East Cobb Schools

Mt. Bethel ES, East Side ES students win youth essay contest

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Mt. Bethel ES, East Side ES students win youth essay contest
L-R: Tucker Smith (Mt. Bethel Elementary School Principal), Community Development Representative William Wesley (Delta Community), Youth essay winner Alexander Goldband and his mother, and Branch Manager Corey Higman (Delta Community).

Submitted information and photo:

Six elementary school students from Cobb County were among the winners of Delta Community Credit Union’s 2024 Youth Essay Contest. There were 21 winners selected from more than 170 entries. Cobb had the most winners of any county in metro Atlanta this year. Each of the winning essayists will receive a $100 Delta Community Youth Savings Account.

The winners from Cobb County are:

  • Dara Du, third grader from East Side Elementary
  • Fiona McMillan, third grader from Teasley Elementary
  • SaiVinayak Anantharaman, fourth grader from Teasley Elementary
  • Alexander Goldband, fifth grader from Mount Bethel Elementary
  • Spencer Kehinde, fifth grader from Bryant Elementary
  • Delaney Stimac, fifth grader from East Side Elementary

The contest was open to third, fourth and fifth graders across metro Atlanta, and seven winners from each grade level were selected. Students were asked to write an essay about what they would do to make an impact at their school if they had unlimited money.

Many of the winning essays described increasing salaries for teachers and staff, offering after-school programs, providing healthier foods and snacks and buying playground equipment for students with special needs. Some unique student ideas to invest in their schools and classmates included establishing a trade school on campus, getting therapy dogs for students, and creating a community garden to help fight hunger.

Delta Community launched the contest in 2016 to recognize the importance of youth financial education and invest in future generations. The winners were contacted in late April in celebration of National Youth Month.

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New principals named at Walton HS; Simpson MS; Murdock ES

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New principals were appointed to four public schools in East Cobb on Thursday for the 2024-25 academic year.

Stephanie Santoro

During its May voting session, the Cobb Board of Education ratified the appointment of a number of principal and central office administrators, after emerging from an executive session.

They include Dr. Stephanie Santoro, who is the new principal at Walton High School.

She has been an assistant principal at Walton and has been at the school for 20 years in a variety of teaching an administrative capacities.

Santoro succeeds Richard Tischler, who was appointed to principal in 2022.

At Simpson Middle School, Dr. David Church is the new principal. He had been an assistant principal at Cobb Horizon High School and also has been an assistant principal at Wheeler High School.

He succeeds Dr. LaEla Mitchell, who was appointed to Simpson in 2021.

Kendra Brooks is leaving as principal of Murdock Elementary School to become principal at Bells Ferry Elementary School.

Kendra Brooks

Brooks has served in a number of East Cobb schools, including Sope Creek Elementary School. She has been Murdock’s principal since 2021 and at Bells Ferry, she succeeds Gail May, who has retired.

Murdock’s new principal is Zach Mathis, who has been an assistant principal at King Springs ES.

He has been an elementary school teacher and administrator in the Cobb County School District, including a stint as assistant principal at Sedalia Park Elementary School.

In addition, Sarah Ostrander, an assistant principal at East Side Elementary School, has been appointed principal at LaBelle ES.

Their new tenures will begin on July 1, the start of the fiscal year 2025 for the Cobb school district.

The Cobb school board also voted to extend the contracts of school district executive staff. Among them are Chief Accountability and Strategy Officer John Floresta.

When his name was announced, a spectator in the audience shouted “Fire Floresta!” Board Democrat Tre’ Hutchins sought to remove a staff member he identified only by a number, but his motion failed 3-4 along partisan lines.

The audience member continued to shout, and she and another person were removed from the room. They were identified as Melissa Marten and Jennifer Susko, part of a group called the Community Care Coalition.

The group wants Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and Floresta terminated. Last September, the group complained about a change in procedures to sign up to speak during public comment, saying they were physically injured in a scuffle after the registration table location was moved.

Floresta’s office is in charge of those procedures as well as media and public relations. Susko filed an open records request that revealed that Floresta and his unit planned a new location, with the aim of limiting anti-Ragsdale commenters.

Critics allege that’s part of an effort to silence them, especially due to a “Replace Ragsdale” rally that took place before that September meeting.

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Cobb school board approves FY 2025 budget with raises

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The Cobb Board of Education Thursday approved a $1.8 billion fiscal year operating budget that includes across-the-board pay raises for full-time employees.Campbell High School lockdown

With little discussion, the board voted 6-0 to approve the budget.

For the second year in a row, vice chairman David Banks of Post 5 in East Cobb voted present. He didn’t indicate a reason, but last year voted present because he wanted the board to further reduce the property tax millage rate.

A public speaker urged the board during its final hearing on the budge Thursday to reduce the property tax rate, following another year of rising assessments in Cobb County.

The FY 2025 budget is based on a property tax rate of 18.7 mills (the millage rate is formally adopted in July, after the county tax digest is published).

Cobb school district full-time employees will be getting raises between 4.4 percent to 9 percent, which Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said represents an “employee-centric” budget.

Some other members of the public were critical of the district’s spending $50 million for a new special-events facility (that isn’t part of the FY ’25 budget) they said could be better-spent elsewhere.

The budget takes effect on July 1, the start of the fiscal year 2025 in the Cobb school district.

FY 2025 budget documents can be found by clicking here.

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Cobb school board slated to adopt fiscal year 2025 budget

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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday will hold a final public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget before voting on final adoption.Campbell High School lockdown

The public hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the board room at the Cobb County School District central office, 514 Glover St., Marietta.

The voting meeting will follow at 7 p.m.

Proposed FY 2025 budget documents can be found by clicking here.

The board in April voted to tentatively adopt the $1.85 billion budget, which includes across-the-board staff pay raises.

The budget would maintain a property tax rate of 18.7 mills, holding from last year, when the school board reduced that rate by 0.2 percent to offset rising assessments.

A citizens group called the Watching the Funds-Cobb asked for additional public hearings to be held to give the public time to read through and comment on the budget.

But that isn’t happening, so the group held an online forum last week, inviting all seven board members. Only two, Democrats Nichelle Davis and Becky Sayler, took part.

The school board is scheduled to hold a work session starting at 2 p.m. Thursday that includes a demographics study update.

After that, the board will go into an executive session before the evening public meetings.

At the 7 p.m. meeting, recognitions include state literary champions, including Nathaniel Long of Wheeler High School, as well as the Georgia STAR student and teacher, Omer Mustafa Inan and Tamara Hollingsworth of Walton High School.

Agendas for the public meetings can be found by clicking here.

The open meetings also will be live-streamed on the Cobb County School District’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.

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Simpson MS student earns National PTA award for film

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Submitted information and photo:Simpson MS student earns National PTA award for film

“For the Future,” a film by Riya Kumar, a 7th grader at Simpson Middle School, has received the National PTA Award of Excellence in Film Production (Middle School division) in the 2023-2024 National PTA Reflections program. The Award of Excellence includes a $200 Young Artist Scholarship, Silver Medal, Certificate of Excellence, and her work will be featured in the National PTA Reflections virtual exhibition.

To be awarded the National PTA Award of Excellence, the piece must be one of the 3 or 4 top-scoring entries for its division/arts category in the nation! School winners PTA round. Georgia PTA then judged the artwork by division, each of which encompass multiple grade levels, making these recognitions extremely selective.The first place winners advanced to the National PTA Reflections competition.

Congratulations to Riya on this incredible accomplishment!

About Reflections: The National PTA Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life. Each year, over 300,000 students in Pre-K-12 create original works of art in response to a student-created theme. This 50+ year-old program helps them explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.

Here’s a link to the film, which is 1:41 in length. Here’s more about the Reflections contest, and a list of winners nationwide.

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Civil rights complaint filed over Cobb schools book removals

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Cobb school district pulls sexually explicit books
“Flamer” was among the books removed from Cobb school district libraries last fall for sexually explicit content.

A federal civil rights legal advocacy organization has filed a complaint against the Cobb County School District for its removal of more than two dozen books from school libraries.

The National Women’s Law Center on Monday said it was asking for federal investigations into the removals in Cobb as well as public schools in Collier County, Fla., for what it claimed was “creating a hostile environment for students through practices that include censoring books and learning materials that feature, tell the stories of, or are written by  LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.”

The Cobb school district, in two separate actions last fall and in April, removed books Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said contained “lewd, vulgar and sexually graphic content.”

The moves, which included defenses of those decisions by Ragsdale, were criticized by some parents, students and teacher advocates in Cobb as censorship.

The NWLC is claiming those actions violate Title IX, a federal law banning sex discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal aid, as well as Title VII of the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act.

“Censorship of books sends a message to students of color and LGBTQIA+ students that they do not belong, that they are not safe to be who they are, and that they do not deserve to be reflected in what they read and learn,” said Melody Oliphant, Executive Director of the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, which has been outspoken against the book removals, in a release issued by the NWLC.

The release also quoted an unnamed Cobb school district student who said that the book removals have “created fear in all students — especially Black, brown, and LGBTQIA+ students — that they are not safe to go to school every day.”

One example cited in the complaint involves Walton High School, where the NWLC alleges an effort by students to form a Gay-Straight Alliance was shut down by the Cobb school district.

Cobb also is at the heart of a related controversy, after Due West Elementary School teacher Katie Rinderle was fired for reading a book to her fifth-grade class about gender identity.

Cobb said its dismissal was prompted by a new “divisive concepts” law. Rinderle’s appeal to the Georgia Board of Education was denied, and she has filed a lawsuit against the Cobb school district.

The NWLC is asking for the removed books to be restored to Cobb school library shelves and for future removals to be halted.

The complaint also wants the Cobb school district to create clear mission statements and policies that “value diversity and are committed to ensuring safe, inclusive, and supportive campuses free from discrimination.”

The Cobb complaint by the NWLC can be read by clicking here.

Ragsdale has been adamant in defending the book removals on both occasions, reading from lengthy prepared remarks.

In April, after four more books were removed from shelves, he indicated that there will likely be further removals as district officials continue to examine the appropriateness of those titles.

“We are no more ‘banning books’ than we are banning rated R and NC17 movies,” he said last month. “What we are doing is not forcing taxpayers to fund students having unrestricted access to materials that are so sexually explicit and graphic they could not be read aloud in the board meeting without violating FCC regulations.

“What we are doing is giving parents peace of mind in knowing their children will not have unrestricted access to this content while at school.

“What we are doing is assuring Cobb County educators will not be forced to assume the heavy burden of incorporating lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit materials into instruction and student conversations.

“What we are doing is refusing to force Cobb County taxpayers and educators to facilitate and advance the sexualization of children.”

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Cobb County School District retirees honored at luncheon

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Cobb County School District retirees honored at luncheon
Bells Ferry ES Principal Gail May served 38 years in the Cobb County School District.

Cobb County School District employees who are retiring at the end of the current academic year were honored at a luncheon last week at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

They include Bells Ferry Elementary School Principal Gail May, who is concluding a 38-year career in the district.

She’s among the more than 200 personnel—teachers, bus drivers, principals, food services assistants, an assistant superintendent, and a variety of support staff—who contributed nearly 5,000 years of service, according to the district.

Here are the retirees from schools in East Cobb:

  • Addison ES: Tanya Sattelmeier
  • Bells Ferry ES: Randa T. Burden, Gail May, Will Tyler
  • Blackwell ES: Lisa J. Casazza
  • Brumby ES: Charlene Elizabeth Brisco, Lorri Ocker
  • Daniell MS: Frances Hebb
  • Davis ES: Kathryn Farrar Bernier, Laura Welch
  • Dickerson MS: Maureen Andrizzi, Tammi Jacobson
  • Dodgen MS: Debbie Amodeo, Daniel J. Clark, John Jeffres, Kimberly Solomon
  • East Cobb MS: Denise Boykin, Chenedra Garnigan, Aleem Shaw, Leetonia A. Young
  • East Side ES: Renee Mitchell
  • Eastvalley ES: Sandra Magee
  • Garrison Mill ES: Donna Bramlett, Robin A. Brown
  • Hightower Trail MS: Janet Grooms, Teresa Mullaney
  • Keheley ES: Jennifer Eitenmiller
  • Kincaid ES: Mandy Gai Robertson, Vicki L. Scheffel, Patricia J. Williams
  • Lassiter HS: Wylie Brown, Lynne McLaughlin, Carol Pizza, Ann Rives, Paul Stadtmuller
  • Mabry MS: Daisy Tsui
  • McCleskey MS: Lisa Day
  • Murdock ES: Christy Garvin, Brenda J. Holmquist
  • Nicholson ES: Michele Myers, Kelley Cone O’Hare
  • Pope HS: Mary Bowen, Elizabeth Bristol Malte, Jenny Young
  • Powers Ferry ES: Karmen Callaway, Dianne Steinbeck
  • Simpson MS: Laurie Bartlow, Valerie Page
  • Sope Creek ES: Robin Crispin, Ida Lowrie, Michelle Patterson, Sherona Pfaff
  • Sprayberry HS: Carlos Barrera, Rosa D’Astoli Santaiti
  • Timber Ridge ES: Janine L. Espriella, Heidi Holman Wolff
  • Tritt ES: Kelle Laushey
  • Walton HS: Felicia Glass
  • Wheeler HS: Cynthia R. Carwise, William Rembert, Celeste Sorensen

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Wheeler High School senior is recipient of LGE scholarship

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Wheeler High School senior is recipient of LGE scholarship

Submitted information and photo:

LGE Community Credit Union is proud to announce that Sabrina Xing of Wheeler High School is the winner of a $2,500 scholarship through LGE’s 2024 Scholarship Program. These awards are designed to support educational opportunities for exceptional high school seniors from Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas, Floyd, Fulton, Gordon, and Paulding counties.

She is one of nine students receiving the scholarships, which total $22,500.

“The LGE Scholarship Program reflects our commitment to supporting the education and development of the next generation,” said Chris Leggett, president and CEO of LGE Community Credit Union. “We are proud to invest in the futures of these students as they pursue their academic and professional goals.”

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Cobb schools to expand graduate degree program for teachers

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After more than 500 Cobb County School District teachers enrolled in an all-expenses-paid online graduate degree program last year, the district announced Friday it is expanding that offer.Campbell High School lockdown

The district said in a release Friday afternoon that Georgia’s BEST (Building Educator Success Together) will add 200 more enrollment slots for classes that begin in August.

Teachers get their degrees from the University of West Georgia. When Georgia’s BEST was unveiled last year, the district approved spending $500,000 for a proof of concept proposal that also included certificate programs.

The district release Friday didn’t indicate if any additional funding would be required for the expansion.

Cobb schools superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Georgia’s BEST is designed not only to improve teacher retention, but to broaden professional development in the classroom.

Certified staff and paraprofessionals have until May 10 to file an application of interest form, including those who applied last year but were not enrolled.

Nearly 500 slots will be filled for the upcoming academic year. The August cohort degree programs include education specialist, a master’s in special education, an MAT in special education and an educational doctorate in school improvement.

The January cohort programs include education specialist and master’s of education in instructional technology.

For more infomation, click here.

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Walton senior, English teacher earn Georgia STAR honors

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Walton senior English teacher earn Georgia STAR honors
Omer Mustafa Inan, second from right, of Walton HS, is the 2024 State PAGE STAR Student. Tamara Hollingsworth, second from left, an English teacher at Walton, is the State PAGE STAR Teacher. With them are Vickie Hammond, left, a member of the PAGE Board of Directors, and PAGE Executive Director Craig Harper. Photo courtesy of PAGE.

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Omer Mustafa Inan, a senior at George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta, Ga., is the 2024 State PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators) STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) Student. He named Walton’s Tamara Hollingsworth, an English teacher, as his STAR Teacher. As this year’s State PAGE STAR Student, Inan won a $7,500 scholarship from PAGE, and as State PAGE STAR Teacher, Hollingsworth received a $7,500 cash award from the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation.

Parv Mahajan, a senior at Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology in Lawrenceville, Ga., is the State Runner-up PAGE STAR Student. He named Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology’s Julia Rachkovskiy, a computer science teacher, as his STAR Teacher. Mahajan received the $2,500 SouthState Bank Scholarship, and Rachkovskiy $2,500 SouthState Bank Award and the $500 Mozelle Christian Award.

Twenty-seven PAGE STAR Student Region Winners were state finalists in the annual STAR program for high school seniors.

The search for the State PAGE STAR Student began earlier this school year with the naming of local STAR Students from more than 600 participating public and independent high schools across the state. In turn, those STAR Students then recognized the teacher who had the most influence on their success as their STAR Teacher.

To obtain the STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on any single test date of the SAT and must be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class, based on GPA.

“Recognizing these outstanding students and their teachers in region events and then at the state event each year is our great honor,” said PAGE Executive Director Craig Harper. “We are pleased to be a major sponsor and administrator for the STAR program to ensure that Georgia’s excellent students and teachers receive the attention they’ve earned through their success.”

Sponsors for the 2024 State PAGE STAR awards are PAGE, the PAGE Foundation, the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, SouthState Bank, and the Mozelle Christian Endowment.

As the largest independent educator association in the state and nation, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) exists to support our members who serve in every Georgia public school. PAGE provides unparalleled legal coverage, legislative advocacy, professional learning, grants, and scholarships. PAGE honors and encourages educational excellence through student programs including Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR), Future Georgia Educators (FGE), Georgia Academic Decathlon (GAD), and PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades.

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Hightower Trail MS celebrates 30th anniversary in photos

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Hightower Trail MS celebrates 30th anniversary in photos
CCSD photos

Present and previous educators and staffers at Hightower Trail Middle School recently celebrated together the school’s 30th anniversary with a photo-and-memorabilia walk down memory lane.

The Cobb County School District said in a release that the commemoration in the school’s media center included refreshments, laughs and plenty of nostalgia.

The tribute included composite staff photos from the past three decades, honoring “the the dedicated individuals who have played a pivotal role in shaping the school’s identity and fostering a culture of excellence.”

The event also took place on the same day of Hightower Trail’s Night of the Arts, highlighted by musical performances by students.

Hightower Trail opened its doors off Post Oak Tritt Road at the start of the 1993-94 school year, helping ease growing middle school attendance in the Pope High School cluster.

“We were beyond thrilled with the overwhelming turnout for our 30th Anniversary Celebration,” Hightower Trail principal Dr. Hannah Polk said in the release.

“How gratifying for the entire Hightower Trail family to witness current and former staff members become reacquainted and share their favorite husky memories. It is an honor and privilege to serve this incredible community as we look forward to the next 30 years of celebrating student success at Hightower Trail Middle School.”

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Cobb schools financial watchdog group holding budget session

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A citizens group that scrutinizes Cobb County School District finances is inviting the public to an online information session next week to go over the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget.Cobb schools financial watchdog group holding budget session

Watching the Funds-Cobb (Facebook page) said the Zoom call is scheduled for next Tuesday, May 7, at 7 p.m. It’s open to anyone who wants to take part, but you must register in advance by going to this link.

Those who sign up will get a confirmation e-mail with more information about the session.

Watching the Funds-Cobb said that all seven Cobb Board of Education members have been asked to serve as panelists, but only Becky Sayler of Post 2 has agreed. The budget session will, according to its event listing:

  • help taxpayers understand the budget
  • earn about new laws going into effect impacting our property taxes, millage rates and district funding
  • learn how to contact board members to provide input into the budget, as allowed by law.

The Cobb school district’s proposed budget is $1.85 billion, up from the current FY 2024 budget of $1.5 billion that lasts through June 30.

It includes pay raises for most full-time employees ranging from 4.4 percent to 9 percent, and holds the property tax rate at 18.7 mills.

(Proposed FY 2025 budget documents can be found by clicking here.)

The budget was presented to the Cobb school board and was tentatively adopted, which means the district can properly advertise it to the public.

Formal adoption is scheduled for May 16, following the second required public hearing.

But Watching the Funds-Cobb was among those last week calling for more opportunities for public comment on the budget, especially given the significant spending increase.

Some complained the public hadn’t had time to look through the extensive documents which were posted only a short time before the first public hearing last Thursday, hours after the budget presentation.

“Sadly, you hold the minimum hearings required by law, and you hold them on the same day of these votes,” Watching the Funds-Cobb leader Heather Tolley Bauer said, noting how other local school districts provide citizens more opportunities to review and comment on their budgets.

“While they give their stakeholders months, you give us only hours, sending a clear message that you want our money but not our opinions.”

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East Cobb schools ranked among best in Ga. by U.S. News

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Walton HS sports complex pedestrian bridge

Three high schools in East Cobb have been ranked in the Top 25 in Georgia public high schools in the 2024 U.S. News compilation of high school rankings.

In addition, Dickerson Middle School was rated No. 1 among public middle schools in the state. Mt. Bethel Elementary School was No. 15 and Sope Creek ES was No. 16 in the K-5 listings.

The magazine’s annual high school listings, which were released this week, have Walton High School ranked fourth, with Lassiter at No. 12 and Pope at No. 25.

They topped the Cobb County School District rankings (you can read the Georgia listings by clicking here).

Wheeler is listed at No, 41, Sprayberry is at No. 69 and Kell is at No. 78. More than 400 public schools were included in the state rankings.

Dodgen Middle School was ranked No. 3 in the middle school category in Georgia. Mabry Middle School came in at No. 12, with Hightower Trail at No. 24 and Simpson Middle School at No. 32.

U.S. News evaluated more than 17,000 high schools across the country based on a variety of factors, including taking AP exams; math, reading and science proficiency; and graduation rates (methodology explained here).

Walton’s “scorecard” of 98.85 out of 100 (details here) shows that 68 percent of students took at least one AP exam and 64 percent of them passed. The school also had a 97 percent graduation rate in 2024.

Walton is listed at No. 203 nationally and in Georgia, only Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Technology and Science, Columbus High School and the Alliance Academy for Innovation ranked higher.

Lassiter (scorecard here) had similar numbers, and is ranked No. 395 nationally; Pope (scorecard here) is at No. 772.

The middle school rankings in Georgia (listings here) evaluated more than 1,000 schools on student-teacher ratio, and math and reading proficiency.

Dickerson’s latter numbers were 82 and 80 percent, respectively, while Dodgen’s are 79 and 77 percent.

Other statewide rankings for East Cobb middle schools are McCleskey at No, 90, Daniell at No. 130 and East Cobb at No. 219.

A total of 1,888 elementary schools (listings here) were evaluated along similar lines. The other East Cobb elementary schools are ranked as follows statewide:

  • 24 Timber Ridge
  • 27 Tritt
  • 31 Murdock
  • 33 Mountain View
  • 37 East Side
  • 60 Shallowford Falls
  • 61 Garrison Mill
  • 80 Rocky Mount
  • 109 Davis
  • 140 Kincaid
  • 180 Addison
  • 227 Eastvalley
  • 251 Nicholson
  • 334 Bells Ferry
  • 363 Keheley
  • 480 Sedalia Park
  • 513 Blackwell
  • 606 Powers Ferry
  • 897 Brumby

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Cobb school board Post 5 candidates receive endorsements

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Cobb school board candidate reports nearly $30K in fundraising

The two hopefuls for the open Post 5 seat on the Cobb Board of Education don’t have opponents in the upcoming primaries, but they’re picking up endorsements.

Last week the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Action Fund endorsed Democrat Laura Judge as part of a slate of endorsements in metro Atlanta school board and county commission races.

And on Tuesday, Republican John Cristadoro announced he had received the endorsement of Educators First, a teachers’ organization.

Post 5, which includes the Walton and Pope and some of the Wheeler attendance zones, is being vacated by four-term Republican David Banks.

According to its website, the SPLC Action Fund “is focused on lifting up communities of color, particularly in the Deep South, who face systemic oppression, poverty and structural racism. To overcome these injustices, the organization is committed to reimagining the political, economic and social systems that sustain them to create a world where all people can thrive. ”

Judge, a Walton-area parent, noted in a social media posting that she got the endorsement “on a day that I spoke out at the school board meeting for a student in my Post who had to deal with racial discrimination in one of our schools.

“I will continue to advocate for the safety of our students, stand up against hate within our district, and empower our community to use their voice.”

Judge also has received endorsements from Cobb school board member Becky Sayler of Post 2 in Smyrna, Democratic State Rep. Lisa Campbell of Cobb, the Georgia Working Families Party, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the 3.14 Action Fund, which supports Democratic female candidates with science backgrounds.

Educators First represents professional teachers as an alternative to older organizations such as the Georgia Association of Educators.

Educators First says it offers “all the advantages of a traditional union, but without the high costs and partisan politics.”

Based in Kennesaw, Educators First was founded in 2011 and its CEO and co-founder is John Adams, a former Cobb County School District deputy superintendent.

“I am honored to have received the Educators First endorsement,” Cristadoro said in a statement Tuesday. “Educators First’s endorsement in my campaign clearly demonstrates the wide appeal and local grassroots support of our campaign.”

According to his latest campaign disclosure report in February, Cristadoro has raised more than $33,000 and has more than $28,000 in cash on hand.

Judge also filed a financial disclosure report in February listing more than $18,000 in contributions and more than $2,000 in cash on hand.

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Sprayberry HS rebuild project ‘not going to be a fun time’

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Sprayberry rebuild

Replacing the main campus building at Sprayberry High School has long been in the works, after vocal advocacy from the community.

On Thursday, the Cobb Board of Education approved in a 7-0 vote a $71.9 million construction contract to get the project underway starting this summer.

The contract went to Carroll Daniel Construction of Atlanta, and the work is expected to take three years. 

The current campus at 2525 Sandy Plains Road opened in 1973. Sprayberry was the first high school in the East Cobb area, opening in 1952 at what is now Cobb Parkway and Allgood Road and occupied by The Walker School.

The group pushing for a new Sprayberry facility includes a hashtag on its Facebook page declaring that “NowTheRealWorkBegins.”

Rebuild Sprayberry rally
Sprayberry parents and community leaders sold a special T-shirt as they lobbied for a new main campus building.

At a school board work session Thursday before the vote, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale didn’t mince words about what that will entail.

A total of 37 portable classroom buildings will be placed in the parking lot, similar to a rebuild a decade ago at Wheeler High School, whose leaders gave that school community ample warning about the scale and length of the disruptions. 

By comparison, a multi-phased rebuilding at Walton High School didn’t require portables. 

Classes continued in the original classroom building until the replacement opened nearby in 2017.

The only displacements were varsity softball, baseball and tennis teams, which now have new facilities on or near campus.

The new Sprayberry facility (signified in the rendering above with beige roofs) will have four stories with 68 classrooms, new administrative and guidance offices and learning commons. Renovations also will be made to existing cafeteria space and other facilities.

But, Ragsdale said, “it’s going to be a very difficult construction. It’s not going to be a fun time. It will be an awesome campus once it’s complete.”

The Sprayberry rebuild is the first of the major projects in the current Cobb Education SPLOST VI collection period, primarily to continue the momentum of previous renovations.

A new gymnasium and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education space (at the right, indicated with a turquoise roof) was recently completed.

“We need everybody’s grace and patience with this one,” Ragsdale said.

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Pope student earns Delta Community Credit Union scholarship

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Submitted information and photo:Pope student earns Delta Community Credit Union scholarship

Delta Community Credit Union is proud to announce its 2024 Scholarship Award recipients who were selected based on their academic achievement, community involvement and essay submission. As Georgia’s largest credit union with more than $8.5 billion in assets, Delta Community is proud to provide financial support to well-deserving students for the 19th consecutive year. The following five students will each receive a $5,000 award to assist with college-related expenses:

  • Jalen Johnson, a senior in the Westlake High School Magnet Program in Atlanta, who plans to attend Georgia State University to major in chemistry and physics;
  • Maximus Stetter, a senior at Dunwoody High School in Dunwoody, Georgia, who plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology to major in aerospace engineering;
  • Gargi Telang, a senior at Pope High School in Marietta, Georgia, who plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology to major in mechanical engineering;
  • Simone Walker, a senior at Dutchtown High School in Hampton, Georgia, who plans to attend Spelman College to major in biology; and
  • Joshua Zyzak, a senior at Beechwood High School in Lakeside Park, Kentucky, who plans to attend Harvard University to major in mechanical engineering.

“This year’s recipients embody our Credit Union’s values through their service to others as well as their interest in financial and social responsibility,” said Hank Halter, Delta Community’s CEO. “Their contest essays demonstrated a clear understanding of the role financial literacy can play in both personal and community prosperity. It is an honor to invest in each of them so they can pursue higher education, unlock their full potential and contribute to the future of their local communities.”

Delta Community also supports community education through quarterly scholarships for students attending historically Black colleges and universities as well as by offering free classes and workshops to the public through its award-winning Financial Education Center.

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Cobb schools remove 4 more library books for explicit content

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Four more sexually explicit books have been removed from Cobb County School District library shelves.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale made the announcement Thursday as he delivered lengthy prepared remarks similar to those he made with the removal of books last September that generated a noisy controversy.

As then, he said the books recently removed contained lewd, vulgar and sexually graphic content, and that “the sexualization of children can never be allowed to become normalized.”

He identified the four books by title (see below for more) and reiterated previous comments that the district would protect children from materials that are not age-appropriate and that this is “a battle between good and evil.”

Ragsdale didn’t say if the books were the subject of parental complaints or what schools had them in their libraries.

The four books removed are as follows:

  • Novelist Alice Sebold’s 1999 memoir “Lucky” has won awards in the children’s literature category, but also was pulled by its publisher in 2021 after a man she accused in the book of raping her was exonerated in court. The book’s graphic depiction of the alleged assault prompted a number of school removals across the country.
  • Best-selling author Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us” is aimed at adult readers, and includes sexual content and depictions of an abusive relationship.
  • “Thirteen Reasons Why” is a 2007 young adult novel by Jay Asher about a high school freshman who commits suicide, and includes sexually explicit content. It’s been widely challenged on the grounds of not being age-appropriate.
  • “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky, addresses themes like teen sex, drug use, sexual abuse and abortion, and has been subject to a number of school library removals.

Ragsdale has come under fire from critics alleging a book ban, but he took umbrage in his remarks Thursday.

“We are no more ‘banning books’ than we are banning rated R and NC17 movies,” he said. “What we are doing is not forcing taxpayers to fund students having unrestricted access to materials that are so sexually explicit and graphic they could not be read aloud in the board meeting without violating FCC regulations.

“What we are doing is giving parents peace of mind in knowing their children will not have unrestricted access to this content while at school.

“What we are doing is assuring Cobb County educators will not be forced to assume the heavy burden of incorporating lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit materials into instruction and student conversations.

“What we are doing is refusing to force Cobb County taxpayers and educators to facilitate and advance the sexualization of children.”

(The Cobb school district later Thursday sent out a full release with a transcript and video of his comments that you can read and watch by clicking here.)

Micheal Garza of East Cobb, parent of a first-grader and a frequent critic of Ragsdale, issued a lengthy response on social media Friday, insisting that “not a single book has ever sexualized a child in Cobb schools,” nor has one endangered a student in school.

“You know what has? Guns. Weapons. Racism. Antisemitism. Islamophobia,” Garza wrote. “Yet the Superintendent spent more time last night talking about porn than he has talked about school safety or bigotry collectively in the past two years.”

Others on a Facebook group page devoted to school matters suggested starting a loose book club to read the books removed from Cobb schools, and discuss there.

Also on Friday, Cobb school board chairman Randy Scamihorn responsed to the latest book in his “Just the Facts” column, backing Ragsdale’s insistence that books aren’t being banned.

“The School Board doesn’t have the authority to decide what you and your family read, and the majority of us believe those are choices you should make at home,” he said. “On the other hand, the Board is responsible for doing everything we can to keep your children safe.”

The Cobb school district also sent out Scamihorn’s comments Friday afternoon in a separate press release.

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New principals named at East Cobb MS, Garrison Mill ES

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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved the appointment of new principals at schools in East Cobb for the 2024-25 academic year.

New principals named at East Cobb MS, Garrison Mill ES
Mitchell Askew

Dr. Mitchell Askew, an 8th grade administrator at Pearson Middle School in South Cobb, is the new principal at East Cobb Middle School.

He has been a teacher in the Savannah-Chatham and Cobb school districts in a 20-year career. Askew had been an assistant principal at Hillgrove High School and Campbell High School before coming to Pearson in 2021.

A former teacher at Cooper Middle School, Askew was in charge of academies, transportation and the AVID program at Pearson. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Kennesaw State University and a doctorate in education from Piedmont College.

Askew will succeed Leetonia Young, who is retiring.

Ruth Martin, an assistant principal at Garrison Mill Elementary School, has been named the principal there.

She has been there since 2021, and also served as an assistant principal at Sedalia Park Elementary School and was a teacher at Brumby Elementary School and Nicholson Elementary School.

Martin earned degrees from Brigham Young University and Kennesaw State and hold’s an education specialist degree from the University of West Georgia.

She succeeds Kyle Giesler.

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Lassiter student named Atlanta Falcons’ HS ‘Man of the Year’

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Shaw Mixon, a varsity football player at Lassiter High School, has been honored by the Atlanta Falcons for his dedication to the game on the field and his service to the community.Lassiter student named Atlanta Falcons' HS 'Man of the Year'

He’s been named the Falcons’  “High School Man of the Year.” It’s similar to a National Football League honor for professional players that’s named after the late Chicago Bears’ Hall of Famer Walter Payton.

A three-year starter in football as well as a basketball player, Mixon is vice president of Sources of Strength, an organization that works with schools to provide crisis intervention services for teens and their families in such areas as mental health, suicide, bullying and substance abuse.

“Despite personal challenges, including the loss of his father and a season-ending injury, Shaw’s resilience and dedication inspire those around him, leaving an enduring impact on both his school and local community,” the Falcons said in explaining Mixon’s honor.

He received an award at the Falcons’ team banquet in February.

The Cobb County School District said in a release that Lassiter High School’s SOS program is a flagship effort in the county, having trained more than 200 students and a third of the teaching staff has been trained as trusted adults.

“It’s nice to get recognition and validation that you’re doing something right,” Shaw in the CCSD release. “I wasn’t expecting an award or anything, but obviously, whatever I have been doing is working, and I will keep giving back to the community in whatever ways I can.”

Mixon was nominated by Lassiter head football coach Sean Thom, who said “he is the type of kid who makes everyone around him better. He made me a better husband, father, coach, and teacher. He is an uncommon man in today’s society and has great things in his future.”

Lassiter AP teacher Lizz Etter, who oversees the SOS program, said Mixon not only is a bright student and excels in sports, but “as a friend, Shaw is loyal, genuine, and kind. Above all, he is humble and gracious. Shaw Mixon is an excellent choice for any award.”

Mixon also is involved in a program at Lassiter called The Joy Mission Club, in which high school students visit elementary- and middle schools to support kids who have lost a family member.

Having lost his father a little over two years ago, Shaw knows what these kids are going through. While his own network of family and friends was strong and helped support him during a very tough time in his life, he wants to be a support for other kids experiencing something similar.

“It can be easy to think about yourself and how difficult your situation is, but sharing what you think and feel with someone else is so necessary and important,” Mixon said. “I don’t want anyone to have to go through that time alone.”

 

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Cobb school board tentatively adopts FY 2025 budget

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Cobb schools FY 2025 budget proposes 4.4-9 percent pay raises

UPDATED:

The school board voted 7-0 Thursday night to tentatively adopt the budget, meaning it can be advertised publicly and receive public feedback before a final vote is scheduled for May 16.

Proposed FY 2025 budget documents can be found by clicking here.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

The Cobb County School District’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget includes staff pay raises that average 6 percent.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said at a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday that teachers, administrators and other full-time employees will receive raises ranging from 4.4 percent to 9 percent.

The proposed $1.85 billion spending is “an employee-centric” budget, Ragsdale said during a presentation.

The budget would maintain a property tax rate of 18.7 mills, holding from last year, when the school board reduced that rate by 0.2 percent to offset rising assessments.

Brad Johnson, the district’s chief financial officer, told board members that the projected Cobb tax digest growth in 2024 is 7.5 percent, compared to 14.6 percent in 2023.

“We need to be aware of a drop like that and keep it in mind” when making budget decisions, he said.

The board also was scheduled to hold a public forum on the budget proposal and to tentatively approve it Thursday night.

Another budget forum will take place on May 16, the date the board is scheduled to finalize the budget.

This story will be updated.

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