Discuss The Issues
SPLOST III
The School Board has not done an adequate job of communicating the need for another SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax). I believe it is needed to support the level of growth and infrastructure the School system will need in the coming years. I did have reservations about the benefits promised when the first SPLOST was proposed. There is little doubt that under the past and current School Board the school system has benefited from the use of the those SPLOST funds, 44% of which are paid by persons from outside of Cobb county. SPLOST funds also help offset the more than $125 million dollars Cobb County taxpayers contribute to QBE each year, an amount that continues to rise each year.
Confidence and trust in our School Board, former Superintendent and the SPLOST were called into question with the attempt to divert SPLOST funds for a purpose not originally stated in the specifications. This resulted in several School Board members being replaced by the voters. The issue has since been resolved and SPLOST funds have been spent in accordance with their intended purpose.
With each SPLOST there is a debate surrounding the timing of the vote as to whether it should be held on a date prior to the November General Election. The argument centers on turnout and cost, the latter saving the taxpayers approximately $500,000. There are two schools of thought to this debate. First, the Board wants SPLOST III to pass and the Board understands that in a special election the likelihood of passing the SPLOST III are much greater since there is traditionally a lower voter turnout. Those supporting a SPLOST III vote in conjunction with the General Election argue in favor of convenience, cost and greater voter participation. So is there right and wrong on this issue? The answer is political and will ultimately be decided based on input from County stakeholders and the Business Community.
The issue of the SPLOST tax consequences on Senior citizens needs to be addressed. As a senior citizen, who is no longer required to pay school taxes, I have no objection to paying a penny in Sales Tax when it benefits both our students and our home values. For many years I paid school taxes and was the beneficiary of a quality education for my 4 children, all of whom went to Cobb County public schools. An analysis of previous SPLOST initiatives reveals that senior citizens have been very supportive of our educational system, so I think I can speak for the majority of Senior citizens in Cobb that we will continue to do so in the future.
Traditional/Block scheduling
This issue has never been fully resolved. The School Board created a Committee to study the options and when their recommendations were presented to the Board there was no consensus on how best to proceed. It appears that the Board did not have adequate control or oversight of the analysis process, which resulted in the issue not being resolved. It is my belief that the School system would be best served by having a flexible block scheduling policy dependent on circumstances and need. The old saying “one size does not fit all” is applicable in this situation The Board needs to adopt policy rather than always appearing to be reactive or indecisive.
School Calendar
The School Calendar continues to be an issue each year. I believe that there are too many non-instructional days allotted in the school calendar. If some of these days were eliminated, then the schools could begin on the first day after Labor Day and end no later than the last Friday of May.
The School Calendar policy should state that school begins the first day after Labor Day and ends the last Friday of May. This would give a higher degree of predictability for parents and their summer schedules as well as summer school scheduling for students that have a need to catch up. No longer would there be ambiguity with respect to when does the school year start and when does it end.
This fixed policy would allow for students, who plan to take summer jobs, to be able to plan their schedule with their employer. Also, I believe for those teachers who plan to further their education would have more time to attend classes in the summer.
The parents and teachers need this issue resolved so that they can have predictability in making their plans.