Cobb County School District

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Cobb County School District
A Community With A Passion For Learning
Location
Marietta, Georgia, United States
Website
http://www.cobbk12.org
Information
Superintendent Fred Sanderson
Grades Pre-K - 12
Enrollment 106,163 (October 2006)

The Cobb County School District is the county government agency which operates public schools in Cobb County. It is the second largest school system in Georgia and among the largest in the United States, with a current enrollment of 106,163. Its student population grows by nearly 2,000 each year, and with more than 14,000 full-time employees, nearly 8,700 of whom are classroom teachers and other certified personnel, the district is the county’s largest employer. All Cobb County schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the district is among the first to have earned district-wide accreditation.

The current Superintendent is Fred Sanderson.

Contents

[edit] Board of Education

As a body created under provisions of the Constitution of the State of Georgia, the Cobb County Board of Education has full authority to control and manage the public schools within the county, excluding any independent school system now in existence within the county.

Current members are:

  • Teresa Plenge, Ph.D., Chairman
  • Curt Johnston, Vice-Chairman
  • Betty Gray
  • Johnny Johnson
  • Kathleen Johnstone
  • Laura Searcy
  • Lindsey Tippins

[edit] List of schools

[edit] Elementary schools

  • Acworth
  • Addison
  • Argyle
  • Austell Primary (K-2)
  • Austell Intermediate (3-5)
  • Baker (Dr. Phylis Jones)
  • Bells Ferry
  • Belmont Hills
  • Big Shanty (Diane Hudson)
  • Birney
  • Blackwell
  • Brown
  • Brumby Primary (K-2)
  • Brumby Intermediate (3-5)
  • Bryant Primary (K-2)
  • Bryant Intermediate (3-5)
  • Bullard
  • Chalker (Bill Scott)
  • Cheatham Hill
  • Clarkdale
  • Clay
  • Compton
  • Davis
  • Dowell
  • Due West
  • East Side
  • Eastvalley
  • Fair Oaks
  • Ford
  • Frey
  • Green Acres
  • Harmony Leland
  • Hayes
  • Hollydale
  • Keheley
  • Kemp
  • Kennesaw
  • Kincaid
  • King Springs
  • LaBelle
  • Lewis
  • Mableton
  • Milford
  • Mount Bethel
  • Mountain View
  • Murdock
  • Nicholson
  • Nickajack (Peggy Pepper)
  • Norton Park
  • Pitner (Statia Noles)
  • Powder Springs
  • Powers Ferry
  • Riverside Primary (K-2)
  • Riverside Intermediate (3-5)
  • Rocky Mount
  • Russell
  • Sanders Primary (K-2)
  • Sanders Intermediate (3-5)
  • Sedalia Park
  • Shallowford Falls
  • Sky View
  • Sope Creek
  • Still
  • Teasley
  • Timber Ridge
  • Tritt
  • Varner
  • Vaughan

[edit] Middle schools

  • Awtrey (Erin Barnett)
  • Barber (Lisa Williams)
  • Campbell
  • Cooper
  • Daniell (Merlie Heflin)
  • Dickerson
  • Dodgen
  • Durham
  • East Cobb (David Chiprany)
  • Floyd (Dr. Lawrence Bynum)
  • Garrett
  • Griffin
  • Hightower Trail
  • Lindley
  • Lost Mountain (Dr. Terry Poor)
  • Lovinggood
  • Mabry (Dr. Tim Tyason)
  • McCleskey (Dr. Jerry Dority)
  • McClure (Zinita Perkins)
  • Palmer (Dr. Geraldine Ray) [[1]]
  • Pine Mountain
  • Simpson
  • Smitha
  • Tapp

[edit] High schools

  • Allatoona High School [[2]]
  • Campbell High School (Kehl Arnson) [[3]]
  • Harrison High School (Donnie Griggers) [[4]]
  • Hillgrove High School (Joe Boland)[[5]]
  • Kell High School (Trudie Donovan) [[6]]
  • Kennesaw Mountain High School (Sue Gunderman)[[7]]
  • Lassiter High School (Chris Shaw)
  • McEachern High School (Robert Benson) [[8]]
  • North Cobb High School (Gary Boling) [[9]]
  • Osborne High School (Steven Miletto) [[10]]
  • Pebblebrook High School (Regina Montgomery)[[11]]
  • Pope High School (Dr. Charlotte Stowers)
  • South Cobb High School (Dr. Grant Rivera) [[12]]
  • Sprayberry High School (Dr. Susan Galante)[[13]]
  • Walton High School (Dr. Tom Higgins) [[14]]
  • Wheeler High School (Ed Thayer) [[15]]

[edit] Special schools

  • Adult Education Center [[16]]
  • Central Alternative Center [[17]]
  • H.A.V.E.N. Academy [[18]]
  • Oakwood Open Campus High School [[19]]
  • Transitional Learning Center [[20]]
  • Title 1 [[21]]
  • Pre-K [[22]]
  • Kennesaw Charter [[23]]
  • Intl. Welcome Center [[24]]
  • Homeless Ed. Program [[25]]
  • Home Study Program [[26]]
  • Fitzhugh Lee Center [[27]]
  • ehigh School [[28]]

[edit] High school magnet programs

  • Campbell High School International Baccalaureate Program
  • Kennesaw Mountain High School Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology
  • North Cobb School for International Studies
  • Pebblebrook High School Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts
  • South Cobb High School Academy of Mathematics and Medical Sciences
  • Wheeler High School Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Mathematics and Technology

[edit] Recent controversies

[edit] Power to Learn Laptop Initiative

In 2005, the District implemented a technology initiative called Power to Learn, which would supply individual laptop computers to students for use in classroom. The initiative was to be initially funded by a portion of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds approved by Cobb voters in 2003 and earmarked for technology improvements. The first of three proposed phases of the initiative was approved by the Board of Education in April 2005, authorizing purchase of Apple laptops for all teachers, upgrades of middle school business labs, and the establishment of four high school pilot sites to test and evaluate individual student laptop use.

Former county commissioner Joseph "Butch" Thompson filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education on May 31, 2005. The lawsuit charged that Cobb voters did not specifically authorize the program in the 2003 SPLOST vote. On July 29, 2005, Superior Court Judge S. Lark Ingram mandated the Board of Education to use technology funds as specified in SPLOST II and ordered a permanent injunction to halt the Power to Learn initiative. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Ingram, "The ruling had nothing to do with the merits of the program. But fair notice of such use was not given to the public when the referendum for [the sales tax] was held.'" Board chair Kathleen Johnstone announced on Aug. 1 that the laptop program "was no longer an option." The Board voted on August 25, 2005 to appeal the ruling, which was thrown out by the Georgia Supreme Court.

[edit] Supt. Redden Resigns

The Board of Education hired New York-based auditing firm Kessler International in July 2005 to investigate the bidding process for the initiative, amidst allegations that the bidding process that selected Apple Computer as supplier for the initiative violated state law. The Board received the Kessler report on August 14, 2005. The report indicated flaws in the selection process that were not in line with state procurement policies. Superintendent Gen. Joseph Redden offered a page-by-page rebuttal of the audit report to the Board on August 17, 2005. Redden announced his resignation on August 24, 2005.

Upon the request of the Board of Education, Cobb District Attorney Pat Head was granted an order on October 6, 2005 to empanel a special grand jury to investigate the bidding process. The investigation is ongoing.


[edit] Evolution debate

Cobb County Public Schools are involved in a court battle around the teaching of evolution in public schools. As part of the school board's policy on evolution, stickers were added in 2002 to science textbooks stating that:

"This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding. the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered."

This practice was successfully challenged by five parents to children in Cobb County Public Schools. Judge Clarence Cooper, district court, ruled in January, 2005 that the sticker violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section II, Paragraph VII of the Georgia State Constitution, which reads:

"No money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, cult, or religious denomination or of any sectarian institution."

The decision was reversed by the Federal Appeals Court in May 2006, and the case is still pending.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../c/o/b/Cobb_County_School_District_6bce.html"