Schools Budget Number: One Speaker

Updated 7:20 p.m.

So only one person, Educators First head Tana Page, spoke during the public hearing, although to be fair, at least four teachers spoke during the teacher salary hearing at 6:30. You can recap the brief meeting in the CoverItLive blog above.

But I'll reiterate the questions from that blog right here. What does the lack of turnout from the public and, for that matter, the board members mean?

Do Cobb County residents not care about the schools budget? Are they happy with the proposed spending plan? Do they think the school board doesn't care what they have to say?

Let us know what you think in the comment space below.

Original Report

The Cobb County Board of Education is holding its only public hearing on the fiscal 2013 budget for the tonight.

The board and plans to enct the final plan May 17. The current plan includes five furlough days, 175 school days, 350 fewer teachers, $21.2 million in reserve funds, a half-year delay in step pay increases for teachers and a reduction in hours for paraprofessionals in school libraries to close a .