Cobb schools win reaccreditation; school board told it needs work

By Mary Lou Pickel

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Cobb County School District received mostly A's on its report card Wednesday, but the school board will need training on how to work together and combat negative public perceptions, according to an accrediting agency.

That was the assessment of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which toured Cobb schools this week to gather information and make recommendations.

The association sent 27 educators to visit 24 schools and 314 classrooms. In total, the group spoke to nearly 1,200 people.

The association accredited the district again Wednesday to loud applause from the group of mostly school employees attending the school board meeting.

"Cobb County School District is extremely pleased," said school board chairman John Abraham. "We believe the school district is one of the best systems in the nation. It's nice to see that confirmed by a non-biased review."

The SACS committee last visited Cobb County five years ago, when the district became one of the first three districts in the country to receive districtwide accreditation.

The SACS committee had four recommendations for Cobb school district improvement: Establish a program for school board growth and development; assess that schools are following SACS standards; pursue a systems approach to continuous improvement; and implement a collaborative visioning process.

Nikki Armato, who led the SACS team, said the school board needs training on teamwork, decision-making and stakeholder relations.

"They need it sorely," Armato said.

Also, the school board must learn how to deal with negative perceptions of its work within the community, she said.

Parent Kimberley Euston of Marietta attended the board meeting and said afterward she does not think the school board acts in a transparent way. The school board voted to change the school calendar last week with little public input, Euston said.

"That was slammed down our throats," she said.

"You want to present a positive image," Armato told the school board. "You want the PR to have a positive impact, and very often there are negative perceptions of what the district is doing."

"We're going to have to work on that," Abraham said, adding that four of the seven board members were elected only last year.

School Board member Holli Cash said she looks forward to the training.

"I'm glad our district got the A's," she said. "As a new, young school board, there's always things we can do to improve."