School Board To Vote on Redistricting

The Cobb County Board of Education voted 6-1 on Thursday to put a new reapportionment map on the Aug. 10 work session agenda for a board vote.

The board supported a map Board Chairwoman Alison Bartlett of Marietta’s Post 7 presented first at the meeting and that she said included input from all board members.

David Banks of Northeast and East Cobb’s Post 5 presented a second map that he finished last week. He said he worked on it with board member Lynnda Crowder-Eagle of West Cobb’s Post 1 and shared it with other board members through an email.

Bartlett pointed out to Banks that his map would put her and Crowder-Eagle in the same post, which Banks acknowledged and said “both of you are up for re-election next year.”

“You’re creating a post that neither of us live in,” Bartlett said.

Bartlett later said that the map she worked on with the rest of the board tried to better evenly distribute the district’s 16 high schools among board member posts. She, along with others included in the redesigning process, aimed to keep communities and schools within the boundaries of their current post.

Attorney Clem Doyle reminded the board that the state legislature ultimately determines the redistricting maps for local governments and school boards. Doyle also said state officials prefer to get unanimous consent on the maps.

“What are the chances of that happening here?” Doyle asked with a grin.

• Also at the meeting, the board received a post-by-post breakdown of the recent Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results for the district by Chief Accountability & Research Officer Judi Jones. For Post 1, 19 of the 20 schools met AYP; Post 2, 7 of 12 met; Post 3, 10 of 19; Post 4, 16 of 17; Post 5, 14 of 15; Post 6, 9 of 13; and Post 7, 6 of 14. Jones also said that Wheeler and Sprayberry high schools each missed AYP by one graduating student, but principals at each school told board members that they expected to make the national graduation standard of 85 percent when the second round results are tabulated in September.
• The board also discussed Hightower Trail Middle School Council’s March 24 letter request for the board to receive more training and learn how to work together. Bartlett read from the letter she drafted with Vice Chair Scott Sweeney and board attorneys that stated the board had recognized its need for more governance training and had retained Georgia School Boards Association consultant Tony Arasi for training.
• The school board also passed the meeting’s consent agenda, which included granting an easement to Georgia Power for relocating a power pole at Kennesaw Elementary, and its four discussion items. The five-year Local Facilities Plan, restoring project budgets for non-construction SPLOST III projects and purchasing 28 vehicles from Wade Ford of Smyrna for $781,345 all passed unanimously. A contract for an addition and modifications to the Argo Road Maintenance Facility passed 6-1 with Tim Stultz of Smyrna’s Post 2 dissenting.