The Cobb County School District has recommended a maximum price for the cost of major renovations and additions at Bells Ferry Elementary School in Northeast Cobb.
According to an agenda item, the Cobb Board of Education will be asked Thursday to set that price at $9.8 million and to approve Winter Construction of Atlanta as the contractor.
The funding will come from the current SPLOST VI sales tax for Cobb schools.
Setting a maximum price enables the contractor “to move forward to begin procuring long lead time equipment, sitework, utility relocation, and other enabling work in accordance with the planned schedule,” according to the agenda item.
Completion is estimated for July 2027.
The project will be discussed at a board work session starting at 2 p.m. Thursday, and is listed as an action item for the board voting meeting that begins at 7 p.m.
You can view the agendas for the public meetings by clicking here.
An executive session is scheduled in between the public meetings, which will take place in the board room of the Cobb County School District’s central office (514 Glover Street, Marietta).
The open meetings also will be live-streamed on district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.
The current Bells Ferry facility at Bells Ferry Road and Piedmont Road was built in 1973, and currently enrolls 750 students.
The oldest portion of the main building will be rebuilt, and the school will get upgraded technology and communications equipment, including new computing and interactive devices for classrooms, telephone systems and replacing two playground areas.
The project will also prompt portable classrooms on the campus, and second- and third-grade classes will be relocated to nearby Chalker Elementary School starting in August.
At the evening meeting, the Cobb school board will be holding the last of three required public hearings on the district’s intent to opt out of a new state homestead exemption law. A vote on the measure also is scheduled.
HB 581 was passed by the Georgia General Assembly in 2024, and state voters approved enabling legislation in a November referendum to establish a statewide floating homestead exemption.
Those exemptions apply to counties, school districts and municipalities, and would place a cap on property tax rates based on an inflation rate set by the Georgia Department of Revenue.
The law was passed following concerns about dramatic property tax rate increases due to soaring assessments during periods of high inflation.
Like Cobb government, however, Cobb schools have stated that its current exemptions are more beneficial to parents and taxpayers.
The district claims that it would lose an estimated $43 million under the new homestead exemption law, which “could force the District to cut teacher salaries, increase class sizes, or otherwise harm student learning.”
Related:
- Cobb elementary students recognized in waterSmart contest
- Delta Community college scholarship applications accepted
- Cobb school district 2025-26 transfer window opens
- Cobb school board to hold hearings on homestead exemption
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