The Cobb County school board picked Scott Sweeney as its new chairman in a close vote reminiscent of its earlier divisiveness over the school calendar.
On Wednesday, board members voted 4-3 for Sweeney, with people casting ballots in groupings near identical to the controversy created in February in an effort to change the school calendar. The board was split over the hotly debated issue in Cobb.
After the calendar vote, hundreds of people sent complaints to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the governing body said it would monitor the school system. In response, Cobb recently sent a letter to SACS indicating it had taken several steps to encourage board cohesiveness.
In choosing Sweeney, board member Lynnda Eagle was among those who voted in the minority.
“I guess we just see things differently,” Eagle said.
Eagle, despite her opposing vote, said the close decision didn’t necessarily reflect an ongoing board rift and that she was fine with Sweeney taking over as chairman.
Sweeney, too, downplayed the appearance of a divided vote.
“People are voting their conscience,” he said. “There’s not a division.”
The selection of Cobb vice chairman was also a close outcome. Tim Stultz, who voted with the majority for Sweeney, jumped sides to help put David Morgan in the vice chairman’s seat in another 4-3 decision.
Stultz later said he felt comfortable with Sweeney and Morgan in the leadership roles. “There’s no rift,” Stultz said.
The Cobb vote was not the only close decision recently determining school board leadership in metro Atlanta. On Monday, the Atlanta school board picked a new chairman and vice chairman with 5-4 votes. That night, however, the DeKalb County school board demonstrated a little more cohesion, selecting a new chairman with a 6-3 vote.
Sweeney will be guiding the Cobb board through a challenging financial period. Early projections show the Cobb school system facing a deficit of tens of millions of dollars in the coming school year, meaning cutbacks could be forthcoming -- and the board could have more tough decisions ahead.
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