Departing Cobb County Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said Wednesday that before he leaves he wants to eliminate teacher furloughs and restore a full 180-day school year to Georgia’s second-largest system.
Hinojosa, who plans to step down May 31, said he will recommend to the school board that the 108,000-student system avoid another year like this one, in which schools were closed five days because of furloughs. He also said he’ll suggest that teachers get a step pay increase in the budget for the 2014-2015 school year.
He said the economic recovery is bringing more tax money into the school system, allowing it to get back to a full school year.
“We’ve hit the bottom, and now we’re hoping to bounce back,” Hinojosa said after the school board’s daylong work session Wednesday. “Hopefully, my successor won’t be cut down to size as I have been with these financial issues.”
With six days of weather-related school cancellations on top of the furlough days, Cobb students have lost 11 school days this year.
Hinojosa said he will wait to see what action the state Board of Education takes before deciding whether to schedule make-up days. The state board is expected to consider a resolution Thursday requesting a waiver for all districts that closed during the snow and ice emergencies this year.
“It’s going to be very difficult to add additional days, but we will consider it,” Hinojosa said. “We’ll find a way to focus and prioritize instruction as appropriate.”
The Cobb school board voted 6-0 Wednesday to accept Hinojosa’s resignation, which he announced earlier this month.
Hinojosa, who served as superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District before taking the Cobb job in July 2011, plans to return to Dallas to assist his aging parents. He’s accepted a job as a senior vice president for Proact Search, a company that recruits and vets superintendent job candidates nationwide.
School board members said they haven’t decided whether to hire an interim superintendent or embark on a national search for a permanent replacement for Hinojosa.
But board Chairwoman Kathleen Angelucci said she wants a superintendent on the job by the beginning of next school year.
“Finding someone who has managed a large district and a large budget — and then finding someone who wants to do the job — is very difficult,” she said. “Finding someone is like taking a sip out of a fire hydrant. It’s a massive job.”
Board Vice Chairman Randy Scamihorn said he would “reserve judgment” on Hinojosa’s job performance, saying he would speak more before the superintendent departs.
“He’s leaving on his own accord, and he’s done well in many areas,” Scamihorn said.
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