Business Leaders, Educators and School Board Experts Launch Commission for School Board Excellence
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
90-day task force will examine national best practices As research shows one-fifth of Georgia school boards have struggled in last 10 years
At the request of the State Board of Education, a diverse group of business leaders, educators and school board experts today launched a 90-day task force to recommend ways to strengthen school boards across Georgia.
"In this era of accountability, where we hold teachers, students and principals responsible, we must also hold school boards accountable and have clear standards for them," said Wanda Barrs, chair of the State Board of Education. "The business community was a natural choice for this task force because, besides parents and students, the business community has the most at stake when schools struggle. Good schools equal a good business climate."
The group also discussed research showing that the scope of the problem goes beyond any one county or region.
"In the last 10 years, at least one-fifth of all school boards in the state have had problems," said Mark Elgart, president and CEO of AdvancED, the parent organization of the K-12 division of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. SACS accredits more than 90 percent of the schools in Georgia. "These difficulties range from micromanagement of staff and lack of strong decision-making, to mismanagement of funds and refusal to follow a board's own policies."
In addition, in any single year, about 15-20 county school boards struggle to meet the standards for accreditation, according to AdvancED. This research is based on the SACS Council on Accreditation and School Improvement quality assurance reviews -- required once every five years to maintain accreditation.
The task force includes leaders from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and AdvancED. In addition, the task force will include business leaders, educators and school board experts.
A comprehensive list of task force members is below. Its co-chairs are:
John Rice, vice chairman of GE and President & CEO of GE Infrastructure, former chair of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and its regional education policy committee, and co-chair of the Commission for School Board Excellence
Gary Price, managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers, chair of the regional education policy committee for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and co-chair of the Commission for School Board Excellence.
Phil Jacobs, retired president of AT&T (formally BellSouth) in Georgia, retired chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and co-chair of the Commission for School Board Excellence
"We think the State Board of Education is showing real leadership on this issue, and we are pleased to answer their call," said Rice.
"The bottom line is this – effective and efficient school boards are important," said Price. "So, when school boards are not doing a good job operating, everyone suffers, but the students suffer the most."
"We want to help make the issue of struggling school boards a distant memory," said Jacobs. "Good school boards result in good schools that produce good students."
North Highland, an Atlanta-based business consulting firm, has agreed to provide pro bono professional support for the task force.
The task force, which was formed to address the issues that jeopardize how local school boards are run, held its first meeting today, from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Georgia Public Broadcasting, Studio C.
For more information on the Commission for School Board Excellence, go to eboard.eboardsolutions.com.
Commission for School Board Excellence Comprehensive Member ListCo-Chair John Rice Vice Chairman of GE President & CEO of GE Infrastructure Former Chair of the Metro Atlanta Chamber's Regional Education Policy Committee Co-Chair of the Commission for Scool Board Excellence
Co-Chair Gary Price Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Chair of the Regional Education Policy Committee for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Co-Chair of the Commission for School Board Excellence
Co-Chair Phil Jacobs Retired President of AT&T (formally BellSouth) in Georgia Retired Chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Co-Chair of the Commission for School Board Excellence
Albert J. Abrams Vice President, External Affairs Macon State College
Vance D. Bell CEO Shaw Industries Group, Inc.
Brooks Coleman Representative, District 97 Georgia House of Representatives
Richard Dorfman President & CEO Federal Home Loan Bank
Buster Evans Superintendent Forsyth County Schools
Jeff Firestone Vice President, Legal Department UPS Foundation
Ed Heys Atlanta Deputy Managing Partner Deloitte
Cathy Hill Region Manager - Metro South Region Georgia Power
Albert Hodge Eleventh Congressional District Georgia State Board of Education President and CEO Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce
Audrey Hollingsworth SVP, Director Financial Services HR Synovus
Art Hopkins President Macquarium Intelligent Communications
John Wesley Langdale, III President Langdale Industries, Inc.
Milton Little President United Way of Metro Atlanta
Helene Lollis President Pathbuilders, Inc.
Bill McCargo VP Human Resources Scientific Atlanta
Erica Qualls General Manager Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Diane Sandifer Harris County School Board
Stephanie Tillman Vice President & Associate General Counsel Flowers Foods, Inc.
Dan Weber Senator, District 40 Georgia Senate
Philip Wilheit, Sr. President & CEO Wilheit Packaging
Commission for School Board Excellence Partner ListGeorgia Chamber of Commerce George M. Israel, III President & CEO
Charles K. Tarbutton 2008 Chairman Assistant Vice President Sandersville Railroad Company
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Sam A. Williams President
Kessel D. Stelling 2008 Chairman President & CEO Bank of North Georgia
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education Stephen D. Dolinger, Ed.D President
Robert L. Brown, Jr. 2007-2008 Chairman President and CEO R L Brown and Associates, Inc.
AdvancED Dr. Mark A. Elgart President & CEO
Dr. Benny Gooden Chairman Superintendent Ft. Smith Public Schools (Arkansas)
