As part of the November meeting, the Cobb Schools Board of Education voted to approve the following legislative priorities for 2022: financial sustainability, educational access, and accuracy in accountability.  

“The pandemic demonstrated that we must prioritize the needs of our students and teachers and plan for the future. Our legislative priorities speak to the needs of teachers inside and outside the classroom and focus on providing the individual supports students need to succeed,” said Board Chair Randy Scamihorn. 

As outlined in the District’s first legislative priority, steps must be taken to keep our teachers in the classroom by fulling the $2,000 teacher raise commitment. In order to keep Cobb Schools financially sustainable, classrooms must be fully funded for students and teachers by restoring austerity cuts to fully fund QBE, supporting FTE based on counts equal to or greater than March 2020, and opposing diversion of funds from public education. 

Students continue to participate in remote learning through the Cobb Online Learning Academy, Elementary Virtual Program, and the Cobb Virtual Program. So, the second legislative priority highlights the importance of ensuring that education access is provided for virtual students through equal funding and additional mechanisms like remote Milestones Administration. The priorities also promote establishing an alternative diploma pathway and sustaining the Teachers Retirement System as currently structured. 

The Board’s final priority focuses on the importance of providing accountability by applying the same standards of accountability to all recipients of public money for education and revising SB68 to provide quarterly financial updates instead of monthly.  

Another highlight of the Board meeting was the recognition of four Cobb schools that recently earned the District’s STEM certification and one school that earned a STEAM certification: 

• Barber Middle School 
• East Cobb Middle School (STEAM) 
• Garrison Mill Elementary School 
• Rocky Mount Elementary School 
• Sprayberry High School 

The Cobb STEM Certification recognizes schools that provide students with STEM-enriched learning opportunities and are committed to helping students cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for future success in STEM-related college and career fields.  

Inside Cobb, 39 schools have earned Cobb STEM certifications, and three schools have the added Cobb STEAM certification. For a complete list of schools with STEM and STEAM certifications, go here.