Cobb County joins the “chronically failing” schools list
For the first time, the Cobb County School District has a “chronically failing” school.
Georgia voters may have rejected a constitutional amendment that would have established punitive measures for schools on a “chronically failing” list, but state officials are still updating that list.
And for the first time since the list was created a couple of years ago, Cobb has a school that has failed on state measures for three consecutive years, the criteria for the chronic failure label: Riverside Intermediate School.
That’s far fewer than some, such as DeKalb County, which has 26 chronically failing schools. But more than Gwinnett County, which has never had any on the state list.
The Governor's Office of Student Achievement, which sets the scores on state measures that define failing and assembles the list, recently reported that it grew to 153 schools from 127 in 2015, with 13 removed and 48 added.
The label remains relevant despite the outcome of the November referendum because Gov. Nathan Deal and top lawmakers say fixing failing schools remains a priority. They are vowing action during the current legislative session, despite criticism of the state's comparatively "tougher" method of defining academic failure.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
