This is the week for East Cobb advance voting, and you’ll have more than one place to cast your ballot in person before the Nov. 6 election day.
As we noted last week, Cobb Elections is opening additional venues for advance voting due to high turnout.
In addition to the usual location at the East Cobb Government Service Center (above, 4400 Lower Roswell Road), you’ll also be able to vote at Noonday Baptist Church (4120 Canton Road), and the East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).
Advance voting hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be no voting on Saturday, Nov. 4.
According to Cobb Elections, more than 26,000 people voted early in person, and more than 16,000 absentee ballots have been received. Those numbers don’t include those who voted yesterday.
We’re continuing our coverage of East Cobb races with our voters guide. It includes previews of all races in the community, from Congress to Cobb Commission to Cobb school board and Georgia State Senate.
In the coming week, we’ll have profiles of candidates running for the Georgia House and take a look at state and local ballot issues.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Two East Cobb teams made it to the Elite 8 of the Georgia High School softball tournament this week, and turned in strong performances. The Pope softball team finished second in Class 6A, while Lassiter was third in Class 7A.
The Greyhounds came out of the elimination bracket to reach the finals in Columbus on Saturday, but fell to Cobb County rival Harrison 6-3.
Pope’s season started in August with a loss to the Hoyas. Along the way the Greyhounds compiled a 33-6 record, a school record for wins, captured their region in undefeated fashion and have now made three championship game appearances since 2012.
Lassiter also won its region and qualified for the Elite 8. On Friday, the Trojans lost to Mill Creek 3-0 in the Class 7A semifinals to end their season. Lassiter’s first loss in the double-elimination tournament was to eventual state champion East Coweta.
Also on Saturday, the Walton volleyball team rolled on in the Class 7A quarterfinals. Playing in their home gym, the Lady Raiders trounced Lambert in a sweep to advance to the semifinals on Tuesday at North Gwinnett.
The finals will be Saturday at Marietta High School.
Walton, the defending state champion, is 40-3 and is heavily favored to continue its dynastic run through the state of Georgia.
Lassiter also reached the state tournament in Class 7A, but fell to West Forsyth Saturday in the quarterfinals. The Trojans were 29-6 this season.
The Pope volleyball team also has reached the semifinals in Class 6A, and will meet Creekview on Tuesday. The Greyhounds are 38-9 on the season and defeated Glynn Academy Saturday to advance.
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We got a message today saying that the East Cobb Jason’s Deli opening has been pushed back again, to mid-November.
We noted on Monday, which was to have been the opening, that construction delays resulted in a delay to Nov. 5.
Greg Feltner, the managing partner for the East Cobb Jason’s Deli, said in an e-mail this afternoon that the renovations are taking longer than expected, and here’s why:
“The building is more than 30 years old, so we basically had to gut the inside and start from scratch. The construction crew did not realize how long that would take.”
He didn’t mention a specific date because the construction crew is replacing all the tile in the kitchen, “which we were told is at least a 10-day job.”
The Jason’s Deli space at Merchants Exchange (1205 Johnson Ferry Road) has been the home for Sage Social Kitchen, Chequers Seafood and Steak and Houlihan’s.
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Officer Phil Bradford was appointed to a new emergency management specialist role with the Cobb County School District police. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
As they were rolling out a new website dedicated to safety issues, officials—as well as officers— from Cobb schools tried to reassure parents at an East Cobb town hall meeting Thursday that they were being proactive in dealing with a variety of threats to students, teachers and staff alike.
The new site, called Cobb Shield, includes much of the material presented to the audience of around 50 parents at the Lassiter Concert Hall.
Some of them had specific questions about threats of violence, accidents, assaults and bullying, but school officials said they couldn’t answer some of those questions in public.
One came from a Lassiter mother, who wanted more information about a report of bullet casings that were found in a classroom during the current school year.
John Adams, the Cobb schools deputy superintendent for human resources and operations, told her that a communication was sent to parents from the Lassiter administration. When she said she hadn’t received it, Adams said that he “couldn’t comment on an ongoing investigation.”
Adams said the matter “illustrates how . .. students have to be our eyes and ears” in reporting such incidents.
Being watchful was the watchword at the town hall, which featured leaders of the Cobb County School District Police force, which has 65 uniformed officers.
Many of them have years of previous law enforcement service, including Cobb Police. Capt. Wayne Pickett, a former Precinct 4 commander in East Cobb, is one of them, and he’s second-in-command to Chief Ron Storey, also a Cobb Police retiree.
Capt. Wayne Pickett of CCSD said that Code Red drills serve as “a way to surveil” how well schools are prepared for serious threats of violence.
The department average is 26 years of experience, according to Adams, and 12 officers have SWAT training. “We want mature officers who have some experience,” Storey said.
Pickett detailed how ongoing “Code Red” drills are working, especially at the high school level, which are supposed to have one each semester.
He said the unannounced drills are designed to train staff, teachers and students to be better prepared for suspicious persons activity. During the drills, a plain-clothes officer comes to the school and tries to go as far as possible before being noticed.
“The administration has no idea we’re coming,” Pickett said. They’re told “We’re in a Code Red right now. What are you going to do?”
More than anything, he added, school police want to gauge how prepared each school is, with a checklist of around 25 items to keep in mind.
“There’s no way to pre-plan such a stressful activity,” Pickett said. “It’s snapshot of what they do. Do they know the policies for Code Red?”
After a drill, school police meet with administrators to identify successes and improvements. If there are enough problems at a school, another drill may be ordered.
A report is sent up the administrative line at the district, all the way to the superintendent.
Pickett said “we haven’t had too many that are bad. Most are exceptionally good.”
The AlertPoint system, Ofc. Phil Bradford said, “empowers every member of the staff to take action” to ensure safety.
When a parent asked about inspecting Code Red drill reports, Adams said that’s also something that’s not available to the public, for security reasons.
Officer Phil Bradford, another Cobb Police veteran, heads up a newly created position with the school police as emergency management specialist. He updated the Lassiter audience about the AlertPoint emergency communications system that’s gradually being rolled out at every school in the district.
It’s a $5 million system that was begun in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shootings, and features a device issued to teachers and staff. The card-type device allows them to trigger an alert to designated first responders in case of any kind of emergency, from a suspicious person to a health issue.
“The badge identifies who you are and where you are,” Bradford said. “Most important, it leads to instant action.”
Flashing lights and beeper alarms are activated in the case of a Code Red alert and the entire school is notified of a lockdown.
High school classrooms are being issued AlertPoints now, to be followed by those at the middle school and then elementary school level.
An active-shooter training video has been shown to staff for more than a year. Bradford said a safety video has just been completed for elementary students, and another for high school students should be done soon.
Those videos, and other safety-related measures, will gradually be added to the Cobb Shield webpage, said Adams, a former Cobb Police officer. That page also will include a tip line, which is expected to be fully functional by the spring semester.
He encouraged parents to contact him with suggestions at: john.adams@cobbk12.org.
“This is the most important thing we do,” Adams said.
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The Cobb District Attorney’s Office said Friday that 23 people have been sentenced to long prison terms for a range of gang-related criminal offenses in the county in 2015 and 2016.
In a release, DA’s office spokeswoman Kim Isaza said that members of Get Money Squared, Wildlyfe and 2200, three criminal street gangs with roots in Cobb, pleaded guilty to drive-by shootings, drug offenses, thefts, car break-ins, assault, street-gang terrorism, criminal trespass, disrupting a public school and firearms violations.
One of the crimes tied to the defendants included a car break-in on Manning Road in the East Cobb area in January 2016.
Another case tied to the crime spree, according to prosecutors, was a drug sale at Windy Hill Road and Circle 75 Parkway in May 2016.
Isaza said Cobb Superior Court Judge Reuben Green handed down sentences ranging from 10 years to 20 years.
She said many of them were given first-offender status, which means that if they complete their custody and probation periods without further incidents, their records will be sealed.
Isaza said the defendants are between 20-27 years old and come from Cobb, Woodstock, Lawrenceville, Atlanta, and Dothan, Ala. The last of the defendants was sentenced last month, she added, and all of them pleaded guilty to racketeering.
Investigating the case were the Cobb Police Anti-Gang Enforcement Unit, Smyrna Police, Marietta Police and Cobb County School District Police.
“Members and associates of these gangs admitted that they sold drugs, broke into dozens of cars to commit thefts and committed acts of violence against people outside the gangs, all to increase their status within the criminal organization and further the gangs’ violent reputations,” said Cobb Senior Assistant District Attorney Jaret Usher, who prosecuted the case, in a statement.
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We’re off to a wet, cold start, but that’s about all that can dampen a packed slate of East Cobb Halloween Weekend Events. Saturday will be rainy and chilly too, but Sunday through Oct. 31 promise to be warmer and very sunny.
On Saturday morning, hearty souls will be out early with their running shoes on, in the Haunted Hustle Run at the Northeast Cobb YMCA (3010 Johnson Ferry Road) to benefit both Y branches in East Cobb.
This is for kids, young and old, from the folks at Zaxby’s at 2981 Delk Road: Touch-A-Truck, from 11-3 Saturday. The vehicles to explore will come from local law enforcement, a stretch Hummer, USPS mail truck, and dump truck and more. Wear a costume for “truck” or treating.
The Avenue East Cobb will be holding its Fall FestivalSaturday from 3-7 around the shopping center (4475 Roswell Road), with trick-or-treating, games, face-painting, games, prizes and live acoustic music starting at 5 in front of Stockyard Burgers.
Another Community Fall Festival, from 5-7 Saturday at Paper Mill Road Baptist Church (3227 Paper Mill Road), that’s open to the public, with trick or treating, games, door prizes and more.
Stay warm indoors with the start of Pope High School’s Haunted Theater. This year’s production is “The Circus,” a Halloween thriller with friendly clowns and performers including the bearded lady, a contortionist and a two-headed human, among other creatures. The show starts at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Also indoors, all day Saturday, is the GirlsFIRST Jr. Robotics workshop, from 9-4 at the old East Cobb Middle School (380 Holt Road). It’s for girls grades 6-8, as they will learn about a variety of STEM opportunities and speak to women in STEM fields. Lunch is also being provided.
Saturday’s also the day to deposit old and unused medications on national Medication Take Back Day. Visit WellStar East Cobb Health Park (3747 Roswell Road) between 10-2.
Saturday night, cozy up indoors at the Lassiter Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road) for the U.S. Navy Jazz Band Concert, which starts at 7. It’s free to the public.
Sunday’s going to be sunny and in the 70s, perfect for outdoor fun. From 4-6, enjoy another Sunday Funday concert at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road). Bring a picnic and take in the sounds of The Loose Shoes Band.
Also from 4-6, the public is invited to a Trunk or Treat at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church (4495 Sandy Plains Road).
With Halloween stretching into the middle of the week, we’ll stretch our calendar a few days ahead too.
On Monday, it’s a Halloween Food Truck from 5-8 at Paper Mill Village (255 Village Parkway). There will be face painting, live music from the East Cobb School of Rock and all kinds of food truck fare, including Cousins Maine Lobster, Deep South Biscuit and Cattywumpus Grill.
Last call for Trunk or Treat is on Halloween day itself, Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. at Powers Ferry United Methodist Church (245 Powers Ferry Road). After collecting candy treats, a hot dog dinner will be served.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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The District 32 Georgia State Senate race is a rematch from last year’s special election.
Kay Kirkpatrick (pictured at left), a Republican retired orthopedic surgeon who won that election to succeed Judson Hill, is once again facing family law attorney Chrstine Triebsch, a Democrat (pictured at right).
Kirkpatrick won a runoff against Triebsch by 57-43 percent for the seat that covers most of East Cobb and some of Sandy Springs.
Neither of them faced primary opposition in May. They were part of a candidates forum in early October sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Cobb-Marietta.
They discussed health care, taxes, public safety and other issues on a panel with candidates in other Cobb senate races.
Triebsch said that in the Republican-dominated Georgia state government, “we need a two-party system.” She said her platform is comprised of “common sense and compassion” and fresh approaches for jobs, health care, education and the environment.”
Kirkpatrick said her objective has been to “bring a voice of reason to state government” and has focused on improving health insurance options, public safety and services for military veterans.
At the League of Women Voters forum, they differed on tax issues. Kirkpatrick voted for a state tax cut for individuals and businesses and said “I would like to look for more savings [in places such as state agencies] and cut taxes further.
Triebsch said that before cutting taxes, new sources of revenue must be found. She’s also against eliminating the state income tax.
On health care issues, Triebsch supports expanding Medicaid in Georgia and preserving the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare.
A member of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Kirkpatrick said she hears more from constituents about health insurance issues than just about anything else, especially the costs of premiums on the individual market.
“There’s a lot we can do to rein in the big carriers,” she said.
As for Medicaid expansion, Kirkpatrick said a problem bigger than expansion is that “we have to fix a system that is broken.”
On education matters, Triebsch advocates a new funding formula to replace the Quality Basic Education Act, which is more than 30 years old. She opposes vouchers for private schools.
School choice, she said, “is not a choice if the choice is not a public school.”
Triebsch says she supports better pay for teachers and efforts to reduce class size.
Kirkpatrick said she wants to “support teachers in a different way” with funding also being directed to address social issues, including more support for counselors. She also is stressing school safety and has been appointed to a special Senate study committee on the subject.
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Walton’s average score of 1,262 once again led all Cobb schools, followed by fellow East Cobb schools Lassiter (1,204) and Pope (1,203).
They were among 12 high schools in Georgia with a mean score of 1,200 above (out of a maximum 1,600).
Wheeler’s mean score was 1,147, followed by Kell (1,059) and Sprayberry (1,049).
Cobb’s 1,107 average outpaced both the Georgia and national mean scores (see chart below).
The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is administered by the College Board, and tests students in two cluster subject areas: Math and ERW (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing). The score grading is from 400 to 1,600.
According to Cobb schools, more than 70 percent of the 2018 graduating class in the district took the new SAT.
Two East Cobb schools had mean increases of 20 percent or more: Pope (39) and Walton (20). Lassiter’s mean score is 15 percent better than 2017.
“The growth that we have seen this year on our SAT scores is amazing. We are extremely proud of our students for the focused and intentional effort they have put into achieving a high level of success on their SATs,” Pope Principal Tom Flugum said in a statement released by Cobb schools.
“These results are a testament to the commitment of our staff and students to continually improve so that they can learn, grow, and lead both now and in the future.”
Here are the six East Cobb high school scores, as well as the Cobb, Georgia and national results. ERW is an abbreviation for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.
# Test Takers
ERW Mean
Math Mean
2018 Overall Mean
2017 Overall Mean
Kell
198
541
518
1,059
1,091 (-32)
Lassiter
480
602
602
1,204
1,189 (+15)
Pope
307
608
596
1,203
1,164 (+39)
Sprayberry
255
540
509
1,049
1,040 (0)
Walton
528
628
634
1,262
1,242 (+20)
Wheeler
273
576
571
1,147
1,153 (-6)
Cobb
5,472
563
544
1,107
1,088 (+19)
Georgia
542
522
1,064
1,050 (+14)
National
536
531
1,068
1,060 (+8)
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The Cobb County Public Library System has announced that expanded operating hours will start Monday, Nov. 5, for most branches.
That’s due to the recently approved county budget, which also added Sunday hours at regional branches, including Mountain View.
The biggest change is in Saturday hours. Many branches open late in the morning or in the early afternoon.
All Cobb branches, with one exception, will open at 10 a.m. starting Nov. 10. Those branches currently close at 6; the new closing time will be at 5 p.m. (The Windy Hill branch will remain closed on Saturday.)
Currently, the East Cobb and Mountain View branches open at 11 a.m. Saturday, while Gritters and the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (pictured above) open at 1 p.m.
In addition, opening times on Thursday and Friday will be at 10 a.m. at larger branches, including Mountain View, East Cobb and Sewell Mill, that currently open at 11 a.m. The closing time for those branches on those days will stay at 6 p.m.
Gritters is classified as a mid-size branch and also will have new Thursday and Friday hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Hours will remain unchanged at branches open on Sunday, from 1-5 p.m.
A quick note if you’re visiting any Cobb library branch, for Friday only: They’re all opening an hour later than usual, at noon, for staff in-service training.
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Lassiter students cheer on science teacher Keelan Seabolt, who’s also the school’s STEM coordinator.
Submitted photos and information are from the Cobb County School District about Tuesday’s special celebration for Cobb teachers of the year on a countywide basis.
We’ve posted before about Fred Veeder, the Dodgen Middle School seventh-grade math teacher who was named the county’s teacher of the year for 2018.
He was on hand for the celebration at Roswell Street Baptist Church, and so were students, staff and each school’s teacher of the year. Teachers also were honored for Marietta City Schools, Chattahoochee Technical College, Life University, Georgia Highlands College and Kennesaw State University.
The event was put on by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce as part of its “Give Our Schools a Hand” program.
The individual teachers of the year for all East Cobb schools are listed below:
Debbie Burdett, Addison ES, (2nd Grade)
Sayonara Aybar, Bells Ferry ES, (Special Ed)
Mandy Spence, Blackwell ES (Physical Education)
Shirley Davis, Brumby ES (ESOL)
Susan L. Cronin, Daniell MS (6th Grade Social Studies, ESOL)
Nancy Parsons, Davis ES (Target)
Sunny Williams, Dickerson MS (6th Grade AC ELA)
Fred Veeder, Dodgen MS (7th Grade Math, Cobb Teacher of the Year)
Addison Brooks, East Cobb MS (Special Ed)
Jayne Becker, East Side ES (1st Grade)
Lida Sacia, Eastvalley ES (2nd Grade)
Fred Veeder of Dodgen Middle School, the Cobb Teacher of the Year, and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.
Sharon Hanna, Garrison Mill ES (1st Grade
Kaitlin Hankinson, Hightower Trail MS (Special Ed)
Sarah Dupuis, Keheley ES (Media Specialist)
Lauren Hines, Kell HS (Physical Ed/Health)
Sheila Hitt, Kincaid ES (3rd Grade)
Keelan Seabolt, Lassiter HS (Science)
Libby Lippincott, Mabry MS (6th Grade Math
Carin Wilkes, McCleskey MS (PE/Health)
Missy Bain, Mt. Bethel ES (2nd Grade)
Ashley Montejo, Mountain View ES (3rd Grade)
Susann Peck, Murdock ES (Kindergarten)
Katherine Hines, Nicholson ES (Special Ed)
William Blythe, Pope HS (Science)
Oscar Tromp, Powers Ferry ES (5th Grade)
Laurie McGillis, Rocky Mount ES (Speech and Language Pathologist)
Anne Bernard, Sedalia Park ES (3rd Grade)
Lynn Boland, Shallowford Falls ES (Music)
MaryColclasure, Simpson MS (8th Grade Math)
RebeccaDershowitz, Sope Creek ES (Special Ed)
MarykayWright, Sprayberry HS (Math)
Staci Carper, Timber Ridge ES (1st Grade)
Joni Adams, Tritt ES (3rd Grade)
Laura Speer, Walton HS (Math)
Michael Sawyer, Wheeler HS (U.S. History)
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A year after the most expensive U.S. House race in American history was waged in the Georgia 6th Congressional District, the seat could be closely contested again.
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel (left), a Roswell Republican, fended off Democrat Jon Ossoff in a special election despite being outspent in a race that raised more than $30 million.
This year, she’s being opposed by first-time candidate Lucy McBath (right), a nationally known gun-control advocate.
The 6th Congressional District, which includes most of East Cobb, North Fulton and north and central DeKalb, has been in Republican hands since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich first won in 1978.
But Handel, a former Georgia Secretary of State, won only after Ossoff, a political novice, barely avoided a runoff following a “jungle primary” in which she finished second. In the runoff, she got some of her strongest margins in East Cobb and was actively supported by commissioners Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell.
Handel was unopposed in the Republican primary in May. McBath earned the Democratic nomination in a runoff.
A poll released Tuesday shows Handel with a four-point lead, which is within the margin of error.
The National Republican Campaign Committee has purchased $1.4 million in Atlanta TV air time for pro-Handel commercials that began this week.
President Donald Trump won the 6th District with just 51 percent of the vote in 2016. Since succeeding former Rep. Tom Price, Handel has touted her vote for Trump’s tax cuts, but she opposes his steel and aluminum tariffs. (The 6th District includes the U.S. headquarters of Mercedes-Benz.)
McBath is a former Delta Air Lines flight attendant who lives in East Cobb. Her son, a Marietta High School graduate, was shot and killed in 2012 in Florida by an angry motorist for playing loud car music at a gas station.
Since then, she’s been an outspoken advocate for gun-control and other traditional liberal positions.
She wants to preserve the Affordable Health Care Act (referred to as “Obamacare”) with some changes, as well as expand Medicaid in Georgia. McBath has been critical of what she calls the “Trump-Handel Tax Scam” and supports citizenship for the “Dreamers,” the children of undocumented immigrants who have grown up in the United States.
Handel has advocated “repealing and replacing” Obamacare with a market-based alternative, as well as building a wall along the southern border of the U.S. to prevent illegal immigration.
McBath has been endorsed by EMILY’s list, a political action committee that supports pro-choice Democrats. Handel has the endorsement of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports pro-life candidates.
During the campaign, Handel has raised questions of McBath’s East Cobb residency pertaining to her claiming homestead exemptions.
McBath noted that Handel, a former Georgia Secretary of State and candidate for the U.S. Senate and Georgia Governor, is only now running for re-election for the first time and that the incumbent “will do or say anything” to remain in power.
McBath made those remarks Tuesday in a debate with Handel that was conducted by the Atlanta Press Club. The video below is about a half an hour, and includes a heated exchange about gun-control, background checks for arms purchases and the National Rifle Association.
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Low-income families often have the daily stress of choosing between food and diapers.
Prolonged wearing of a wet diaper causes diaper rash and a crying baby leads to more stress in the home. Local agencies such as the Center for Family Resources, liveSAFE, MUST Ministries and others can only dispense diapers four times a year to their clients, due to the lack of resources. In tough economic times, low-income families face the facts that:
Food stamps do not include hygiene products such as diapers.
On average, the cost to purchase diapers is approximately $100/month.
Day care centers require parents to provide their own diapers.
Declare a day in October to collect diapers from your employees, organization members or friends, or hold a diaper drive in your neighborhood.
Drop off the diaper donations at Glover Park on the Marietta Square on Monday, Oct. 29 from 5-6 p.m.
All donated diapers will be given to Center for Family Resources, liveSAFE Resources, MUST Ministries, Ser Familia, Simple Needs GA and Sweetwater Mission for distribution to help ease some of the burdens of the hundreds of families with infants that enter their doors each month.
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The following East Cobb restaurant scores from Oct. 4-19 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:
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A Cobb schools safety town hall meeting that will include district officials and public safety leadership will take place Thursday at Lassiter High School.
The town hall is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. at the Lassiter Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road).
Here’s what CCSD is saying about the town hall:
Parents will have the opportunity to participate in the conversation about student safety with members of Cobb’s public safety team and CCSD officials.
“We believe the combined efforts of the police department and school administrators with the support of the superintendent’s office and the school board has resulted in our district having safe schools,” said CCSD Captain Wayne Pickett.
It’s been a little more than a year since Cobb schools unveiled the AlertPoint security system at select schools, including Bells Ferry Elementary School in Northeast Cobb.
Earlier this year, after the Parkland, Fla., high school shootings, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced that the district would be stepping up unannouced code red drills to measure the effectiveness of safety preparations.
In March, some school students around the county, including East Cobb, staged a walkout for gun control and student safety that was not endorsed by the district, and that earned them in-school suspensions.
In August, Campbell High School was placed on a lockdown after three students made what were termed non-specific threats of violence over the school’s walkie-talkie system.
The AlertPoint system was triggered and a code red alert was issued during that incident. All students and staff were safe, and those responsible were detained but not formally charged.
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The Post 4 Cobb Board of Education contest pits Republican incumbent David Chastain against Democrat Cynthia Parr, a first-time candidate.
They were both unopposed in the primaries.
Chastain, a logistics analyst in the aeronautics industry, is completing his first term representing the area that includes the Kell and Sprayberry attendance zones. He and his wife are Wheeler High School graduates, and their three grown children also graduated from Cobb schools.
Parr is a pastor at Faith Presbyterian Church in Canton, and her son graduated from the Wheeler STEM magnet school.
Chastain has served as the chairman and vice chairman of the Cobb school board in his first term. He has touted his experience, not just on the school board
He is in favor of eliminating the Georgia Milestones tests, and has been endorsed by Educators First, which advocates for teachers.
In a recent Cobb County School District podcast, he said maximizing educational opportunities for students may not necessarily be due to smaller class sizes but to have staff and technology in place to meet those needs on an individual basis.
“If the teacher has the tools and people available to help address the situation, that’s where we’re headed,” he said.
On her campaign website, Parr said the Cobb district ideally should balance individual learning styles with local, state and federal standards.
She also supports “an environment that nurtures and encourages parental involvement as doing so decreases behavior problems and increases graduation rates.”
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The Atlanta office of Wells Fargo has awarded Simple Needs GA (SNGA) a $5,000 grant to help people in need in Cobb County.
The Human Services & Basic Needs grant will go toward SNGA’s Simple Household Needs program, which provides furniture, household items and cleaning kits to people transitioning out of homelessness or escaping from domestic violence.
“We are deeply honored to receive this generous grant from Wells Fargo’s Atlanta office,” said Brenda Rhodes, an East Cobb resident and Founder and Executive Director of SNGA. “This will help dozens of children and families in need in Cobb. It will translate directly into people moving from the floor or air mattresses to real beds, or finally having kitchen or bath basics that most of us take for granted.”
The Atlanta office of Wells Fargo is proud to support SNGA’s commitment to the community, said Tai A. Roberson, Vice President, Senior Community Development Officer, Wells Fargo Government and Community Relations. Each year, she noted, local offices of the national bank provide similar grants to a wide variety of community organizations across the country.
“At Wells Fargo, we believe that grant-making decisions are more effective when made locally,” Roberson said. “That’s why Wells Fargo is actively involved in the communities where we live and work, and why our team members are leaders in helping our communities succeed.”
SNGA’s Simple Household Needs program provides all-new cleaning kits to help families sanitize and dignify their surroundings. The new laundry baskets are filled with more than a dozen cleaning products and tools—supplies not covered by food stamps. “Social workers help us distribute these kits to families,” Rhodes said. “They also go to our furniture clients and to several agencies who shelter clients in apartments, such as LiveSAFE Resources.”
Via the program, SNGA also relies on donations of household items, including dishes, linens, silverware, microwaves, vacuums and cookware for clients and collects donations of gently used furniture such as beds, tables and chairs, dressers and more. “It’s all the essential items you would need if you had nothing in a new home,” Rhodes families. “Struggling families are typically overjoyed when we drive up in the delivery truck and also when they see all the household items from which they can choose during their appointment at our space. Most leave with no room left in their car. This program helps them live with greater ease and dignity.”
For more information about SNGA or Simple Household Needs, email brenda@simpleneedsga.org.
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During the October 18 Board of Education meeting, Cobb County School District leaders discussed the January launch of a new parent portal—CTLS Parent—that will show parents what their child knows and provide resources to help their child master other content areas. Initially, CTLS Parent will roll out to a select group of schools to serve as a proof-of-concept. The District will collect feedback from parents and teachers before CTLS Parent is expanded to all schools.
CTLS Parent is part of the Cobb Teaching and Learning System (CTLS). The innovative digital platform empowers teachers with information on what each student knows and what they don’t know so the educators can realign instruction time to help students achieve success.
The new parent portal was developed with input from parent focus groups. Parents helped District leaders understand what Cobb parents want to see about their children. The system will not only provide information, in real-time, about the progress their students are making, CTLS Parent will also give parents access to on-demand resources so they can support their children at home. The thousands of District-vetted resources will make up Cobb’s Learning Object Repository (LOR) within CTLS Parent.
“Parent engagement is critical to the success of the educational process,” said Cobb Superintendent Chris Ragsdale. “We have talked to parents. We have talked to teachers. With their help, we have developed a system that will help each student succeed, and I think CTLS could be used as a model to help students outside of Cobb succeed too.”
The Cobb County School District has already taken steps to pilot CTLS as the foundation of a new assessment model for Georgia. Learn more about Cobb Metrics here.
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From L-R: Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell; Democratic challenger Caroline Holko
The District 3 Cobb Board of Commissioners race gives voters a distinct choice.
Republican commissioner JoAnn Birrell, first elected in 2010, is a conservative from Northeast Cobb who has cited her votes against tax increases, her work to improve blighted properties in the Canton Road corridor and her push to build Mabry Park.
Democrat Caroline Holko, a first-time candidate, is an admitted “progressive” liberal who favors expanding transit options in Cobb, has been critical of the county’s Atlanta Braves stadium deal and supports more hours for services like libraries.
Birrell, a former lobbyist and consultant, said she brings “a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table.”
Holko, whose family moved to Cobb from New Orleans and who home-schools her children, said “it’s time to do things differently.”
District 3 includes much of Northeast Cobb and portions of the city of Marietta and the area around Kennesaw State University.
Birrell and Holko met recently at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Cobb-Marietta, and discussed the above issues and others. Joseph Pond, who ran against Birrell in the 2014 Republican primary, and who is running as an independent write-in candidate, was not invited.
Birrell, who supported the Braves stadium financing in 2013, said she understands why people are still upset by that vote, “but I can’t say I regret the decision.”
“I would like to see the entire contract laid bare to the public so we don’t get surprises like this,” she said.
Birrell responded that the Braves-Cobb contract “is an open record” and includes a provision for disputes like this one that go to mediation.
Pond, an East Cobb resident who has clashed with the county over his backyard chickens, is a plumber and organizer of the Backyard Chickens Alliance.
He thinks commissioner seats should be non-partisan and wants to reduce county building code that’s now around 1,400 pages long. Pond also is critical of “corporate welfare,” specifically tax breaks for companies that move to Cobb.
At the League of Women Voters forum, Birrell and Holko supported the acquisition of more green space.
Holko is an unabashed supporter of more transit options. Birrell said that “we need to look at everything,” especially with a county transit study being completed by the end of the year that “will give input to where transit is needed,” followed by a referendum.
Birrell supports the creation of a special tax district to fund Cobb Police operations, similar to what is done for fire and emergency services. Holko said she supports better salaries for public safety employees.
Holko also said she is in favor of opening libraries seven days a week, as recently was begun at regional libraries, and she prefers a neighborhood branch concept to a regional branch concept.
Birrell said the regional library concept “has been around for a long time.” She also said she wouldn’t support closing smaller branches that aren’t close to a regional library.
Holko said she’s proud to be a liberal Democrat, and that “one thing I would be on the board is [provide] a little bit of balance.”
Birrell touted her record of keeping taxes low while preserving “our quality of life . . . If you’re asking for someone who can get things done, my record speaks for itself. I do get results.”
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We heard from Benny Marchuk this morning that the Jason’s Deli opening that was slated for today is being pushed back.
He’s the manager for the East Cobb location at Merchants Festival shopping center (1205 Johnson Ferry Road), and said the restaurant will open two weeks from today, on Nov. 5, due to construction delays.
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On Saturday the new East Cobb Primrose School will have an open house for prospective families, a couple weeks after the facility opened its doors at Paper Mill Village.
The open house is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and activities include children’s arts and crafts, a scavenger hunt, face painting and lunch from the school menu.
Tours also will be available at 12,000-square-foot school building at 202 Village Parkway, and members of the East Cobb Business Association the included in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.
The East Cobb Primrose School is operated by East Cobb residents Tara and John Fudge, whose son and daughter have enrolled at the school.
The school features 10 classrooms and is designed to enroll 175 children from six weeks to five years old.
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Holko also said she is in favor of opening libraries seven days a week, 
