Cobb County Board of Education: Governance, Challenges, and Community Engagement
The Cobb County School District (CCSD) operates public schools in Cobb County, Georgia, excluding Marietta City Schools, though several schools in unincorporated parts of the county have Marietta addresses. It stands as the second-largest school system in Georgia and the 23rd largest in the United States. As a body created under provisions of the Georgia’s constitution, the Cobb County Board of Education has full authority to control and manage the public schools within the county, excluding any independent school system. This places it directly under the Georgia Department of Education, independent of city or county government control, mirroring other school systems in the state.
Authority and Oversight
The Cobb County Board of Education has full authority to control and manage the public schools within the county, excluding any independent school system. This places it directly under the Georgia Department of Education, independent of city or county government control, mirroring other school systems in the state.
Community Engagement and Transparency
Increased engagement at board meetings since 2020 indicates numerous community questions surrounding the school board. A key goal is to ensure all voices are heard, including those of parents, students, teachers, and administrators. Proposals include reinstating Parent Advisory Councils and fostering healthy debates among board members.
Laura Judge, a candidate for Post 5, emphasizes the importance of transparency and community engagement. She aims to have Post 5 meetings and communication so that all voices are heard - parents, students, teachers, and administrators. She would also like to bring back board member comments at meetings to keep our community engaged, reinstate Parent Advisory Councils, and have healthy debates between board members.
Candidate Focus: Laura Judge
Laura Judge, a candidate for Post 5, is running against John H. She has been a Georgia resident for 20 years and part of the Cobb County community for the past 10 years and emphasizes community connection. Her children have been students within Cobb Schools, and she has been a member of the PTA, volunteered at the school, and facilitated community-based parent conversations. As a small business owner, she dedicates time to reaching out to educators, attending School Board meetings, volunteering for school-aged extracurricular activities, and advocating for the community as a whole.
Read also: Constraints on Georgia's Education Board
Judge aims to break down barriers in front of marginalized communities and is dedicated to prioritizing literacy, letting those subjected to religious or gender bias persecution be heard, enabling the students of our diverse communities to express themselves in front of the board, and finding ways to support children with special needs and/or those with 504 and IEP plans best.
Challenges and Controversies
The CCSD has faced its share of controversies.
Book Bans
On July 19, 2024, it was reported that a list of books banned since August 2023 was revealed. Concerns have been raised regarding the removal of books from school libraries. On May 14, 2024, the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) filed two complaints against the Cobb County School District for violations of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Evolution Curriculum
In 2002, the Cobb County School District voted to put stickers on textbooks with a message including the admonition cautioning students that "evolution is only a theory." Plaintiffs brought suit on separation of church and state grounds, with the initial trial finding for the plaintiffs.
Teacher Misconduct
A Cobb County teacher was discovered to have had sex with a 17-year-old student. When brought to trial, the teacher pleaded that the student had consented. This defense was allowed by the Superior Court judge and upheld by the Georgia Supreme Court in 2009.
Read also: Highlights of the recent BOE meeting
School Infrastructure
Several schools have been rebuilt or closed due to various reasons:
- The original Clarkdale Elementary School was a Cobb County school that opened in the 1960s and closed on September 21, 2009, due to the massive flooding in Georgia that day, which submerged the school to the ceiling in the waters of nearby Noses Creek.
- The original Blackwell Elementary School in the Blackwells community was built in the 1920s on Canton Road (old Georgia 5), as the county's first consolidated school.
- The original Mountain View Elementary was rebuilt farther down Sandy Plains Road; the original was demolished in 2018 for a new shopping center.
- Brumby Elementary on Powers Ferry Road was set to be replaced by a mixed-use development in 2020 with a Kroger superstore by 2022. Both Brumby and East Cobb Middle School opened new schools next to each other on Terrell Mill Road in August 2018.
Leadership and Administration
The Cobb County School District is led by a superintendent and governed by the Cobb County Board of Education.
Budget and Financials
The Cobb school board approved the FY 2025 budget with raises.
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