Cobb school board can't agree on budget
The Cobb County school board failed to agree on a 2012-13 budget Thursday night.
The board previously approved a tentative $842 million general fund budget that sliced five days from the school calendar and cut 350 teaching positions, increasing average class sizes by two students across all grades.
Several board members expressed support for a less austere budget before their scheduled final vote Thursday, but they couldn’t muster a majority.
A proposal to reduce the number of teacher furlough days from five to three failed. It also would have restored paraprofessionals to full time; the previously approved tentative budget cut their hours nearly in half.
Art teacher Pamela Hamilton spoke to board members before their vote. She cuts to her salary in recent years have cost her thousands of dollars a year. Meanwhile, cuts to the budget at her school, Bells Ferry Elementary, have led her to spend as much as $1,500 a year out of pocket for supplies.
"Enough is enough. You need to find the money," she said. "You say you want the best for our children. Prove it."
School board chairman Scott Sweeney said a budget "impasse" was unacceptable. The board has until June 30 to finalize a budget, and Sweeney said he'd confer with the superintendent and call a special meeting on the budget before that deadline.
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.
