Students and teachers headed back to school Monday in at least a dozen Georgia districts, including Cobb County.
Close to 112,000 students were back in classrooms in Cobb, with education officials reporting no major glitches or delays.
Cobb school leaders said there was some parking lot congestion as parents went into the schools when they dropped off their children, though it’s expected to clear up this week as more parents begin dropping children off without going inside school buildings.
School starts Wednesday for students at Atlanta Public Schools. For Fulton, Gwinnett and Dekalb school systems, the start date is Aug. 10.
In Cobb, Teasley Elementary was among the schools to see upgrades over the summer funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
The $14 million upgrades at the school included the addition of nearly 53,000 square feet, 20 new classrooms, new PE space, kitchen improvements and 60 new parking spaces.
Cobb, Georgia’s second-largest school system, was looking to hire about 700 teachers for this school year. School board members recently approved a $945 million budget that includes a 4 percent raise for all employees.
In June, the school board also voted to approve up to $3 million to hire more teachers and support personnel, if needed. School leaders say more teachers and other staff members may be necessary if enrollment growth is larger than expected. The $3 million would come out of the school system’s general fund. School leaders project they could hire up to 50 educators with the money.
The budget is based on a predicted enrollment of 111,751 students.
About the Author
