Joe Martin

Published on behalf of Marshall Orson for DeKalb Schools

Friends,

I wanted to share with you that I will be running for one more term on the DeKalb County School Board. I have worked hard for you and for our children these past five years. When I first joined the Board five years ago, we were a system in crisis—on probation by SACS with a multi-million dollar deficit and the Governor in the midst of removing six then current members of the Board. We have a come a long way in these five years. Our accomplishments include:

1. Restoring full accreditation, now secured through June 2022.
2. Creating a budget surplus/rainy day fund of $120 million.
3. Reinstating pay increases for all staff while eliminating furlough days which had reduced salaries.
4. Raising test scores and graduation rates.
5. Reducing the number of schools eligible for state takeover or intervention from 26 to 16, with other schools within a few points of coming off the list.
6. Increasing resources for students across the district including a Chromebook rollout, and providing students without internet access hot spots to ensure equitable access to technology.
7. Improving our partnerships with other governments, including DeKalb County and DeKalb cities, to ensure better services and smart expenditures.
8. Securing the largest approval ever for a SPLOST plan which ensures that resources will go to communities that need them.
9. Hiring a world class Superintendent, Dr. R. Stephen Green.

We have done all the foregoing while rolling back the millage rate for four straight years. No other school district in Georgia accomplished as much as DeKalb while also recognizing that taxpayers, who were asked to sacrifice during the lean times, deserved relief as the economy improved.

Recently, my colleagues unanimously elected me Vice Chair of the Board. I believe they recognize my commitment to serve all children in DeKalb and to forge consensus and solutions that serve this goal. Yet, challenges remain. We understand that improvements in how we operate must continue. We realize that the status quo is not acceptable. We know we must implement reforms at our lowest performing schools while increasing opportunities for all DeKalb students.

Present day threats to the stability of DCSD are posed by current, proposed and potential annexations by the cities of Atlanta and Decatur. These encroachments pose the single largest risk to the ability of DCSD to serve the children of DeKalb. I have been the leader on the Board and for the District in fighting the impact of these annexations and for creating a legislative solution to separate municipal annexations from school issues. We are in the middle of these battles. I am committed to fighting to ensure the integrity and stability of DeKalb.

I hope I have earned your trust and ask you for your support in this upcoming election. I would be honored to continue to serve you and the children of DeKalb. The risks are great and the stakes are high but the opportunities for our children also are limitless.

Election Day is 100 days away!

Why I Oppose Amendment 1 to the Georgia Constitution—the Opportunity School District proposal by Marshall Orson

The DeKalb County School Board recently joined a growing number of local school boards—representing a broad array of the political spectrum in our state--in opposing the OSD Amendment. I supported the resolution. The choice was easy.
Let me begin by acknowledging that we have too many schools that under-perform based on any objective standard and we have other schools which “perform well” but which should be getting better results. We also know that many students come to our schools facing tremendous obstacles—economic, food, and health insecurity often being a daily fact of life. Others also face a breakdown in family structure that compounds these challenges. These are not excuses but to ignore this reality is to wildly underestimate the magnitude of the challenges these students, and by extension their schools, face. This reality does not excuse school districts from their responsibilities but to suggest that the course of action, resources and needs are the same at every school ensures we will fail in serving many of these children.
If the State of Georgia had some magic formula for addressing this under-performance it strikes me that they would have shared such long before they instead decided to simply try to take over these schools. At best, these takeover efforts in other states have done no better than traditional systems. And, that is at best. At the end of the day, local school systems will remain responsible for the education of the vast majority of our children and if the State truly feels that local systems are the cause of the low performance, would it not make more sense to focus on ensuring that such systems improve their overall performance? Otherwise, the State basically has said it is all too willing to leave children in the care of institutions the State believes are not capable of serving those children
I agree that the State has an obligation to ensure that our children are educated—in fact, it is a notion enshrined in our state constitution. But, the depth of that obligation often has wavered and the state has demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice that obligation for other “priorities” such as tax cuts, incentives for big corporations and projects that benefit the few rather than the many. Further, in many of our districts, local monies now make up the largest share of funds and the OSD amendment basically says we believe that local control for decisions over the expenditure of local taxes may be expediently ignored without any proof that that a state administered school will actually perform better. Consider an analogous situation—would you be okay with the State taking part of our law enforcement funds on the premise of potentially giving the money to private contractors to assume law enforcement responsibilities in selected neighborhoods? How about the same for fire protection?
If you follow the commercials and their circular reasoning, proponents of the OSD assert this effort will increase local control and accountability. But how? Through the auspices of a Governor appointed individual who is accountable only to the Governor? Through control of local resources and buildings that will be run by the State or unknown third parties, while local taxpayers remain on the hook for maintenance and other costs beyond the local funds which would be appropriated by the State? Through potential ever morphing standards which can trigger a takeover, all set by the State? The “best” argument I have heard in favor of the OSD is that we need a “Plan B” if increased local efforts ae not successful. But if good faith, well thought-out and educationally sound local efforts are not successful, might it suggest we have other obstacles which need to be addressed (see my earlier comments on poverty, health and hunger)?
I urge voters to reject this attempt to take over your local schools and vote No on Amendment 1. At the same time, I urge voters to continue to press their local school systems and the State for improved results—from sounder educational approaches at the local level and increased State support to address the significant obstacles faced by many of our students. This is the path that will enable us to deliver on the promise and commitment to provide a great education for all our children.

This week the DeKalb County School Board voted to name a new elementary school (initially at its temporary location and thereafter at its permanent location when built) in honor of Cong. John Lewis. Given the events of the last couple of weeks, such a decision could not be more timely or appropriate. We believe this is the first school in the nation named for him and DeKalb can be proud of its leadership in this regard.

From Marshall Orson: Vote YES to Renew E-SPLOST

In the May 24th election, far down the ballot after the multiple partisan and nonpartisan races, is a request to continue the E-SPLOST one penny sales tax which is the DeKalb County School District’s primary means of funding new construction and undertaking other major capital projects. I strongly urge you to vote YES. I supported the measure as a member of the Board of Education because I know, on balance, that E-SPLOST has served the interests of our children throughout the District. With multiple new buildings in Dunwoody, a new high school in Chamblee, new elementary schools serving the Peachcrest and Fernbank communities, with improvements being undertaken at our stadiums, with new buses transporting our children, with new roofs and HVACs at multiple facilities, E-SPLOST has enabled DeKalb to continue to replace and modernize its aging infrastructure. E-SPLOST is an investment in our children’s future and a demonstration of our commitment to our children.

Has the ex*****on under E-SPLOST always been perfect—of course not. Have choices always been prudent in light of the available data—unfortunately, no. But, DeKalb has worked to improve its processes, while the need to replace and modernize our infrastructure continues. And while in an ideal world we might have had a definitive list for this election, much of the criticism directed at previous E-SPLOSTS has been that those definitive lists did not accurately match the needs of the District. It’s an imperfect process but I believe we finally have District leadership which will place needs first, needs that continue unabated. Without a continuation of the E-SPLOST, DeKalb simply will be unable to address the multiple needs identified even by the opponents of E-SPLOST.

Please vote YES for the E-SPLOST on May 24th. Our children deserve our investment and commitment.

Update from the Marshall Orson campaign--we won!!!

A Better Board. Better Schools. - Home

Update from the Marshall Orson campaign: Two hours until the polls close. Time for one last push. The chance for us to continue our progress for the benefit of all children in DeKalb. Thank you for your efforts and support. See you at Melton's. www.marshallorson.org

marshallorson.org Company Name - Atlanta, GA. Company Message

A Better Board. Better Schools. - Home

Update from the Marshall Orson campaign: Election Day is May 20th, early voting is taking place right now. Our campaign is driven by the commitment to serve all children, to ensure that each child has the opportunity for a high quality education. The contrast between the old BOE and the new BOE is very clear--things in DeKalb are getting better but we know there is much more to do. I hope to have the chance to continue the progress we have made. www.marshallorson.org

marshallorson.org Company Name - Atlanta, GA. Company Message

A Better Board. Better Schools. - Home

Update from the Marshall Orson campaign: Election Day is just over four weeks away. Early voting starts next week. And, we are entering the final stretch of the campaign. We have to make decisions shortly on our mailings and it will depend on our resources.Thank you to all who have donated to date. And, there is still time if you want to contribute!!! Donations can be made at www.marshallorson.org or mailed to Marshall Orson for DeKalb Schools at 970 Springdale Road, Atlanta, GA 30306.
Thank you for your consideration and your support of our efforts to continue the turn-around of the DeKalb County Schools.

marshallorson.org Company Name - Atlanta, GA. Company Message

Update from the Marshall Orson campaign: Election Day is May 20th, just over five weeks away. And, this Tuesday, April 22nd, is a key date--its the night of the one major forum for District 2, 3 and 4 candidates. Starts at 7pm at the Emory Law School. Hope to see you there.

A Better Board. Better Schools. - Home

Hello from Macedonia. Even though I’m literally halfway around the world, I’ve tried to keep up with education in Georgia and want to urge you to support my good friend and former campaign manager Marshall Orson in his campaign for re-election to the DeKalb County Board of Education. He is a staunch and very effective advocate for public education.

Marshall was elected to the DeKalb School Board in 2012 (defeating the incumbent with 62% of the vote) and was retained by Governor Deal when he replaced six of DeKalb’s members. He has been a leader in the effort to stabilize the DeKalb system and get it moving ahead. But because the Georgia Legislature decided to reduce the size of the DeKalb school board, he has to run again this May, and the former incumbent he defeated is also running once again.

When Marshall took office, DeKalb was on probation, running a deficit, wasting millions of dollars on legal fees, and reeling from multiple Grand Jury investigations, and its board of education was dysfunctional. In one short year, DeKalb’s accreditation status has improved, the deficit has been eliminated, a major lawsuit that cost millions in legal fees has been settled, and civility has been restored to the Board’s deliberations.

Please take a moment to learn more about Marshall’s efforts in DeKalb and give him your full support as I am doing. He and his current fellow Board members need the time to finish the job they’ve begun.

Thank you! Joe Martin

http://www.marshallorson.org/

marshallorson.org Company Name - Atlanta, GA. Company Message

Thanks for your wonderful help in our campaign. I'll always remember and cherish your support. We tried to unite and not divide, praised our educators at every turn, and did all we could to elevate the importance of education. Most of all, we focused on what is best for our children and our state. Huge challenges lie ahead, and we must persevere in this noble cause. Thanks again, Joe

State of Georgia - Voter Information

Vote today! And join us after the polls close at Park Tavern this evening.

sos.georgia.gov This is the official website for Georgia voter registration, sample ballot, and polling place information from the office of Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp

Endorsements: Eighth Congressional District State School Superintendent Houston District Attorney Co

Proud to win the endorsement of the Macon Telegraph today: "We endorse Joe Martin because we feel he will be the better champion for education, a champion the state has lacked for 16 years...Barge’s attack on Martin gives evidence that partisanship is more important to him than educational leadership."

macon.com Eighth Congressional District: Four-term Rep. Jim Marshall is in the fight of his political life, and for what? His opponent, Austin Scott, would seem not in the same league.

Creative Loafing Atlanta

Creative Loafing on the race: "Joe Martin...is easily one of the most qualified educational policy experts in the state....If Republican challenger John Barge — who Perdue didn't deem qualified to serve out the rest of Cox's term after she resigned — didn't have an 'R' behind his name, this wouldn't be a contest. It shouldn't be one, anyway."

clatl.com

The desperate flyer from my opponent

They don't know Joe

Joe Martin vows to enhance teaching profession

americustimesrecorder.com Joe Martin, D-Atlanta, candidate for Georgia’s State School superintendent says he is running with a focus on reducing emphasis on standardized

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The reports are in

Atlanta Forward: Joe Martin, Democrat for state school superintendent | ajc.com

ajc.com Federal role in public schools ● The federal government is here to stay and there will be a federal role in education.

Georgia Secretary of State | Elections Division

Today is the last day to register to vote in the November 2nd general election.

sos.ga.gov

What's that got to do with it?

Can you believe that?

State School Superintendent candidate says schools deserve better - WALB.com News, Weather and Sport

I talked to WALB after my speech to the Rotary Club in Albany yesterday: "'We need to have at least a 180 day school year. We need to avoid the teacher furlough days, which are just reducing teacher salaries. And certainly we need to bring class sizes down to a reasonable level', said Martin."

walb.com News for Albany, Valdosta, Thomasville, weather, sports, investigators, troubleshooter, Albany jobs, Albany cars and more.

School chief hopeful questions testing

albanyherald.com State School Superintendent candidate Joe Martin says too much emphasis is being placed on standardized tests. - Ethan Fowler, education writer

Home

On August 11, the three candidates for State School Superintendent
participated in a forum sponsored by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.
You can quickly see the differences among us by watching the video on the GPEE website.

gpee.org The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education was founded in 1992 and today is working hard to be Georgia's foremost change agent in education. The non-profit, non-partisan independent organization consists of business, education, community and government leaders who are focused on efforts to ...

Thanks to your great support, we won a decisive victory in the Democratic Primary yesterday in a race with two other strong candidates. We are now one step closer to our goal of changing the direction of education in Georgia for the sake of our students, our educators, and the entire state. Thank you for standing up for our schools.

Please join the educators, parents and
community members who know that we must stand up for our schools
by voting for Joe Martin TOMORROW!

Then, join us at our election night party at Park Tavern (10th & Monroe in Midtown Atlanta) starting at 7:00 p.m tomorrow.

As shown in this photo, I attended the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) Summer Conference at Jekyll Island, where I spoke with educators and officials of the Georgia Department of Education and participated in a panel discussion by the candidates for State School Superintendent.

I continue to attend the services at churches where I have friends. This is the best part of campaigning. Recent visits include Providence Missionary Baptist Church, where Rev. Gerald Durley delivered a very meaningful sermon on the object of one's faith, and Antioch North Baptist Church, where the congregation is celebrating 41 years of service by its pastor, Rev. Cameron Alexander.

Timeline Photos

Joe and his strongest supporters participating in the Decatur July 4th parade. The reception from the crowd was great and everyone had a fun time.

With my grandson Gabriel on our first fishing trip together

APCDebatesSchoolSupDem2010

Here is the video from last night's Atlanta Press Club debate, which went in our favor. As I said last night, if you are concerned about what is happening to our schools, if you want a State School Superintendent who will stand up for our students and educators, and if you want a proven leader who can be effective in making the needed changes, I ask for your vote.

link.brightcove.com APCDebatesSchoolSupDem2010