Tuesday, April 9, 2013
East Cobb supporters of the recently-approved sales tax referendum say they'll continue to address funding concerns.
Last month's passage of the Cobb Education SPLOST was a relief for supporters of extending the sales tax referendum for construction and maintenance projects. But larger funding issues loom for the Cobb County School District, which faces a projected fiscal year 2014 budget deficit of $86.4 million. While Cobb Board of Education members last week expressed their unhappiness with proposed budget cuts, East Cobb parents involved in helping pass the SPLOST say they'll continue working on grassroots efforts to address long-term financial issues. "ED-SPLOST was a first step and not our goal," said David Schwartz, a Dodgen Middle School parent and co-founder of FACE It Cobb, which was organized as the SPLOST campaign geared up. Although strong …
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Board of Education approved a resolution Wednesday, but heard a strong dose of anti-tax sentiment.
As expected, the Cobb Board of Education on Wednesday adopted a resolution to call for a March 2013 referendum to extend the Education SPLOST. But the job of selling voters on a $717 million school construction and maintenance project list figures to be a challenging one, given Cobb's recent SPLOST track record. The one-cent sales tax, if approved by voters, would begin in January 2014 and would be collected through December 2018. But before the vote, representatives of a local taxpayers group and the Georgia Tea Party spoke out against a March referendum. And the chairwoman of the school board's SPLOST citizen oversight panel predicted that the finalized SPLOST IV "notebook" (see attached PDF) will fail at the polls. The board voted only…
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Wednesday's work session agenda includes a resolution for a March 2013 referendum.
After an accelerated process to put together and revise a $717 million project list of school construction and maintenance projects, the Cobb Board of Education is expected to vote today to call for a referendum to pay for them. A resolution calling for a March 19, 2013 referendum that would extend the current Cobb education SPLOST highlights the board's work session agenda for today (see attached PDF). The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. in the board room of the Cobb County School District central office at 514 Glover St. in Marietta. After two board members expressed a desire to postpone a referendum to November 2013, today's agenda item includes a recommendation from Superintendent Michael Hinojosa for a March vote. The current SPLOST III …
Friday, November 2, 2012
The revised project list is the topic for Monday's special called meeting.
The Cobb Board of Education has called a special meeting for next week to discuss the proposed SPLOST IV construction and maintenance project list. The meeting is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Monday in the board room of the Cobb County School District central office, 514 Glover St., Marietta. The board met last week to go over a revised "notebook" (see attached PDF) totalling $717 million in proposed projects that Cobb may be voting on early next year. At the end of that meeting, board member Alison Bartlett asked for another public meeting to continue finalizing the project list. The board is expected to vote later this month on whether to call for a referendum, which is likely for March 2013. Among the major revisions is a $3 million …
Sunday, October 28, 2012
School board member Lynnda Eagle was dismayed that some elementary schools will continue to have trailers through the collection period.
The feedback Cobb Board of Education members have been receiving about the proposed SPLOST IV project list has produced some major revisions in the package, and for several schools throughout the county. Board members on Thursday discussed the revised list, which still comes in at an estimated $717 million in collections. Among the major changes are $3.1 million in renovations at Tapp Middle School in Powder Springs, a $3.3 million addition at Kincaid Elementary School in Northeast Cobb and new classroom space at Teasley Elementary School in Smyrna costing another $3.1 million. In East Cobb, two significant changes have been proposed: A $30 million middle school replacement, likely at East Cobb Middle School, and a total of $27 million in …
Friday, September 14, 2012
The final consultant's report to the Board of Education is the basis for a possible referendum in early 2013.
The thick, heaving binders handed out to Cobb Board of Education members Wednesday detailing $717 million in school construction and improvement needs are also packed with wish lists more than double that dollar amount. A final presentation made to board members at the work session hammered down $2 billion in requests to match the anticipated revenue that would come from an extension of the current one-cent local option sales tax for the Cobb County School District that stops at the end of 2013. Public hearings are slated to discuss the possible SPLOST this fall, and it will be up to the board to decide whether to turn it into a referendum. In the meantime, the 209-page "SPLOST IV notebook" (see the accompanying PDF) will be sent back out …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Board of Education authorized spending $2.2 million to address high student-teacher ratios at some schools.
With enrollment in the Cobb County School District higher than anticipated, the Board of Education voted Wednesday to hire 30 additional teachers to ease large class sizes in some schools. The 7-0 vote at the board's monthly work session came after a brief discussion, with comments stressing the urgency of getting the new teachers in place as soon as possible. "They're extremely necessary," said board member Lynnda Eagle, who represents West and North Cobb. The cost for the new positions is $2.2 million, with the money to come from the district's fund balance. The district's actual enrollment is 105,757, a total of 1,364 more students than the projected 104,393. The class size issue is most acute at the middle school level, where more …
Friday, August 10, 2012
The Board of Education will conduct public hearings this fall to determine whether to call for a referendum in early 2013.
The current Cobb County School District SPLOST collection period is ending at the end of 2013, but plenty of construction and renovation needs remain. That's why the Board of Education recently hired an educational consultant to craft a politically salable package of projects that could go to Cobb voters early next year. On Wednesday, the school board heard a progress report from James Wilson, a former Cobb school administrator and retired Fulton County school superintendent, whose Marietta firm, Education Planners, was paid $75,000 to put a proposal together. The proposed collection period from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2018 is being called "SPLOST IV" after the three special purpose local options sales taxes that have preceeded it, …
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The SPLOST-funded project included new energy-efficient air conditioning units and windows.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The Cobb County animal shelter recently received new energy-efficient air conditioning units, ceiling renovations, new lighting and energy-efficient windows. The $295,000 in renovations were funded by the 2011 SPLOST, which passed last year by 79 votes. The pad-mounted air conditioning units will "help keep temperatures down and significantly reduce the spread of airborne diseases," as well as "provide the appropriate amount of ventilation, proper cooling and dehumidification," according to the county's website. Don’t miss any of the local news you care about. Subscribe to West Cobb Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The Cobb County school board voted 4-3 to proceed immediately with the full $14.5 million renovation project.
The full $14.5 million Harrison High School construction project, including the ninth-grade center, will proceed this summer after all. The Cobb County Board of Education voted 4-3 this afternoon to move ahead with the bundled project, reversing a 4-3 decision March 22 to break up the work and postpone the ninth-grade center indefinitely. It was the third time in 15 months that the school board voted on the Harrison project, and the third time the vote was 4-3. The only difference in the votes has been Vice Chairman David Morgan of South Cobb’s Post 3. He joined Lynnda Eagle of West Cobb, David Banks of Northeast and East Cobb, and Scott Sweeney of East Cobb in voting to put the ninth-grade center at Harrison and award the architectural …
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Harrison High School
4500 Due West Rd NW, Kennesaw, GA
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Amy
8:44 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
I don't get why a school with one of the wealthiest tax bases is receiving the greatest amount of money...it makes me doubt approving a measure that would fund such projects... more ›