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Cobb County Public Schools, Georgia

Cobb County Public Schools is a school district in Georgia. It is the second-largest district in the state of Georgia and 24th largest in the United States, with more than 106,000 students. Cobb County Public Schools is also the largest employer in Cobb County, with 13,551 employees.[1]
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Taxes Y
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Budget Y
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Meetings Y
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Elected Officials Y
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Administrative Officials Y
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Contracts Y
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Audits Y
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Public records Y
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Academics Y
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Background checks Y
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Transparency grading process


Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of Georgia school district websites

Last rated on 2013-01-31.

The good

  • Budget
    • The most current budget is listed.
    • Budgets are archived for 7 years.[2]
  • Administrative Officials
    • Department heads are listed for each department.[3]
    • Contact information for administrative officials is provided including a mailing address, phone number, and personalized email.
  • Elected Officials
    • Elected officials are listed with a mailing address, phone number and personalized email.[4]
  • Meetings
    • Meeting minutes are archived for 10 years.
    • Meeting agendas are archived for 10 years.[5]
    • A meeting calendar is available and names the times and locations of public meetings.[6]
    • Meeting videos are available.[7]
  • Audits
    • The most recent audit is posted.
    • Audits dating back to 2003 are available.[8]
  • Contracts
    • Bids and RFPs are posted online.
    • Approved contract statements are provided for vendors.[9]
    • Salary schedules are posted.[10]
  • Public Records
    • The public information officer is Jay Dillon, Director of Communications. This person provides a mailing address, phone number and personalized email at the bottom of the homepage.[11]
  • Taxes
    • Tax revenues are broken down by federal, state, and local funding in the budget.
    • Local taxes, like property taxes, are available online.[12]
  • Academics
    • Academic performance reports for the school are posted online.[13]
  • Background Checks
    • The criminal background check policy and teacher certification requirements are posted online.[14]

Leadership

Teacher Contracts

Human Resources in Cobb County Public Schools provides information about teacher benefits.[15] New teachers in CCPS sign 193-day contracts and are eligible for rehire at the end of the term. Library Media Specialists, Speech/Language Pathologists, Interpreters, Audiologists, Diagnosticians, and Education Program Specialists are paid on the teacher's salary schedule. The teacher salary schedule for the 2012-2013 school year is available here.

Administrative Officials

Dr. Michael Hinojosa is superintendent of Cobb County Public Schools. His career in public education, from teacher and coach to superintendent of six school systems, spans more than three decades. Prior to joining Cobb in June 2011[16], Dr. Hinojosa served as a superintendent/CEO for the Dallas Independent School District in Texas. His professional recognitions include being named 2002 Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards and 2005 Superintendent of the Year by the University of Texas at Austin.

Unions

Collective bargaining is illegal since Georgia is a "right to work" state[17], so typical union activity is absent from Cobb County Public Schools. Teachers are allowed to join professional organizations. In Georgia, those include:

School Budget

The district adopted the FY2013 budget May 21, 2012 on a 4-3 vote by the Board of Education.[18] The FY2013 General Fund budget anticipates $820,773,005 in revenue and $849,027,242 in expenditures, based on a predicted enrollment of 106,591 students.[19]

Spending reductions and steps taken to balance the FY2013 budget include[20]:

  • Increased class sizes by 2 students (on average)
  • 350 teaching positions will go unfilled
  • Reduced school year from 180 days to 177 days
  • 3 furlough days for all employees
  • Delayed step increase for eligible employees to mid-year
  • Use $20.3 million in SPLOST II excess funds to lower the property tax millage rate
  • Use $28.2 million in reserve funds to help offset deficit

Academic performance

Every school year, Cobb County students are tested on a variety of state and system-wide assessments. Most assessment programs, such as the CRCT and the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT), are mandated by Georgia state law. Some assessments, such as the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), are mandated by the Cobb County Board of Education. The district's Office of Accountability maintains test results, study guides and links to each of the major scoring systems used by the state on its website.[21]

Reform

Over several months during 2012, the district revised its long-term strategic plan. The Board of Education approved the core values, the mission, vision, and long range goals in July 2012. In August 2012, Board members were asked for feedback regarding key strategies and measurable targets. Information from the advisory committee, the Board of Education and other key groups was compiled into a single-page format; the format for school plans will closely follow the district format to ensure alignment between district and school and to ensure uniformity. The revised strategic plan was unanimously approved by the board of education meeting September 27, 2012.[22]

References

  1. ↑ [1]
  2. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Budgets, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  3. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Staff Directory, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  4. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Elected Officials, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  5. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Meeting Minutes and Agendas, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  6. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Meeting Calendar, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  7. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Meeting Video, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  8. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, CAFR, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  9. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Bids and RFPs, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  10. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Salary Schedules, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  11. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Public Records Contact- Bottom of homepage, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  12. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Local Taxes, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  13. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Academics, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  14. ↑ Cobb County Public Schools, Background Check, Accessed: Jan 14, 2013
  15. ↑ Employment Information for Teachers
  16. ↑ Marietta Daily Journal, June 7, 2011: "Hinojosa will sign $277K contract"
  17. ↑ Education Commission of the States Report 2002
  18. ↑ School Board Passes Budget
  19. ↑ FY2013 Popular Report
  20. ↑ Board Approves Fiscal Year 2013 Budget
  21. ↑ [2]
  22. ↑ September 27, 2012 meeting minutes

External links


Retrieved from "http://sunshinereview.org/index.php?title=Cobb_County_Public_Schools,_Georgia&oldid=85206"
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