In predictable 4-3 partisan votes Tuesday, the Cobb Board of Education will once again have two Republican members in leadership roles in 2026.
During an organizational meeting that took less than 10 minues, the four GOP members voted for Randy Scamihorn to serve as chair and outgoing chair David Chastain to serve as vice chair.
The elections are required at the start of every calendar year and any board member can be nominated for either role. But the chair cannot serve successive terms.
Democratic board member Tre’ Hutchins was nominated for both posts by fellow Democratic member Becky Sayler, but he received only three votes each.
Hutchins nominated Republican Brad Wheeler to serve as chair, but Wheeler declined.
There was no discussion before the votes were cast. The board also approved the 2026 meeting calendar (click here).
Scamihorn, a Republican from Post 1 in Northwest Cobb, is a retired Cobb school teacher and administrator, and will be serving as chairman for the fifth time since he was first elected in 2012.
Republican John Cristadoro of Post 5 in East Cobb, who served as vice chair last year in his first year on the board, nominated Scamihorn to serve as chair but was not nominated for a leadership post.
In October, Cristadoro and his marketing company settled a lawsuit in Fulton County with a former client who alleged he misused $250,000 meant and advertising campaign.
Sayler had asked for a hearing to determine to determine if Cristadoro violated the school board’s code of ethics. But as chairman, Chastain said the board had no authority to take any action.
Scamihorn was last chairman in 2024, and has been a vocal and at times combative supporter of decisions made by the Republican majority and the leadership of Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.
Two years ago, as he faced re-election, Scamihorn pushed back against critics who claimed the district wasn’t doing enough to tighten security in wake of the deadly shootings at Apalachee High School in Winder.
The chair controls the meetings and has the power, along with the superintendent, to unilaterally place items on the meeting agendas. Other board members must get a majority of their colleagues to approve agenda items.
That’s been a flashpoint of partisan contention on the school board in recent years. Republicans held a 6-1 majority until 2018, when their margins were reduced to 4-3.
Since then, the GOP members have voted to change board policies to prohibit board members from offering comment at meetings. Board members also have squabbled over school board redistricting and accreditation along the same partisan lines.
Last July, the board voted to discontinue airing public comment from citizens in a measure proposed by Ragsdale, who did not consult board members beforehand, and that prompted critics to complain was an attempt to quash dissenting views.
Chastain, from Post 4 in Northeast Cobb, is one of three board members—and the only Republican—whose terms expire at the end of this year.
He has indicated he will be seeking a fourth term. Michael Garza, a frequent critic of the board’s leadership, is the only Democrat thus far who has announced he will be running for that seat.
The school board will hold its first regular meetings of 2026 on Jan. 22.
Related:
- Cobb students hold ‘Shop With’ events for holiday gifts
- Wheeler HS graduate speaks out on Brown U. fatal shootings
- Sprayberry HS football stars headline college athlete signings
- Hightower Trail MS celebrates 3 generations of educators
- Cobb schools celebrate Thanksgiving with special events
- Cobb school district announces 2026 commencement schedule
- Cobb school board won’t look into Cristadoro’s legal issues
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