Local School Leaders Fighting Federal Budget Cuts

At a national conference this week, Gwinnett school leaders are hoping to protect education programs from across-the-board federal budget cuts, known as sequestration.

Two Gwinnett County Board of Education members are among school leaders in Washington, DC, this week to help protect school programs from "across-the board" federal budget cuts. Carole Boyce, school board chairwoman and District I representative; and DR. Mary Kay Murphy, District III representative, are present at the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) 40th annual Federal Relations Network Conference. The three-day conference ends Jan. 29. Dr. Murphy represents Duluth Cluster schools on the Gwinnett County Board of Education. Along with Boyce and Murphy, some 700 school board and state school boards association leaders are meeting with members of Congress on Tuesday. They are hoping to protect education programs from across-the-…

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GCPS Board Challenger Raising Funds

Jen Falk, a founding board member of Ivy Prep Academy, lists over $2,500 in itemized contributions.

  The challenger for a Gwinnett County school board position has raised more than $2,500 in itemized contributions, according to disclosure records. Jen Falk, a Berkeley Lake resident, lists contributions from people in Duluth and the Atlanta area, as well as some out of state residents. This is according to state disclosure records provided by Falk to Patch. The disclosures have not been posted electronically by the state. Falk, a founding board member of Ivy Prep Academy, is seeking the District III seat currently held by Dr. Mary Kay Murphy. Contributions to Murphy's campaign effort total $1,250, according to state records. “Raising money for a campaign is new to me," Falk said in a news release. "I’m not a career politician and never …

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Dr. Mary Kay Murphy Announces Re-election Plans

Dr. Murphy has served on the Gwinnett County Board of Education since January 1997 and as board chair in 2000, 2004 and 2010.

District III Gwinnett County Board of Education member Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D., announced Thursday (Feb. 16) that she will seek re-election in November 2012. Her reapportioned school board district includes Duluth, Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Berkeley Lake, Suwanee, North Gwinnett and Sugar Hill. “I am running for another term to continue my work as a builder of Gwinnett County k-12 public schools and communities,” Dr. Murphy said. “I have a strong record of curriculum reform, fiscal responsibility, and student safety in our 133 local public schools.” Murphy has been a member of the Gwinnett school board since January 1997. She served as school board chairman in 2000, 2004 and 2010. “In 2010 when I was board chair, we received the Eli and …

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Gwinnett School Insights

GCPS Leaders Meet With Congress

Trip to Washington, D.C. brought discussions with U.S. Sens.Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss on the federal governments' supportive role in the education achievement of Gwinnett County Public School students.

  Bringing a message from Gwinnett County to the Capitol Hill is a vital responsibility. As part of the 2012 Federal Relations Network of the National School Boards Association, I joined 25 other school board members from the State of Georgia in bringing messages to our federal elected officials about the interests in public education of our constituents back home. The messages had to do with current legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives and by the U.S. Senate. Our visit to Capitol Hill took place on Tuesday, a day when many legislators have returned to the nation’s capital from their home districts and are accepting meetings from their constituents back home. We were fortunate to find many in the Georgia …

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Gwinnett School Insights

School Board Members, Other Elected Officials Differ

Senate Bill 84 passed during Gov. Sonny Purdue's term provides specific contrast between these two distinctive groups of public servants.

  What is the appropriate role of a School Board member? What is the appropriate role of the Superintendent in relation to School Board members? In May 2010, former Gov. Sonny Perdue signed Senate Bill 84, landmark school board governance legislation in the making over more than two years. The legislation answered those questions and many others about school board service and its distinct role as it differs from other locally elected public office positions. The legislation came as the result of the efforts of the Commission for School Board Excellence, a group of business leaders that held hearings and conducted research to come up with a set of recommendations for the best practices in school board governance. The effort was spearheaded …

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Gwinnett School Insights

A New Year in Gwinnett Public Education

"What should Gwinnett County Public Schools look and be like in the next decade?”

  As our nation and community prepare to enter 2012, the School Board and Superintendent are updating Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Strategic Priorities for 2010-2020. Also, we are seeking community input related to the Academic Knowledge and Skills Curriculum through meetings of the GEMS Oversight Committee. At the five GCPS Area Board meetings in March and April of 2012, we will report to community members feedback that we have received related to these two important initiatives. We invite this feedback to help the school system collaborate with those whose support is vital to sustaining a high performing school district that provides a quality and effective education for every student. Sustaining the excellent academic reputation that…

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David Leader

8:05 am on Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Highest ethical standards? Until we desolve tenure they won't do anything of the sort; we've been promised all of these things by everyone since the 90s, when the US began its sharp decline. The research has shown that teachers end up stopping caring, since they end up with too many people trying to do their job and no incentive to do it right. So until we go to a merit-based pay system where …   more ›

Gwinnett School Insights

Thanksgiving Reflections on Volunteer Contributions

District III Gwinnett Board of Education representative thankful for school volunteers.

 As we prepare for Thanksgiving 2011, I thank the community members, parents, teachers, students, staff, business partners, and all others in Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Berkeley Lake, and Duluth for serving as volunteers in support of public education in Gwinnett County Public Schools. The following are some of the ways volunteers served our public schools in 2011: 1. Passage of E-SPLOST IV. Thank you to the more than 50 volunteers across Gwinnett County and in District III who provided leadership in communicating the importance of voting for continuation for five years of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax on November 8, 2011. The vote carried by 60% and will allow Gwinnett County Public Schools to continue to serve 163,000 …

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