3 Cobb school board members targeted in recall effort

Cobb school board member Charisse Davis — *Charisse Davis represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters on the Cobb Board of Education.*

The three Cobb Board of Education members who triggered a special review of the Cobb County School District by its accrediting agency are the subjects of a recall effort just launched on social media.

On Thursday a Facebook group was started to recall Jaha Howard, Charisse Davis and Tre’ Hutchins.

They’re the board’s Democratic members who sent a letter to Cognia, the accrediting agency, in January, saying the school board’s Republican majority and school district superintendent have ignored their concerns on several academic and governance issues.

They specifically wanted the board to discuss “early literacy, educator and employee support, and board governance training,” but said they never got a reply, and the matters were never placed on the board’s meeting agenda.

The recall group, which has more than 300 people signed up, said “the actions of the 3 Cobb Board members have put our schools in a terrible place. To suggest our schools should lose their accreditation demands we recall these board members.”

One of the commenters to that group posted that they were “happy to help identify leftists who try to join the group” and another said “Bet they are DEMOCRATS!”

Sandy Burke, the group’s creator and administrator, responded that “Although they are . . . This issue goes far beyond political parties. It has been my experience that mature leaders always care more about the greater good for their community. 100% of Cobb will be negatively impacted if the schools lose their accreditation.”

The district announced the review Thursday night, and quoted Superintendent Chris Ragsdale as saying that “determinations made through a Special Review Team can negatively impact college acceptance rates, college scholarships, enrollment, funding, and educator recruitment and retention, as occurred in Clayton and DeKalb counties in 2008 and 2011. Impacts can also negatively affect a county’s economy, property values, and bond credit ratings.”

On Sunday, Davis, Howard and Hutchins took issue with parts of the district’s response.

“We find it necessary to say, contrary to what has been recently stated by the district, nowhere in Cognia’s letters does it mention ‘allegations of political disagreements’ nor ‘intra-personal (sic) behavior’ within the board of education,” they posted on their Facebook pages. “We do not know what the basis is for the district’s characterization of Cognia’s concerns. The accreditation standards under review are about the board satisfying its responsibilities, and the district adequately addressing student achievement.”

The school board has been divided largely along partisan lines over the last two years on a number of matters, including racial and equity concerns, as well as recent spending on safety products related to COVID-19.

One of Davis’ supporters commented that “accountability is often difficult to come by but it doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t happen. I applaud you for taking the necessary steps to represent your districts and to insure accountability and adherence to standards.

“You three were elected to represent and lead, not to be dismissed or silenced.”

Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters, was elected to Post 6 in 2018, unseating Republican two-term board member Scott Sweeney. Howard also was elected in 2018 to an open seat in Post 2, which includes the Campbell and Osborne clusters.

Their elections closed the Republican majority from 6-1 to 4-3.

Davis and Howard will be up for re-election in 2022. Hutchins was elected in November to an open seat in Post 3, which is the South Cobb and Pebblebrook clusters.