The retirees celebrated earlier this year served Cobb students for almost 5,000 years combined. For many Cobb educators, retirement does not stop them from helping Cobb students. Many retired Cobb educators step up as substitute teachers and support many other roles wherever they are needed, wherever they can still contribute to student success. 

The retired educators who committed so much of their lives to helping Cobb students still want to know what’s happening inside the schools they called home for so long. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale recently joined the Cobb Marietta Retired Educators Association for their monthly meeting so he could detail how students and their current teachers are doing and what is waiting for them this school year. 

Superintendent Ragsdale answered questions and filled the educators in on how Cobb teachers and their students will soon benefit from the new high-quality learning platform, Prisms, that is being expanded to 20 schools this year. As Superintendent Ragsdale pointed out, Cobb students are already leading their peers in the metro and across the state, according to the Georgia Milestones state assessment. 

The educators listened as they learned how Cobb educators are now the highest-paid in Georgia. The District’s investment in teachers is compounded by Georgia’s BEST, an innovative recruitment and retention program that helps Cobb teachers pursue advanced degrees at no cost. 

Two of the retired educators in the room are still serving students as members of the Cobb County School District Board of Education. Board Chair Randy Scamihorn served Cobb students as a classroom teacher and school administrator. 

“My educator colleagues have long said it, and the parents I talk to say the same: Cobb is the best place to raise a family. Keeping us on the right track today will benefit the Cobb community for generations,” said Mr. Scamihorn.

Before his 10+ years of service on the School Board, Brad Wheeler served more than two decades as an educator in Cobb. 

After Superintendent Ragsdale spoke, Mr. Wheeler said, “The Superintendent heard from educators who have spent their lives with students why safety is so important. His commitment to safety, teaching, learning, and keeping politics outside of the classroom is why Cobb continues to be named one of Georgia’s best places to work.”