Cobb Schools Show Gains on AYP; Graduation Rate Up

Data released Tuesday by the state Department of Education show 102 of Cobb County’s 114 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2009, up from 95 of 111 schools in 2008. With 90 percent of Cobb County schools hitting the target, the district easily outperformed statewide results that show just 79 percent of Georgia schools made AYP.

Percentage of schools making AYP:
July 2008 – 81.1% (90 of 111)
Sept. 2008 – 85.6% (95 of 111)
July 2009 - 89.5% (102 of 114)

Percentages include alternative schools (Kennesaw Charter, IIA Mableton, IIA Smyrna, Oakwood High School, Devereux Center)

The number of Cobb County schools making AYP is likely to increase once summer school retests are calculated. In July 2008, 21 Cobb schools failed to make AYP, but that number decreased to 16 following summer school retests. Two of the 12 Cobb County schools not making AYP in 2009, Imagine International Academy of Mableton and Devereux Center, are not managed by the Cobb County School District, but the state requires their results be included with Cobb’s overall results.

One school, Floyd Middle School in Mableton, made Adequate Yearly Progress for the second consecutive year and was removed from the state Needs Improvement list. Three other middle schools, Cooper, Griffin and Tapp, also made AYP and will be removed from the Needs Improvement list if they can repeat that performance in 2010.

Read more and view individual school AYP status information on the District Web site.

COBBCAST SPOTLIGHT
Floyd Middle School Celebrates Progress, Looks To Future

In our new spotlight feature, find out how Floyd Middle School teachers tailored instruction to students’ needs and helped the school make big academic gains in 2008-09.

Read the feature on the CobbCast news blog.

Board Adopts New Mission, Vision As
Part of Strategic Plan Development

The Board adopted new mission and vision statements for the Cobb County School District during its July 23 meeting, as part of the new Strategic Plan development process. The District's new mission statement is:

"To provide an academically rigorous, caring and safe educational environment in partnership with families, students and the community."

The new vision is:

"All children will receive the respect, encouragement and opportunities they need to build the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be successful, contributing members of a global society."

Both statements are included in the updated Board policy AD, which establishes the District's vision, mission and goals.

SPLOST UPDATE
The good news story of SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) continues for Cobb County taxpayers. The following agenda items approved by the Board of Education are SPLOST-related and/or involve the use of SPLOST funds. In July 2009, the School Board:

• Awarded/did not award bid 09-63 to Tip Top Roofers of Smyrna, GA for the Re-Roofing of Fair Oaks Elementary School. The estimated cost of the bid is $344,681.

• Approved/did not approve architect appointments for additions/modifications to Clay Elementary, Osborne High, Sope Creek Elementary and Wheeler High schools.

• Approved/did not approve implementation plan for SPLOST 3 Interactive Classroom Device initiatve and adjusted the estimated annual expenditure to $6 million for Bid 09-06, Interactive Devices.

These projects were part of the SPLOST II & III programs approved Cobb County voters in 2003 and 2008. To view the agenda items for the projects, please click here . To view the proposal for the SPLOST III referendum approved Sept. 16, 2008, please click here.

CCSD Consolidates Bus Routes For 2009-2010 School Year

The Cobb County School District is in the process of finalizing new school bus routes for the 2009-10 school year. Due to severe cuts in state funding, the District is consolidating the number of bus stops throughout the county.

Based on parent input, the new routes and stops are currently being improved. Some of the major improvements include moving stops away from major roads, adding additional specific stops, and reducing the number of students at some stops.

The Transportation Department is currently communicating with neighborhoods and is working to finalize these and other adjustments before the start of school. Therefore, it is possible that the bus route and stop for your child may change over the coming days. We ask for your patience as parent input is incorporated and adjustments are made.

Once routes are final, it will be noted on the Transportation web site linked from your local school web site, and the District site.

Board Says No To Furlough Days

The Board voted during its July 23 meeting to use a portion of the District’s reserve fund to avoid further employee furlough days mandated by the state. On June 21, Governor Sonny Perdue informed school systems across Georgia of an additional three percent cut in funding and charged districts with three furlough days for employees, including teachers. The Board confirmed its commitment to Cobb’s teachers by authorizing the use of $10.4 million of its approximately $102 million reserve fund to avert further cuts to employee pay.

Superintendent Fred Sanderson will present the Board with recommendations for offsetting the additional three percent cut in funding during the August 12 work session.

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