Melvin Johnson
Melvin Johnson is the former District 6 member and chairman of the DeKalb County Board of Education in Georgia. He was first elected to the board on August 21, 2012. He did not seek re-election in 2018.
Biography
Dr. Melvin Johnson resides in DeKalb County, Georgia. Johnson received his B.S. degree from Fort Valley State University before earning his M.Ed. and Ed.S. degrees from Clark Atlanta University. During his 37-year career as an educator, he served as both an associate superintendent and as the deputy superintendent of business services and instruction in the DeKalb County School District.[1]
Elections
2014
Melvin Johnson defeated challenger Bridgeman Bolger for the District 6 seat in the general election on May 20, 2014.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Melvin Johnson Incumbent |
78.3% | 7,000 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bridgeman Bolger | 21.7% | 1,944 | |
| Total Votes | 8,944 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election - May 20, 2014," accessed July 10, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Johnson reported $6,700.00 in contributions and $1,932.40 in expenditures to the DeKalb County Department of Voter Registration and Elections, which left his campaign with $4,767.60 on hand.[2]
Endorsements
Johnson did not receive any endorsements during the election.
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Melvin Johnson |
39.7% | 5,147 | |
| Nonpartisan | Denise E. McGill |
30.1% | 3,902 | |
| Nonpartisan | Latasha Walker | 20% | 2,600 | |
| Nonpartisan | Terrilyn Rivers | 9.9% | 1,281 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 43 | |
| Total Votes | 12,973 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election - 7/31/2012," accessed May 8, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Melvin Johnson |
66.2% | 1,224 | |
| Nonpartisan | Denise E. McGill | 33.8% | 625 | |
| Total Votes | 1,849 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary Runoff/General Nonpartisan Runoff/Special Election Runoff - 08/21/2012," accessed May 8, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2014
In response to a questionnaire conducted by It's For Them - DeKalb, Johnson answered several questions outlining his campaign themes:
| “ | 1. What is your understanding of the role of a school board member? In your answer, explain (1) the level of engagement that a board member should have in the affairs and operations of the district and, (2) the relationship between the board and district staff.
There is a distinct difference between the role of the Board of Education and the role of an individual board member. The role of the Board of Education is to: work collaboratively in establishing and achieving the vision and goals of the district (short and long term), formulate and adopt policies and procedures that promote academic excellence, financial accountability, select and oversee the performance of the superintendent for evaluative purposes, and adopt/oversee a balanced annual budget. The superintendent is the only employee of the Board and is responsible for the operations of the school district. The Board governs and the Superintendent manages. The role of a school board member is to: recognize that the authority of the board rests only with the board as a whole and not with individual board members, contribute his/her unique talents skills, and training while collaborating and working as a team with other board members, support the delegation of authority for the day-to-day operations and administration of the district to the Superintendent, honor the chain of command and refer problems or complaints to the Superintendent. Board members' interaction with school district employees on matters pertaining to the business of the district or their roles and areas of responsibility is limited to only that which is authorized and directed by the superintendent. 2. Explain your views on the current state of transparency of information at DCSD. Transparency is critical to building and sustaining public trust. Deliberate efforts have been made to develop and implement plans to ensure transparency. Critical input and continuous feedback from our stakeholders are monitored to ensure that progress is made toward more open and effective communication. The strategic planning process, feedback provided by the SACS review of district operations, and the use of technology-based reporting to facilitate access to information are examples of steps which have been undertaken to fulfill the expectation for improving transparency in DeKalb. Continuous improvement in transparency is vital for restoring public trust in our school district. 3. How would you inspire parents and other stakeholders to have confidence in DeKalb schools? Restoring parents and other stakeholder's confidence in DeKalb schools is of paramount importance. Getting results for the students we serve is the priority. The more that we can do to ensure that the graduation rate is increased and that students' can pursue the postsecondary options they desire, the greater the confidence in the district will be. The commitment to succeed in this regard is being demonstrated by deliberate efforts toward greater accountability, transparency, and by engaging parents and other stakeholders in their respective roles in the educational process. I will continue to use multiple avenues for communicating with our DeKalb stakeholders. Town hall meetings, publications, webinars, and other media formats will provide opportunities for open communication about the successes we have attained and the challenges we are facing. I will continue to listen and consider suggestions and recommendations for enhancing confidence in the school district. I will continue to be visible in the community and accessible to constituents. I will continue to solicit the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, the DeKalb County Commission, and other business groups to support education in DeKalb Schools. 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? I believe that the Board of Education should work collaboratively to meet the needs of all students. When differences of opinion occur, I believe that members should seek solutions that place students as top priority in their decision making. I have used a system approach to conflict management and strategic planning successfully throughout my professional career and in other areas of civic duties. I have been successful in building consensus among many deeply divided groups on numerous occasions. Whether in the public or private sector, my goal was always to unify the group from a base of common goals and decision-making principles. Once common goals were established, it was easier for me to bring about compromise for the good of the group. This process is not easy and can be very time consuming; however the successful results that I have been able to achieve demonstrate the effectiveness of this research-based conflict resolution process. 5. How will you enhance the mix of skills and backgrounds on the board and help represent the diversity of the community? Diversity is one of DeKalb's greatest assets. The diversity on the Board is an equally important asset. We have board members with legal backgrounds, business, higher education, finance and education. My background includes serving as chairman for the past 14 months; 37 years of experience in education, having successfully served as Deputy Superintendent of Business Services and Instruction in DeKalb County School System provide a wealth of historical knowledge needed in moving the school system toward greater academic gains. DeKalb's Board must work collaboratively to create a vision, set goals ,develop policy , ensure fiscal accountability, and work collaboratively with the superintendent to raise expectations, demand excellence of all students and have higher standards for all student achievement. We must increase parental and community engagement and work with community agencies to assist students with social problems that may distract them from learning. We must ensure a safe and respectful environment. Finally, we must have continuous evaluation of our specialty programs to assure effectiveness and alignment with the Common Core Standards. 6. What do you see as the opportunities and threats facing the DeKalb school system? The DeKalb County School District has the opportunity to restore excellence to the district by: regaining full SACS accreditation, improving student achievement for all students, eliminating furlough days, reinstating step increases, cost of living raises, and restoring community trust. The biggest threats facing DeKalb are maintaining SACS accreditation and continuing to work toward full accreditation by continuing to comply with the actions currently required by SACS on the District's accreditation status. The Board's professional and ethnical demeanor and the sustainability of practices, processes, procedures, and policies that have been developed by the Board must be maintained. 7. Describe the achievement gap in this district. What causes it? What can be done? The achievement gap that exists in DeKalb is between the socioeconomic advantaged and the socioeconomic disadvantaged. There is very little differential in achievement amongst whites, blacks and Hispanic students when the data is disaggregated by race. We must be vigilant in reviewing the data and in determining factors contributing to academic achievement. Disparities among families based on parent's income, parental education levels, home resources, and home stability lead to differences in children's academic success. Therefore, Title I funds should be used more effectively to level the field between the advantaged and the disadvantaged. My goal will be to make decisions, formulate policies and provide resources that will support excellence in achievement for all school communities. 8. The next school board will likely be tasked with selecting a new superintendent. What will you look for in a candidate? The qualifications I would look for in the candidate for DeKalb's Superintendent would be an experienced leader (educator) who has worked with a cross section of ethnicity, is visionary, opened-minded, and capable of being communicative with staff, community and students, and who is instructionally focused. 9. What is your experience with reviewing complicated budgets? How will you approach the district’s budgetary process from a policy perspective? Serving as Associate Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent for Instruction and Business one of my primary responsibilities was to develop and monitor the budget. I agree with Kathy Winecoff that I don't necessarily need to know how to balance the financial books, but I must work collaboratively with fellow board members and the Superintendent to ensure that the books are balanced. I do not have to know how to code every purchase for budget purposes nor how to encumber funds, nor should I do these things even if I do know how. Instead, my job is to work in a unifying manner with other board members to approve the hiring of the Chief Financial Officer and provide the policy guidelines for their operations, and oversee the effectiveness and efficiency of the financial operation. To ensure accountability, it is imperative that the Board understands Georgia law and State Board of Education policy on finance, prior to voting to approve the budget. My responsible is to work with the Board to ensure the taxpayers' dollars are spent effectively, honestly and efficiently - for we are responsible for providing a quality education at a price the community can afford. This can only happen if I work as a unit with other board members. 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? In January, 2014, SACS elevated DeKalb Schools from "Accredited Probation" to "Accredited Warning" following an onsite analysis of findings by the Advanced ED Monitoring and Review Team. The team found that DeKalb had completed eight of the eleven required actions imposed by SACS with the other three actions in progress and commended the Board for progress made in less than a year. SACS also added three additional required actions that must be met to gain full accreditation. The Board must complete the three required actions and directives that SACS has set forth in the Monitoring Review Report and the three additional directives. The additional required actions added January, 2014 are: develop systematic and systemic processes to ensure the continued implementation and sustainability of the continuous improvement efforts of the Board in establishing and sustaining the Board as a highly governing body, develop and implement plans, policies and processes to monitor, evaluate and sustain the school system's continuous improvement efforts, and continue to implement, evaluate and adapt the system's technology plan to ensure an effective and equitable distribution of technology throughout the system and its long-term sustainability. To regain full accreditation we must continue the action plans we have put in force adhere to the required actions and not revert to previous practices and behaviors.[3] |
” |
| —It's For Them questionnaire (2014)[1] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Melvin + Johnson + DeKalb + County + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 It's For Them - DeKalb, "District 6," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ DeKalb County, "Individual Campaign Contribution Disclosure Reports," accessed May 28, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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