Tentative FY '22 budget, bus purchases on Cobb school board agenda

The Cobb Board of Education will be asked Thursday to tentatively adopt a fiscal year 2022 budget in order to schedule public hearings before a formal vote in June.

That tentative approval is scheduled for Thursday’s board business meeting at 7 p.m., and also will be discussed at a board work session that starts at 2 p.m. Thursday.

(You can read the agendas for both meetings by clicking here.)

The district’s finance office included in the agenda a summary of a $1.5 billion budget request for fiscal year 2022, which begins in July 1.

However, the projected revenues in the summary total $ 1.46 billion.

The Cobb school board typically adopts budgets in May, but required public hearings have not yet been scheduled.

The scheduled date for board adoption is June 10.

Last year, the board adopted several short-term budgets until August because of uncertainty over finances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current FY 2021 budget of $1.3 billion includes using $31 million in reserve funds. That was due primarily to state education spending cuts.

The Cobb County School District gets roughly half of its funding from the state.

The school board also will be asked to approve spending $5.78 million in current Ed-SPLOST V funds to purchase 52 new school buses with air conditioning.

During the work session, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale will discuss the district’s learning recovery plan, something numerous school districts have been implementing since COVID-19.

After the work session, the board will hold an executive session.

During the night meeting, Wheeler High School students said they will be speaking during the public comment period. They will be presenting a PowerPoint about research they’ve done on the topic, and according to group member Caroline Hugh, “it will also be very timely, considering the verdict on the Derek Chauvin case.”

That’s a reference to the Minneapolis police officer who was convicted Tuesday for the murder of George Floyd last May.

The name change initiative started last summer, with those favoring the change saying Joseph Wheeler, a Confederate Civil War general, is not an appropriate namesake for what’s become one of the most diverse high schools in the county.

Parents advocating a campus rebuild for Sprayberry High School also are planning at speaking at tomorrow’s meetings.

In-person attendance at the board meetings is limited to district staff and public speakers. Both public meetings will be livestreamed here and can be seen on Comcast Cable channel 24.