The Cobb County School District (CCSD) is the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

government agency A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...

which operates

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s in

Cobb County, Georgia Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north central portion of the state. As of 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta. Along with ...

, United States. The

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

includes all of Cobb County except for the Marietta City Schools, though a number of schools in unincorporated parts of the county have Marietta addresses. It is the second-largest school system in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

(behind only

Gwinnett County Public Schools The Gwinnett County Public School District is a school district operating in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. GCPS is the largest school system in Georgia,Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

(SACS), and the district is among the first to have earned district-wide

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

. The current superintendent of the school district is Chris Ragsdale.

Board of Education

As a body created under provisions of the Georgia's constitution, the Cobb County

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

has full authority to control and manage the public schools within the county, excluding any independent school system now in existence within the county. This means that like other school systems in the state, it is directly under the

Georgia Department of Education The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) is an American agency that governs public education in the state of Georgia. The department manages funding and testing for local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. The departmen ...

and not subject to city or

county government A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

control. This also means that it has separate funding through its own

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inheri ...

(except on

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

s) outside of Marietta

city limit City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...

s, and 1% county-wide sales tax which it splits with Marietta City Schools based on which jurisdiction it was collected in. As of January 2021, the elected board members of the Cobb County Board of Education of the Cobb County School District are as follows: * Randy Scamihorn (Post 1) * Jaha Howard (Post 2) * Leroy Tre' Hutchins (Post 3) * David Chastain (Post 4) and (Board Chair) * David Banks (Post 5) and (Board Vice-Chair) * Charisse Davis (Post 6) * Brad Wheeler (Post 7) The Board manages a

fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

2020 general-fund operating budget of $1.17 Billion.

Schools

Elementary schools

Middle schools

Bernard Awtrey Middle School

Murray F. Barber Middle School

Orme Campbell Middle School

Cooper Middle School

J.J. Daniell Middle School

Dickerson Middle School

Dodgen Middle School

Durham Middle School

East Cobb Middle School

Floyd Middle School

Garrett Middle School

Griffin Middle School

Hightower Trail Middle School

Lindley 6 Grade Academy
** Georgia Japanese School
Lindley Middle School

Lost Mountain Middle School

Lovinggood Middle School

Mabry Middle School

McCleskey Middle School

McClure Middle School

Palmer Middle School

Pearson Middle School

Pine Mountain Middle School

Simpson Middle School

Smitha Middle School

Tapp Middle School

High schools

The district administers these 17 government high schools: * Allatoona High School * Campbell High School ** Campbell High School International Baccalaureate Program *

Harrison High School Harrison High School may refer to: in the United States ''(by state)'' *Harrison High School (Harrison, Arkansas), listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Harrison High School (Colorado Springs) — Colorado Springs, Colorado * Har ...

Hillgrove High School Hillgrove High School is a public high school in Powder Springs, Georgia, United States, and is the fifteenth high school of the Cobb County School District. The school's mascot is the Hawk. History Established in 2006, Hillgrove High School was ...

Kell High School Carlton J. Kell High School is a public high school in the Cobb County School District in the US state of Georgia. The school is located in unincorporated Cobb County with a Marietta address, just northwest of Atlanta. The school was founded in ...

* Kennesaw Mountain High School ** Kennesaw Mountain High School Academy of Mathematics, Science, and Technology *

Lassiter High School Lassiter High School is a public high school located north of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia, United States, in the Cobb County School District. The school was founded in 1981. The school colors are gold and maroon, and the school mascot is the Face ...

* McEachern High School *

North Cobb High School North Cobb High School is a public high school located north of Atlanta in Kennesaw, Georgia, United States. It serves approximately 2900 students in the Cobb County School District, with classes from grades 9 to 12. The school mascot is the ...

** North Cobb School for International Studies ** North Cobb High School Freshman Academy * Osborne High School ** Transition Academy ** Cobb Innovation and Technology Academy *

Pebblebrook High School Pebblebrook High School is a high school in the Cobb County School District in Mableton, Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeas ...

** Pebblebrook High School Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts * Pope High School ** Transition Academy *

South Cobb High School South Cobb High School is a public high school located on Clay Road, in Austell, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1952, it is part of the Cobb County School District. Clint Terza succeeded Ashley Hosey as principal in 2016. Nominated as a Natio ...

** South Cobb High School Academy of Research and Medical Sciences *

Sprayberry High School Sprayberry High School is a public high school located in northeastern Cobb County in Marietta, Georgia, United States, a north-northwestern suburb of metro Atlanta. It is a comprehensive senior high school (grades 9–12) with approximately 1700 ...

** Transition Academy ** International Spanish Academy * Walton High School ** International Spanish Academy * Wheeler High School ** Wheeler HS Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Mathematics, & Technology

Special needs schools and other programs

* Adult Education Center ** Paulding ** Cobb * Cobb Virtual Academy * Cobb Horizon High School ** Cobb Online Learning Academy at CHHS * Deveraux Ackerman Academy * Learning Everywhere * HAVEN Program ** HAVEN Academy at Sky View ** Douglas HAVEN ** Cobb HAVEN ** HAVEN ** HAVEN Academy *Pre-K *Sports News *Food and Nutrition Services *Preschool *ESOL *Cobb Mentoring Matters *Elementary Virtual Program * Homeless Education Program * Intensive English Program * International Welcome Center * South Cobb Early Learning Center * Magnet Programs * Ombudsman * Title 1

Charter schools

* Walton High School

Former schools

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 Noses Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 15, 2011 stream in Cobb County, Georgia, USA. It is a significant tributary of the much larger Sweetwater Creek, ...

. Despite being built outside the

100-year flood A 100-year flood is a flood event that has a 1 in 100 chance (1% probability) of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 100-year flood is also referred to as the 1% flood, since its annual exceedance probability is 1%.Holmes, R.R., Jr. ...

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

, water rose ankle-deep on the grounds as the children were being evacuated. The school housed about 450 students. For three

school year A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

s, these students attended Compton Elementary (K-2) and Austell Intermediate (3-5). The new Clarkdale Elementary opened in mid-August 2012 near Cooper Middle School (although the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

declared the original site acceptable), while the previous building awaited demolition, a delay which the local neighborhood complained about. State funding (a

bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...

for 20% of the cost of replacement) was

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

ed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Sonny Perdue George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as t ...

on procedural grounds in early June 2010. Most of the remainder will be covered by insurance and leftover

SPLOST A special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) is a financing method for funding capital outlay projects in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is an optional 1% sales tax levied by any county for the purpose of funding the building of parks, school ...

funds. At least one other school has been demolished. The original Blackwell Elementary School in the Blackwells community was built in the 1920s on Canton Road (old

Georgia 5 State Route 5 (SR 5) is a state highway that travels south-to-north through portions of Carroll, Douglas, Cobb, Cherokee, Pickens, Gilmer, and Fannin counties in the western and northern parts of the U.S. state of Georgia. The ...

), as the county's first consolidated school. The historic schoolhouse, and all of its later additions, were destroyed in summer 1997 and closed for a year while a new replacement was built on the same site, in an institutional style much like the plain architecture of an office park rather than a historic school. The original Mountain View Elementary was rebuilt farther down Sandy Plains Road; the original was demolished in 2018 for a new

shopping center A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

. Also located in a busy

business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

, Brumby Elementary on

Powers Ferry Historic ferries operated on rivers around Atlanta, Georgia area, and became namesakes for numerous current-day roads in north Georgia. Most of the ferries date to the early years of European-American settlement in the 1820s and 1830s, when Cher ...

Road was set to be replaced by a

mixed-use development Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

in 2020 with a

Kroger The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincin ...

superstore by 2022. Both Brumby and East Cobb Middle School opened new schools next to each other on Terrell Mill Road in August 2018, although local residents objected to the expected traffic and noise. The old East Cobb Middle School, located directly across Holt Road from Wheeler HS, will be home to a relocated Eastvalley Elementary School.

Controversies

Power to Learn laptop initiative

In 2005, the district implemented a technology initiative called Power to Learn, which supplies individual laptop computers to students for use in the 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 the 2003

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

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 An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

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 ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' 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 he sales taxwas held." Board chair Kathleen Johnstone announced on August 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.

Superintendent Redden's resignation

The Board of Education hired New York-based auditing firm Kessler International in July 2005 to investigate the bidding process for the initiative, amid allegations that the bidding process which selected

Apple Computer Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...

as supplier for the initiative had 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.

Grand jury investigation

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. On April 19, 2007, the 25-member

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

released its report and suggested no

criminal charge A criminal charge is a formal accusation made by a governmental authority (usually a public prosecutor or the police) asserting that somebody has committed a crime. A charging document, which contains one or more criminal charges or counts, can ...

s be filed. The report was critical of the school district's

procurement Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, Service (economics), services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agenc ...

processes, and suggested that the district provide greater definition and clarity to its purchasing procedures. The release of the grand jury report concluded the laptop initiative saga. The school district began refreshing outdated computer systems throughout the county in early 2007, precisely as outlined in SPLOST II.

''Selman v. Cobb County School District''

In 2002, 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 The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

grounds, with the initial trial finding for the plaintiffs. Cobb County School District appealed and the verdict was overturned and remanded for a new trial, at which time plaintiffs and Cobb County School District reached an

out-of-court settlement In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. A collective settlement is a settlement of multiple similar legal cases. The term also has other meanings in t ...

, with the district agreeing to remove the stickers.

Teacher's sexual contact with student

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. This led the Georgia legislature to pass a statute in 2010 making it a crime for a teacher to have sexual relations with a student.

References

External links

Official siteReport of the Southern Association on Colleges and Schools AccreditationTeach CobbCobb County Schools on Public Schools Directory
{{Authority control School districts in Georgia (U.S. state)