Ahead of the Board voting to approve an amended resolution for Ed-SPLOST VI that will go to voters on November 2, 2021, the Cobb Schools Board of Education learned about the most recent audit of Ed-SPLOST funds. An external audit takes place twice per year, even though policy and the law do not require it. Once again, the Cobb County School District received a clean audit regarding the management of Ed-SPLOST funds.
"Our District is committed to ensuring the Ed-SPLOST dollars that taxpayers have entrusted to us are used efficiently, effectively, and meet the requirements of the Ed-SPLOST referendum. Our team has provided top-shelf accountability and ensured a consistency to accountability year after year," said Chief Financial Officer Brad Johnson.
In addition to the Ed-SPLOST audit presentation, Board members also heard from Jennifer Lawson, Chief of Academics, about how the District is using funds from the American Recovery Plan to provide increased student support and to extend learning through programs like Cobb's Summer Learning Quest. About 10,000 students participated in the summer program, which aimed to provide engaging learning activities to meet the diverse academic, social, and emotional needs of all students.
Following the presentation, board members praised the program and its impact on students. Board member David Chastain called it “incredibly impressive” and “a great example of flexible options for students." Board Member Tre Hutchins praised Cobb's Summer Learning Quest, saying he was "blown away" by what he saw from the students when he toured. From what he saw, he described the program as "widely successful."
Superintendent Ragsdale echoed praise for the summer learning program and committed to providing students a similar opportunity at no cost next summer.
Beyond the Summer Learning Quest, the American Recovery Plan funds, which will support students over a two-year period, will also contribute to lowering class size, assist in credit recovery, and identifying and addressing learning proficiency gaps in English and Language Arts and mathematics.
