In his opening remarks to the Cobb Schools Board of Education in today’s school board meeting, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale was transparent about his expectations. “This year will not be a normal school year,” he said. “We must be one team for the greater good. Continued success will require that everyone does their part.”
In a school year that has looked like none other, Mr. Ragsdale praised his staff for their willingness to do what it took to ensure that students were being educated. He mentioned that electronic devices and digital technology will be utilized both in face-to-face and remote learning to keep all students on the same track throughout the school year.
“This year will be technology-centric,” he continued. “This is the only way we can minimize disruptions if a school or a class needs to quarantine.”
Facilitating this has been a challenge for the District. More than 40,000 requests for devices have been made to date, and continue to trickle in. The District has fulfilled 37,000 of these requests and have notified the rest that their requested devices are ready to be picked up at their school.
Additionally, the District has deployed 27 school buses equipped with WIFI transmitters to areas around the county that were deemed to have connectivity issues.
CTLS Learn is the platform that Cobb Schools uses, and will continue to use, to educate students this year. Regardless of whether families choose to return to classrooms after Fall break, or continue to learn remotely, all will use CTLS for their children’s education.
“A return to classrooms will look different across the District,” Mr. Ragsdale said. “Some schools may have 80% return; some may have only 20%. But all will be using devices and CTLS to some degree.”
While the launch of CTLS did not go off without a hitch, the Superintendent assured the Board that the platform is stable and ready to serve the District’s more than 110,000 students.
“It was a bumpy start,” he admitted. “Many of the early issues were due to scalability and internal connectivity, but CTLS is in a great place now.”
District Chief of Technology, Marc Smith, also addressed doubling technical support available for students, parents, and staff through the CTLS Help Desk to meet community needs. “Up to 17 representatives and technicians are now available to answer questions and help solve problems,” Mr. Smith said. “Response times have been shortened significantly.”
Echoing Mr. Ragsdale’s praise of the staff, Chief School Leadership Officer, Sherri Hill shared her perspective of how Cobb educators have responded during this unusual school year. “Some teachers are mailing work home, having one-on-one phone conversations and texting,” she said. “Our teachers and administrators are doing everything possible to reach every student.”
Mr. Ragsdale also recognized Cobb’s Food and Nutrition Services for their great work to make sure that every student received the food and nourishment they needed. Due to a USDA grant, the District is now able to provide food at no charge to all students, he said.
He closed his remarks by noting to the Board that Cobb Schools made Forbes’ list of “Best-in-State Employers” for the second year in a row. “It is a confirmation that this District is the best place to teach, lead, and learn,” he said proudly.
Cobb Schools Personnel Changes:
Charles Sprayberry, Director of SPLOST Management (Operations Division), retirement effective January 1, 2021.
