Cognia Voids, Replaces Cobb Schools' Accreditation Report Due To 'Erroneous Conclusions'

COBB COUNTY, GA — The November 2021 findings of an investigation into the Cobb County School District's practices by its accrediting body have been rendered invalid due to "erroneous conclusions," and new guidance now takes it place.

The Cobb County Board of Education held a special called meeting Monday "to discuss Cognia communication regarding accreditation status," the district announced Friday. It was the first time the board publicly discussed anything about the special accreditation review the district underwent last year.

Mark Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia, said Monday that the accrediting body doesn't substantially review the findings in a review unless adverse accreditation action is taken, or unless a school district challenges information in the report — which is what Cobb County School District officials did.

"It appears the Special Review Team did not adequately contextualize or incorporate factual evidence provided by the School District, drawing erroneous conclusions," Elgart said in a letter. "Cognia's mission is school improvement, not substituting its judgment within the legal decision-making authority of duly elected and appointed school officials. If teams are not careful, this line may be blurred, which may have occurred in this case."

In April 2021, the Cobb County School District announced it would undergo a special review from its accrediting body, Cognia, following a request from the three Democratic school board members "after numerous points of conflict over the last two years," they said in a January 2021 letter. At the time, Cognia officials said they receive 50 complaints from the community about the board and district as well.

Cognia, which accredits most of Georgia's public school systems, released the findings of its review in November in a 16-page report.

The accreditation agency did not revoke Cobb Schools' accreditation, but it did provide a slew of directives on how to improve. Cognia took issue with the way the board and district allocated resources, the way it made financial decisions, the way board members communicate with each other and the way both the district and board relay information to the public.

A copy of the initial 16-page report can be viewed here. Cognia gave the district until December 2022 to make changes, but the accreditation evaluation will now take place in 2024.

The district provided documentation to Cognia over the last 30 days, and Cognia officials compared it to the review's findings. Based on the comparison and evidence, Cognia invalidated the November findings and replaced them with a new report.

"Evidence is something that is documented, that we can see, we can read, we can touch — it is not opinions," Elgart said during the board meeting Monday. "We recognize there is a difference of opinions among board members and community regarding events. The opinions are not in this letter, the factual information regarding what transpired is in this letter."

After reviewing evidence, Elgart said Cognia no longer had an issue with the board's procurement process, financial resource allocations or the policy proposal and implementation process.

"The findings in the report really clearly indicate that there's no real issue with the allocation of resources, the system follows its policies in making financial decisions. The public or members of the board may disagree with some of those decisions, but that's not our role here," Elgart said.

The area that could still use some improvement is board governance, he said, though he noted that the issues among the board don't trickle down into the schools.

"The evidence indicates that the board is fractured. You are divided. You can watch one board meeting, you can watch 10 board meetings, you can watch 50 — it's highly evident," Elgart said. "What's really important ... is the consistent basis in which you vote around two different blocks of voting. The same four are voting in one way, and the other three are voting another way. That's a concerning pattern."

Elgart said Cognia would like to see each board member cast a vote on an individual basis, rather than in two groups — or political party affiliations.

Specifically, Cognia said members of the board should:

1. Adhere to board policies to develop a culture of trust and cooperation among board
   members, employees and the stakeholders within the district.
2. Review the Code of Ethics to develop, implement, and monitor a plan of accountability to ensure adherence of all board members in effectively and efficiently executing their established roles and responsibilities.

"We're not telling you how to do this. We're telling you that if you do this, you'll be a more effective board. It's up to you how you do it," Elgart said Monday.

Since Cognia's November report, the Cobb County School District has started exploring an alternative accreditation agency as a form of dual accreditation. Consultants from the Georgia Accrediting Commission visited the district's high schools last month. The GAC accredits individual schools rather than whole systems or districts.

Related:

• Cobb Schools Considers Alternate Accrediting Agency
• Cobb Schools Maintains Accreditation, Given A Year To Make Change
• Cobb Schools To Undergo 'Unusual' Review By Accrediting Body
• Cobb Schools Special Accreditation Review Slated For August
• Cobb Schools Special Accreditation Review Begins Sunday