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Monday, August 09, 2010

Breaking News: New Principal coming to Birmingham Falls

"Principal Tracy Trussell of Birmingham Falls Elementary School in Milton, Georgia was suddenly replaced this week." According to Board Member Katie Reeves, Cathi Barlow, a retired Principal, will be serving in the interim. A Faculty/Staff Meeting has been scheduled for this Thursday, August 12th at 3:00 pm at the school.

There will another meeting later Thursday evening at 6:00 pm for parents.Cathi Barlow will be introduced to Faculty and Staff on Friday, August 13th at the school at 8:00 am, and parents are invited to the school for an introduction the new interim Principal. Barlow has stepped into this capacity at a number of schools for Fulton County. The Fulton County Board of Education in their search for a new Principal will be including the community in this process.

Many thanks to Katie Reeves and the Board of Education for providing a quote to Accessmilton.com regarding this story. As more details come to light and are confirmed, we will post them here.

Tim Enloe / Accessmilton.com

210 comments:

1 – 200 of 210   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

Thanks, that's much better than the other way it was presented, and deleted. Faith restored.

Anonymous said...

So glad this faculty and staff are getting a second chance at effective, FAIR, leadership! I guess karma is real.

Anonymous said...

He was stilled fired, no matter how written in print. Will wait to find out what transpired, but most likely lack of leadership and discernment.

Anonymous said...

Is Mr. Trussell taking his personal and confidential secretary with him? Hope so. She's very rude.

Please bring back Lynne Johnston! She is a good listener, fair leader, and really cares!

Bet she wouldn't spend money on frivolous items either.

Fulton County School board---please listen to what BFES parents want. Afterall, the principal is working with our children!

Anonymous said...

Agreedsome of his infected staff need to depart along with.

Anonymous said...

Not sure about replacement, let's find a fresh new replacement quick parents!! We don't want to be still looking for a principal at Christmas break. Yes I used the C word. Last year was bad enough, our kids deserve better and an immediate permanent replacement asap.

Anonymous said...

BOE if you r out there give us Lynne Johnston back please!!!

Anonymous said...

Lynne Johnston - Lynne Johnston - Lynne Johnston! As a former teacher who worked with Mrs. Johnston and as a parent of a student who will attend BFES I can think of no one better to fill this position.

Anonymous said...

Now that Mr. Trussell is gone, maybe the astronomical amount of money that was spent on unnecessary biweekly booklets to parents(in color no less) can be spent on necessary supplies (like gym equipment, copier paper and expo markers)!

Anonymous said...

I can't imagine opening a new school is an easy task and based on what I saw Mr. Trussell worked extremely hard to make it a great experience for our kids. He made it an extra special year for the fifth graders who were the first to graduate from BFE. I am sad to see him go.

Anonymous said...

That is your opinion. My fifth grader had the worst experience in this school. It was a big joke.

Anonymous said...

What will be sad is finding out why someone with so much tenure,experience, and supposed accolades "suddenly" was fired by the BOE. Hold criticism and/or praise until the facts are in.

From my own interactionns with him, he was all fluff and no substance with this school.

Anonymous said...

Think Mr. Trussell will ride his tri-cycle to his next job?

Anonymous said...

He did not even know some of the teachers names,how do you think that made them feel ???
I feel sure that this new year will be a great one at BFES.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Trussell is an incredible leader and will be terribly missed. He always put the students first and always held very high expectations. It is easy for people to be critical, but you can imagine how tough it would be to lead in our community. Many chiefs....I was fortunate that my children were able to have him as a principal. Learning was not just about test scores. They had a well-rounded learning experience that some students never have an opportunity to get in our test driven society. Losing Mr.Trussell will be a significant loss to our community.

Anonymous said...

I have taught under Mr. Trussell's leadership and he is definitely ALL FLUFF! We had gorgeous landscaping, waffles for breakfast, and Elvis singng on Valentine's day but support was a minimum when it came to the heart of our job! Experience is great but integrity, honesty, and moral character are second to none!

Wow...the tricycle is still a hit?

Anonymous said...

really????

Anonymous said...

can you believe it?

Anonymous said...

i definetely think there were some concerns with leadership, but I feel that he showed concern and was trying to make progress. Mr. Trussel welcomed me into his office to discuss ways to improve and appeared to value parents and any input that would help. He was excited to start a new school and I feel that he had many challenges on his plate from the beginning. I would have liked to see him have more time to deal with these things before a change was made. He did a wonderful job of making the kids feel happy and a part of their school. He personally knew my kids names and made a point of being fun, involved, and approachable. I do agree there was some fluff, but there is a lot of fluff in our community as a whole. In many ways, I feel very sad and can't help but wonder if a decision such as this was premature. Best of luck, Mr. T.

Anonymous said...

I suppose we all could just pick this man apart. He's gone. Before you go on judging his moral character, we could all stand to look in the mirror, or not and have a heart. No matter what happened, this is not a laid back community under any circumstances, which is good and not so good, or one which accepts change easily. He did what he felt was best, even of we didn't always see it that way. Discussion is one thing; an all out attack on him is another. Besides being counter productive, it's harmful. To Mr. Trussell, the school, and most importantly our children. Consider them.

Anonymous said...

i liked mr. trussel and so did many others. He will be greatly missed.

Anonymous said...

He obviously did something not worth liking!

Anonymous said...

He won't be missed by me and my husband.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Trussell had a 29 year career in Fulton County. This career has been decorated with many awards and achievements. If I know anything about Mr. Trussell , I know that he is FOR KIDS and their experience at school. He wants the parents, teachers and students to have an ELITE experience when you are a part of his school. I feel that is what he was striving for. I did not agree with all things Trussell, but I sure believe in his philosophy in that children should have memories and LESS STRESS in elementary school. Our students did quite well under this philosophy!!! How sad is it for a man with an amzing career to have to go down in flames this way. There is a thing called RESPECT!!!

Anonymous said...

You praise him and have no idea why he was fired! Must have been pretty bad to fire him after sooo many years! Think about that. What on earth did he do??

Too much of his focus was on fluff, fun, and waffles, more time should have been spent on paying attention to teachers and making sure he had a strong team, he spent way too much time on the least important things in the school.

Anonymous said...

BOE please send his "confidential secretary elsewhere" she will be chided since she has been w him for so long and more dedicated to him than her actual job at this school. Do not leave her there it will not be good for the school or community.

Anonymous said...

Just because someone's heart and desires were w good intention, does not in any way form or manner make him a good leader. A leader makes tough decisions and doesn't let the fact that not everyone will like him or the decisions. He wanted everyone to like him to a fault, and spoke out of both sides of his mouth, and talked about too many people, which probably had something to do with his downfall at this school. I was in his office once and he was talking about another parents child to a stafff member right in front of me, I was taken aback by the casualness of conversation in the hallway in front of his office about this child who was named. Not right.

Anonymous said...

Just because someone's heart and desires were w good intention, does not in any way form or manner make him a good leader. A leader makes tough decisions and doesn't let the fact that not everyone will like him or the decisions. He wanted everyone to like him to a fault, and spoke out of both sides of his mouth, and talked about too many people, which probably had something to do with his downfall at this school. I was in his office once and he was talking about another parents child to a stafff member right in front of me, I was taken aback by the casualness of conversation in the hallway in front of his office about this child who was named. Not right.

Anonymous said...

Two facts to note about your disdain; one, Mr. Trussel is gay and two, his secretary is black.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Trussell is not the root of the problem at BFE. Because of the surplus teachers being sent to BFE, he didn't have input into the selection of many of the teachers that we now have (two teacher hiring mistakes were made on his part). Because of this, BFE is left with a surplus of very average teachers. Although we are fortunate to have a handful of extremely dynamic teachers, that is not enough to satisfy a community with very high expectations. Unfortunately, there also exists a handful of very poor teachers that should be dismissed immediately. Our two curriculum specialists are aware of the complaints and problems, as well as Mrs. Johnson. The School Board and new administration need to look into these complaints and concerns, otherwise the dissatisfaction amongst parents will continue no matter who the new leader is.
Mistakes were also made with the hiring of some of the office staff. The personal secretary never made the community feel welcome, and the bookkeeper is more concerned about stirring the gossip pot than working hard to benefit the school.
What Mr. Trussell accomplished in one year at BFE was nothing short of amazing. The inability to fire teachers who were not competent and transfer students between classrooms still left many parents feeling stressed, angry, and dissatisfied.

Overall, he accomplished so much in only one year, and I will be very sad to see him go.

Anonymous

Anonymous said...

At 7:03am...

Your comments are inappropriate and way, way off-base. Those two individuals are under-fire because of immoral and illegal activities that they CHOSE to pursue. Outside of those under the protection of their little group of insiders, nobody would ever defend those two.

I am dismayed at the attempt to save these crooks by the foundation. It only goes to show that they, too, are all about face and nothing about honest education.

Anonymous said...

You guys wouldn't defend him and his school if you had a child in kindergarten last year. Obviously, he didn't think performance was important, because he aggressively protected and defended the indefensible.

As if we weren't frustrated enough already, we recently read this article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/economy/28leonhardt.html?_r=2&hp

Before you say it... I know. In the end, it was our fault for not moving our child to a private school, but Trussell knew what was going on in that classroom and did nothing about it. He and his administration protect their own, that is for sure.

Anonymous said...

He accomplised getting himself fired.

Anonymous said...

accomplished-woops typo.

Anonymous said...

I am African American (black) and I DON'T support him. It has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. The facts are that he has selective attention when it comes to supporting teachers and for the others...well...they either leave or are forced to because of the way they are treated. The TEACHERS are the ones who work hard to make the "FOR CHILDREN" motto happen. When you have an administrator who is not "FOR TEACHERS", something has to be done (even if it takes 29 years to do it). I think if you dig even deeper, you'll find that 29 years was way too long to put up with the foolishness that he has dished out!

Anonymous said...

WHY, is he being fired?

Anonymous said...

WHY, is he being fired?

Anonymous said...

Funny...I am European American.

Anonymous said...

One man doesn't run a country and one man doesn't run a school. Any one could open a school with support so quit making it like he parted the ocean. Have some faith in the Board of Education doing the right thing for you and your children. Obviously something was more than just a little amiss to have let him go. Do any of you that give him such accolades, are any of you even curious why he was let go before you keep praising him for basic efforts. What if it was something really really serious, and you are praising him before the facts are in. That is amazing.

Anonymous said...

Teachers and support staff are the heart of the school and certainly set the atmosphere for the children and the community. If the administration and administrative secretary have no respect for the staff, then they in turn have to work in a hostile environment. Been there, done that and know from experience that a school needs to be a team, not a dictatorship. The school does NOT belong to the principal.

Anonymous said...

@7:36pm Seriously, who wrote that? Madam Confidential Secretary, is that you? Did you bemoan the loss of Bernie Madoff as your fund manager?


@7:03am You, sir, are an idiot.


@8:19am Your post is funny, because you unwittingly highlighted a good example of his corruption. He isn't supposed to have two curriculum specialists. Fulton County has eliminated part time positions as a part of their cost savings efforts. Tracy Trussell is an expert at working the system, though. He simply withheld the opening until it was too late, then he lied to the county, and voila! You have the position filled with part-time staff again.

You wouldn't be so supportive if you knew that one of the two has a pet name for your little darlings. She has the gall to openly call them "little pi..ants." That place was not professional at all under his leadership.

And, while I am addressing you, how dare you blame the teachers! Most of the truly incompetent teachers (the ones that roam the halls all day or spend the day texting on their phones) were hand selected by Tracy Trussell himself! The staff may not have a lot of experience with Fulton County, but there are some fantastic professionals there that you are lucky to have.


@9:05am You are right and you are wrong. You are painting with too broad of a brush. I am sure that most people in this community know who you had... and it is true, she was definitely one that was sheltered by Tracy Trussell. She wasn't the only teacher in K, though. There is some genuine talent in Kindergarten and elsewhere in the school. I can personally attest to the that fact.


For all of you other supporters... I would wager that the most that you ever see of that school is the school bus. Why don't you get yourselves down there and open up your eyes and ears?

Anonymous said...

@ 11:00am. Thank You!

As a former Fulton teacher (thank you budget cuts) and a lifelong educator I'm tired of Principals strutting as if they remade the wheel. I am sure this decision was neither quick or sudden. There have been rumors of county level investigators involved for months. That makes me wonder what really has been going on. I for one think this community should be asking questions of the school board first and then let everyone decide if he should have been removed.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully the arrogant Principal's "CONFIDENTIAL" Secretary is out also. Hopefully she has 1/2 a brain and knows she is not welcome by a great majority of the school. And now that her leader is gone, she needs to go too.

Anonymous said...

They needed to fire Cunningham not Trussell! She is the terrible. The meanest person I have met in my life. To make people cry in a public setting is her daily GOAL! Shame on her.

Anonymous said...

@ 7:03am. Inappropriate and closed minded.

@ 12:03pm. You are correct. School investigators have been involved. A bit scary that we need internal affairs people in our schools. I didn't believe it till I looked it up to see that Fulton county has them an uses them. A fellow BFES parent told me about them. Don't believe me, look them up yourself on the county office webpage.

Anonymous said...

@9:05am... I don't know what went wrong with you, but we had a great Kindergarten experience. We couldn't have done better if we did go to private school. That was an interesting article, though. Thanks for the share.


In general, I think that we should not badmouth the teachers. The root of the problem is gone now.

Anonymous said...

@1:18pm

"Bit scary"? Really? It's a 'bit scary' that schools need to employ police officers, but no one seems to be shocked or upset that they're in every school in the nation. Most intelligent people appreciate these measures because they protect our children.

Anonymous said...

7:03's comment is the only 100% factual information posted. The rest is hearsay. There are people on here who obviously know more than they are letting on. Could this have been a witch hunt. Before you make them wear a Scarlett Letter, let's get the rest of the facts.

Anonymous said...

Oh please, don't even start with it's because he's gay and she's black. They can't hide behind that. Let's hear what they did - had to be bad.

Anonymous said...

My children had good a good year last year in second and fourth grades. I doubt that Summit would have been any better.

Anonymous said...

Lack of leadership? Please... I've never met a principal who treated employees as fairly as they deserved... especially in the Fulton County system. Some employees are often overlooked for those who are favored by others (you pat their back, they'll pat yours). Tracy was a fabulous principal who stood up for those that were frequently overlooked and Birmingham Falls will be worse off without him. Fulton County is already worse off without him.

Anonymous said...

Can someone please post what actually happened in Kindergarten. It had to be bad for Mr. T to get fired, because we all know how tough it is to get rid of a terrible teacher! Firing a Principal.... WOW!

Anonymous said...

Hey, 4:15pm, "Tracy," huh? Very familiar and informal sounding.

I'll bet you will be missing his protection this year. It is going to be hard for you to have to put down that cell phone and teach.

Anonymous said...

Hey... 4:34 PM - I'm not a teacher, just happen to know the ins and outs of that school and I'm a soon to be parent. Being the wife of a Fulton County employee who has been overlooked and overlooked and overlooked on the basis of age and appearance alone, NO ONE has treated him as fairly as Tracy did. Get a grip moron & learn what is going on before you open your mouth again.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and 4:34... apologies if you're one of the people that got his/her feelings hurt by Tracy. Sometimes the truth stings.

Anonymous said...

OK, I can understand that if you weren't in the school then you couldn't know what was taking place. Like another poster said, though, as a principal, you don't fired for inconsequential issues... not even poor performance. You lose your job for specific, egregious actions. Things that there are indisputable proof of... things that people have witnessed.

You can defend him until you are blue in the face. The fact remains that he got what he deserved.

Anonymous said...

You don't know what happened nor why he was fired, I do.

I know how hard it is to be fired in that school system... but constant complaints on minutia and politics that, by the way have no place in the public school system, eventually add up.

I understand that there are people out there who are not open minded enough to accept a person with all of their quirks... why do you think the divorce rate is so high? Some times I did have issues with things that Traci did, but overall he had the children's best interests at heart. I know that since I was even asked to come in and volunteer last year at the Halloween muffin meet and greet... I gave up my plans (and putting the finishing touches on my daughters costume) to come in and help serve muffins to people I had never met. He was good to those who deserved it.

Little did some know that some teachers there don't think parents should be allowed to stop in and watch a couple of minutes of their teaching. Funny, because those parents pay their salaries.

Tracy gave the parents what they wanted. They wanted the nice brochures, they wanted the frills and the parties. The moment things got shaky, they hid their tails and ran. So much for backbones. Apparently it isn't something you obtain at birth.

Anonymous said...

guys are yelling support for a man who was FIRED! I am a teacher and you have NO IDEA how hard it is to fire horrible teachers/principals. For it to have gone this far there is obviously something more than the "sweetie pie" Mr. Trussell that you all loved so well. It's about time they caught up with him!

Anonymous said...

No idea? No idea? There are SO MANY people that work in that school system that should have been fired eons ago & yet nothing. Trust me, I know. This school system is just as corrupt as the rest of them.

Anonymous said...

Hey, 5:25 PM, what planet are you living on?! NONE of the parents wanted to see expensive, color, glossy brochures printed, in many cases in duplicates and triplicates to the same families! What we wanted was more books in the library and supplies for the classrooms! Tracy was more interested in self-promoting propaganda. It's a shame his dismissal came so close to the start of the new school year, but we will be better off for it!

Anonymous said...

Awww, no more tea parties, tricycle riding, waffles, over the top parent focussed events, constant interruptions in instruction to attend fluffy presentations, side eyes at teachers who don't "play the game", good teachers/administrators leaving the school because they are fed up, and overall BS. Such a sad day for us all!

Anonymous said...

Hey 5:49, join the PTA buddy & you'll see where your money goes. Funny that you are yelling at the principal for more books... the schools I went to didn't have the money for more books... so parents and other members of the community DONATED them. That's novel idea, instead of throwing away your unwanted clutter, donate it. Don't you think?

Sometimes you just have to think outside of the box to get stuff done. It's amazing what can be done with thoughtful planning, instead of constant whining.

Anonymous said...

OK, 5:55...I AM a very involved PTA member who not only donates time, but money - LOTS of it! I'm sorry that you didn't have books growing up. It's unfortunate your school system didn't value education as much as the BFES parents do. It's not a matter of donations, but a matter of WASTE. We didn't need snowcones, popcorn, waffles, or a tricycle. We needed someone who truly put the kids first instead of himself.

Anonymous said...

I know one kindergarten teacher does NOT teach! She provides worksheets and a completed version for the students to COPY. That's how she can roam the hallways.

Anonymous said...

@6:02 SOOOOO TRUE!!! ENOUGH SAID!

Anonymous said...

Funny that you didn't read, I did have books PTA Member, lots of books. I did say that the school system didn't have the money to get MORE books and that when parents wanted more of something, they did it themselves, instead of putting what they wanted in the hands of another.

I can already see it will be quite an experience, joining the PTA next year.

Mr. Trussell lived and breathed for that school and those kids. Doubtful that many parents took the time to speak to him, other than to make demands. Nothing like the Rolling Stones "You can't always get what you want" to bring you back to reality. He had his quirks, but then again so do you and everyone else in the world. Until you get to know a person, you cannot judge his character.

Taking personal shots at someone who lost his job when you didn't even know the person is just shameful and cowardly. Karma is a finicky thing. Trip it up and you might find your face planted in the dirt.

Anonymous said...

Parents donated TONS of books at the beginning of last year. And hundreds of them sat in the room adjoining the library but off limits to the students, and unsed by the teachers -- thanks to the inept librarian we had!

Thankfully, he is gone too.

Anonymous said...

You people live in a very sick, self absorbed part of Fulton County. God help you all.

Anonymous said...

@6:17, I KNEW/KNOW the person and what I can gather from what you're saying is that YOU were lucky enough to be on his "good list". For those parents and teachers who were not (the vast majority), this situation is a great one! Their faces have been "planted in the dirt" for a while now. Working or having your child go to school in an equitable environment is priceless. Hopefully somebody will get it right this time.

Funny you talk about karma...it sometimes takes a while for it to come back (like 29 years mabye).

Anonymous said...

6:17...Until you are a parent in a school operated by Trussell, you are NOT qualified to preach to me! I have been there, done that, survived it, and come through the ordeal. IF you in fact are lucky enough to have a child attend this school next year, congratulations. However, the parents that paved the way for your child are to be thanked, not Trussell. We all came from a school where administrators placed themselves alongside parents, not ahead of them. THAT school worked, and BFES will as well, now that we can move past Trussell.

Trussell was confused. He believed that, because of the demographics of the school, the parents would want flash and show. He failed to realize that we are where we are because we value education, hard work, and focus above all else.

Maybe if he recognized that he would still have a job.

Anonymous said...

When you're husband works for Trussell, you tell me what he's about... I would love nothing more than to preach at you morning, noon and night, but I work 12 hours a day at my office and do not have time for simple mindedness.

As to the comment about people that live in that section of fulton county, I couldn't agree more. I have lived in this community my entire life and my family has lived here for generations and was sad to see the picturesque pastures replaced with cookie cutter, mass produced houses.

As for my kid being lucky, she is. She's lucky to have parents that would go down in flames before letting others decide blindly what she should be taught and how. Hence the reason I am joining the PTA... look out, next year will be quite a ride. Money isn't as important to me as it is to some, but I will be glad to throw away some of it to ensure that utopian idealists aren't deciding what my child learns.

My husband also worked for Hillside for a time, that principal was wonderful but sadly chose to go to another part of the county. I have seen what happens in this community for a very long time, long enough to know that you preaching to me is just enough to make me laugh.

Anonymous said...

AMEN 6:29 pm poster, nailed it.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Trussell once told me that he placed a child in my class, "Because I am black." Of course this child was a HUGE behavior problem and was placed in my class the last 2 weeks of school AFTER I informed Mr. Trussell that I would be leaving his school. "It's a strategy FOR THE CHILD", he said. Yep, I got that strategy (the how dare you leave me strategy). I also got it when he told me that, "I would be better working in a school in SOUTH FULTON." Funny he would say that after I had worked with him for 8 years and was showered with the outstanding support of the community and his awesome evaluations.

I'm just saying, be blessed that your children's teachers don't have to put up with this craziness!

Anonymous said...

To 6:27 p.m. You don't have a clue about the people who live in this part of Fulton County! That was a stupid comment. And, by the way, we are praying that we can lose Fulton County for a host of reasons. We would love to keep our tax dollars and government closer to home.

Anonymous said...

Call us "utopian idealists" if you want, but we do want the BEST for our children, and Trussell did NOT offer that. He was a typical lifer in the school system - cynical and tired. He was looking toward to retirement in 1 year. We are looking much further than that. The parents in our school welcome all types, whether long time residents or newcomers. The primary concern is that our children receive the best education possible, and that starts from the top down. Those of us who chose to live here over all other options in the area did so primarily for the schools. It is natural for us to expect continued high performance. This is not about who is the best principal but rather about who can bring the best out of our students. Someone who is so focused on superficial issues as Mr. Trussell was cannot possibly achieve that goal. Way to go, BOE! They finally got something right downtown!

Anonymous said...

Hey 6:44... if you are really his BFF, you should zip it. I know that you think you know why he was let go, but it wasn't a bunch of nitpicking parents. You are defending actions that should not be defended. If you were honest, you would put your family's personal gains aside and admit it. As a previous poster mentioned, you have already outed yourself as one of the "insiders." If you weren't a part of his mafia, then you would not be defending him and his cronies so aggressively.


All that plus you misspelled "your."

Anonymous said...

To ALL posters: can you VOCALIZE your accusations, insinuations and insults to the principal, the teachers and the parents at the upcoming meeting? In person, up close and live for others to witness your pettiness and cowardice? Open your mouth in public if you dare!

Anonymous said...

You're cute, how's that. People make mistakes... but I guess you're not the forgiving type. Maybe you should be an English teacher... but it takes a little more than spelling well to get that job. I always put my family first, maybe you should give it a try.

Nice, attempting to get me to give up why he was let go in a public forum. I know the people involved and have family members that have known them for years. Not everyone is perfect.

For the simple fact that you are making him out to be a horrible person, when you didn't spend 10 minutes actually speaking to him person to person, is laughable. I've probably spoken to you now more than you ever conversed with him. I think its very sad that children are being raised with parents who judge what is on the outside without getting to know a person for who they really are.

Face it, you won't win this argument with me. Me and my so called "mafia" (whomever that my be, I've met his other employees once) got to know him, which is much more than I can say for you.

Good job, judging a book by its cover. I don't know why you would request more books in the library, its not like you would actually take the time to read them, anyway.

Anonymous said...

Oops... and I meant to say "whomever that MAY be" in regards to my so-called mafia.

Anonymous said...

I feel really bad for him, but it had to happen.

Anonymous said...

7:11, noone is trying to get you to give up your little "secret" about why Mr. Trussell was fired. Your grandiose idea that you alone know the reason is wrong. So, let's move beyond the petty personal attacks...that's for someone who doesn't have actual facts to stand behind. This discussion is not about you and your angry little life. This is about Mr. Trussell and his negative impact on an entire school. The truth is that the parents at BFES are not to blame for his firing - he is. We are all well aware of how hard it is to remove a tenured staff member. The offense has to be over-the-top.

It is clear that your only goal is to argue and personally attack. Go to bed tonight and maybe you'll feel better in the morning.

Anonymous said...

I never said that BFES parents had anything to do with his firing... maybe you should reread our posts.

I've been here defending him because all I've seen is personal attacks against him. He was there for me and my husband in our greatest time of need. Trussell showed emotion over what we were going through, because he has had similar problems. I've met no one who has understood the trials we've been through in the last 2 years and for him to be so supportive when no one else would give my husband the time of day, really spoke of his character.

He did strike me as eccentric and I didn't like him when I first met him, but when it counted he was an incredibly caring person and he earned my respect as I grew to know him, for the little time I did speak to him.

As for being an angry person, yes, sometimes I am but it only comes out when I see an injustice being done to those who cannot be here to defend themselves. Arguing is just a favorite pastime.

GNR said...

To the 4:15 poster who said "Please... I've never met a principal who treated employees as fairly as they deserved... especially in the Fulton County system."

You apparently never met Doris B. Couch of Alpharetta Elementary School back in the 80's and early 90's.

Given the demographics of the area at that time, it seems pretty amazing that we had a bilingual Kindergarten teacher, one African American teacher, and one (rumor) gay male teacher.

Also given that AES was K-7 until 1984 she had to deal with 2 additional grades.

Our teachers shaped our lives by working with our teachers, not against them.

Anonymous said...

GNR, no I did not have the pleasure of meeting Ms. Couch. However not all teachers are fit to teach... during that time, my brother was having pills given to him by a teacher. As a severe asthmatic, being given Ritalin could have killed him. Surprisingly she was not fired even after my family and I hired attorneys, and now is the Principal at an elementary school in NE Georgia. Teaching as a job, is a worthy cause... not all teachers are.

Tim Enloe said...

All:

I would like to ask that everyone pull back the reigns a bit and give the BOE some time to explain what has transpired here. While we have not officially confirmed it, we have heard that a meeting is coming soon for parents to attend regarding this issue.

We are also in the process of obtaining additional information on this transition via the open records act. As soon as we have that information, we will publish it on Accessmilton.com.Suffice to say, please do not jump on the rumor band wagon either way until then. Remember what has been said about assuming...

On a side note, I was a student under Mrs. Dorris Couch in the late 70's and early 80's at Alpharetta Elementary.

She was a wonderful Principal and knew every student by name. My fourth grade teacher was Mrs. Bridgewater at the same school; a lovely black teacher with a heart of gold and a favorite among both parents and students.

One has to wonder when that caliber of educator will come back to our youth to benefit their future. Unfortunatley, over the last ten years, millions have been spent on flash instead of substance. (By no means am I inferring Principal Trussell was either. Just general reference among the situation we find our current school system in today county wide.)

Again, please be patient and reserve judgement.

Thank you,

Tim Enloe
Accessmilton.com
770 653 0552

Anonymous said...

7:41 - Angry, angry, angry... it's a good thing there are those of us around who are able to look beyond our own lives and see the big picture. I'm glad you felt comforted by Trussell. Unfortunately, there is a whole school who felt neglected. This is not about whether Trussell is capable of being "nice" to someone who is obviously needy. This is about whether Trussell is competent and trustworthy to run a school to the benefit an entire community, teachers included. To that issue, he failed miserably. Rather than spending my time looking back, I choose to look forward to a much happier, more supportive, and more focused future at BFES.

JM said...

Agree, Mr. Enloe. I agree to disagree. Good night all, here's hoping that the future of BFES is in good hands.

Anonymous said...

Oh... 7:51 good job with the personal shot. Needy...? When your family goes through a medical crisis, we'll see how needy you are.

Get off your high horse & see that the world does not revolve around you, nor what you want. Your crap stinks just as much as the next guys. Have a good night!

Anonymous said...

I have read all of the posts today, and I wonder how they all would change if everyone had to attach their names to the posts? Ponder that thought, and if you feel so strongly tell everyone who you are!? I am just reading and taking in everything I make no stake on one side or the other.. I like the one post from 710 who said come to the meeting, show your face and make your statement. Blogs are like a smoke screen to hide behind.. you know your plan but your foe is blind sided. Sign your name like our founding father John Hancock.

Anonymous said...

7:58 - I rest my case... You have made my point for me. Good night.

Anonymous said...

@7:58 *speechless*

Anonymous said...

Let's see. 90 comments. How many are written by the same parent(s)?

Anonymous said...

signatures anyone?

Anonymous said...

You first!

Anonymous said...

8:02 and 8:14...ironically, you failed to sign your posts. Hmmm...curious.
Those in glass houses...

Anonymous said...

Someone call the Board of Education quickly before they just go and hire our new principal without checking with us. They need to truly understand how fabulous the parents are at this school. We are more knowledgeable about teaching than the teachers. We could run a school better than Trussell. We will not stand for less. We know better. We pay their salaries and they had better teach what we would teach the future leaders of this great Country. We are the ones who know what's best for everyone. We know everything. We are the alpha and the omega.

Anonymous said...

It is therapeutic for the parents to vent without fear of attack and retaliation on this site from for whatever reason die hard fans of this Principal when no one yet has any true and factual idea of what the heck happened. I have never seen so many comments so fast on AM since this site strarted up and that says a lot about how concerned this community is about our children, what they r learning, and from whom. To come to the rescue of this man without knowing what transpired is foolish. Tim glad u r getting open records so the community can see first hand and not hearsay what happened. I am saddened for this man whomhas put so much time into education to have lost it all for what? It must be serious for the BOE to do this and at this point I will trust their judgement.

Anonymous said...

Foundation. Is that a code word?

Anonymous said...

So this is what you do at the pinnacle of what you feel is success? You publicly then go on to humiliate a person and rip them apart? Is it not satisfying enough that you accomplished what you set out to do or did you not get your drama fix? By posting like this it clear that is what you are after, it has nothing to do with getting a good principal or educator.
Do you really have to do something like this to a person who actually tried? Whether Trussell did a good or bad job, at least he tried. Your maturity by posting such trash is embarrassing. Please do not volunteer in my child's classroom, I would like her to have a better example of adults.

Susan Holloway said...

So let me get this straight, people have had both positive and negative experiences with Mr. Trussell?!  I believe that is called human interaction. In my experience (call it naive if you must) he was a nice man who really cared about the children.  The gloss and fluff did not offend me as much as has been expressed here.  I also believe that the first year of a new school will be intrinsically rocky. It would be impossible in the period of one year to get to know an entire faculty and staff (as politically dynamic as it was), all of the students and the parents to a level that would compare to an established school where this familiarity develops over a period of six years of matriculation.  I also know that in any public school, there is a certain base of families who become the core of the school.  That is just how it works.  They are obviously going to be coddled to some extent based on their monetary donations or volunteer hours.  This also does not bother me.  This core serves a function;  try private school if you feel neglected.  The family power struggle is far worse in that environment.  I do not know why Mr. Trussell was dismissed and understand that it was probably not done frivolously.  It is unfortunate on many levels, not the least of which is the timing.  He has been fired and it could not be undone even if everyone wanted it.  Whether you feel triumphant or indignant by this action, we need to please try to take these chips off of our shoulders before the new year starts, because we get to do this all over again.
My name is Susan Holloway, if it does not show up in the post heading.
Oh, also could the person who placed blame on the BFE foundation please explain their position a little further?  I don't make the connection at all.  

Anonymous said...

You have to ask a question....Why are their so many of our Govt. employees being let go, fired, or asked to resign? Most of them so close to retirement. This year, we have a record amount of principals not with us anymore. As an employer I can tell you if I need someone gone I could make it happen without ever letting anyone know the real reason. Just give me time and I will find just enough to make it look like you are not a good fit for our system.
You will soon find out that Mr.. Trussel has resigned and not fired. However the resignation was not his idea.
Like him or not our Fulton County System has a problem....

Anonymous said...

7:12am I agree with you 100% It is not up to the "Peanut Gallery" to judge the worth of Mr. Trussel's lengthy career in education. When one gives so many years to a career in which monetary gain is not the objective there has to be some merit in their character! It is my experience that the parents and naysayers who complain the loudest are the ones with the least experience and contact in the scool and classroom. As my grandmother used to say, "Walk a day in a man's shoes before you judge him."

Anonymous said...

Yet you judge those who commented without walking in their shoes of experience with this principal. No one resigns and gives up retirement after 29years of service, this is why this story is so polarizing, and we as parents in this school have a right and need to know what happened for closure and piece of mind. What ever did happen is a tragedy, for him and his career, and I am sure there were some really good things about him, but the failure to lead and apparent chaos created in this school, expressed by the parent comments was by his own doing, no one to blame. The best thing for the BOE to do is get the truth out, squelching any false rumors, and let's move forward with a new year at the school, the sooner this happens the better or else the gossip will continue and will not be a good atmosphere at the school for all. Also the sooner we get a new permanent principal the better, and I hope the boe listens to the parents in their requests and preference for principal.

Anonymous said...

9:29 how many times have you posted a "rebuttal" on here? There are obvious reasons for his dismissal and mostly it has to do with the opinion that Mr. Trussell was difficult to work with, on many levels. But sometimes I think you people are trying to cover up by writing anonymous posts, as am I, about the role you may have had in this "ongoing investigation". If you did for honorable reasons than I aplaud you. That is one thing. Slamming a man to make your point and cover up the way you yourself may have contributed to the final decision is another. Just stop airing out your opinions of a man who is already gone, no matter what happened he did give his life's work for the sake of children. He did. You are throwing stones. Please just stop.

Anonymous said...

8:35am is an out of the box thinker, seems someone put the pieces together.

8:30PM Seriously... Do the following words make anyone but me feel ill at ease.."We are the ones who know what's best for everyone. We know everything".

Hey here is another famous quote, can anyone guess the author.....

"The party should not become a constable of public opinion, but must dominate it. It must not become a servant of the masses, but their master!"

Anonymous said...

Paris Hilton?

Anonymous said...

Think more on the line of dictator...

Anonymous said...

There is nothing bad about the truth, ever.

Let's wait for the BOE to tell the truth instead of crucifying the bloggers on this site who are venting their year long frustrations. Plan on attending the meeting tomorrow, and I am sure there will be a good attendance by the parental body given the amount of comments here. We are not cowards and from my experiences at meetings over the years in this community, we have no problem publicly standing up in front of anyone and voicing our opinions and conerns. Just ask any of the Board members!

Anonymous said...

This man was always kind to my kids & family. He rode our bus when there were problems & personally visited our home to discuss our other concerns... Who does that these days? PLUS, I know for a FACT there is always personal talk of specific kids at ANY school (including those the wealthy & famous attend)! 29 years & now he sucks? Doesn't make sense. Yes the secretary was mean... But what about the "lunch monitor" that was not ALLOWED to teach but gets to threaten our kids every day because he put in the time! He is mean to us & our kids to our faces... If I go to have lunch with my kid, I will not sit in silence damn it. Anyway, Maybe Trussell had a stern "my way" way of doing things, but some times one persons vision is not bad. Keeping a clean, quiet strict place of education is not always a bad thing. I think a lot of poor teachers will be using this to their advantage to hold on to their jobs a little longer. I don't think he was the problem... BFE got the shaft with these substandard teachers that no one wanted & if he wanted to clean house, I am sure someone started war.

Anonymous said...

5:22pm... color copies were done for free... so much people don't know!

Anonymous said...

well said Susan H.

and Foundation is not a code word, nor responsible here. It was open for everyone to join, most just opted NOT to. Easier to do nothing and complain

I am an american heterosexual white person and have no problem if he was gay or his secretary black, for whoever wrote that absurd comment. Quit looking for some hate crime everywhere. everyone will not agree with you or like you in this world no matter what race,creed,color, sexual preference,or religion you are. that is just human nature!

Anonymous said...

11:59AM is correct. I know that there are a handful of excellent teachers at BFE, my child had one of them. The question remains.....what can we do about the majority of average to poor teachers that remain? If the majority of parents had been happy with their child's teacher last year, there would probably be a different outcome than the one that we are seeing now. I think what we will find that Mr. Trussell tried to come through for the parents in the end by giving negative evaluations to several teachers and/or suggesting that they transfer. This infuriated them and they bombarded the BOE threatening lawsuits. Add this to the many petty complaints from parents throughout the year to the BOE and we can see how a recommendation for Trussell to leave would have been suggested.

Anonymous said...

You guys are killing me. You keep talking even though you don't know what you are talking about.


You are all assuming that he got let go because some parents had disagreements with him or some bad teachers felt slighted. Stop talking about how nice he was and how he rode the bus with your kid. This was not a personality conflict.


Mrs. Holloway, I will call your post naive, because it is. His termination had nothing to do with human interaction. A crook is a crook, no matter how many people like him.

I think that the reason that The Foundation was mentioned is that they, along with Katie Reeves, tried to get Fulton County to reconsider. They had no business trying to save his job. If they didn't know why he was in trouble, then they should have just kept quiet. If they did know why he was in trouble, and they still tried to save him, then they should be ashamed.

His old boss (who was sent to early retirement for covering for Mr. T) and Fulton County have been passing him around for years trying to cover his tracks. Even in the pending cases, they tried to negotiate and ask that he just be able to ride out his last year.


So, if you guys hear about the "one" reason that he got let go, then what you can be sure of is that you only know 1/5 of the story.

To be fair, I'll tell you this much: I think that I know the whole story, and there wasn't anything that was harmful to children. I mean, anything outside of cheating them out of a good education in some cases. He definitely didn't do anything to physically harm a child or anything like that. If that is what you guys are concerned about, then you can stop worrying.

Anonymous said...

@1:06, "A crook is a crook, no matter how many people like him." What do you know that can shed light on all of this? Why would either the Foundation or the PTA for that matter, be involved in what is strictly a personnel matter between Mr. Trussell and the Fulton County BOE?

Anonymous said...

Don't know the man from Adam's house cat, but it looks like several had more political pull and the most politically expedient thing for the FCBOE was to terminate him.

When one is given the option of resigning in lieu of termination, he has no choice as to whether he can remain in employment therefore, it's considered a discharge from employment.

Anonymous said...

Hi 1:06 P.M - If you know the full story- please tell it. Don't use short, vague, cryptic messages. Only the homophobic (and racist) blogger that posted earlier would really think that Mr. Trussell would harm one of our children.

Anonymous said...

Questioning the excessive paper the front desk staff and PTA said the paper used for Thursday folders home was donated, if this is true by whom?? Also, that doesn't justify the trees wasted to make all those unnecessary copies and duplicates sent home each week, especially if you have more than one child at the school, the repeated complaints all year long by many parents fell on deaf ears. But this is NOT the reason nor has a thing to do with a principal's removal, and the comment about the paper copies being free is irrelevant to this issue.

Anonymous said...

How does stating the obvious make someone a racist?? Curious since the comment was a simple factual statement that anyone would know upon meeting either person. I don't think anyone on this blog is judging anyone on anything other than character and actions.

Anonymous said...

To make the blanket statement that all teachers who left BFES because of poor performance is both wrong and extremely disrespectful.

Anonymous said...

The real story and truth of the matter is evident right here on this blog, the quality of citizens we have fighting to prove a decision was just. Thankfully, the majority of Milton citizens are not however the local LCSWs might find it interesting as a sort of social experiment of Our Town. What would the hypothesis be?

Anonymous said...

WHAT?!?

Anonymous said...

@2:48 I know, right?! It isn't enough that they had to put up with the bizarre politics under the Trussell / Cunningham administration, now they have to hear about how inadequate they are from a bunch of know-it-alls.


@2:52 One more time in English, please?

Susan Holloway said...

I'm not sure why people are so passionate about saying something that they will not back up with a name. What is the point?  It just reads as a bunch of anonymous viciousness.  I was hoping to draw out some substantial posts from this obscurity, not to actually be called naive or to be taunted by someone who "knows the whole story".   To keep saying this while repeatedly pointing out that "we" will never know is juvenile and hopefully beneath you.  I have also pointed out that calling someone a "nice man" may come across as naive as well as professing to not know the source of the dismissal, whatever the terms.  (I regret using the word "fired" earlier, sorry.). I look forward to meeting you at the meeting tomorrow night.  I will wear my "trained volunteer" name tag and you can wear your anonymous one.   

Anonymous said...

thankfully someone with FCS had the GUTS to do something about this guy - he has been a tyrant for many years - not just at BFES - threaten staff, lying, and exhibiting weird behaviors and bad judgement - riding a tricylce around the school??? word is that he was protected due to personal friendships with board member(s)??? and a few central office leaders - Green???
- cronyism??? maybe that should be look at as well -

do something about that secretary that did all his bidding for him too.

Anonymous said...

I am wondering about the hire of that ridiculous cafeteria coach? What was that? People are losing jobs all over Fulton County but we are hiring a man to stack napkins and turn the lights off when things get loud? So lame!

Anonymous said...

Parents can make a difference. They got him out. Now how about that nightmare kindergarten teacher who is a joke and whom he tried to foist on parents. My other kid had the other joke. The one with the phone glued to his ear.
My son has to redo math cus of him. Hopefully he and the kinder mess will no longer be protected.

Anonymous said...

I don't think the parents' eye opening complaints here had a thing to do with the change in principal.

Anonymous said...

hey 6:59, don't forget the hospitality teacher. heaven knows that the most important thing to have in an elementary school is someone to be in charge of hospitality.

so many good and qualified people were passed up or let go so that his friends could have jobs.

JMorg. said...

To the person that left the comment about the hospitality teacher... she was not hired for that. She was hired as a full time teacher and the week before school started, the county came in and made her a part time Special Ed teacher. That woman is a Saint who gave her kidney to a 27 year old guy who's chance at life was slim. It was on the website a few months ago.

Anonymous said...

@ JMorge she was a long time friend of his that he pulled out of retirement to work for him. She did come on as a teacher and then there were no teaching spots available, she was placed in the Media Center as the media clerk, in essence she became a paraprofessional. Was never a partime Special Education teacher. There is no such thing..she was assisting the lead teacher in a Special Ed classroom along with another paraprofessional. For the record he did make her hospitality coordinator, she had an office next to him and everything. If anything she was a "part time" paraprofessional!!

No one is questioning that she was/is a saint. But simply showing again the misuse of job positions, when teachers and assistants, that actually work in the classrooms were getting cut from! The real question is when she went from teacher to media clerk, then paraprofessional was he honest with the county in the change of positions?? Very important, as all of those positions have a diffrent pay scale! or was he allowing a friend to keep a teacher's salary but do other things like hosting events, aiding lead teachers,checking in library books, etc....?

JMorg. said...

Well, all I'm saying is that she is a Saint. You can say what you want about Mr. Trussell's administrative issues, but please do not berate her and drag her through the mud when I'm sure she's still recovering from a very intensive surgery after she saved that guy's life. Not many people would do that for a friend, much less someone they met at work. Someone above must have intervened for him to allow him to meet her. That's all I'm saying. It was an incredible situation.

Anonymous said...

The "know it alls" you refer to are the parents in this school, who have a vested interest (our children)!! not to mention the money we give in just property taxes to support payroll. Kind of forget who is paying the tab on all of this, it isn't the United States Government, it's the people, whether you have kids in school or not, you pay for other people's education, including illegal immigrants. That's fair don't you think. And the BOE has raised taxes, how did that happen, when the President promised to not raise taxes on middle class. Hey, but they have now taken $26 Billion from the poor who need food stamps and gave it to the teachers unions. Pay off!

Anonymous said...

kidney transplant aside, that hospitality chain of events is absurd. Not her fault, she was lucky to have someone looking out for her. But really, there were so many jobs and good people that were cut, positions that really served our kids, all over Fulton County. And speaking of Special Ed, some of those assistants in Fulton County were cut in 09/10. How can anyone justify spending county funds on a hospitality position (oh and she had AN OFFICE! are you kidding?) when there were really valuable positions being eliminated?

Anonymous said...

I soooo wish this situation is going way deeper than just Birmingham Falls. I hope someone is researching the chaos that happened at Creek View Elementary under his leadership as well! Fantastic teachers left that school.....fantastic teachers....

Telaryn May said...

ok, so I've read it all, and the only glimpse I caught of a possible reason has to do with money. So did he embezzle funds from the PTA or Foundation? That would be a real reason. Can someone just say already.

BTW - I wasn't involved in the school enough to have an opinion, but I loved my kids teachers; Ms Jeffries and Ms Regan were great for them! And their advanced teachers were good as well.

Anonymous said...

My child is starting kindergarten and I am now worried due to the comments written about one kind. Teacher who seems to be incompetent and someone I do not want for my child. Please advise who she is to a fellow BFES parent.

Anonymous said...

Parents of BFES be assured you are going to be in good hands with a wonderful leader, Cathi Barlow. I was very lucky to work with Ms. Barlow when our school was in desperate need of some good leadership and she came in and made a it a very easy transition. She was an excellent leader, fair, a good listener and understanding. She was well liked by staff, parents and the children!

Anonymous said...

Hello, I am Carol Kosko Wicks. I am proud to give you my name and my cell phone number. I will gladly answer any questions you may have for me. 404-803-8376.
I am not a saint, but I am a human who has devoted my life to educating young minds. I am the first in my family to go to college and besides unconditional love from parents, education is the very best thing we can give our children. I accepted a job offer and set up my classroom. Then Fulton froze the hiring and there was no teaching position avaliable to me; however, a parpro job making $30,000 less was available and I accepted. There was no Media Specialist, so I set up the library and offered reading to children until one could be hired. I filled in whereever there was a need. I am the guilty one for the hosting the teachers' showers, parent pancakes, and special events. I also paid for them. I assisted the lead teacher in 5th grade sp. ed. I count it an honor to have served those children. I love them and their parents. I am very experienced in early education and Mrs. Levine was a middle school teacher and together with our parents we made a wonderful year for our students. I taught 3 hours a day, then I went to a vacant office to have my computer and assist in any overflow tasks need in the office. My goal was to help make our school feel like a home away from home where children felt school was a special place to be to learn and thrive. If in any way this offended anyone, please call me. I am in Florida recovering from the miracle that freed a young man to be with his wife and four year old little girl and not be tied to a machine three hours a day. I worked to serve you and your children. If I disappointed you, I am sorry and will discuss it at with you. I have nothing to do with the issue at hand. Mr. Trussell is my friend and will be forever as well as the teachers and staff at BFE. It is so hard to please everyone, but I know Tracy Trussell's had the best intentions for BFE. Perhaps he was not what you wanted, but trust me I have seen him try to work with some very unruly people. He told us to remember it was the children we were there for. He is gone. He is down, he is being berated even now. I only ask you to remember we are all human and to treat each other with some kindness.It is my hope that you start this year with united efforts to make your school the best it can be for your children. They are the hope for our future.
God Bless, Carol Kosko Wicks

Anonymous said...

Hello, I am Carol Kosko Wicks. I am proud to give you my name and my cell phone number. I will gladly answer any questions you may have for me. 404-803-8376.
I am not a saint, but I am a human who has devoted my life to educating young minds. I am the first in my family to go to college and besides unconditional love from parents, education is the very best thing we can give our children. I accepted a job offer and set up my classroom. Then Fulton froze the hiring and there was no teaching position avaliable to me; however, a parpro job making $30,000 less was available and I accepted. There was no Media Specialist, so I set up the library and offered reading to children until one could be hired. I filled in whereever there was a need. I am the guilty one for the hosting the teachers' showers, parent pancakes, and special events. I also paid for them. I assisted the lead teacher in 5th grade sp. ed. I count it an honor to have served those children. I love them and their parents. I am very experienced in early education and Mrs. Levine was a middle school teacher and together with our parents we made a wonderful year for our students. I taught 3 hours a day, then I went to a vacant office to have my computer and assist in any overflow tasks need in the office. My goal was to help make our school feel like a home away from home where children felt school was a special place to be to learn and thrive. If in any way this offended anyone, please call me. I am in Florida recovering from the miracle that freed a young man to be with his wife and four year old little girl and not be tied to a machine three hours a day. I worked to serve you and your children. If I disappointed you, I am sorry and will discuss it at with you. I have nothing to do with the issue at hand. Mr. Trussell is my friend and will be forever as well as the teachers and staff at BFE. It is so hard to please everyone, but I know Tracy Trussell's had the best intentions for BFE. Perhaps he was not what you wanted, but trust me I have seen him try to work with some very unruly people. He told us to remember it was the children we were there for. He is gone. He is down, he is being berated even now. I only ask you to remember we are all human and to treat each other with some kindness.It is my hope that you start this year with united efforts to make your school the best it can be for your children. They are the hope for our future.
God Bless, Carol Kosko Wicks

Anonymous said...

As a Creekview parent I would welcome back Mr. Trussell in a second! (Matt Rogers has been a fine principal by-the-way) That's right there are several people who have been apprised of your little witch hunt. Under Mr. Trussell’s administration things were wonderful. Some of the waste that you refer to are system wide, CVES still sent out multiple packages with our children until our PTA set up the ability to receive those weekly items electronically. The fluff that you make mention of are the most fond memories that your children will remember from their ES experience. Our eldest child still talks about his graduation ceremony. As far as outstanding teachers go Carol Kosko, and Alison Snow were named teacher of the year in Fulton County, Manav Satsangi was named Paraprofessional of the year all while under Mr. Trussell’s administration.
Mr. Trussell was named Principal of the Year by Fulton County BOE.

"Someone call the Board of Education quickly before they just go and hire our new principal without checking with us. They need to truly understand how fabulous the parents are at this school. We are more knowledgeable about teaching than the teachers. We could run a school better than Trussell. We will not stand for less. We know better. We pay their salaries and they had better teach what we would teach the future leaders of this great Country. We are the ones who know what's best for everyone. We know everything. We are the alpha and the omega.
8:30 PM"

There are many parents and children who are wonderful people at Birmingham Falls ES, and we know many of them as result of our interaction at various activities within the Milton/Alpharetta communities. Perhaps the few complaining on this web site need to start your own school, as 8:30 pm suggests. According to 8:30pm you can teach, lead, clean, and make the rules better than anyone. You can then also hand out the discipline they way you see fit as well. Because this little group of elitists are the alpha and the omega…..right?
As in any large organization there will be people who can not be satisfied, no matter what. Perhaps 8:30pm is right and you should start your own school, and let the administration (led by whomever the BOE selects) do what they hired to do, which is educate children. Not have mindless and trivial parent meetings.
In the real corporate world, if a company has a client that gets to difficult to contend with and their demands out weigh their worth the company will simply tell that client that they no longer wish to do business with them. Simple economic terms calls that the cost benefit ratio.
If your school is like ours 80% of the work is done by 20% of the population. There is also 80% of the complaining that comes from 20% of the population. I’m sure that everyone wants a fresh start to the new school season, and change comes from involvement. With all the budget cuts that came last year more parental involement will be required from all of us throughout the FC education system. Step up and get involved!

Anonymous said...

As a Creekview parent I would welcome back Mr. Trussell in a second! (Matt Rogers has been a fine principal by-the-way) That's right there are several people who have been apprised of your little witch hunt. Under Mr. Trussell’s administration things were wonderful. Some of the waste that you refer to are system wide, CVES still sent out multiple packages with our children until our PTA set up the ability to receive those weekly items electronically. The fluff that you make mention of are the most fond memories that your children will remember from their ES experience. Our eldest child still talks about his graduation ceremony. As far as outstanding teachers go Carol Kosko, and Alison Snow were named teacher of the year in Fulton County, Manav Satsangi was named Paraprofessional of the year all while under Mr. Trussell’s administration.
Mr. Trussell was named Principal of the Year by Fulton County BOE.

Someone call the Board of Education quickly before they just go and hire our new principal without checking with us. They need to truly understand how fabulous the parents are at this school. We are more knowledgeable about teaching than the teachers. We could run a school better than Trussell. We will not stand for less. We know better. We pay their salaries and they had better teach what we would teach the future leaders of this great Country. We are the ones who know what's best for everyone. We know everything. We are the alpha and the omega.
8:30 PM
There are many parents and children who are wonderful people at Birmingham Falls ES, and we know many of them as result of our interaction at various activities within the Milton/Alpharetta communities. Perhaps the few complaining on this web site need to start your own school, as 8:30 pm suggests. According to 8:30pm you can teach, lead, clean, and make the rules better than anyone. You can then also hand out the discipline they way you see fit as well. Because this little group of elitists are the alpha and the omega…..right?
As in any large organization there will be people who can not be satisfied, no matter what. Perhaps 8:30pm is right and you should start your own school, and let the administration (led by whomever the BOE selects) do what they hired to do, which is educate children. Not have mindless trivial parent meetings.
In the real corporate world, if a company has a client that gets to difficult to contend with and their demands out weigh their worth, the company will simply tell that client that they no longer wish to do business with them. Simple economic terms calls that the cost benefit ratio.
If your school is like ours 80% of the work is done by 20% of the population. There is also 80% of the complaining that comes from 20% of the population. I’m sure that everyone wants a fresh start to the new school season, and change comes from involvement. Step and get involved!

Anonymous said...

As a Creekview parent I would welcome back Mr. Trussell in a second! (Matt Rogers has been a fine principal by-the-way) That's right there are several people who have been apprised of your little witch hunt. Under Mr. Trussell’s administration things were wonderful. Some of the waste that you refer to are system wide, CVES still sent out multiple packages with our children until our PTA set up the ability to receive those weekly items electronically. The fluff that you make mention of are the most fond memories that your children will remember from their ES experience. Our eldest child still talks about his graduation ceremony. As far as outstanding teachers go Carol Kosko, and Alison Snow were named teacher of the year in Fulton County, Manav Satsangi was named Paraprofessional of the year all while under Mr. Trussell’s administration.
Mr. Trussell was named Principal of the Year by Fulton County BOE.

Someone call the Board of Education quickly before they just go and hire our new principal without checking with us. They need to truly understand how fabulous the parents are at this school. We are more knowledgeable about teaching than the teachers. We could run a school better than Trussell. We will not stand for less. We know better. We pay their salaries and they had better teach what we would teach the future leaders of this great Country. We are the ones who know what's best for everyone. We know everything. We are the alpha and the omega.
8:30 PM
There are many parents and children who are wonderful people at Birmingham Falls ES, and we know many of them as result of our interaction at various activities within the Milton/Alpharetta communities. Perhaps the few complaining on this web site need to start your own school, as 8:30 pm suggests. According to 8:30pm you can teach, lead, clean, and make the rules better than anyone. You can then also hand out the discipline they way you see fit as well. Because this little group of elitists are the alpha and the omega…..right?
As in any large organization there will be people who can not be satisfied, no matter what. Perhaps 8:30pm is right and you should start your own school, and let the administration (led by whomever the BOE selects) do what they hired to do, which is educate children. Not have mindless trivial parent meetings.
In the real corporate world, if a company has a client that gets to difficult to contend with and their demands out weigh their worth, the company will simply tell that client that they no longer wish to do business with them. Simple economic terms calls that the cost benefit ratio.
If your school is like ours 80% of the work is done by 20% of the population. There is also 80% of the complaining that comes from 20% of the population. I’m sure that everyone wants a fresh start to the new school season, and change comes from involvement. Step and get involved!

Anonymous said...

Why stop with Trussell?

The BOE needs to investigate the guy up the street, Freiberger, principal at Crabapple Crossing.

Susan H said...

Carol, God bless you. I read your story on the BFE website just last week and it brought tears to my eyes. PLEASE don't let any of this get to you any more than it has. I do not believe that these posts are meant as personal attacks. I think that people are just trying to vent some frustration that this situation has brought to the surface. We are not going to get any "official" explanation due to the confidential nature of personnel issues, so speculation and discussion of possible related issues will persist for a while. You made a tremendous difference in somebody's life. That is what matters!

Anonymous said...

Funny. Aren't we, the tax payers, the bosses of all the BOE? I am right as you know therefore we should have a full explanation as to the firing of one of our employees. Enough of the smoke and mirrors, Fulton County: Answer to those that pay the bill!!!!

Anonymous said...

7:57 I can't see another child going through what mine did - run screaming from Hunnings.

Anonymous said...

"For children" yeah, right, why wasn't he thinking of that when he mishandled funds, staff, whatever. Thanks for the legacy. He left us with a huge mess to clean up while they settle with him and we all pay the bill with our tax dollars.

Sue said...

To Mrs. Carol Wicks, You are a very special person who gave up so much for another human being in need. The gift of life is not to be looked upon lightly and as the Mother of the recipient of that gift, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You will forever be a part of our family, as well as your wonderful husband.
You and Mr. Trussell have stood by my son and treated him and our whole family with much kindness. I hope Mr. Trussell knows what it has meant to us also.
What a blessing you both have been,
Sincerely, Sue

Anonymous said...

FYI. Teacher's of the Year are nominated and selected by the facutly and staff. Students and parents do not play a role in that selection process at all. It's a cliquish popularity contest that, sometimes, has nothing to do with how well a teacher can teach!

Anonymous said...

Yes, teacher of the year is chosen by co-workers... as it should be. These are the people that see what you do with your students day in and day out. This is not a popularity contest...it is a respected honor. Whoever wrote that comment obviously has no clue about the education system in our schools. I do...I am a former teacher and a friend of all the above people you others are raking over the coals.
Carol Wicks is an exceptional teacher that we were lucky to have work with our son. She worked very hard at BFES to ensure that our children got the best education possible. The children respected her and so did the parents of those students. I agree with the Creekview parent...all of you who think you can do a better job step up and have at it. Your comments are hateful and for the most part and come with an uneducated skewed view of how you think things should be. I am also in agreement that those memories..the fluff as you call it ...those WILL be what our students remember along with what they learned.
Agreed as well...we all make mistakes and I have a feeling all of you who are sitting there speaking so ill of people who work so hard for your children have made plenty of your own in your lifetime~how would you feel if they were put on a blog in your community for all your friends and neighbors to comment on? How would you feel then? Shame on you....

Anonymous said...

Oh cut it out! I know Carol too and she IS an awesome teacher. I've known her since she taught 1st grade at Creek View Elementary. Carol deserves every honor given to teachers but that still doesn't take away the fact that being nominated for Teacher of the Year is a popularity contest. I AM a teacher of 15 years and your comment about "seeing what others do with their kids" is crazy. Of course we (teachers) see all of the cutsy artwork and such but that has nothing to do with how well a person can teach (anybody can make a tree). How could I truly know what one teacher is doing if I'm concentrated on the goal of educating my own students. Who really has that much time? Teacher of the Year would be an honor if it was done in a manner that evoked honor.

I respect your opinion but I also have my own.

Carol, you're the best and I love you! The best Christmas party Creek View ever had was at your house! Tracey WAS good at that (throwing/organizing parties).

Anonymous said...

A 1st grade parent here that was very satisfied with Principal Trussell. Personally I think he was given lemons and made pretty good lemonade.

Sure there were hiccups but to start a school from scratch with "surplus" teachers, budget handcuffs, and all sorts of other challenges, I thought he did a fine job.

I'm extremely surprised at the vitriol on this board.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Wicks, I feel I must comment on the following statements you made. "I am the guilty one for the hosting the teachers' showers, parent pancakes, and special events. I also paid for them." WOW! I'm shocked that you stated this. All staff members (some feeling pressured during tough economic times) were asked to pay hospitality dues. The dues should have been used to provide gifts/showers to staff members who were getting married or having a baby. The fees should also be used to purchase a flower or gift card for those who experienced a funeral or surgery during the year. However, when asked to provide how the dues were spent for the year, no one would provide this information. If you paid for anything that dealt with honoring our wonderful students, parents or staff members, you CHOSE to do so. I chose weekly to purchase items to use in the classroom. I did it because I loved my students and wanted to make their experience in the classroom fun and exciting. It appears to me that you did it to be noticed. I hope I'm wrong!

(PS I still don't know where the money went. One staff member who was married during the school year did not receive a shower or gift of any type. I'm only aware of a mass baby shower where shrimp was served.)

Anonymous said...

I did not do it to be noticed. I only stated it because it appeared that there was such concern over funds. I actually need to be reimbursed over the fifth grade promotion and the bookkeeper and I could not get together before I left for the kidney transplant. If funds were spent for parties in this economic period, then there would be complaints of misuse. I love to bake, cook, and share my flowers with others. I am not sure why I am under fire. I have only tried to serve my students and make the school a nice place for us all. Carol
Please identify yourself and let's talk further details.

Anonymous said...

Kindergarten will be such a better place when the person who cannot be a team player moves on to another grade level. She must be friends with the crazed parent from that group who threw the temper tantrums to Mrs. Johnston, a lovely lady and fair person.

Anonymous said...

Wonder where these children learned to bully? wow.

Anonymous said...

Exactly! They learned it from the parents! You are right about Mrs. Johnston, a lovely lady who unfortunately lives in the neighborhood and really couldn't do anything about the crazed parents or their tantrum throwing children because she had to see them at the grocery store and in our community so she was bullied in to the path of least of resistance.

Anonymous said...

This is sad! Why are you attacking Carol? Mr. Trussell is the one who should be questioned!
*CLAP* *CLAP* *2 FINGERS IN AIR* "Boys and girls, treat your friends how you would like to be treated!"
WOW!

Anonymous said...

Just to clarify, my statement about Mrs. Johnston: bullied (in a passive aggressive way) by the crazed parents, not the administration.

Anonymous said...

This is absolutely ridiculous! I'm sure no one that has posted on here is perfect and therefore has no right to judge anyone else. Does it make you feel better to gossip, spread rumors and drag someone's name through the mud. Perhaps you could find something more productive to do with your time. Mr. Trussell was no where near perfect, but who is for that matter? It is impossible to make everyone happy and especially in this part of town. Some of the parents in this area seem to have a huge sense of entitlement. Having money doesn't make you better or more important than others. Just because you pay taxes doesn't mean you have the right to dictate how the school is run. I'm sure most of the parents griping on here are unhappy because they didn't get their way...you're child didn't get the grade they deserve (in your opinion), you're child didn't get in to tag (nevermind the fact that they didn't meet the qualifications), someone didn't bend over backwards and give you exactly what you want. If that's the kind of education you are looking for than you should put all your money to good use and send your kids to private school.

To the teachers and staff who feel they were treated unfairly...Were you actually doing your job? Don't answer that question yourself, but instead try asking the people who have worked with you for years. I think you might find that you have been skating by for years and putting on a good show, but the people who work with you know the truth. I guess it's no fun working for someone who actually expects you to do your job. I hope you enjoyed your little celebration and are enjoying the fact that you are ruining people's lives. You should be so proud!

I for one am glad that my child will not attend this school. It's just unfortunate that there are faculty and parents like this at every school. I'm not speaking about the parents and faculty as a whole. Just the ones who have made it their personal agenda to ruin this mans career and apparently aren't satisfied stopping there. You should try putting this much effort towards teaching or parenting!

Jessica Morgan said...

Wow... I cannot believe that the teacher who wrote at 4:48 PM is attacking Mrs. Wicks. How dare you! You're doing your best to try and upset her when she is still recovering! This is almost monstrous and you should be ashamed. I wouldn't want you teaching my child. If you wanted someone else to have a shower that for some reason didn't feel included in the "mass" shower you speak of, why in the world did you not throw one yourself? Or was it a shower for you that you are concerned?

Stop with the petty BS about who got showers and who didn't... get over yourself. I can't even believe that attacks like this are being voiced in a public forum. Adults are not supposed to act like this. Please feel free to bash me all you want to, I don't really care but stop attacking her.

It's one thing to make points regarding Mr. Trussell (if there are any) as this post was about HIM, however if you have an issue with showers that were thrown or not thrown by Carol, this is not the forum to discuss those personal issues. Please remember, she was laid off at the end of the year, with thousands of others so get over your issues and move on.

Jessica Morgan said...

And AMEN to Anonymous that posted just above mine.

Anonymous said...

The area superintendent tonight said to the parents that it had absolutely NOTHING to do with any parent complaints. He violated title 7 which had to do with age, race and gender, and that is all they could tell us. Anyone can call the BOE office and ask for open records if they want the details.

So in response to the chided person who feels we are all a bunch of whiny parents, who caused his demise, you are dead wrong.he caused whatever happened to himself,and at the meeting tonight it was started he admitted to them (BOE) and was given due process. End of story. You should have gone to the meeting. Lynne Johnston, I doubt requested a transfer because of the parents in this school, these r the same parents she was with at Summit Hill, and as far as I know was well liked and respected in both schools. Many tonight at the meeting requested her return as Principal, and that is a big compliment considering all the changes this community has bee through in a years time.

Anonymous said...

Paying ridiculous amounts of money on property taxes which are used mostly for schools gives all of us every single right to know exactly what is going on and the BOE, and everyone employed by them, is accountable to all of us, that is not being entitled, that is our right.

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous at 7:11 and 7:23-
I never once said that the parents are responsible for him being fired. I said that it was ridiculous that people were dragging his name through the mud and spreading rumors. That is exactly what is being done on here. People are using this as an opportunity to bash him and others at the school. I do know exactly what was said at the meeting tonight.

You are exactly right about paying taxes and having the right to know what is going on. My point was that paying taxes does not give a parent the right to make demands on the administration or staff and get their way. I believe that I said I was speaking of some of the parents and not all of them. If you took that personally and felt it was about you than that is your problem.

Jessica Morgan said...

I just think it would be appropriate to point out that even if you paid to own a million shares in AT&T stock (for example) the Board Members are all that you would be involved with... you wouldn't know why every person was fired, nor would you be able to control that.

We do have a choice in who our school board members are... it's called Voting. Just as in the stock market, you vote on board members to make decisions on your behalf but you personally do not hear about everything nor control it.

If every teacher or school employee thought that everything they do would be shared with everyone who pays taxes or that their names would be slandered so blatantly in an online forum, I doubt many would teach.

Again, this is just purely an observation & a point that I thought everyone should remember. I agree that tax dollars should be spent wisely & on things that are worth the money, but there is no way taxpayers could know everything or be told everything about the county in which they pay taxes. More money would be spent IN taxes to notify everyone of what is going on (even quarterly) than it would be for things schools actually need.

Anonymous said...

Finally, truth prevails!Trussell isn't a crook, teachers and parapros DO pay for ALOT of things for the children out of their own pockets!YOU could not prove misappropriation of funds or he would of been "fired" done, BOE FIRED. Did not happen because he did not DO that. Instead, whoever you are, parent, teacher, parapro, administration, custodian you had to reach for title 7.Here you go read this; sooo not Trussell!BTW they did not say Fired.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark law enacted in terms of leveling the playing field for potential job applicants and employees. Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin (eeoc.gov). Title VII is considered to be the most important equal opportunity law ever enacted because it contains the broadest coverage, prohibition and remedies to individuals. Title VII was passed to ensure you would be considered for jobs not on the basis of the color of their skin, religion, gender or their national origin. Rather, you should be selected on the basis of the abilities necessary to perform a job. Title VII applies to all school districts, private schools and charter schools. You have the right to file charges against your employer, administrators or co-workers if discriminatory practices outlined in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are not followed. The passage of Title VII started a new revolution concerning how employees are selected for employment.

Anonymous said...

Didn't take it personal at all, just felt the elitist comment was out of line, and have no idea how you or anyone else can formulate anyone was pushing anyone around, especially since none of the parents had a thing to do with his removal. I believe it was a shock to the community. Most people on this site seem to all feel he was a good person with good intentions, and their accounts of their own experiences are just that, not mud slinging. He was a highly recommended principal and we were all sold early on that he was the best of the best by the BOE when they sent him to this school to open, falling short of expectations was not the fault of anyone but him. It is unfortunate for everyone what has transpired and I doubt anyone saw this coming, even those dissatisfied with the leadership. We have been explained he did something wrong, he admitted to it, that should be the focus, not the parents on this site who are the recipients of the results of his leadership.

Anonymous said...

Passive Aggressive

Anonymous said...

They have to put it delicately due to legalities. Please get the open records to put this puppy to bed. Then those who are so vehemently defending, rescuing him will have nothing further to say. Seems like you all are so more concerned about him than the kids in this school and how his poor leadership has affected them, parents, staff, faculty and community.

Anonymous said...

7:02 is exactly right in their post about judgement. Only one has the right to judge anybody and believe me someday you will all be judged rightly. I was at the meeting tonight and it's funny how no one had the guts to say in person what is being said on these posts....you really are nothing but whiney cowards. OOPS! I think I'm being judgemental...!

Our children are the future of this world but with parents like what are posting in this forum, frankly, it makes me afraid for them. (the children, not the parents!)

Anonymous said...

The first celebration I was able to attend at Birmingham Falls was at Halloween. I was so impressed with a Principal that got down on his knees to have his picture taken with each and every child that asked him. Some of the children didn't even attend the school yet but by golly, he put a smile on and said CHEESE!
It made me smile.

Anonymous said...

I was unable to make the meeting last night. Can someone please let us know exactly what was said by the BOE with regards to the "dismissal”, how many people were there, how long did the meeting last, who from the BOE was in attendance. Someone else noted that you can call somewhere and get the exact record of what happened, was that place, person, or number mentioned last night?

Tim Enloe said...

All:

Open records are coming.

Tim Enloe
Accessmilton.com
770 653 0552

Anonymous said...

AT&T is a private company, and our public schools are run by government, which the money comes from our taxes, and because of that, unlike the private company, it is public record, and they have to be transparent and accountable to all of us. Just like the US Government, we the people are in charge.

Anonymous said...

4:37 Here is what I took away from it:


1. This whole issue isn't a matter of opinion or personality conflicts, Mr. Trussell broke a federal law called Title 7 which has to do with bias on the basis of race, age, and gender among other things.

2. It did not have anything to do with stealing money, abusing children, or complaining parents. This action is a result of his actions against his employees. I can't remember his exact phrasing, but he said something like Trussell has put the county into significant legal jeopardy. Like I say, I can't remember the phrasing, but I took it to mean that the county is about to get sued bigtime (which, of course, means the taxpayers are about to get sued bigtime).

3. He was given due process in some hearings and he admitted to doing it.

4. The case is not completely closed yet, so they can't provide every sordid detail. When the case is closed, the records will be available from the county through the open records act. (But to Tim's point, above, you won't really have to go get it. It will be linked and published in the media and this blog).

5. We have an interim principal that will be with us for at least 90 days. She is a very well qualified retired principal that has experience in this sort of thing.

6. A job posting will be issued for the principal position soon. There will be a lengthy interview and selection process. The county will involve the BFES community in the selection process in two ways: first and more generally through a questionnaire, then through using a panel to aid in the interview and selection process. I don't remember the numbers, but there will be a couple of parents and a couple of teachers on the panel along with people from the county.

7. All of the employment decisions that were previously made by Trussell will stand.

8. The school is completely prepared for the first day including textbooks, etc.

Anonymous said...

I had to break my post down into two parts, so here is the continuation of "what happened last night."



I think that summarizes the facts. As far as the "good stuff," here were some of my favorite highlights:

- Unbelievably, right after he said that Trussell broke federal law, had due-process hearings and admitted to the wrongdoing, some woman said, "but, can we get him back?" DUH! (the answer was no, of course)

- After being told no less than ten times that the case was still ongoing but records would be available afterward, some guy demands the records and won't take "no" for an answer. He was raising his voice and demanding that they reveal the details. What is so hard about this? How is this different from anything else in life? Again, DUH!

- A little backstory is necessary to set this one up. As you can probably tell from the comments above, a recurring theme in Trussell's offenses was that he had a habit of displacing senior and/or better qualified teachers and employees in favor of his friends. I gather that the county recognizes it, but doesn't care or can't do anything about it. It wasn't what he got in trouble for, it just offended and angered those who really knew what was going on. So, with that setup, three or four times during the course of the meeting questions were asked about things like part-time employment (sadly, all part-time employees in the county were caught in the RIF, Reduction In Force, action last year although somehow some still work at BFES) and other employment decisions. Finally, within the last five minutes of the meeting, he waived his hand in the air and said, "yeah, he [Trussell] may have circumvented the process and things like that, but we aren't going to make any changes." In other words, they knew or know about the employment manipulation.

- One more: I love this nanny-state society that we live in. People look to the government to do the jobs that parents should be doing. Anyway, I got a kick out of both the question and the answer on this one. Somebody asked, "what do we tell our children?" What? What? Aren't you the parent? Again, DUH! But the answer was better than the question. I was hoping for (but honestly not expecting), "well, you should tell your children that they risk throwing away a life's work if they break the law. Cheaters never win, and winners never cheat." But no, what we got was something more PC that I can't remember. Something about remembering the good times and changes happen in life. I guess that was the politically expedient answer, but I was hoping for the "right" answer.


I probably missed a couple of things, but I'm sure others will fill in the gaps.

Anonymous said...

632am Thank you, BTW who was there on behalf of the BOE, and how long did the meeting last?

Anonymous said...

6:36, the superintendent, Dr. Sam Taylor, was the main speaker. There was another lady, but I didn't get her name and title. Katie Reeves was also there. There was a third lady giving out question cards, but she didn't speak. lasted about an hour

Anonymous said...

Right after the meeting at Birmingham Falls, Katie Reeves met Tim Enloe and his friend for dinner and drinks over at The Old Blind Dog to ring in the new school year as best friends forever and ever. Funny how time changes things, an opinion made for all to read, how you never know when you'll have to eat words instead of fish and chips.

Anonymous said...

Linda Anderson, Deputy Superintendent (under Dr. Loe)
Sam Taylor, Area 4 Superintendent (replaced Bob Lynch who retired)
Katie Reeves - Board Member

Your summary was good and accurate!

Anonymous said...

Stupid comment. The day they meet for anything will be when HELL freezes over. Everyone knows it. Now resorting to attacking And taking out your anger on Enloe and Reeves because your beloved Principal messed up big and lost his job.
But I guess you have to attack and blame someone for his actions, anyone but Trussell himself.

Anonymous said...

Tim time to end this blog since now that the gist of what he did has been explained, those who are still in denial and unhappy about it are now going on a witch hunt for YOU for breaking the story. Can't wait for the open records to further silence the Trussell fan club.

There was a woman actually teary over not getting him back at the meeting, and I am sorry, but maybe there was something wrong for her to be that emotionally connected and close to him.

Anonymous said...

He messed up and is now dealing with the consequences. Everyone just needs to move on and leave it alone. What good does it do to continue to post bad things about him or the people he brought over with him...or anyone else for that matter. People are now being made fun of because they showed emotions and some compassion. Does he not deserve friends now? We have all done things that we are not proud of, but lucky for most of us there wasn't a blog about it. When the truth comes out nothing is going to change...he will still be fired, will likely still have people who forgive and support him and people who still don't like him. Put all of this time and energy towards something positive and focus on turning things around at the school.

Anonymous said...

Okay, okay it's clearly all been said... wait, there's more... what about the cereal box / circus looking mascot on the oversized car magnets? Can we have a redesign now? What about crocs for our students?? Relax, these comments are supposed to generate a LOL. It's far too intense and these thoughts came to mind. Enjoy the last week of summer vacation.

"Can we all just get along and be a BFES family again for 2010-2011?"

Anonymous said...

This whole situation, and this blog for that matter, is unfortunate. I have known Mr. Trussell for a long time and I have seen him do great things for many people. I have seen him change people's lives for the better, and I have consistantly seen him put others in front of himself. He is a good man with good intentions. He has given an entire career devoted to the education and enrichment of children's lives. And he is a human being. We should not define this man's legacy based on one year's circumstances, many of which were not his fualt, and many which are not true. Mr. Trussell has had many triumphs in the field of education that he should be very proud of. Mr. Trussell, if you are reading this (and I really hope you are not) you have many fans. Many, many fans who understand your devotion, and the positive effect you have on children and your school. Keep your chin up. Be strong and you will make it through this.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh, criminy! Here we go again.

Seriously, I can't take it. I
Have to tell you something. All of
Us on here know how nice he is.
Trussell loved kids. Got it.

Unfortunately, he couldn't be
Principal without breaking the law!


Get it?

Anonymous said...

WOW - This is just vicious. Bottom line - Mr. Trussell is gone. Love him, like him, hate him, don't have an opinion one way or another. School starts in one week, how about we move on and turn all of this incredible negative energy to postive and focus on making this the best year our kids have ever had. P.S. Out of all the postings here, there are only two facts I've read. 1. There is a racist amongst us (this scares me much more than anything Mr. T could have done) and 2. There is a wonderful lady that saved someone's life. I need to go find something positive to read now. I'll never get to sleep after reading all of these.

Anonymous said...

Hey 9:28. That isn't the bottom line at all. Not only are you illiterate, you are a few fries short of a Happy Meal. It is obvious that there are about three of you answering each-others and your own posts. It is boring, pointless, and sophomoric. Everyone understands... nice person, fine. If you would scroll up, you would see that not only did the original post not name her, it only addressed the position. You three old bats are the ones that named her, talked about how great she is and answered your own posts in agreement with how great she is. You all have verbal diarrhea and mental constipation.

Re-read the post directly above yours. If you have anything else to say, then stay on topic.

Anonymous said...

I don't have time to read all the comments, but it is obviously a very heated discussion.

I know a lot of employees who were miserable under Mr. Trussel. His reputation was also tarnished according to other administrators in the area who are doing fantastic jobs!

On a side note, I think parents and teachers on both sides of the argument will appreciate what Ms Barlow brings to the table. She is a fantastic administrator! Ms Barlow has a great attitude and is very approachable by both teachers and parents.

Anonymous said...

Well 9:28....don't you think that reading about some wonderful lady saving someones life IS positive reading? I do.

Anonymous said...

Please remember that humans are all about talking/blogging about the bad anonymously and the good in person where it can be heard and seen. Also, this is a place to vent as stated earlier, not a place to spread the good news about decent human beings.

Signed, a self-aware human in Milton, Ga

Anonymous said...

Well 8:03....don't you think we picked up on what a saint that lovely woman was in the other 40 off-topic posts? Perhaps you can find a blog with people discussing that topic instead of this one.

If you would like to stay on-topic, then you could discuss why she shouldn't have been hired, retained, or doing the things that she was doing at BFES? OH SNAP!!

Anonymous said...

But then who would have been his mother?

Anonymous said...

It's A Mad Mad World(especially in Milton, GA). Oh Snap ! Trussell did whatever he did and will pay the price regardless. Let's move on and look to the future (for ourselves, our neighbors, and our children). Let's start worrying about things we can change and everything else isn't worth worrying about(thanks Dad for teaching me this!).

Anonymous said...

Title 7? I wonder if this:

http://tiny.cc/2sft5

had anything do with it.

Anonymous said...

Can't click on the URL you posted.

Anonymous said...

If you all want more of a voice in your child's education, you have the perfect opportunity coming this November. The Milton and Alpharetta school board representative position is up for election. Katie Reeves, who is now serving in that position and has been for a while, ran unopposed last election. If you want a change or a voice, now is your chance to run and/or vote for someone new. I'm sure that with all the concerned , involved and highly educated people in this area, we should be able to have a candidate with a commitment to fair, objective and high quality education that your children deserve and that you pay for. Instead of just venting on this blog, actually DO something about your frustrations and run for the position! But hurry up, November elections are fast approaching.

Anonymous said...

Want to see Lynne Johnston as Principal??? Be active. Call or email Dr. Cindy Loe, loec@fultonschools.org and ask for Lynne to be APPOINTED Principal!!! It would be the fastest way to get our school back moving in a positive direction.

Anonymous said...

Judging from the article that 11:59am referenced (http://www.tiny.cc/2sft5), Mr. Trussell liked to employ male educators because it is good for kids to have positive male role models. He made sure they were excellent teachers as well. I wonder if choosing to hire a male over a female with the same qualifications was a violation of Title 7? It seems as though a principal with years of experience should be trusted to hire teachers that are best for the individual school and community. Most of the teachers at BFES were "assigned" to the school last year. Maybe he was just working to get better people in there? Government regulations don't always serve the best interests of everyone.

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