Thousands of Cobb County students will return to school this fall to find fewer trailers, new classrooms and revitalized buildings.
Several multimillion dollar construction projects are wrapping up this summer in Georgia's second-largest school district, which will help relieve overcrowding and eliminate the need for some 72 trailers.
Growth has slowed over the last few years, which has allowed the suburban district to play catch up, said Doug Shepard, who oversees the county's Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax building program. The new additions will reduce the number of trailers by about 25 percent.
"We’re no longer failing behind in dealing with our capacity issues," Shepard said.
Some of the district's major projects include:
- A $13.4 million, 40-classroom addition and renovation at North Cobb High, which includes a ninth-grade center for incoming freshman and a remodel for the new campus. Career technical classrooms are also being added.
- At South Cobb High, a 40-classroom add-on and face-lift, priced at $17.8 million. A freshman center will be built as well, and the main building is getting a new kitchen and cafeteria.
- A 69-classroom, $15.6 million replacement at East Side Elementary, which is being constructed at the existing school site.
- An $1.8 million add-on and renovation to Cheatham Hill Elementary.
Deborah Rorex, a parent of a rising junior at South Cobb, said the school and community are looking forward to the completed project.
"Personally, I think it is long overdue," she said. "Some parents my age that attended South Cobb said some things had not changed very much."
Cobb and other metro districts rely on a voter-approved penny sales tax program to pay for many school construction projects. As collections have slowed with the economy, Cobb has fared better than other districts partly because of the steep drop in construction costs.
The district last year decided to take out short-term notes to take advantage of less expensive building costs. Money saved will be used for other budgeted items, such as technology and textbooks, Shepard said.
Work is also starting this summer on a few major projects scheduled for completion in fall 2012.
Clarkdale Elementary will get a 53-classroom, $14.7 million replacement for the school, which was destroyed in the September 2009 floods. The new school is being built adjacent to Cooper Middle.
Mableton Elementary is also getting a 61-classroom, $17.9 million replacement school, which will be located at the existing school site.
Kate Keib, whose two children attend Mableton, said she doesn't worry about the construction being a disruption, and thinks it will help them transition to a new place.
"It's kind of nice they can watch it being built and they're not suddenly going to a new location," she said.
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