Cobb Schools To Undergo 'Unusual' Review By Accrediting Body

COBB COUNTY, GA — Cobb County School District will go through an "unusual" special review of the system's governing practices amid complaints and a request from three board members — a step Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said could endanger the district's accreditation and hurt county business if it's found violating standards.

The district announced late Thursday it would undergo a special review from its accrediting body, Cognia, following a request from Democratic board members Charisse Davis, Jaha Howard and Leroy "Tre" Hutchins in January "after numerous points of conflict over the last two years."

No timeline has been established for when this review will occur.

“We are a strong district with a history of academic excellence, student success and sound fiscal stewardship,” CCSD Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said in a news release. “This unscheduled review is unusual for several reasons, including Cognia’s recent extension of our accreditation term only 14 months ago. In 2019 and 2020, Cognia’s leadership expressed sufficient confidence in the district to extend our accreditation through 2024 — the maximum length we could have been given.”

Ragsdale said if Cognia takes away the district's accreditation, this could negatively affect college acceptance rates, college scholarships, enrollment, funding and educator recruitment and retention — something Clayton and DeKalb counties endured in 2008 and 2011.

It could also negatively affect Cobb County's economy, property values and bond credit ratings, he said, as accreditation loss would take away an incentive for families and business owners to move to or remain in Cobb.

Davis, Howard and Hutchins sent a letter to the entire board and superintendent outlining "three critical items to frame our work ahead as we grapple with a global pandemic and its effects," and asked the board to include this on the next board meeting agenda, the three said in a letter to Cognia. The three critical items were early literacy, educator support and employee support.

You can view the full letter here.

The three board members told Cognia they did not receive any acknowledgement of their letter to the board, and it was not added to the agenda.

"The continued silencing of board members who would like to not only talk about positives, but also publicly address challenges, continues. The three of us remain concerned our governing body is not adhering to the leadership standards set forth by Cognia," the letter reads.

Davis, Howard and Hutchins specifically cited two of Cognia's leadership standards they believe are in question in the district:

• Standard 1.4: The governing authority establishes and ensures adherence to policies that are designed to support system effectiveness.
• Standard 1.5: The governing authority adheres to a code of ethics and functions within defined roles and responsibilities.

Cognia told the district they had received additional complaints from groups and individuals alleging the same or similar violations of Cognia standards.

“The communication I received from Cognia centered upon allegations of political disagreements and intrapersonal behavior within the board of education," Ragsdale said in the release. "While these are serious concerns, an unscheduled Special Review seems to be a very unusual response, particularly following the extension of our accreditation and the possible adverse effects of a Special Review to the district’s students, faculty, staff and community."

The district said it was notified of the complaints in February, and sent a 10-page letter in response in March, which can be viewed in full here. Ragsdale said he is "confident" that Cognia will find the district is in compliance with the leadership standards.

“While the district’s record speaks for itself, we know there is always room for growth in all areas, including effective board governance and interactions," Ragsdale said. "Georgia law establishes maintaining accreditation as a primary responsibility of a board of education. The district is committed to continuous improvement in meeting our obligations under Cognia, state law and board policy.”