Gina Coss of Sedalia Park Elementary Named District Teacher of the Year

Superintendent Fred Sanderson named Gina Coss of Sedalia Park Elementary the 2007-2008 district Teacher of the Year during a surprise ceremony Sept. 4. Students cheered for Mrs. Coss as a beautifully-decorated stage was revealed, filled with guests including Mrs. Coss's family and central office administrators.

Gina Coss began her career not with books and blackboards, but with stocks and bonds. After several years working in brokerage firms, Mrs. Coss turned her energy from building profits to building young minds as a teacher. “I decided to become what I believe I was meant to be: a teacher,” said Mrs. Coss.

Mrs. Coss now represents Cobb in the statewide program, which will announce a winner in May 2008.

Read more about Gina Coss on the District Web site.

SPLOST UPDATE:
The good news story of SPLOST continues for Cobb County taxpayers. In August and September 2007, the school board:

• Awarded a contract to Prime Contractors, Inc., Douglasville, Ga., for construction and/or installation of canopies at four schools: Baker Elementary School, to provide canopies at the front of the building and at the bus loading area; Bells Ferry Elementary School, to provide a canopy over sidewalks at car drop-off and bus loading areas; Dowell Elementary School, to provide a canopy at the bus loading area; and Varner Elementary School, to provide a canopy over sidewalk to special education drop-off area. The cost of the project is $269,690.

• Awarded a contract to Prime Contractors, Inc., Douglasville, Ga., for construction and/or installation of canopies at three schools: Mount Bethel Elementary School, to provide a canopy at the front of the building and at the bus loading area; Powers Ferry Elementary School, to provide a canopy at the bus loading area; and Timber Ridge Elementary School, to provide a canopy at the bus loading area. The cost of the project is $199,120.

• Awarded a contract to Prime Contractors, Inc., Douglasville, Ga., for construction and/or installation of canopies at four schools: Compton Elementary School, to provide a canopy at the bus loading area, and a canopy between the annex and the main building; Garrett Middle School, to provide a canopy between the 8th grade and the new music wing; Powder Springs Elementary School, to provide a canopy at the bus loading area; and Skyview Elementary School, to provide a canopy at the bus loading area. The cost of the project is $279,790.

• Approved a performance audit of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) II projects and expenditures conducted by Moore & Cubbedge, LLP. The purpose of the performance audit is to determine whether: 1) the sales tax proceeds are being disbursed in compliance with the SPLOST II resolution approved by the Board on May 7, 2003; 2) sales tax proceeds are disbursed in a fiscally responsible manner; 3) adequate controls have been established to ensure proper management of the sales tax proceeds received; 4) the District's construction project expenditures are comparable to other school system building construction program expenditures in the metro Atlanta area; 5) the District's technological expenditures are reasonable considering the volatile market environment for these products; and 6) investment of the sales tax proceeds received by the District has been conducted in a sound fiscal manner. The audit must be performed in accordance with generally accepted governmental auditing standards and must conform to the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-491. A copy of the report is available on the District web site.

• Approved the final project closeout for Russell Elementary School and Norton Park Elementary School additions. By certifying that all accounts for labor, materials and services for the projects’ construction have been paid in full and that there are no claims of any nature outstanding, either liquidated or disputed, the District will be eligible to receive $40,019.10 for Russell Elementary and $96,313.70 for Norton Park Elementary in State Capitol Outlay Funds allocated for the projects.

• Gave final approval to the 21st Century Classroom initiative. 21st Century Classrooms will be installed in 400-500 classrooms throughout the District, including seven schools that will demonstrate and evaluate the initiative in every classroom. The 21st Century Classroom consists of an electronic whiteboard, projection screen, electromagnetic digital pad, projector, speakers, amplifier, TV/cable tuner, wall mounted controller, DVD/VCR, student response system, wireless microphone, document camera, installation, and training. The contract amount is $2,225,728.50, plus an estimated $1.5 million for estimated growth and replacement expenditures. The contract will be divided among three vendors, Computrac, Logical Choice and Multi Media Services.

These projects were part of the SPLOST II program approved in 2003. To view the agenda items for the projects, click here.

21st Century Classroom Initiative Ready to Launch

The Board has given a unanimous green light to a project that will bring cutting edge classroom technology tools to seven demonstration schools throughout the county. The 21st Century Classroom initiative will turn classrooms into high-tech, interactive learning environments featuring digital projectors, interactive whiteboards and student response systems.

The seven schools that will undergo a total conversion are: Bells Ferry, Belmont Hills, Clay, Green Acres, and Mt. Bethel elementary schools, Durham Middle School, and Sprayberry High School.

In total, 21st Century Classrooms will be installed in 400-500 classrooms throughout the District. Installation will begin soon and will be completed in time for the classrooms to be active by the beginning of the second semester of the 2007-2008 school year. In the meantime, each demonstration school will install one 21st Century Classroom to be used as a demonstration site for faculty, students and parents.

The intent of the 21st Century Classroom is to provide teachers with tools to more effectively engage today’s learners. Teachers are faced with the task of communicating a curriculum to a new generation of students who are very technologically proficient. With the tools of the 21st Century Classroom, each teacher will be better equipped to teach in a technological arena that compliments the world in which today’s students live, play and interact.

Read more about the 21st Century Classroom initiative on the District Web site.

School Board Meetings
Go Live on COBB edTV

The Sept. 27 meeting of the Board of Education was broadcast live for the first time Thursday night on COBB edTV, the District's cable access channel. Previously airing in a live-to-tape format, the meetings are now available live to the public on Comcast channel 24 and Charter Smyrna channel 97.

“Broadcasting our meetings live is an important move for the Cobb County community as the Board of Education continues to enhance its communication efforts with the public,” said Post 6 Board Member Dr. John Crooks. “We continue to strive to make school board business as open, transparent and visible to the public as possible.”

The live broadcast also included the public comment session that takes place prior to the start of regular business meetings.

Read more about the live broadcast on the District Web site.

Board Hears Calendar Presentation, Requests Proposals from Administration

The Cobb County Board of Education heard a presentation regarding school calendar development during its Sept. 12 work session. The presentation from Tony Melton, Assistant Superintendent for Policy, Planning & Student Support, outlined the regulations and considerations that guide school year calendar creation.

Following discussion, the Board voted to request that any calendar proposals submitted by the administration for consideration by the Board feature a first semester that concludes prior to the winter holiday break. The draft calendars will be presented to the Board during the Oct. 10, 2007 work session and made available online for the public.

A copy of the Powerpoint presentation and key points of consideration for school year calendar development is available on the District web site (Adobe PDF format).