The Cobb Board of Education Thursday voted to extend the contract of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale for another three years, to 2026.
The board voted 4-2-1 after meeting in an executive session. The four Republicans voted in favor, while Democrats Tre’ Hutchins and Becky Sayler were opposed. Democrat Nichelle Davis abstained.
The split vote has reflected recent partisan differences on the board.
Until three years ago, extending the contract of Ragsdale, who has been in the job since 2015, has been unanimous.
Republican member Randy Scamihorn read from a list of recent accomplishments of the Cobb County School District, saying that under Ragsdale there has been “steady improvement and stability” across the district.
Those include student performance metrics, a variety of academic initiatives and continued support from voters for the Cobb Education SPLOST.
But Hutchins, who represents Post 3 in South Cobb, said while he thinks the district is “in the right place at the right time . . . I would like it to translate across the county, especially in Post 3.”
Sayler, who was elected in November to Post 2 in Smyrna, said she was voting against because of a clause in Ragsdale’s contract that would allow him to leave his position with full pay if a special panel determines he’s been “harassed” or “embarrassed” by school board members.
That was part of a revised contract the Republicans on the board approved in late 2021, over the objections of the Democrats.
“I’m unclear what that means,” Sayler said, adding she wasn’t comfortable not knowing that as a board member “what I can do or say” about Ragsdale.
The terms of Ragsdale’s extension weren’t revealed Thursday. His base salary in 2022 had been $350,000, and his new deal will run to Feb. 10, 2026.
Also on Thursday, the school board voted 4-3 to approve a strategic plan for the district for 2023-28, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic.
That vote also was along partisan lines, with the dissenting Democrats saying that while they like the objectives, they didn’t think the plan had sufficient tools to monitor progress.
“My concerns continue to be a lack of clear, measurable outcomes,” said Davis, who is in her first term from Post 6 in Smyrna. “Is this our best? Are we doing everything we can?”
Scamihorn responded that “we do measure what we’re doing. We’re the best, and the data shows that.”
He wasn’t more specific, but said the board is regularly updated on literacy rates and other objectives that have been included in previous strategic plans.
A strategic plan, he said, is to “set the direction and show reports as we get there.”
The board also voted unanimously to approve construction contracts for classroom additions at Dickerson and Dodgen middle schools in East Cobb, and to purchase 59 replacement school buses with air conditioning.
Related:
- Cobb schools to pay graduate degree costs for 500 teachers
- Simpson MS STEAMapalooza showcases a variety of activities
- Cobb schools open school choice period through February
- Walton student named top teen scientist
- Cobb superintendent refutes Critical Race Theory claim
- Cobb school district unveils 2023-28 strategic plan
- J.J. Daniell MS student recovering at home after stabbing
- J.J. Daniell MS student accused of stabbing in altercation
- Sprayberry STEM students win NASA-sponsored competition
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
