Stan Jester

• Decentralizing decision making
• Empowering school councils
• Principals, not central office, hiring the teachers for their school
• Hiring a superintendent that has delivered achievement improvements
• Lowering class sizes
• Restoring a full school calendar
• Reducing the size of the central office
• Improving transparency, particularly in financial reporting^[7]

I bring over 20 years of experience in technology and data analysis. My professional experience includes developing business intelligence data systems that drive executive decisions, developing software solutions for businesses, and business web/social media solutions and apps. Additionally, I am an active parent volunteer with three children in DeKalb’s schools. I also publish an education blog that reports on the DeKalb school district.

Why should voters choose you? What makes you stand out as a candidate?

As a parent and taxpayer, I am vested in the success of DeKalb’s schools. I am motivated to advocate for transparency, disclosure and pushing money back into the classroom. I am committed to improving DeKalb’s financial circumstances and academic achievement measurements.

What are some of the biggest educational challenges facing the district? How can you, as a board member, address those issues?

The Central Office in DeKalb has not been held accountable for their record of poor fiscal and academic performance. I will advocate for new leadership and regular, public assessments of their performance. For DeKalb to be successful, I believe we must decentralize. I will advocate for the Central Office to transform into a support role with critical HR and finance decisions being exclusively controlled at the local schoolhouse level.

Until recently, DeKalb was on “accredited probation” due mainly to concerns about school board governance. The district recently improved its status to “accredited warned.” But DeKalb still has a long way to go. As a board member, what will you do to ensure the district keeps improving?

The board must monitor the progress of the required actions laid out by SACS.

According to the Georgia School Boards Association, individual board members don’t have the authority to make decisions about the district. That authority lies with the board as a whole. How will you work to ensure the board makes decisions together instead of pursuing individual agendas?

I will work with the board and together we will work with the superintendent. We will ensure the Superintendent, in partnership with their staff, carries out our policies and the policies set by the Georgia Board of Education.^[7]

The Board of Education is responsible for setting policy for the school district. The superintendent serves as the school board's chief executive officer and, in partnership with their staff, is responsible for the daily operation of the school district. The superintendent reports directly to the school board and is responsible for carrying out its policies, the policies set by the Georgia Board of Education, and ensuring compliance with state and federal education laws.

2. Explain your views on the current state of transparency of information at DCSD.

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and the Ga DOE require that the modified accrual basis of accounting be used for governmental fund types. Vendor expenses are a majority of the budget and are being reported on a cash basis. The financial report is a weak suggestion of how money is being spent and doesn't reflect the financial health of the school system.

3. How would you inspire parents and other stakeholders to have confidence in DeKalb schools?

Improve transparency and push control to the schoolhouse level.

4. What skills, talents, and personality traits do you believe that you possess that would make you work effectively with the rest of the board to get things done?

My professional experience includes developing business intelligence data systems that drive executive decisions, developing software solutions for businesses, and business web/social media solutions and apps.

5. How will you enhance the mix of skills and backgrounds on the board and help represent the diversity of the community?

Being a technical professional and education blogger, I bring a new skill set to the board.

6. What do you see as the opportunities and threats facing the DeKalb school system?

The Central Office in DeKalb has not been held accountable for their record of poor fiscal and academic performance. I will advocate for new leadership and regular, public assessments of their performance.

7. Describe the achievement gap in this district. What causes it? What can be done?

Education can break the cycle of poverty, yet we place our most vulnerable and at risk children in perpetually failing schools and do nothing to hold the administration accountable for these failures. We need to lower class size and make education relevant by giving the students more options. These options will close the gap and give our students an onramp to the middle class.

8. The next school board will likely be tasked with selecting a new superintendent. What will you look for in a candidate?

Experience and a proven track record of improving academic achievement of a large and diverse population.

9. What is your experience with reviewing complicated budgets? How will you approach the district’s budgetary process from a policy perspective?

How will you approach the district's budgetary process from a policy perspective

Having written numerous budget reporting applications, I am well versed in making sense of disparate data. I will advocate to fund the classroom first via 0 based budgeting. All other expenses will have to be justified. I will advocate for disclosure and information relayed in a valuable and reliable manner.

10. What needs to be done to ensure the district regains full accreditation, without probation, and what is the role of the board in ensuring DCSD remains in excellent standings with SACS?

Monitor the progress of the required actions laid out by SACS.^[7]