Cobb County Schools, the state’s second-largest district and one of its top performers, could have its accreditation scrutinized at the urging of parents and residents who have concerns over the way the district is governed.
Hundreds of people in Cobb have sent letters, asking for an investigation, to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which governs districts across the region. Similar inquiries led to a loss of accreditation in Clayton and a probationary status for Atlanta high school. Clayton’s accreditation has been restored.
Complaints against Cobb’s school board began circulating after a controversial decision to switch the school calendar. Board members have since been accused of making decisions with a four-person majority rather than consensus approach, and individually dealing with potential superintendent candidates even with the Georgia School Board Association hired to assist in the search.
SACS will review the letters to determine if the board has prevented the district from meeting accreditation standards and action is warranted, said Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of AdvancED, which oversees SACS. A letter will be sent to the Cobb superintendent asking for a response to the allegations, followed by a decision on whether to investigate. Loss of accreditation can drive down enrollment and property values.
“We’re not going to tell them to do this or that related to the calendar; it’s a local decision,” Elgart said. “We’ll look at the process and policy.”
Cobb County is home to some of the Georgia’s highest-achieving schools. Walton High School in East Cobb, was the Georgia school ranked the highest on Newsweek magazine’s national list of top high schoolslast year. The district, which has 107,000 students, earned five-year accreditation in November 2009.
Last month, a divided school board voted 4-3 to replace the balanced school calendar in favor of a traditional schedule that has fewer breaks and a later start date. Supporters said the move is more prudent financially, with the district predicting a $40 million to $50 million budget shortfall this year.
Protests over the calender change continued Wednesday when more than 100 parents and students spoke against the decision at an early morning board meeting.
Donette Konneker, a parent whose children attend Smyrna’s Griffin Middle School, is involved with a grassroots group called Restore the Trust. She sent an e-mail to the agency this week and estimates 100 other parents did the same using a form letter on the group’s website.
“It’s way beyond the calendar issue at this point,” Konneker said. “I think the majority of people feel their issues, their concerns, have been ignored.”
Board members Kathleen Angelucci, Tim Stultz, Scott Sweeney and chairwoman Alison Bartlett have been accused of running the board and requiring only four votes to make policy. They called a Jan. 9 meeting, holding it two days later, and only Angelucci, Stultz, Sweeney and Bartlett were in attendance, they elected Bartlett as the chairwoman, a school spokesman confirmed.
On Wednesday, Bartlett acknowledged she had met with someone interested in the superintendent position, though not a formal candidate, but wouldn’t identify the person. There are now 17 applicants.
Bartlett said she was not concerned about a potential SACS investigation, having seen the form letters being sent to the accrediting agency.
“SACS is not a threat to me, because I respect the organization and I feel they respect the education we’re providing our students,” she said. “They make recommendations and we try to follow their recommendations. I don’t see them as a threat.”
However, Andrew Kriebel, a Ford Elementary School parent, felt so strongly about the calendar issue he presented the board with research on how the balanced calendar has decreased student absenteeism.
“It didn’t appear the board was listening to the public,” Kriebel said. “It didn’t appear they were providing the facts, and I wanted to come to present facts.”
Nancy Mangiante, a parent and former teacher, supported the return to the traditional calendar.
“Our voices were heard at the ballot box,” she said.
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