The DeKalb County Board of Education will conduct its annual performance evaluation of the Director of Schools in a work session on Monday, January 26 at the Board of Education Building.
The workshop on Director Mark Willoughby’s evaluation will be held at 5:30 p.m.
The evaluation is performed annually in January in accordance with board policy and Director Willoughby’s contract. The board has used the same basic instruments for making the evaluations and itself for several years.
Willoughby’s contract states that the evaluation of the Director shall occur no later than January 31 each calendar year during the term of the contract. The board will review the Director’s performance, progress toward established goals, and the working relationship between the two parties.
During the workshop, the school board members will evaluate Director Willoughby on his relationship with the board, community relationships, staff and personnel relationships, educational leadership, business and finance, and strategic planning skills. Board members are to make a check mark on the four page evaluation form in each of 52 areas, if they determine expectations have been met. Spaces are also provided on the form for board members to write comments.
Willoughby’s current contract with the board is scheduled to expire June 30th, 2017. He has served as Director of Schools since July 1st, 2006.

The DeKalb County Board of Education Thursday night voted to create a new speech language pathologist position. A contract with Bright Beginnings, which has been providing the service, will be terminated, effective March 15.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby and Gina Arnold, Supervisor of Special Education explained that the reason for the request was that a hired position would be less expensive than a contracted service and that the sooner the required 90 day notice of termination is given to Bright Beginnings, the quicker the school system can realize savings from the move.
But Second District School Board member Jerry Wayne Johnson asked that action be delayed until the board had more time to consider it.
Johnson was upset that the board received notice of this request two days before the Thursday night school board meeting (when a minimum five day notice is required by board policy) and that the 90 day notice of termination to Bright Beginnings had been given on December 15, a full month before the board was to consider creating a SLP position. “I’d love to see us wait until we have a workshop on it and maybe vote on it at the next board meeting. I don’t think two days is enough time to consider and act on a new position. I didn’t get my agenda until Tuesday and talking with some of the other board members I don’t think they did neither. I just don’t think two days is enough time to make up your mind,” said Johnson.
Director Willoughby explained that agendas were mailed out on the Friday prior to the Thursday night meeting. “From what I understand everybody got their agendas on Tuesday. We did mail those on Friday. We always try to mail out our agendas on Friday. I don’t know why they did not get there until Tuesday,” he said.
As for the December 15 notice of termination to Bright Beginnings, Arnold explained that the move was done in an effort to save the school system money. “Our present contract with Bright Beginnings was $69,440 per year and we pay it divided into 10 monthly invoices of $6,944 per month. The salary for a Speech Language Pathologist with a Masters Degree and six years experience would be $3,366 per month. The difference in the two amounts totals $3,577 per month in savings for a Masters Degree employee with six years experience. That’s roughly $11,782 in savings for the remainder of this school year, but for the upcoming school year at 12 months we would realize total savings of roughly $29,044 for the year by hiring this employee,” wrote Arnold in remarks prepared for the board.
During the meeting Thursday night, Arnold further addressed the board saying that by waiting another month to act on creating an SLP position, the person being considered for the job might not be available. “What I would like to share with the board about waiting (until the next meeting) is that the prospective employee that is interested in being hired has to give a 45 day notice at their present job and I don’t know that they would be inclined to do so if there was not a position for them to come to,” she said.
Arnold stressed that no new money is being requested to fund this SLP position, only a transfer from one line item in the budget to another. “When we terminated the contract with Bright Beginnings we did so in an effort to have this cost savings. It is not new money and it is not a new service. It’s just shifting money from one line item to another. It wasn’t that we were asking for something new. What we are asking for the board to do is to allow us to transfer funds from a contract line to an employee line that would save $11,782 this school year and there would be even more substantial savings in years to come,” said Arnold.
“I do agree with you Mr. Johnson and we will not be losing any money (by waiting another month). That would be one reason to look at it later (since the contract with Bright Beginnings doesn’t expire until March 15) and I would be inclined to wait (until next month) but in the interest of what you (Arnold) have said about (prospective new SLP employee) maybe it is unfair to ask her to wait another month if she does have to give 45 day’s notice (to her current employer). It puts her in limbo. But it’s obviously going to save us money (by hiring SLP),” said Board Chairman W.J. (Dub) Evins, III.
The board voted to approve the request to create the new position and for a budgetary line item transfer to fund it. Johnson voted against it.
In other business, the board set the date for the 2015 DCHS graduation commencement ceremony for May 22 at 7:00 p.m.
In his monthly report on personnel, Director Willoughby announced that longtime central office employee Teresa Miller has retired. Board Chairman Evins thanked Miller for her years of service to the school system. “I’d like to express my appreciation and my regrets to Ms. Teresa Miller. She has been a lot of help to the board and me over the years and I certainly hope she enjoys her retirement. She did a fantastic job,” said Evins.

The Harlem Wizards will bring their trick-hoops and alley-oops back to DeKalb County on Tuesday night, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. but this year the event will be held at the DeKalb Middle School gym. Gates open at 6:00 p.m.
The Wizards, a show basketball team, will play local personalities to raise funds for the DeKalb Middle School Softball Team field construction.
“The Harlem Wizards have been here twice at DCHS and both years we sold out and I expect this year to sell out as well” said DMS teacher Suzette Barnes. “Proceeds from this event will go to the DeKalb Middle School Softball Team. We started construction of a softball field on the campus of DeKalb Middle in 2011. We played our first game there in the spring of 2012 and if you have driven by and seen the field we still have a long way to go. We are still in need of a concession stand and press box area with restrooms and facilities like that. Eventually we will need lights. So this is a fundraiser for our softball team to complete the project we started,” Barnes said.
At a Harlem Wizards game, fans witness amazing basketball talent combined with hilarious comedy. When you’re in the stands, you’re more than a spectator, you’re part of the show with loads of audience participation throughout the game.
Fans will experience a magical display of tricks, coordinated ball handling, fancy passing, and aerodynamic athleticism combined with high-energy comedy and audience interaction. The experience can only be summed up in two words: Awe-Inspiring!
(SEE PROMOTIONAL VIDEO BELOW)

General admission tickets will be available in advance or at the door. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase in advance for reserved seats as well as courtside plus seating. “For this fundraiser we have 850 tickets available at DeKalb Middle School. It’s a little smaller seating capacity than the high school. We’re doing it a little bit different on ticket prices this year. All of our general admission tickets are $10.00 in advance or $12.00 the night of the event. General admission is first come, first served as far as seating. Something new this year is we’re adding reserved seats. We only have 100 of these tickets available and they are $15.00 purchased in advance. They will not be available the night of the event. We’re also offering courtside plus. With courtside plus, you get courtside seating along with a meet and greet with the Wizards players before the game and a free poster. We only have 25 of those tickets and they are $25.00 each. Tickets may be purchased from any DMS softball player or at Kilgore’s Restaurant, DC Fitness beside Food Lion, or if you are an employee at Star Manufacturing contact Sonya Parsley or Jamie Cripps at SW Manufacturing. Tickets may also be purchased at DMS after 3:00 p.m.” said Barnes.
Ticket order forms will be sent home with students at SES, NES, and DeKalb West.”Those will be sent home with the students around mid-February, about a week before the event. So if parents want to order tickets, they may fill out the ticket order form and then send back to the school with their child the ticket order form and a check made to DeKalb Middle School Softball. We will pick those up and send the tickets back home with the child. We’re trying to make this very easy and convenient for people to pick up tickets, ” said Barnes.
The Wizards will take the court against a DeKalb Middle School team which will include DMS Principal Randy Jennings, DMS teachers Tad Webb, Justin Nokes, Josh Agee and Justin Poteete; DeKalb West Assistant Principal Joey Agee; SES teachers Leah Magness and Ashley Barnes; NES teachers January Agee and Mike Crockett, DCHS SRO Officer Keneth Whitehead, DeKalb County School Board member Shaun Tubbs, TWRA Officer Tony Cross, DeKalb County School Bus Supervisor Jimmy Sprague; NHC Administrator Clint Hall, Jason Winningham of Legacy Athletics; Casey Agee of DeKalb Community Hospital; Jonathan Norris of Southern Landscape Supply and Fourth District County Commissioner; and Helping Hands Foundation and three time Grammy nominated Bluegrass Entertainers of the Year Dailey and Vincent.
For students who can’t attend the show, the Harlem Wizards will be making a personal appearance at four of the schools in DeKalb County for a gym assembly program on the day of the event. Members of the Wizards will be at Northside Elementary and Smithville Elementary Schools at 1:00 p.m. and at DeKalb Middle School and DeKalb West School at 2:00 p.m.