Superintendent Thurmond is Staying

I left last night's BOE meeting after they went into executive session.

Apparently I left too soon because I missed the vote that amended Mr. Thurmond's contract to keep him in his position until June 2015.

I have mixed feelings about this.

I like Mr. Thurmond and the way he thinks. He has done some very good outside-of-the-box thinking which an educrat would not do. I mean it when I write he has the district on the right road towards improving it's core business of "Teaching and Learning." I like his energy and enthusiasm which are very refreshing.

At the same time there are things Mr. Thurmond has not done which need to be done. He is not always honest with the citizens of DeKalb and we need a leader who can be trusted.

One of the things Mr. Thurmond has not done is create a culture of accountability in the central office. Parents encounter a C'est la vie attitude when they raise concerns, if they get any response at all. The level of professionalism and customer service in the central office is still abysmal.

Overall I am happy the BOE extended Mr. Thurmond's contract. At this point he is the best superintendent DeKalb County has had in the last 8 years.