The 2003-2004 school year has been an exciting one for the Technology Services Division.  SPLOST funded the renovation of approximately 9,000 square feet of the school district’s Kennesaw warehouse facility providing a new environment for technology services provided by Titan Corporation and the district’s data center. The new facility is home for the Customer Care Center and office space for 60 technology support staff. The move to Kennesaw now provides the opportunity to create a viable business resumption plan to execute in the event of a major disaster that affects the district’s technology infrastructure.

To support the District's Educational and Administrative Environment, Titan Corporation employs a staff of 100 permanent employees supported by additional surge staff as needed. The Field Services Organization is comprised of 60 technical professionals that work directly to support the local schools and administrative sites. An additional 15 software engineers in the Application Services Organization support the Enterprise applications for Human Resources, Payroll and Student Information System, and 14 network and system engineers in the Network Services Organization support the Enterprise communications servers and network throughout the district.  The remaining staff reports to the Program Management Office, providing program level oversight, project management, quality assurance, and contract deliverables.

Highlights of Titan's accomplishments for 2003-04 school year include:

· Completion of the new Technology Services facilities and Data Center

· Met or Exceeded all Service Level Agreements for the contract year

· Implemented an Automated Call Distribution (ACD) system at the Customer Care Center

· Assumed support responsibilities for Student Information System Application Administration

· Completed major release upgrades for SchoolMAX and system software for the Enterprise Application Servers

· Implemented district wide network monitoring tools

· Implemented security tools to monitor user access and rights

· Implemented the District’s Network Standards

· Implemented server standardization at the school level

· Load balanced SchoolMAX web servers to increase user performance

· Upgraded the firewall to stabilize and increase internet access and performance

· Implemented the centralization of Apple user repository and client management

· Centralized and consolidated Apple district wide backup

  Through continued staff training, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) initiatives, technology will become more integrated into the classroom, creating the opportunities and experiences that will generate excitement for our students. CCSD and Titan continue their partnership to make this educational environment a reality.

Financial Services
Effective Management of Taxpayer Dollars

The Financial Services division is responsible for managing $1 billion in revenue received by the Cobb County School District annually. Departments include: Procurement, Field Services, Disbursements, Accounting, Financial Technology, Budget, and Internal Audit.

These departments perform tasks such as ensuring that the district's 14,000-plus employees are paid each month, that the five-year $684 million Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) sales is accounted for properly, and that the $721 million general fund budget is expended and budgeted accurately.

Financial Services prides itself on managing taxpayer dollars in the most effective and efficient manner possible and has received substantial acclaim for its efforts, including:

• Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003. The School District has received this award for the past 20 years for excellence in the preparation and issuance of the school system comprehensive annual financial reports.

• Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for the 2003 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The School District was the first in Georgia to receive this award in FY1979-80, and has continued the trend for 24 consecutive years. Only five other school districts in Georgia have been recognized with this award.

• Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for the 2004 Comprehensive Budget Report. The Cobb County School District was the first in Georgia to receive this award in FY1988-89, and has continued the honor for the past 16 years. Only two other school districts in Georgia have been recognized with this award.

• Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award from the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing for excellence in public procurement. Out of a membership of more than 2,100 governmental agencies nationwide, Cobb County was the 58th to receive this prestigious award in June, 2003.

• Pareto Award of Excellence in Public Procurement from the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing.  This award represents the highest form of peer recognition that can be bestowed on an agency for outstanding achievements in public procurement.  Only agencies holding a current Outstanding Agency Achievement Accreditation Award are qualified to apply for the Pareto Award.  Cobb County was the first agency to receive the Pareto Award.

Special Student Services
Assisting Students with Special Needs

The Special Student Services division strives to meet the unique educational needs of students who may require specialized programs and services in order to learn, to succeed, and to grow educationally in a safe and productive school environment.

The department of Special Education provided services to nearly 13,000 students during the 2003-04 school year through a variety of educational delivery models ranging from regular class placements to full-day programs in highly specialized environments.

These unique programs and services are developed for each special student and outlined in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) — a plan devised jointly by parents, teachers, administrators and, when appropriate, the students themselves. Some of the components of the Special Student Services division include:

• The H.A.V.E.N. Academy - One of the 24 programs of the Georgia Psychoeducational Network, the academy serves severely emotionally and behaviorally disordered (SEBD) students and is a part of the special education services provided by the Cobb, Douglas and Marietta school systems. Services include behavior management strategies, individual and group counseling, and interagency coordination.

• Psychological Services - Cobb County has a school psychologist assigned to every school. The goal of Psychological Services is to provide comprehensive psychological services to all students. Services might include the following:

- Consultation with parents
- Consultation with teachers
- Psychoeducational assessments of students
- Academic or behavioral screening assessments of students
- Student and family counseling
- Teacher training
- Evidence-based classroom strategies to improve student achievement

• School Social Workers - Every school in Cobb County is served by one of 25 school social workers, who assist both the at-risk and mainstream population to achieve maximum academic success. Services include:

- Provide counseling and crisis intervention to students and families
- Assist parents and school staff in better understanding students' social and emotional needs
- Assist families with basic needs such as referrals for eyeglasses, health, dental care, food and clothing
- Serve as a liaison between student/family and community resources
- Facilitate groups with students dealing with such issues as grief and loss, peer pressure, alcohol and drugs, problematic behavior
- Initiate student/parent conferences and make home visits to assess environmental factors impacting students' achievement
- Encourage and monitor regular attendance and punctuality of students

• The Prevention Intervention Center - The Prevention Intervention Center, Federal Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program (Title IV), was awarded a National Program of Excellence award in 2002 by the National Association of Student Assistance Programs. The following services and programs are available to all Cobb County Schools:
- Crisis response to schools when deaths, natural disasters, or accidents occur.
- Prevention programs designed to address high-risk behaviors and encourage healthy life-style decisions.
- Research-based Drug and Violence Prevention Curriculum
- Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation — Teaching students how to resolve conflicts without the use of violence.
- Confidential consultation with specialists trained in drug use prevention and intervention for students exhibiting high-risk behaviors for drug use and suicide.

• School Health Program - Comprehensive nursing services are provided to both special needs and mainstream students in all schools. Services include:
-  Assistance with administration of medication and provision of skilled nursing procedures
- First aid for injuries
- Identification and management of students with suspected or actual communicable diseases. Prevention of transmission of communicable diseases through communication, education, and exclusion.
- Collaboration with parents, teachers, administrators and health care professionals to develop a plan of care for students with chronic illnesses.
- Participation in health screenings, including: hearing, vision, scoliosis and B/P
- Assessment and referral of students to appropriate personnel/agencies as necessary.