June 16, 2026 — The Cobb County School District announced it has filed a lawsuit to prevent the Cobb County Board of Commissioners from taking money away from Cobb’s students and teachers.
Since 2011, the Cobb County Commission has charged the School District over $130,000,000 in administrative fees to reimburse the County for the cost of collecting school taxes. In fiscal year 2026 alone, the collection fee will exceed $13,000,000, equivalent to roughly 130 teachers' salaries and benefits. Next year, the County intends to increase the fee to more than $20,000,000, which is roughly equivalent to 200 teachers' salaries and benefits. We believe they do not have the legal authority to take more money from our schools.
“Our responsibility is to protect the students, teachers, and taxpayers of Cobb County," Board Chair Randy Scamihorn said.
“This lawsuit is about the hundreds of teachers and thousands of students who would be affected. Every Cobb homeowner, business owner, parent, grandparent, and student benefits from a strong public education”, said Board Vice Chair David Chastain. “The Commission is trying to take millions of dollars from our classrooms for a tax increase, disguised as ‘administrative fees.’ Cobb’s parents want smaller class sizes, not more ‘fees.’”
Once again, the Cobb County Commission is refusing to exercise fiscal responsibility and is, again, attempting to seize more tax dollars, regardless of the consequences to Cobb’s students.
With 94% of District funds spent on instruction and with one of the lowest per-pupil costs in the metro area, this attempted seizure would take money currently spent on teacher salaries, lowering class sizes, sports programs, and band and orchestra programs.
It is unfortunate that the Commission is choosing to play politics with Cobb’s children and senior citizens, rather than exercising financial responsibility and living within the very generous funding provided to them by Cobb’s taxpayers. Nothing has changed. This is simply a money-grab, from classrooms, for absolutely no reason, other than the presumed hope of ending the senior school tax exemption or forcing a tax increase on Cobb homeowners. Both of which are strongly opposed by the District.
Our bottom line is simple: Cobb’s students are already funded less than their peers in most neighboring counties. We will protect the investment parents and grandparents have made to live and raise their families in Cobb.
