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Schools

Stultz Wants to Close Achievement Gap

The Cobb County Board of Education made personnel moves involving Campbell High and Campbell Middle last week.

Smyrna’s representative on the Cobb County Board of Education aims to close the achievement gap within the .

Post 2 board member Tim Stultz and his colleagues on the school board provided a glimpse at their core beliefs and values during Wednesday’s board work session.

South Cobb board member David Morgan opened the discussion of the board’s strategic plan and its priorities and vision.

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Although board Chairwoman Alison Bartlett suggested taking up those issues at the board’s planned summer retreat after a new superintendent is on the job, Morgan asked his fellow board members to reveal their priorities and vision.

Morgan said it is “dire that we, ASAP, establish some priorities and core beliefs, or vision, so that we can have a definitive direction.”

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Bartlett agreed with Morgan’s assessment, but she also said it is important early on to be a “team” with the new superintendent.

In response, Stultz said one of his goals is “closing the achievement gap between the islands of excellence and the rest of the county.”

Morgan’s own answer focused on the financial side: “Creating additional revenue streams through relationships with national philanthropic groups.”

Early in the meeting, the Cobb Schools Foundation honored the three Michael Powell Award winners, who each won $250 and a certificate for excelling in the Smyrna-based program, which provides “comprehensive special education and support to students with severe emotional behavior disorders and autism,” the foundation’s website says.

Murdock Elementary’s Jonathan Roderick Riley, Lindsey Tootle and Cooper Uvena were the scholarship winners.

Also during the meeting, the board briefly took up East Cobb/Northeast Cobb member David Banks’ suggestion to use the $11 million saved from SPLOST construction projects this year for purchases of textbooks, technology and transportation.

Bartlett asked SPLOST Chief Administrative Officer Doug Shepard to compile information about the budget surplus for the board to go over during its July work session and to get information to the school system’s Facilities & Technology Committee.

After reporting at the board’s April 28 meeting that 10 principals are retiring from the Cobb district and an assistant principal is resigning, Chief Human Resources Officer Donald Dunnigan presented a report Wednesday on contract extensions, promotions, reassignments and other moves.

The board unanimously approved the personnel report, which included extensions for the district’s Executive Cabinet: Chief Financial Officer Mike Addison, Director of Communications Jay Dillon, Dunnigan, Chief Accountability and Resource Officer Judith Jones, Chief Technology Officer Chris Ragsdale, and Shepard.

Extensions also were offered to Assistant Superintendents Robert Benson, James Carter, Dale Gaddis, Angela Huff, Cheryl Hungerford, Carol Seay, Alice Stouder and Edward Thayer.

In personnel moves involving Smyrna schools:

  • teacher Kimberly H. Jackson has been promoted to be Pebblebrook High School assistant principal.
  • assistant administrator Lorenzo Floyd is being moved to be a teacher at the school.
  • Campbell High Assistant Principal Sandra Miller will now be a teacher at the school.
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