Reapportionment Maps To Be Revealed At Cobb School Board Meeting

COBB COUNTY, GA — The proposed Cobb County School District reapportionment maps are expected to be revealed at Thursday's board meeting, which could change the maps for the first time since 2012.

A redistricting and reapportionment presentation by School Board Chairman Randy Scamihorn is on Thursday's agenda, with potential action available by the board. Board members Charisse Davis and Leroy "Tre" Hutchins also have redistricting/reapportionment updates on the agenda, but not with potential action requested.

Every 10 years, or after every decennial census, political lines are redrawn based on the population results of the census, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Apportionment was created to determine how many U.S. House of Representatives seats each state gets based on the updated populations.

But at the local level, governing entities like the Cobb County Board of Commissioners and the school board will also have the opportunity to redraw their own district lines, though typically the state legislature — which is majority Republican in Georgia — takes the reins on redrawing all maps.

District maps are different from school attendance zone maps, and the results of redistricting maps have no bearing on the attendance zones.

In August, the board voted along party lines to hire law firm Taylor English Duma LLP to help redraw the district's lines. Davis raised concerns over former Republican state Rep. Earl Earhart's affiliation with Taylor English Duma.

Ehrhart is the CEO of Taylor English Decisions, the law firm's consulting arm. He's married to current state Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs — who also previously denounced Davis in 2019 and accused her of being "the most bigoted board member to ever sit on the Cobb Board of Education," the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

Scamihorn, a Republican, was the one who suggested the board hire Taylor English Duma. He said he picked the firm because of its client history with both Democrats and Republicans, and "didn't want to make this political."

"Representative [Earl] Ehrhart had maps rejected by a federal judge because of them being racially biased, so that's a huge problem," Davis said during the August board meeting. "This is really concerning, if someone who's leading the organization had maps thrown out because they were biased. I mean, that's what we're here for, to ensure that we have fair maps, and so this is not going to be that."

According to the MDJ, Ehrhart denied that allegation.

Scamihorn also argued that Taylor English Decisions was not the company the board hired, so the concern was irrelevant. Taylor English Duma LLP is separate, but still a branch of Taylor English Decisions.

"The marquee says Taylor English. It doesn't say Ehrhart. Ehrhart is not involved in what we're doing, and all we're trying to do is make sure we have a firm that knows what we need to do and what we're doing," Scamihorn said in August.

The redistricting/reapportionment process is under close scrutiny because three of the board's seven members are up for reelection next year: Davis and Dr. Jaha Howard, both Democrats, and Republican David Chastain.

However, Howard is running for Georgia state school superintendent next year, so he is not seeking reelection.

Regardless of what the maps look like Thursday, they are not final. The proposed maps still have to be sent to the Cobb County Legislative Delegation for approval, which can then use those maps or choose to draw its own, but the full General Assembly — which is Republican controlled — and Gov. Brian Kemp, also a Republican, have final say on new maps.

Thursday's board meeting is slated for a 2 p.m. work session and 7 p.m. business session at the CCSD central office at 514 Glover St. in Marietta. There will be public comment periods at the beginning of both sessions, but speakers are required to sign up to speak in advance. You can sign up to speak here.

Each public comment period is limited to 30 minutes, with each speaker getting a maximum of two minutes. The meetings will also be livestreamed on the district's BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.

Related:

• Cobb Law Firm Tapped To Redraw Cobb's School District Maps
• Cobb School Board Member To Run For Georgia School Superintendent