Cobb Superintendent Chris Ragsdale's Contract Extended For 1 Year In Party-Line Vote

COBB COUNTY, GA — The Cobb County School District Board of Education voted along party lines to extend Superintendent Chris Ragsdale's contract last week.

The extension — which wasn't on the school board agenda — adds another year to his contract, which would've expired in 2024. It will now have a Feb. 10, 2025 expiration date.

"I appreciate the board's vote of confidence in the contract extension greatly," Ragsdale said. "Cobb is the best place to teach, lead and learn."

The school board has extended his contract each February or March since Ragsdale was hired in 2015, allowing it to remain at the maximum of three years allowed under Georgia law, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

The board narrowly approved an extension to his contract in February 2021, with the board's four Republicans voting in favor and the three Democrats against it. The same vote happened again last week for this year's extension.

Leroy "Tré" Hutchins, one of the board's three Democrats, said his constitutents told him they don't want the board to extend Ragsdale's contract, though he didn't mention specific concerns, the MDJ reported.

Board Chair David Chastain, a Republican, said he couldn't think of a reason not to extend it.

Ragsdale's annual compensation includes a $350,000 base salary, 25 vacation days, a 12 percent employer contribution to a retirement fund and other benefits, including a monthly car allowance.

In November, the board voted to amend Ragsdale's contract — though the amended contract didn't become public until a month later — which gave him more power in negotiating his exit terms, power that's considered unusual for most metro Atlanta superintendents.

Related:

• Cobb Superintendent's Exit Terms Revised By School Board
• Cobb School Board Narrowly Approves Extending Ragsdale's Contract