Cobb school board to consider Sprayberry, Sope Creek projects

Sprayberry High School, Cobb Education SPLOST

A construction bid for a new gymnasium and the renovation of an existing career training center at Sprayberry High School will be presented to the Cobb Board of Education Thursday.

The board also will be asked to consider a construction bid for a new physical education building at Sope Creek Elementary School and the purchase of 12 air-conditioned school buses.

Those measures will be introduced at a work session that starts at 1:30 p.m. and be presented for voting action at a business meeting at 7 p.m.

Both meetings will take place at the Cobb County School District central office (514 Glover St., Marietta), and you can read through the agendas by clicking here.

The meetings also will be live-streamed on the district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.

An executive session will take place between the two public meetings.

The joint Sprayberry projects total nearly $23 million in current Cobb Education SPLOST V funds. The Cobb County School District is recommending the bid go to Balfour Beatty Construction of Atlanta, with completion anticipated by March 2023.

Those projects have been on the wish list of those in the Sprayberry area for some time. Advocates for a rebuild of the school’s main classroom building are holding an open house Oct. 19 that also will include more details on the gym/CTAE projects.

The rebuild is included in the project list for a proposed SPLOST VI collection period that’s on the November ballot (early voting started Tuesday; see above link for details). If approved by voters, that extension of the one-percent sales tax for school construction, maintenance and technology projects would take place from 2024-29.

SPLOST IV funds have been earmarked for a replacement for the physical education building at Sope Creek Elementary. The district is recommending a bid of $2.8 million by Swofford Construction Inc. of Austell, with completion tentatively set for June 2022.

The district is also asking for $512,000 in SPLOST V funds to help purchase 12 new school buses from Yancey Bus Sales and Service. The total cost is $1.4 million, with $926,640 coming in state school bus bond funds.

At the school board work session, there will be presentations by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and his staff on mathematics curriculum, hiring and compensation issues, a monthly financial status and a general fund report as of June 30, the end of fiscal year 2021.

There are no board business items included on the current agenda for the work session.

At the evening meeting, the board will hold recognitions for National School Bus Safety Week and the disrict’s Bus Driver Appreciation Week.

At both meetings there will be public comment sessions. Individuals must sign up online in advance at this link, which will be activated at 7 p.m. Wednesday.