The Cobb Board of Education will conduct a public hearing Thursday morning on the fiscal year 2022 operating budget and hold a special-called meeting to vote on budget adoption.
The budget hearing begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by a special-called meeting at 11 a.m. for budget adoption. Both meetings will be live-streamed on the district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.
Those wishing to speak in person during the hearing can do so at the board meeting room at the Cobb County School District’s main office, 514 Glover St., in Marietta.
The Cobb school board had voted without discussion last Thursday to adopt the budget during its monthly business meeting, but the final budget hearing that’s required by law wasn’t open to the public.
The district routinely live-streams its public meetings, but this one wasn’t, so what’s taking place on Thursday is basically a do-over.
According to state open meetings or “sunshine” laws, when a meeting isn’t live-streamed (which isn’t required) the meeting must be open for the public to attend in person.
However, since the Cobb school board returned to in-person meetings last fall, the public has not been allowed to do that, except for those making public comments, in accordance with district COVID-19 safety protocols.
Persons who have addressed the board have been allowed in the meeting room one at a time, and then have been escorted out.
In addition to the school board, the only other people who’ve been allowed inside the board room during meetings have been the superintendent and members of his cabinet, as well as the board’s legal counsel.
The MDJ reported last Thursday that its reporter was not allowed inside the board room for the budget hearing when the live-stream was not available.
Last September, the Cobb school board twice came under fire for not airing public comments on its live-stream when conducting meetings in a virtual setting.
The district’s explanation was that it wanted to verify public speakers according to its commenting policies as being Cobb County taxpayers or individuals with a stake in the school district (parents, teachers, students, etc.)
The Cobb school district will be allowing more members of the public to attend in-person meetings with relaxed restrictions starting in July.
Under state law school boards must hold three public budget hearings. The Cobb school board held the first two in April and May.
The Cobb school district’s proposed fiscal year 2022 budget of $1.5 billion includes an employee pay raise.
The budget proposal proposes holding the line on the school district’s property tax rate of 18.9 mills and using $51 million in reserve funding to reach a balance (budget summary here).
Unlike FY 2021, there’s no federal CARES Act funding. Also projected for FY 2022, which begins on July 1, is a 5.54 percent growth in the Cobb tax digest.
More Cobb school district budget and financial data can be found by clicking here.
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- Cobb school board bans teaching on Critical Race Theory
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- Cobb schools to continue summer meal distribution service
- Masks optional in Cobb schools for summer, 2021-22 year
- Pope transgender student granted graduation wish
- Cobb school parents fighting mask mandate to drop lawsuit
- Cobb school district expands summer enrichment schedule
- Cobb schools announce 2021 valedictorians and salutatorians
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