Cobb County’s school board decided Thursday night to extend Superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s contract another year and a half to December 2014 .
Hinojosa, formerly of Dallas, Texas, was hired to lead Georgia’s second-largest school district in June 2011 at a base salary of $237,000. He was given perks that exceed $28,000.
That contract was set to expire in June.
Since being hired, Hinojosa has raised test scores and made severe budget cuts.
He will be charged with working with the school board to close an estimated $80 million budget deficit in the coming months.
Board members have urged him to work harder to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color.
Of the seven board members, two of them — Kathleen Angelucci and David Banks — voted against the extension.
In other action, the board approved spending $900,000 to install an access-control system at several schools using money collected from a special sales tax.
The system will be installed at the entryway of schools and require guests to be buzzed in by school employees, who will be able to view visitors on camera.
About the Author
