Cobb school board member criticized for calendar vote allegation

If the board does censure Bartlett, no fine or punishment would be levied. Abraham said it would take the form of a formal criticism by the board.

Principals from across the district crammed the meeting room and heard Bartlett eviscerated for an hour. Board member David Banks suggested Bartlett should consider stepping down.

“You have to evaluate your effectiveness on this board, evaluate the board’s trust in you,” Banks told Bartlett. “As a politician, I think you have to very seriously evaluate if you should continue.”

Board member Holli Cash said Bartlett should never think about questioning the integrity of principals. “I’m insulted, I’m hurt and I’m surprised by your lack of remorse,” Cash said.

Bartlett said she didn’t intend to question anybody’s integrity but just wanted to make sure the survey of school employees was fairly conducted. Over and over, Bartlett said she felt “the process” should have been investigated.

“When concerns are brought to me, I should be able to raise those concerns,” she said. “That’s my job.”

When Abraham asked why she didn’t take her concerns to Sanderson, Bartlett said: “I didn’t go to Fred because the previous times I’ve gone to Fred, I didn’t get the response that was due me.”

At the Nov. 11 board meeting, Bartlett said she’d received phone calls from teachers who felt coerced to vote a certain way on a survey the school district took of employee opinions of four different calendar options. A little over half the employees favored the “balanced calendar” the board ended up adopting.

The investigator, Dr. Linda Bernknopf, said she didn’t interview any teachers because Bartlett would not release the names of the teachers, saying they asked to be kept anonymous. Bernknopf interviewed 35 administrative staff members at Dodgen Middle, Dowell Elementary and Hillgrove, Walton and Wheeler high schools.

“All information received indicated that the survey was conducted in a fair and unbiased manner,” she wrote.

Several principals took the microphone during the public comment part of the meeting to complain that the school system was being portrayed in a negative light, though none criticized Bartlett directly.

Bernknopf, however, said many principals said they felt their integrity was insulted by Bartlett’s allegations.

The investigation report said Bartlett was interviewed later.

“Ms. Bartlett stated that her whole point in making her comments was that she didn’t think the survey was done correctly,” the report stated. “Ms. Bartlett … was concerned whether Sanderson presented a survey that was slanted. She stated some teachers told her their principals said, ‘Here are the calendars. This is the one Superintendent Sanderson wants and this is why.’ ”

Sanderson told Bernknopf that he never told anybody how to vote.

The system responded to Bartlett’s comments by hiring Bernknopf, a former Cobb principal, to investigate. Bernknopf previously investigated a Cobb principal and concluded he’d sexually harassed women employees. The school board later fired the principal.

The survey of the calendar options apparently sparked the problem. The school system said 51.1 percent of teachers and staff who voted favored the balanced calendar. About 40 percent of those were teachers and 11 percent non-certified staff.

The school board approved the “balanced calendar” for the coming school year 4-3 despite vocal opposition from parents. The school year will start Aug. 2 and end the Friday before Memorial Day, shortening summer break by two weeks.

Some parents have denounced the balanced calendar, saying a shorter summer break could drive up the school system's air-conditioning bills and make it harder for students to find part-time jobs.

Several parents came forward Thursday night at the board meeting to complain. Katrina Blauvelt said the schools surveyed employees but not parents.

“We never got a voice in this decision,” she said, encouraging the board to change its decision.

Cobb is not the first metro system to move to a balanced calendar. Cherokee, Henry and Rockdale also have them.