, Personal Financial Reports & Affidavits, Business Transaction Reports, Lobbyist Reports, Late/Non-Filer Reports, Campaign Contributions Map, Vendor Gifts Reports.

If you want to be one part of the change that you want, starting at the local level is an option.
Comments, recommendations +1s, and reaction check boxes are always appreciated.

Vertical silos of excellence

Success in a vertical silo of excellence is just that. You may win awards and collect accolades but if you are not integrating with others who will replace you or those you represent...well you just leave us with your vertical silo of excellence that exists in a vacuum.


Are you part of a vertical silo excellence? Are you working to eradicate one? When the decision makers exist in their own enclave who suffers? All stakeholders. So where is this coming from? 

Photo from FreeFoto.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License

October 19, 2010 Converge magazine announced the Top 10 US School Districts in Digital Technology and Richmond County School System (GA) made the list. The article still sticks in my craw.


On October 21, 2010, the Augusta Chronicle reported, Richmond Schools ranked in technology communication.


When you talk to the students, educators, parents, in this school system you would think that we are talking about another school district. This is the same school district that bans social media and cell phones. When you read the article and determine responses to the 5WH model, you can see the disconnect. The opening statement from Converge magazine's article, Top 10 US School Districts in Digital Technology:


Top school districts have been announced in the seventh annual Digital School Districts Survey by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Education and the National School Boards Association (NSBA). From the Center for Digital Education site, the description of the survey purpose is to, "Examine how school boards and their districts are applying information technology to better engage local communities and improve service delivery and quality of education in public schools" (2010).


So while the district not the schools tout this award...those of us with boots on the ground know that is award was meant for the school board aka The Puzzle Palace, The Tower of Power, or The RC Vertical Silo of Excellence.  It may brief well but when we look behind the curtain we see the real deal.


We know Mr. Svelha does a great job of broadcasting information for RCSS through Facebook, Twitter, and the RCSS website but effective communication is a collaborative process. I give him props because he did get the Richmond County School System enrolled for the SpeakUp Survey and he does respond to emails, which can be challenging because we still run different domains. We never know if the person we send email to is using the @rcboe.org or @boe.richmond.k12.ga.us.

How much better would it be if the system went to Google Apps for Education? We will keep working to eradicate the FUD perpetuated in the community and we still review the $250,000 report from 2008, Performance Review of the Richmond County School System produced by MGT of America, Inc. 


So do you exist in a vertical silo of excellence or do you work to eradicate one? 


I continue to thank my PLN that keeps me connected and continues to share with me the great things that are happening in the realms of learning, education, technology, our future leaders, and the intergenerational connectivity. Please continue to do the great things that you do and know that no matter how trivial the accomplishment means to you...it is that one little tidbit that hooks the curious to research to a root cause and find a way to implement it in the real world, regardless of where they may be or how oppressive a bureaucratic entity may try to squelch their positive actions.

Change, Passive Acceptance, DoD CFL, and RttT in Richmond County

It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it. Jacob Bronowski


In September 2010, I did a blog post on the DoD Computers for Learning Program and Executive Order 12999 and the article about former RCSS Superintendent, Dr. Bedden warning of a tech crisis in RCSS in 2008. As I transitioned back to Augusta, GA and assessed the situation I was returning to from family to community along with the upcoming elections I was curious as to how many people knew about the DoD Computers for Learning Program and why weren't all of our schools registered.


Along with a blog post, I emailed our 10 Richmond County School Board Members, those running for school board positions, some media contacts, and a couple of the PTA/PTSA newsgroups I am still connected with to see if there would be any response. I received one response...from one school board member and here it is:


I referred your email to our Instructional Technology Dept. They got back to me about this. Although we have gotten computers donated from this program, we do incur expenses in upgrading them as well as the time of our technology specialists to do this. Also, the State Dept of Education has changed standards and requirements in order to have all computers on a modern basis. The part of the SPLOST funds which can be used for technology is helping get all schools' computers on a modern basis. This would help with parts, software, and the time of our technology specialists which we are short on. (Personal communication, October 31, 2010)


I thanked this board member for their response and stated as a recipient of $16.6 million of the Race to the Top funds that the GA Department of Education has dedicated to the Richmond County School System, the least that I can expect is that our schools are registered in this program. Because I have been in the schools as a substitute teacher, volunteer, parent, taxpayer, and an involved community member I know the disconnects between what the board believes is going on technology wise in our schools to classrooms that lack technology or educators who have the technology but do not use it for whatever reason...and of course the ban of cell phones and social media.


Additional links:
Richmond County schools to get $16.6 million in Race To Top funds Federal Race to the Top grant money will go to Richmond County over 4 years (Augusta Chronicle, October 4 2010)
Georgia Wins Race to the Top (GA Department of Education, August 24, 2010)
New school code restricts social media options Effort aims to address bullying problems (Augusta Chronicle, July 17, 2010)
Richmond County School Systems eBoard Solutions


I thought there would be more progress while I was away from Augusta, GA for two years...but it appears that passive acceptance is still the accepted norm. 


It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it. Jacob Bronowski


Comments and checks in the Reaction Boxes are always welcome!

July 2008 RCSS Superintendent Dr. Bedden warns of tech crisis...

On July 11, 2008, the Augusta Chronicle featured an article, "Bedden warns of technology crisis" and "According to the school system, about $3.85 million is allocated in the general fund for technology, including personnel. Another $1.4 million comes from sales tax revenue". 


In my last post, I shared information about the Department of Defense Computers for Learning program. One issue I have with all Richmond County schools is their disconnect with Fort Gordon, Georgia, home of the Signal Corps, even though many of us are parents, tax payers, volunteers, educators, administrators, and supporters of RCSS in countless ways. 


As a Signal Soldier, one of the numerous mottos we live with is, "They can talk about us but not without us" regardless of the type (analog, digital, or IP) of communications we are working with. One of many things that has been a frustrating to me is the disconnect and the lack of technology in the schools of Richmond County. So for $chieße and giggles, I wanted to see how many of the RC schools were approved in the DoD Computers for Learning program. The results (school, year approved):

Academy of Richmond County, 2010

Diamond Lakes Elementary, 2009
Freedom Park School, 2008

Hephzibah Middle School, 2006

Jamestown Elementary School, 2009

Mcbean Elementary School, 2009

Morgan Road Middle School, 2010

Spirit Creek Middle School, 2009

Barton Chapel Elementary, 2004

Glenn Hills Middle School, 2004

Goshen Elementary School, 2008

Terrace Manor Elementary, 2008

Tobacco Road Elementary, 2008

Tutt Middle School, 2004

Wheeless Road Elementary School, 2010

Collins Elementary, 2005

East Augusta Middle School, 2004

Laney High School, 2010 ( 1 of 3 schools receiving of $1.5 million federal grant in 2010)

Willis Foreman Elementary School, 2009
Wheeless Road Elementary, 2010

Why aren't all Richmond County schools participating in this program? Why isn't being registered in the DoD Computers for Learning program a prerequisite before receiving federal funds, whether Title 1, grants, and other sources of funding? 

While former RCSS Superintendent Dr. Dana Bedden is quoted, "I basically went crawling and begging to the Signal Corps and the county for help because of the number of employees we lost". We asked each other if he stopped at the front gate.

Fast forward 2.5 years later...now what?

Google Apps Education Edition? Educate community members? Eradicate the us vs. them mentality? Read the multiple resources available through the Georgia Department of Education Keys to Quality School Improvement and resources for School Keys, GAPSS Analysis, and Implementation Resource and the Richmond County School System 2010 AYP ?

What happened to the recommendations presented by MGT of America when they conducted the Performance Review of RCSS (2008, 10 chapters, 328 pages) at a cost of $250,000 and approved by the RCBoEd? When is the last time you reviewed the RCSS Technology Plan, System Technology Inventory by School, System Technology & Media committee? 

When the F2F communication doesn't work take it to the net...or even academic research. How many times have we heard the reference to the infamous quote from Cool Hand Luke...What we have here is a failure to communicate.

If identifying the problem puts you 50% closer to finding the solution how do move towards a solution if the decision makers aren't listening?

Congrats to the Butler HS Bulldogs!

After 41 consecutive losses, the Butler Bulldogs football team has finally won a game with a victory (42-0) over Westside. This has been a long rut and I hope they continue to demonstrate improvement in all areas.


From the Augusta Chronicle 8/27/2010:  Bulldogs end long skid
After the game, Butler huddled up in victory for the first time since Oct. 21, 2005, when it beat Richmond Academy.


From Augusta Chronicle 8/24/2010: Butler's coach remains optimistic
Five consecutive losing seasons and a school-record 41-game losing streak would be enough to cripple the confidence of just about any coach.


Congrats Butler Bulldogs...I hope this is the first of many improvements seen this school year.

Coke Rewards for Schools

You can now donate to your school even if the school is not registered for Coke Rewards for Schools. If a school is not registered, they have until June 15, 2011 to redeem points. If the school does not register, accumulated points will be donated to a participating organization.


Like many other programs, Box Tops for Education, Campbell Soup Labels for Education, Target's Take Charge of Education donation program, Office Depot's Back to School Program, Donors Choose, Staples and Do Something Give Back Join a Pack program the participants are as diverse as your community. With the economy the way it is, cuts to many budgets, from local to federal, opportunities exist to encourage community support for our schools. 


My Coke Rewards now allows you to support schools that have not registered yet. 
What can schools select with Coke Rewards? Browse the catalog.

Refresh Your School Technology Sweeps - Donate points to help your school win $20,000 in computers, cameras, tvs and more from Best Buy®. Every 5 points donated earns a school 1 entry. School that register by 9/13/2010 are entered in this sweepstakes.

Q: How does my school earn entries for the Refresh Your School Technology Sweeps?


A: From July 29 – September 30, registered schools can get 1 entry for every 5 points donated by a My Coke Rewards member. During this same time, any school that registers for the program will earn 1 entry for registration and 1 entry for every 5 points donated by a My Coke Rewards member. See sweepstake rules for full details.

Q: What brands participate in the My Coke Rewards for Schools Program?


A: Any My Coke Rewards points earned from codes found on participating brand packages can be donated to a school. My Coke Rewards participating brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Sprite Zero, DASANI, POWERADE ION, Minute Maid, VAULT, Pibb Extra, Fanta, Fresca, Barq’s, and Mello Yello. For a full list of participating brands and packages, check out the “Pick Up Points” section of My Coke Rewards. Any Bonus Points earned can also be donated to schools. Participating brands may change so check the site for a complete list of current participating brands and packages.

Q: How can I help my school get registered?

A: Help put your school in play and make great things happen. Talk to your school principal, parent teacher group leader or faculty member and ask them to appoint a School Coordinator for yourschool - or even volunteer to be one. The School Coordinator is responsible for managing the school's account, encouraging community point donations, and redeeming rewards for the school. Use our email tool below to forward a message to your school and encourage them to register. Or, if you are authorized to be a School Coordinator, get your school signed up today.

This is a great opportunity to encourage community support for your school. I have tried to get anyone at Butler High School to register the school since 2006. Today I searched for schools in our district by zip code then conducted another search by city and state. Here are the results:


A BRIAN MERRY ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
A R JOHNSON HEALTH SCI ENG HS (Magnet) - Not Registered
ACADEMY OF RICHMOND CO HS - Not Registered
AQUINAS HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
AUGUSTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL - Not Registered
BARTON CHAPEL ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
BAYVALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
BUNGALOW RD ALT CNTR - Not Registered
BUTLER COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCH - Not Registered
COLLINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
COPELAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
CRAIG-HOUGHTON ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
CROSS CREEK HIGH SCHOOL - Registered
DAVIDSON FINE ARTS SCHOOL (Magnet) - Not Registered
EAST AUGUSTA MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
EVENING SCHOOL - Not Registered
GARRETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
GOSHEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GRACEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
HAINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
HORNSBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
JENKINS WHITE ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
JOHN M TUTT MIDDLE SCHOOL - Registered
JOSEPH LAMAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
JOSEY HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
LAKE FOREST HILLS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
LAMAR-MILLEDGE ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
LANGFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
LUCEY C LANEY HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
MEADOWBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
MONTE SANO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
MURPHEY MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
NATIONAL HILLS ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
REYNOLDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
ROY E ROLLINS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
SEGO MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
SOUTHSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
TERRACE MANOR ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
TOBACCO ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
TUBMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
WALKER TRADITIONAL MAGNET SCH - Registered
WARREN ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
WHEELESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
WILKINSON GARDENS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
WINDSOR SPRING ROAD ELEM SCH - Not Registered

Do you support schools by participating in any of these programs, Box Tops for Education, Campbell Soup Labels for Education, Target's Take Charge of Education donation program, Office Depot Back to School Program, Donors Choose, Staples and Do Something Give Back Join a Pack program, local businesses to major corporations?

Do you have a favorite? Which programs to you recommend when seeking community support? Do you support schools not in your district to support family and friends that do not live in your community? What ways do you encourage/participate in community opportunities to demonstrate your support for learning, education, and those who will eventually replace you?



Comments are welcome.

What would you do? Response from RCSS...

During a recent assignment in Research Methods, self-reflection was required for one part of the assignment.

I am challenged during this course because many of the required reading assignments are in printed books...got it, no problem implementing the Adapt, Implement and Overcome attitude is something I can do. The required text books are in My Library using Google Books but the views are "No Preview Available" and "Limited Preview" and the books have some type of online supplement which are annotated in the notes. During the self-reflection process I came across a document that challenged me to return to school...again.

I believe this response from the Richmond County School System was the straw that catapulted me into grad school. What would you do if your school board responded to written questions like this? Were the questions to difficult? Isn't this information that anyone associated with a school should have access too? Have you encountered this type of response from the school board and school administrators? I followed RCSS protocol to appear on the agenda, had silent support from many parents, students, administrators, and educators but when the board meeting was adjourned, I had two principals ask me, "What are you going to do when the board doesn't respond?" At first I was shocked that school principals would ask me this but I responded that we will cross that bridge if/when we come to that point. I truly believed that the school board would answer all of the questions...I can remember being at Butler High School that day when the principal brought me the written response from the board...more than 60 days after the questions were submitted to the board.

When RCSS hired Dr. Dana Bedden, this document was presented to him during one of his first Meet and Greet sessions yet 3 years later no updates and the document resides in the public record of the RCSS repository.

So here it is from 2007...

Response from the Richmond County Board of Education

Your comments on the response (or lack of) and whether or not it would have prompted you to do something or accept the status quo are appreciated...or select of the Reaction buttons below this post.

RCSS and APA Dropout Prevention

On September 19, 2009, the Richmond County School System (RCSS) in partnership with America's Promise Alliance hosted a dropout prevention summit.

The session consisted of individuals who presented information, a Youth Panel, and breakout sessions. This organized occasion was held at Davidson Fine Arts School. This event is one part of what RCSS must do to justify the grant from APA and support the five year plan.

RCSS recently launched a Facebook page and as of today has 240 fans. Like the RCSS website, the social network connection is still one way transmission from the RCSS. In support of the dropout prevention summit, I created a Ning, RCSS APA Dropout Prevention to allow those who want to support the effort virtually and remain informed about opportunities to assist RCSS students to be successful but cannot attend events.

Many people in Augusta, GA are not given opportunities to virtually interact with others and support the RCSS Mission statement which is, "to educate students to become lifelong learners and productive citizens." The RCSS APA Dropout Prevention Ning allows those to continue on the lifelong journey and be productive citizens. Another purpose of the RCSS APA Dropout Prevention Ning is to provide some assistance to RCSS diminish their perceived reputation as The Tower of Power and/or the Puzzle Palace.

People want to do something to see the students in Augusta graduate and be productive citizens but are not always sure where to start or what they can do. The RCSS APA Ning allows individuals to join others and become aware of things they can do to share knowledge and learn from others who yearn to see Augusta students succeed.

Want to help? Check out the RCSS APA Ning and join if you want to see students succeed.