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Campaign pitch at teachers’ rally criticized

• Dougherty County’s school superintendent updates School Board members on adequate yearly progress results for the 2007-08 school year.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — At what an agenda indicated would be a routine Dougherty County Board of Education meeting Thursday, Emily Jean McAfee took to task departing board member Willie Weaver for making what she characterized as “unethical” political comments at Wednesday’s systemwide back-to-school meeting.

McAfee told Weaver, who is leaving the School Board to run for a judgeship of Dougherty Superior Court, that he acted inappropriately when he asked the nearly 3,000 school system employees at the back-to-school rally to vote for him in November.

“When you asked for people to vote for you in November, you crossed an ethical line,” she said. “You took advantage of 3,000 captured people (in the Albany Civic Center). You got a free opportunity for personal gain and I think that’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Weaver replied that McAfee should have addressed him one-on-one just before Board Chairman Michael Windom called the meeting to order and ended the discussion.

Weaver did not return voice messages seeking comment Thursday.

At the rally Wednesday, Weaver spoke about his time as a board member and, as he finished his speech to the crowd, said, “And remember, when you vote for president on Nov. 4, vote for Willie Weaver for Superior Court judge.”

McAfee told Weaver, “The reason I have to say that is because if I don’t, that means I condone unethical behavior by Dougherty County Board of Education members.”

School Superintendent Sally Whatley also updated school board members on the system’s adequate yearly progress results for the 2007-08 school year.

Of the county’s 12 schools that did not make the standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act, two had only one subgroup to not make AYP, though one of those also did not meet a second indicator for AYP standards, according to a handout she gave board members.

Under NCLB requirements, if any one subgroup — which includes groups such as students with disabilities and various racial and economic subgroups — does not meet AYP standards, the school as a whole does not meet AYP standards.

“It may be one student, it may be two students, that causes a subgroup not to make it and that causes the school not to make it,” she said. “That’s the difficulty with adequate yearly progress.”

Most of the subgroups failed to meet AYP standards in the math section, Whatley said. Much of the state — 31 percent of schools — did not meet AYP requirements, she said.

Some of the subgroups that did not meet AYP requirements included the “all” subgroup, the “black students” subgroup and the “economically disadvantaged” subgroup, Whatley said.

The board approved a contract with Albany Harley-Davidson for the motorcycle dealer to resurface and restripe the old school system driving range at Monroe High School.

The motorcycle dealer will be able to provide motorcycle riding lessons under the contract, though the school system would get first-use rights if there is a conflict, Business and Finance Director Robert Lloyd said during the meeting.

Tammy Taliaserro, Albany Harley-Davidson program manager for the motorcycle driving course, said the decision was welcome after about three months of negotiations. The decision to ask the School Board to approve a contract came after the Harley-Davidson dealer had to move off of Albany Technical College’s campus because of growth issues, Taliaserro said.

“It’s about education. It’s all about education,” she said. “As soon as I get the paperwork in my hands from them, we’re going to be teaching people how to ride motorcycles.”

Taliaserro said the instructors are certified annually through the Georgia Motorcycle Safety program. She said she hoped classes will begin by Aug. 16. The resurfacing process should take about two weeks, she said.

Lloyd estimated the project to cost about $20,000, though Taliaserro couldn’t confirm that figure immediately Thursday. The classes cost anywhere from $150-$295, she said, based on the needs of the rider.

Lloyd said Thursday afternoon that the school system would work with the dealership to allow the dealership to have weekday access to the driving course after school hours.

Also at the meeting, board members approved the purchase of shirts for the DCSS transportation department workers at a cost of $8,000 and several personnel hires and releases.

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