East Cobb Schools Archives

Cobb parents demanding classroom learning to hold 2nd rally

August 10, 2020 3:29 PMAugust 10, 2020 8:17 AM by Wendy Parker

With a new school year starting online in Cobb County next Monday, a group of parents pushing for classroom learning will hold another public rally on Saturday. Let Parents Choose

The group that calls itself Let Parents Choose will gather at the Marietta Square at 10 a.m. Saturday.

They’ve started an online petition drive and created a Facebook group and organized a a similar rally last month the drew several dozen people to the Cobb Civic Center.

They were upset when Cobb County School District superintendent Chris Ragsdale dropped an in-school option in July, citing a high community spread for COVID-19.

Let Parents Choose says that the relatively low COVID-19 case rate for school-aged children needs to be considered, but more importantly, the delivery of education to students, especially those at risk of dropping out, who have special needs.

All students, they say, are feeling the brunt of social isolation and many families were struggling with virtual learning that began in March, when the schools were closed.

Since the group’s first rally, Ragsdale has outlined plans for a return to classrooms but no dates for when that might be. He hasn’t responded to the Let Parents Choose concerns.

Last week, several school districts in Georgia began their school year, with COVID-19 cases prompting the quarantine of a class in Cherokee County. On Monday, North Paulding High School switched to online-only after nine positive COVID-19 cases were reported.

As Cobb teachers and staff reported for preplanning last week, around 100 cases of the virus among staff and students were acknowledged by Cobb and Douglas Public Health, dating back to July 1.

Cobb public health confirms 100 COVID cases in Cobb schools

August 7, 2020 2:30 PMAugust 6, 2020 7:10 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District said late Thursday afternoon that “approximately 100” students and staff have what it terms “suspected” cases of COVID-19.

The district isn’t saying anything more, including a breakdown of those suspected cases between students and employees or identifying which schools may be affected.

Valerie Crow, a spokeswoman for Cobb and Douglas Public Health, said those suspected 100 cases have been confirmed as positive COVID-19 cases.

A Cobb school district spokeswoman sent a statement to East Cobb News saying that “to protect the medical rights of those involved, further detail will not be provided by the District. Questions involving confirmed cases should be directed to DPH.”

She did not respond to a question from East Cobb News about how many staffers are not at work as a result of having a suspected case of the virus.

Citing federal health privacy laws, Crow she said she could not disclose the exact breakdown numbers of students and staff who have tested positive, nor would she reveal the schools involved.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, a suspected COVID-19 case can be someone who has tested for the virus but has not yet received results. That definition also includes those who may have been exposed to someone with the virus and who may be in the process of being tested.

The Cobb school district statement said that “anytime a Cobb student or staff member reports a suspected case, DPH confirms (through testing), contact traces anyone else who may have been impacted, and provides guidance to each affected person. If a case is confirmed, their guidance recommends the person affected quarantine for 10 days and we strictly enforce their guidance.”

Cobb school teachers and staff reported to their schools last week for preplanning, ahead of an online-only start to the school year that begins Aug. 17. The case reporting dates back to July 1. Athletes in some sports have been participating in on-campus workouts. In June, there was a confirmed COVID-19 case within the Pope football team.

In announcing his decision to start virtually, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said last month that the level of “community spread” of the virus in Cobb County remains too high to safely begin in the schools.

One of the metrics that’s being followed is confirmed cases per 100,000, with anything more than 100 cases per 100,000 considered high community spread. As of Thursday, Cobb’s figure is around 1,609 cases per 100,000 population; however, that figure has dropped to 373 cases per 100,000 in the last two weeks.

Cobb County has a population of around 760,000. As of Thursday afternoon, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported that there have been 12,718 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cobb County, with 2,950 in the last two weeks alone.

A total of 313 deaths have been reported in Cobb since the outbreak began in March.

Crow said that when an individual is tested for the virus, they are asked for employment and school information, although it’s not required.

She said that “many of these cases were reported to CDPH BY the school system because the case informs the school before public health even has the lab report by the provider.”

Crow added that “we speak to the school nurses nearly daily, they know of these cases very quickly after we do, and many times they are the ones reporting cases to us.”

On Tuesday, Ragsdale outlined plans for a return to classroom instruction but didn’t give any dates, saying that would be determined by analyzing public health data, including relating to community spread.

Once classroom learning begins, the plans call for K-5th grade students to return first, followed by middle school and then high school students in a phased approach.

Gwinnett, the largest school district in Georgia, starts online-only Aug. 12. Earlier this week, it was reported that 260 staffers have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who’s been infected and are not at work.

Other school districts opened in metro Atlanta this week, including Cherokee County, where confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in four schools.

Cherokee and Paulding opened for classes Monday with both in-school and remote learning options. Marietta City Schools also started Monday, but online-only.

Cobb, Gwinnett, Atlanta and Fulton are among the districts in metro Atlanta starting online-only.

Lassiter HS vandalism suspects sought by Cobb schools police

August 7, 2020 12:39 PMAugust 6, 2020 6:55 PM by Wendy Parker

Lassiter HS vandalism suspects

The campus at Lassiter High School was vandalized late Wednesday, and Cobb County School District police are seeking the public’s help in finding two while males suspected in the incident.

Grainy surveillance photos of the suspects have been released, and they are wearing long-sleeve sweatshirts (one with UnderArmour insignia) with hoodies and long sweat pants.

One of the young males is wearing a white face mask and yellow running shoes, and the other has a dark face mask with white running shoes.

The suspects parked a vehicle in the band parking lot around 10:30 p.m. and left the school around 11:30 p.m., according to Cobb schools police, who said their surveillance cameras couldn’t make out the make or model of the vehicle.

Officer Jerry Quan, Lassiter’s resource officer, said the letter “A” with a circle around it was scrawled with spray-paint on a wall, which is a symbol for anarchists.

Quan said he doesn’t think they’re anarchists but likely are students and that this isn’t a major incident.

But you’re asked that if you saw anything or know anything, to contact him at jerry.quan@cobbk12.org or 678-494-7863, extension 007.

Mabry teacher named Cobb middle school teacher of the year

August 6, 2020 4:06 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb middle school teacher of the year, Michelle Gottenberg, Mabry Middle School

The Cobb County School District on Thursday named its school-level teachers of the year, and they include Michelle Gottenberg of Mabry Middle School.

She’s the district’s Middle School teacher of the year, and was surprised by the honor last week as teachers returned for a new school year:

“I can’t believe it! This is surreal! It will take me some time to process this. What an incredible honor!”

Gottenberg has taught 7th grade English and language arts at Mabry for seven years, and has been in the district for 11 years. Here’s principal Jonathan Tanner

“She has an ability to genuinely connect with students. Her dedication and drive to support the academic progress of her students and her innovative, creative lessons truly engage and inspire her students to achieve at higher levels. She is an amazing asset for our school!”

The district named Darline Douangvilay of City View Elementary School the elementary school teacher of the year and Beth Foster of Osborne High School as the high school teacher of the year.

One of those three will be named the district’s overall teacher of the year later in the fall.

In 2018, the Cobb teacher of the year was Fred Veeder, a 7th grade math teacher at Dodgen Middle School.

Last year, Lassiter English teacher Hilary Minich was named the Cobb high school teacher of the year.

Michelle Gottenberg, Mabry Middle School, Cobb teacher of the year

Cobb schools announce classroom reopening plans but no dates

August 5, 2020 2:02 PMAugust 4, 2020 6:35 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school superintendent honored

Late Tuesday afternoon the Cobb County School District released what it calls a “phased model” outlining the steps for reopening schools for classroom instruction.

What it doesn’t include are any dates.

According to information contained in the outline, those dates:

“Will be determined by analyzing public health data specific to Cobb County provided by the Department of Public Health and the Cobb/Douglas Board of Health including the level of community spread, effective contact tracing, and efficient COVID-19 test timelines. When we are able to safely offer a face-to-face classroom option and a remote classroom option, we will use the following phased model.”

Cobb schools classroom reopening plans

Here’s a link to what the district’s phases look like, and here’s a thumbnail synopsis below:

Phase One: All kindergarten through fifth-grade students for full-day instruction. ASP will resume for students in face-to-face classrooms. All kindergarten through twelfth-grade low incidence special education classes will have a face-to-face option starting in phase one.
Phase Two: All sixth through eighth-grade students for full-day instruction. Phase two will begin two weeks after the start date of phase one.
Phase Three: All ninth through twelfth-grade students for full-day instruction. Phase three will begin two weeks after the start date of phase two.

Before each phase, parents can choose to send their children back to schools or stay with online-only.

The district hasn’t said how social distancing guidelines might factor into those plans. Before a switch to online-only learning was made, district leaders said mask-wearing would be expected and recommended but not required.

Other metro Atlanta school districts have begun announcing how and when they’ll reopen their schools, including Fulton County and Gwinnett County, which on Tuesday also outlined steps and included targeted dates.

Gwinnett, the largest school district in Georgia, starts online-only Aug. 12, a few days earlier than Cobb, and then adds several grade levels a week, as well as special-education tiers, on Aug. 26, Sept. 2, and Sept. 9.

What Gwinnett schools haven’t acknowledged, but that was reported on Monday, is that 260 staffers have tested positive for COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone who’s been infected and are not at work.

Gwinnett teachers and staff, like those in Cobb, reported for preplanning activities last week.

Gwinnett has the second-highest number of virus cases in Georgia, with 18,201 as of Tuesday. Cobb is fourth with 12,135.

Last month, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale cited community spread and rising case numbers of COVID-19 for starting the school year online-only.

One of the metrics Ragsdale is looking at is the number of COVID cases per 100,000 population, with anything more than 100 considered “significant community spread.”

Cobb’s population is more than 760,000.

After a sharp increase in July in Cobb, that figure is 1,535 cases per 100,000, but it’s dropped to 361 per 100,000 over the last two weeks.

Gwinnett’s figures are 1,835 per 100,000 and 418 per 100,000 over the last two weeks. The population is 970,000.

Cobb schools releases CTLS Parent app on iPhone and iPad

July 31, 2020 5:20 PMJuly 31, 2020 11:41 AM by Wendy Parker

With online-only classes beginning on Aug. 17, the Cobb County School Disrict is rolling out more digital features to help students and parents.

The district has released a smartphone app called CTLS Parent—after the district’s Cobb Teaching and Learning online portal—enabling parents to use their mobile devices to get the same information and communications as they would on a desktop computer.

Parents will be able to access information using their ParentVue login details.

Those materials include learning content, grading, attendance, report cards and other academic features and more are coming.

For now, it’s available for those with an iPhone or an iPad. The district says it’s applied to make CTLS Parent available to Android users vis Google Play, but is waiting for Google’s approval.

Earlier this week, Cobb schools released some sample class schedules at all levels.

Here’s more from the district on the CTLS Parent app, and a video run-through of the features:

The one-stop-shop features of the CTLS platform also provides multiple ways to stay connected with schools and teachers. Parents will have the option to message their student’s teachers and track messages from their school. Parents will no longer have to hunt through their emails to find a message from their child’s school. All the messages will be saved in a centralized location on the app.

The same goes for Districtwide messages and alerts. Parents will also be able to set up push notifications, select language preferences, and indicate the frequency in which they would like to receive messages.

Parents will also be able to access a directory of teachers and important contact information for the school in one location. They’ll even have the option to add the contact numbers from the directory to their phone contacts, so they easily know who is calling them.

Elsewhere in the app, the parents will be able to access over 700,000 vetted and aligned educational resources. The Resource Library will help families stay engaged in their child’s learning at home.

Other app features include student schedule, grade book, report card, mass notifications, calendars, conferences automated attendance, lunch balance notifications, polls, school signups, and more.

The student schedule section will not only provide a list of student classes, but also a list of standards for each class and grade level. This will help parents stay informed of expected academic progress.

Cobb schools to provide weekly prepaid student meal pickups

July 29, 2020 6:00 PM by Wendy Parker

After several months of working with MUST Ministries to distribute food to students in need, the Cobb County School District said Wednesday it will continue to provide student breakfasts and lunches as a new school year begins.

Starting the first day of school on Aug. 17, parents will be able to pick up a week’s worth of prepaid meal kits. The kits will have items that can be reheated, and will come with instructions and a menu.

Those breakfasts and lunches will be available to any student in the district, and food distribution will take place each Monday from 4-6 p.m. for those families who have signed up online.

In order to do that, visit the district’s MyPaymentsPlus Page, which will be open every Tuesday starting on Aug. 11 to process orders. The deadline to purchase meals for the following week is Thursdays at 12 p.m.

The district is saying local schools will not be involved in this process at all, and that all orders must be made online.

Here’s the pricing for the meal kits, which include five breakfasts and five lunches per student, based on the program each student qualifies for:

Free = No charge for weekly meal kit
Reduced-Priced = $3.67 per week
Paid = $23.99 per week

If you’re a family that hasn’t applied for free and reduced-price benefits you need to click here to get more information.

To sign up for MyPaymentsPlus click here to create an account, which is free and is available on a desktop or mobile app.

Parents can choose during the ordering process the location they want to pick up the food, and they can designate one school if they have children attending different schools. Students do not have to be present for the distribution.

At the pickup locations you’ll have to provide confirmation information and their child’s student ID number. The food will be placed by Cobb schools food staffers in the trunk or backseat of a vehicle.

Cobb schools said family dinner pick-up options may be coming soon.

For information e-mail meals@cobbk12.org or call 770-426-3380.

Cobb schools release sample schedules for remote learning

July 30, 2020 1:15 PMJuly 29, 2020 11:17 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb schools sample schedule

As Cobb County School District teachers and staff reported for preplanning this week, the district also has sent out sample class schedules at all levels for the online-only start.

The district released the samples at its Cobb Learning Everywhere portal, which also includes sample schedules for Spanish-language instruction and for special education students.

Classes begin on Aug. 17, and unlike the end of the last school year, full school days with grading will be taking place.

Classes will take place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and Wednesday is an instructional support day. That allows students to catch up on classwork, teachers to do planning and for smaller student-teacher group interactions to take place.

Cobb schools sample schedule

At the middle school and high school levels, the samples are headed by what are called “instructional expectations” that detail learning sessions by subject matter, group instruction and factor in independent work sessions and breaks.

At the elementary school level, there’s a mid-morning “brain break” but not a lunch break. Formal classes on the four instructional days will end at noon, with student independent work sessions going from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In middle schools, the school day on the four instructional days will last from 9:30 a.m. to 4:05 p.m., with multiple breaks. The mornings are set aside for student independent work.

High school students will have either a block or traditional schedules, with breaks, including 40 minutes for lunch. Formal classes would go from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with student independent work wrapping up the day until 3:30 p.m.

Cobb schools sample schedule

More details on special education remote learning schedules can be found here. Those students also will be in classes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with Wednesday as a support day.

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale initially was going to offer in-person and remote options, but announced July 16 the start of the school year would be online-only due to concerns about growing COVID-19 cases in Cobb County.

He said data and public health guidance indicated Cobb was in a “high community spread” for the virus. As of Tuesday there were more than 10,000 confirmed cases in the county and nearly 300 deaths, both among the highest in Georgia.

On Monday teachers and staff reported for three weeks of preplanning ahead the Aug. 17 start of classes. That’s a two-week day from the initially scheduled start of the school year.

A group of Cobb parents demanding face-to-face learning is rounding up signatures. More than 7,000 people have signed on online petition, upset that the choice for in-person classes was taken away.

“Many families require both parents working outside of the home,” the petition states.” Virtual learning is not conducive to this kind of family structure as neither parent would be available to provide instruction.”

The petitioners also cited domestic violence and the needs of already-disadvantaged students with food issues. They also said “we pay hefty taxes for the privilege of being in one of the best school districts in the state of Georgia” and say that parents “cannot provide the quality of instruction and education that the classroom setting does. It is truly detrimental to the children’s education experience and will set them back academically, emotionally, and mentally for the coming years.”

A Facebook group called Let Parents Choose, which has more than 1,700 members, is holding a rally at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cobb Civic Center to push for in-person classes.

Ragsdale said he didn’t want to have to go online-only, and wants the district to go back to classroom learning at some point, but he didn’t indicated when that might be.

“The sooner we can get out of the high spread the sooner we can return to face-to-face,” he said at the July 16 Cobb school board meeting.

MDE special needs school in East Cobb opening Aug. 3

July 28, 2020 11:34 AMJuly 28, 2020 8:29 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

Our students learn differently and are already provided with more space than in a traditional educational setting. So, as we all look to the fall, know that MDE School’s 4:1 student to teacher ratio has always been in place, allowing our students to have the space they need for educational success. This ratio also makes social distancing a natural fit and allows our staff to be vigilant in their cleaning of high touch areas. Fall 2020 will be yet another opportunity to demonstrate the incredible potential of all learners. From 1-1 academics to small groups for life skills lessons to our vibrant elective offerings, we are excited to continue working with our wonderful students.

A multi-sensory approach to learning is the key to success. Our top priority is for students to be successful, increase self-esteem and confidence, and above all stay healthy. The low student-to-teacher ratio fosters a positive learning experience throughout the day. We provide opportunities for students to develop social skills along with academics.

MDE School, the only school of its kind in Cobb County, provides an exceptional learning environment where students with special needs have access to academics, music, drama, adaptive PE, enrichment programs and life skills training. MDE serves students with, but not limited to, Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, communication disorders, and developmental delays.

Since MDE School’s inception in 2009, enrollment has increased from 3 to 50 students from all over metro Atlanta. MDE is able to uniquely serve children with special needs who cannot be served in a traditional educational environment, and addresses each students’ learning, social, cognitive, and developmental goals allowing their students to maximize their potential.

Information: https://mdeschool.org/

Pope band moves recycling fundraiser to Northeast Cobb YMCA

July 25, 2020 2:50 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobber parade, Pope Band community show

Thanks to Karen Miller and Emily Volin of the Pope Band Parents Association for passing along word of their upcoming recycling fundraiser next month, which has been moved off-campus due to COVID-19 school closures.

The Aug. 22 event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Northeast Cobb YMCA (3010 Johnson Ferry Road). The rest of the event is the same, and with details they provided below:

Bring your metal, electronics, appliances, paint and paper documents for shredding. Cost is $10 per car PLUS additional disposal fees of $40/TV, $30/monitor, $20/large item, $2-$15/paint container depending on size, and $20 for 1-8 standard boxes of paper for shredding.

Pick-up available within a 5-mile radius of Pope during the week prior with advance reservation. See www.popeband.com/recycle for complete details.

For questions and pickup reservations, email popebandrecycling@gmail.com. Please wear a mask to help protect our volunteers.

Pope graduate earns bachelor’s degree from KSU in three years

July 24, 2020 1:15 PMJuly 24, 2020 9:10 AM by Wendy Parker

Pope High School graduate Angie Jackson

Submitted information about a Pope High School graduate who recently earned a bachelor’s degree from Kennesaw State University with honors, and in only three years, and will soon be seeking a master’s in accounting:

Angie Jackson gained the foothold she wanted at Kennesaw State by keeping busy and taking advantage of opportunities during her undergraduate experience – and she did it with intense determination.

Jackson, an Honors student who officially graduates this week, earned a position as a trumpeter with the Marching Owls, studied abroad in Italy, joined two professional fraternities, and completed two internships – all while earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting in just three years.

A Zell Miller Scholarship recipient, Jackson was a trumpeter with her high school band. She said that her interest in attending Kennesaw State began when she was exposed to the University’s Marching Owls.

“Our school was undergoing construction, and KSU let us practice at their indoor band facility during our summer band camp,” said Jackson who graduated from Pope High School in Cobb County, Georgia. “When I saw the University and the Marching Owls, I knew that this was the place I wanted to be.”

While Jackson was focused on getting her degree, she also knew that she wanted to be active in campus life. She immediately auditioned for and earned a spot with the Marching Owls, and was section leader for two of her three years with the band. Her love of music also drew her to Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional women’s music fraternity, where she served as the philanthropy chair.

Zeroing in on the right major took her a little longer.

“I’m one of those people who loves all subjects, because I love to learn,” Jackson said. “While I knew I wanted to do something in business, I also knew I wanted something specific to focus on and that eventually led me to accounting.”

As an accounting major, the determined Jackson put her energy into networking opportunities. She became a member of the honors organization for accounting, finance and information systems majors, Beta Alpha Psi. She also attended KSU Career Fairs where she quickly secured her first internship in the accounting department of WarnerMedia as one of 12 interns.

“I got a lot of great experience there learning about invoicing and vendor relationships. I even had the opportunity to conduct training for new hires on some of the systems I was familiar with, which I really enjoyed,” she said.

WarnerMedia, however, wasn’t the only company to offer an internship to Jackson, and she said that she was shocked and excited that she was able to line up two internships within one recruitment season. The second firm, Moore Colson CPAs and Advisors, extended an internship offer to Jackson a year out for the 2020 spring semester.

Professor of Information Systems Adriane Randolph is one of Jackson’s professors and said that she isn’t surprised by the student’s success. “Angie gives 100 percent to all of her vigorous commitments while maintaining top marks across her coursework. She loves to learn and goes the extra mile whenever possible, and she will undoubtedly be successful in pursuing her future goals.”

In the fall, Jackson, who earned a $10,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, will make the transition to the Master of Accountancy program in the Coles College of Business. Meanwhile, her job prospects are already set for next summer as she’ll return to Moore Colson CPAs and Advisors as a business assurance staff accountant.

“I really didn’t think there were going to be that many opportunities at KSU, but once I joined the Marching Band, I made so many friendships and connections that will last a lifetime. It opened my world to so much, and I knew that I was where I was supposed to be,” Jackson said. “I feel like I had four years of college in three years with all that I did, and I feel very fortunate to stay at KSU for my master’s degree.”

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Cobb high school marching bands won’t compete this fall

July 23, 2020 7:41 AM by Wendy Parker

Walton Band Garage Sale

Marching band directors for the 16 high schools in the Cobb County School District announced Wednesday they would not be competing in band contests during the fall.

The directors issued a joint announcement (see below) that they also “affirmed our commitment to providing quality marching band activities for the 2020–2021 school year.”

John Palmer, the director of bands at Walton High School, said in a social media message that “in the current climate we do not feel we could safely put the time or financial resources into fielding a competitive show.”

Another factor, is said, was that Bands of America had cancelled its competitions on Tuesday.

The joint letter said that face-to-face rehearsals also would be discontinued for the time being, as the Cobb school district is starting the school year online-only.

“When circumstances allow, our bands will still engage in marching activity in conjunction with the Georgia High School Association football season. Should conditions and opportunities allow, we encourage programs to explore alternative marching arts activities for our students.”

The GSHA voted Monday to push back the start of football season by two weeks, to the first week in September.

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said last week that most extracurricular activities would be cancelled to start the school year, but that athletics would continue.

The band directors also said any band activities would be all-virtual in accordance with the Cobb school district’s fine arts and the Georgia Music Educators Association guidance.

Cobb school board adopts tentative budget; final vote in August

July 18, 2020 1:16 PMJuly 18, 2020 9:25 AM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Education has a adopted a tentative fiscal year budget of $1.3 billion that will not include pay cuts or furloughs for teachers and staff.

Chris Ragsdale, Cobb schools superintendent, Cobb school employee pay raise — *Chris Ragsdale, Cobb schools superintendent*

It’s the first step toward formal budget adoption in August, three months later than usual.

That’s because of delays in state funding since the Georgia legislative session was delayed due to COVID-19.

Nearly half of Cobb County School District funding comes from the state, which is cutting that amount this year by $62 million.

The district’s proposed budget includes a step increase for all eligible staff members. (You can read through budget overview information here).

“Now more than ever, our staff who have responded successfully and professionally to each obstacle they have encountered over the past several months, need to know that we are there to support them. They are our first priority because they make our students their first priority,” Cobb schools superintendent Chris Ragsdale said in a statement.

The school board also will be holding the property tax rate at 18.9 mills, which has stayed the same for nearly two decades.

The budget proposal would include using $31 million in reserve funds to help offset the state budget cuts. Funding under Georgia’s Quality Basic Education Act is expected to be $518 million.

Local property tax digest growth of 5.15 percent will yield an additional $48 million in revenue (for a total of ($541 million); therefore the district must conduct public hearings for what under state law is considered a property tax increase.

(More financials, including line-item details, can be found here in what’s called the budget popular report.)

Cobb schools FY 2021 budget

Cobb schools also received nearly $16 million in CARES Act funding from the Georgia Department of Education, and this week was granted $8.1 million from the Cobb Board of Commissioners in more CARES Act funding for distance learning content.

Charisse Davis, one of three Democrats on the board and who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters, advocates revisiting the Cobb senior tax exemption and closing some loopholes.

On Thursday she asked for information not included in the budget proposal that revealed that this year the senior tax exemption is worth $132 million, up from $122.7 million in 2019, $111.9 million in 2018, and $101.1 million in 2017.

However, she’s been unable to get the board’s Republican majority to consider the matter. Some of them favor working to change the state’s educational “Fair Share” formula, under which school districts must send the amount of 5 mills from their local property tax revenues to the state.

The Cobb school district said for FY 2021 that Fair Share amount is $166 million.

The Cobb school board is to hold one more public hearing on the budget, on Aug. 20, the same day it formally adopts it.

In the meantime, the board also approved on Thursday a spending resolution to fund operations for the month of August, with revenues of $107 million and expenses of $111 million.

Cobb schools updates details for students needing devices

July 17, 2020 4:01 PM by Wendy Parker

With the start of the school year going online-only, the Cobb County School District has added a way for parents to request devices for students who need them.

Parents are asked to go to the ParentVUE portal and log in, then click the “Back to School Choice” from the menu bar on the left. From there click “Full Remote” then “My child does not have access to a device, and I am requesting one.”

The district’s special website, Cobb Learning Everywhere, is providing updated information on all aspects of the reopening.

Earlier this week the district received $8.1 million in CARES Act funding from the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which will be used to acquire and develop digital curriculum and related content for the existing Cobb Teaching and Learning System portal.

The funds won’t be spent on purchasing devices for students. When school campuses closed in March, the district worked with the Cobb Schools Foundation to provide devices for students who needed them.

At a commissioners work session Monday, Ragsdale said some of the Chrome Books that were provided were not claimed.

But critics of the reopening plans said adequate technology was not provided to students in need, and worried that they would fall further behind.

Cobb school board tables anti-racism resolution for 90 days

July 17, 2020 3:17 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school board tables anti-racism resolution

After failing to come to a consensus over a modified anti-racism resolution proposed in June, the Cobb Board of Education is tabling the matter once again.

This time it’s for 90 days, as the board agreed following a lengthy discussion at its work session Thursday.

Board member Randy Scamihorn presented a revised resolution but board members Charisse Davis and Jaha Howard said they could not support it and asked him to withdraw it.

Howard distributed his own version on social media earlier this week (you can read it below) that calls for the Cobb County School District to commit to “actively working against systemic racism and bias” and acknowledges that “systemic racism and racial prejudice” have left a “devastating legacy” in Cobb County.

He also wants the district to undertake “targeted anti-racist programs and policy.”

Scamihorn objected to the phrase “systemic racism” and said Howard’s resolution was “too stark” and not unifying enough.

“I’ve tried to build a positive document,” Scamihorn said, although he didn’t have his version available during the meeting. (We’ve asked for a copy and will post it when we get it.)

Both Howard and Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters are black Democrats; the board’s four-member Republican majority are white.

David Morgan, a black Democrat from South Cobb, kept pushing for a compromise that would get to a 7-0 vote. He said what Scamihorn revised “checked the boxes that would have had my support. I’m an African-American man and I want to get along with everyone.

“We need something to speak to that,” that speaks to all in a school district with 113,000 students and 18,000 teachers and staff.

“Mr. Morgan is optimistic we can come to a consensus, and good Lord, I hope he’s right,” Scamihorn said.

Cobb schools eye land purchases near Walton HS for $2.65M

July 16, 2020 4:58 PM by Wendy Parker

Walton sports complex land — *Source: Cobb Tax Assessor’s Office*

The Cobb County School District has announced it intends to acquire property near Walton High School, next to land designated for a new sports complex for the school’s varsity softball and tennis teams.

During a Cobb Board of Education meeting Thursday afternoon, Marc Smith, the district’s Chief Technology and Operations Officer, stated the board’s intent to purchase two land parcels.

They’re 3.5 acres at 1483 Pine Road for $2 million, and 1.2 acres at 3753 Providence Road for $650,000 (indicated by the blue stars on the map above).

The announcement was made after the board emerged from an executive session, where land matters are discussed.

Those parcels are located next to 15.2 acres on Pine Road that the district purchased in November for $3 million (red star), after threatening the property owner, Thelma McClure, with eminent domain.

Smith said the purchase of the additional property is scheduled to be finalized at the board’s August meeting, but he didn’t elaborate. There was no discussion by the board during the brief voting meeting, which followed a nearly-five-hour work session that included the announcement that the new school year would start online-only.

According to Cobb Tax Assessors records, the Pine Road property is owned by Harold and Joan Estes, and has a single-family ranch home built in the early 1960s.

The Providence Road land is owned by Maudelle Gilbert Gibson, and a single-family home there was built in the mid-1970s.

Since 2014, the Walton softball and tennis teams have competed at Terrell Mill Park, giving way to a new classroom building.

Walton softball parents had been lobbying for the new complex, and were considering legal action under Title IX, a federal education sex discrimination law, since the Walton boys’ baseball team has remained on campus.

Funding for the property acquisition comes from Cobb Education SPLOST V revenues. So will construction costs, but those have not been determined.

When it’s finished sports complex will be the final component of a comprehensive rebuild of the Walton campus.

The new classroom building opened in August 2017 at a cost of $48 million, and last fall a new gymnasium and performing arts theatre opened where the original classroom building once stood, with a price tag of $31 million.

Cobb schools to start online-only due to COVID concerns

July 17, 2020 3:17 PMJuly 16, 2020 10:18 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb school superintendent honored

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday morning that the Cobb County School District will be starting online-only, instead of with original plans to offer in-person classes and remote options.

At the start of the Cobb Board of Education work session, Ragsdale said that “this decision has been weighing on me for a while” and that his decision to go to online only was done in part because the district “could not provide any more information than the people asking the questions.”

The school year will still start on Aug. 17, and teachers will still report on July 26, Ragsdale said, but current public health data and guidance from the Georgia Department of Education “does not support opening” with classroom instruction possible.

Ragsdale did not say how long online-only learning would last, and that the district could later add classroom learning.

Ragsdale said public health data indicated that Cobb remains in a “high community spread” status for the COVID-19 virus.

“The sooner we can get out of the high spread the sooner we can return to face-to-face,” Ragsdale said in a question related to that subject by school board member Charisse Davis.

“Our teachers are awesome, and they will continue to do an awesome job virtually, but nothing takes the place of in-person instruction from our Cobb County teachers,” he said. “I am not setting a timeline for how long our students will engage in virtual learning. We will continue to monitor the data and work with public health officials so we can open for face-to-face instruction as soon as humanly possible.”

You can watch Ragsdale’s announcement in full below.

Ragsdale said while many on-campus events are not being scheduled, high school athletics is still on for now.

He said parents and teachers have had many questions about reopening plans, both academic and otherwise, and said that the health of students and staff “is our top priority.”

Here’s more from the district about the decision, with more details expected.

Parents had until next Wednesday to choose a classroom or virtual option for their children for the fall semester.

Parent and teacher groups had scheduled a protest later today at the CCSD central office to express concern about the original reopening plans.

Other metro Atlanta school districts have announced online-only starts, including Atlanta. On Thursday, after Ragsdale’s announcement, the superintendents of Marietta and Fulton County schools said they also would be starting virtual-only.

School board Jaha Howard praised the Cobb decision, saying it “was the right thing” to do, and said the district needs to be more transparent in its decision-making process.

Ragsdale said “this is a totally different environment” from the end of the previous school year, which switched to virtual-only after the district closed campuses in mid-March.

He said the district is still soliciting parental surveys to help in its decisions moving forward.

Parent, teacher groups to protest Cobb schools reopening plans

July 15, 2020 7:55 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Education is holding its monthly meetings starting Thursday morning, and at least two groups critical of reopening plans are staging a protest later in the day.

A group of parents calling itself School ROCS (Reopen Our Classrooms Safely) has called for a march to start at 5 p.m. Thursday at Larry Bell Park in Marietta, then to proceed to the nearby Cobb County School District central office.

On Wednesday, the Cobb County Association of Educators said it would join in, and asked its members to wear red to “protest the lack of information regarding returning to school and working conditions for employees.”

The school board is holding its work session, executive session and voting meeting in succession in virtual form starting at 10 a.m. Thursday. (Agendas here.)

The board hasn’t met in person or heard public comments since the COVID-19 outbreak shuttered schools in March.

Since announcing its protest, ROCS has blistered Cobb school district officials, primarily in social media forums, for its reopening plan.

The group thinks the district’s plans, which were revised last Friday, are not complete and have left parents, staff and students confused.

The start of the school year has been delayed by two weeks to Aug. 17, but ROCS said it wants a further delay for a “safe, realistic, comprehensive plan” that includes information on how it plans to respond to CDC guidance, contingency plans for what to do when students and staff test positive for the virus and to make masks mandatory.

The district is “expecting” staff and “strongly recommending” students wear masks, but is not requiring them.

ROCS, whose leaders including incoming school board member Tre Hutchins, also wants the district to lay out plans to assist low-income families who may need more digital resources as the school year goes along.

Hutchins was among those speaking this week at a Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting to protest the district’s CARES Act funding request that calls for online content acquisition only, and not funding to aid students already at a disadvantage.

Parents have until Friday to choose a classroom or remote learning option for their students. They will not be allowed to switch options until after the fall semester.

An East Cobb parent who’s been critical of the district on bullying issues has launched an online petition to make masks mandatory in Cobb schools.

Rob Madayag, who briefly was a candidate for the school board seat held by David Banks, said in a social media posting that he’s “still in disbelief that the Cobb County School District would think it’s fine to put an adult teacher in close proximity to 20 or 30 bioweapons factories the entire day without reducing the risk to the teacher by requiring kids wear masks.”

Madayag has long disputed Cobb school district discipline figures. Those will be one of the items to be discussed Thursday at the board’s work session.

(You can read through the agendas for all three meetings here.)

The agenda also includes discussion of an anti-racism resolution that was delayed from last month, and another interim spending resolution until the board can finalize a fiscal year 2021 budget.

District officials are expected to present a budget proposal to the board in August. That’s been delayed due to the COVID-related delay in the legislative session, and Thursday’s meeting also calls for what’s called a tentative budget adoption.

Cobb schools gets around half of its $1.1 billion budget from the state, and is anticipating a $62 million shortfall due to state budget cuts.

A virtual budget public forum begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, followed by a virtual tax digest public hearing.

All of Thursday’s meetings can be viewed online here on the Cobb school district’s website, or on Comcast Cable Channel 24.

East Cobb students compete in Congressional art contest

July 15, 2020 5:02 PMJuly 15, 2020 9:02 AM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb students Congressional art contest

Submitted information and photos about three East Cobb students—two from Pope and another from Wheeler—who took place in the 6th Congressional District Art competition:

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Marietta) has announced the winners of the 2020 Sixth District Congressional Art Competition. McBath recently hosted a virtual reception and awards ceremony with the participants and their families.

“I was so impressed by the talent and creativity of these high schoolers,” said McBath. “I am so grateful to each and every one of our participants for sharing their gifts with our community. These days, it is so important that we celebrate and uplift artists and the beauty they bring to our lives.”

The winners of the Sixth District 2020 Congressional Art Competition are:

First Place: “Puebloan Memories of the Past and Present” by Connor Johnson (Centennial High School)

Second Place: “Stranger” by Evelyn Armstrong (Pope High School)

Third Place: “This is I” by Elisa Xia (Chattahoochee High School)

The first place winner of the competition will have their work displayed in the Cannon Tunnel at the U.S. Capitol. The second place winner will have their work displayed in Rep. McBath’s Washington, DC office. The third place winner will have their work displayed in Rep. McBath’s Sandy Springs District Office.

In total, twenty students competed in the 2020 Sixth District Congressional Art Competition. High schools represented in the competition included Pope High School, Chamblee Charter High School, Milton High School, SKA Academy of Art and Design, Northview High School, Centennial High School, Chattahoochee High School, Johns Creek High School, Wheeler High School, and Cambridge High School. To view a virtual gallery of all submissions for this year’s competition, please click here.

Founded in 1962, the Congressional Art Competition celebrates and promotes the arts in high schools across America. Over 650,000 students have participated in this competition since its inception. This is Rep. McBath’s second year hosting the competition for the Sixth District.

East Cobb students Congressional art contest

Cobb schools to get CARES Act funding in 3-2 commission vote

July 14, 2020 5:15 PMJuly 14, 2020 11:40 AM by Wendy Parker

Lisa Cupid, Cobb Board of Commissioners — *Commissioner Lisa Cupid*

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve an $8.1 million request from the Cobb County School District for resources to bolster online learning, but not after another testy discussion for the second day in a row.

By a 3-2 vote, commissioners signed off on funds from the federal CARES Act so the district can purchase content to add to its Cobb Teaching and Learning online portal that could accommodate the full 113,000-student enrollment for remote instruction if necessary.

The county received $132 million from the federal government to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, and commissioners have spent $50 million for small business grants, as well as funding for non-profits for emergency food supplies and to help tenants work with landlords to pay back rent and avoid eviction.

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the majority of the funding the district was seeking would be spent on content from a variety of sources. In March Cobb schools switched entirely to remote learning, but Ragsdale has said the district needs a “more robust” portfolio of digital materials should classes go 100 percent online.

The Cobb school district has pushed back the start of classes to Aug. 17 to prepare for in-person and online options that parents are choosing this week.

Three other metro Atlanta school districts have said they are holding fall semester classes online only.

Ragsdale told commissioners another superintendent asked him if Cobb would be going to online-only, and he said that “it’s a rumor, but no decision has been made.”

After Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce and Commissioner Lisa Cupid clashed at a Monday work session to hear the district’s proposal, Cupid blistered Ragsdale when she asked whether he had run the request by the Cobb school board.

Ragsdale said that the CTLS project has been in development for several years, and that he had discussed the CARES Act request at school board’s June meeting.

At that point, she interrupted him, saying she’s heard from multiple school board members who’ve said they’ve never been presented with the funding request.

Cupid also said teachers have been e-mailing her about the matter.

“I cannot support anything that my peers on the BOE have not authorized,” said Cupid, of South Cobb, who is facing Boyce in the November election for chairman.

She told Ragsdale that due to the way he presented the funding request, “my intelligence is being undermined.”

Cupid didn’t identify the board members, but she continued expressing concerns from Monday about students lacking access to technology, and implored him to “not let these students fall further behind.”

Several citizens spoke during the commissioners’ public comment session Tuesday in opposition to the district requesting CARES Act funds only for technology. Some identified themselves as Cobb school teachers and a former Cobb school counselor, and said that students in need still need laptops, and teacher and staff need personal protective equipment.

They said they were coming to commissioners because the school board has not heard public comments since going to virtual meetings in March.

The speakers included incoming school board member Tre Hutchins, who also wants the district to regularly provide students with masks, which aren’t in the reopening plans. Staff will be provided masks, although neither they nor students are required to wear them.

Cupid and Keli Gambrill voted against the school district’s funding request; commissioners Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb supported it, as did Boyce.

Boyce said before the vote that Ragsdale’s request federal guidelines for CARES Act distribution.

While he said that “I acknowledge all the issues” commissioners heard, “the real issue” is that the district is facing a $62 million budget deficit.

While CARES Act funding can’t replace all of that, Boyce said the “request reflects the sentiment” of the superintendent and the school board.

Commissioners are delaying a CARES Act request from Marietta City Schools until July 28.

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