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Schools

New Clarkdale Tops School Board Agenda

Also, David Banks will try to revive the calendar discussion again at tonight's Cobb County Board of Education meeting.

Parents and others interested in the discussion and likely vote to award a contract to rebuild Clarkdale Elementary School should be out in force at the Cobb County Board of Education meeting at the boardroom tonight at 7.

Many of the Clarkdale staff, students and parents plan to wear “Clarkdale Survivor” T-shirts that they received shortly after the September 2009 flood.

Although the board already approved the scope of the work, budget, architect and site for rebuilding Clarkdale, some Powder Springs and Austell residents are nervous about whether the new board will honor those 2010 decisions. The board’s citizen advisory Facilities & Technology Committee voting 10-3 March 14 to reconsider building the school and possibly redistrict the area instead to increase the enrollment at nearby schools.

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“What I know is we’ve made that commitment to the Clarkdale community, and it’s in our best interest to follow through on that commitment,” said board member David Morgan, whose Post 3 includes Clarkdale. “I’m going to be an adamant advocate that we execute what we’ve committed. The community has gone through a lot, and they see the rebuilding of this school as the light at the end of the tunnel. I think following through on that is what we need to do.”

Gainesville’s Carroll Daniel Construction submitted the winning low bid at $14.7 million. The new school will have 53 classrooms instead of the 22 in the destroyed school.

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“I’m just glad this is almost over,” Clarkdale PTA President Russ Danser said after the board decided March 9 to put the construction contract on tonight’s agenda for discussion and action. “When we drop the shovel, I’ll be a happy man.”

One recurring issue that's not on tonight’s agenda is the school calendar, but that isn't stopping board member David Banks, whose Post 5 includes , and Pope high schools. Banks said he again wants to discuss the switch from this year's balanced calendar to a more traditional calendar in August.

The in February to push the school start date back to Aug. 15 from the previously approved Aug. 1 for the 2011-12 school year. Banks asked to at the March 9 meeting, but the same 4-3 majority passed Scott Sweeney’s

Banks, however, told Patch that based on Robert’s Rules of Order, which the board follows, “indefinitely” means only during that particular meeting. Banks disagrees with the board's attorney, Clem Doyle, who interpreted the motion as banning discussion of that issue at any meeting until a majority of the board wants to place it back on the agenda.

According to RobertRules.org, Banks’ interpretation is correct. The website states: “(To) postpone indefinitely: kills the question/resolution for this session.”

“I know he really wants it back on there, and I know it’s not on there, so I don’t anticipate it being something that will be discussed,” said Morgan, who has joined Banks and Post 1 board member Lynnda Crowder-Eagle of West Cobb in the minority on every calendar vote this year. “The biggest thing is not where people fall on the issue; what I want is the conversation to be civil and professional.”

Chairwoman Alison Bartlett, whose Post 7 includes , reminded board members at the end of their March 9 meeting that they needed to follow the board’s Code of Ethics Policy BC. The seventh “Board Meetings” policy in that section reads, “Express opinions before votes are cast, but after the board vote, abide by and support all majority decisions of the board.”

Bartlett and new board members Sweeney of Post 6 (East Cobb), Tim Stultz of Post 2 (Smyrna area) and (North Cobb) have formed the majority on all of the calendar votes.

In addition to Clarkdale, the board has 13 other discussion agenda items that it may vote on.

One item would extend the request for proposals to install artificial turf fields at , , Lassiter, and high schools after completing the work at 11 other schools for an average of $650,514 each. The projected final cost is $1.25 million more than the initial $9.3 million approved under the school system's Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

“My concern is not the synthetic turf, but how we allow the expenditure of the difference of the funds remaining … because we have a disparity in our schools,” Bartlett said. “We have schools whose athletic facilities are below an acceptable standard in this county. We have schools that don’t have visitor stands (Allatoona and Hillgrove). When you don’t have visitor stands, it impacts the revenue the athletics can generate. I think we shouldn’t spend any funds until we can come up for a standard for our athletic facilities.”

For the third time, the board also will look at a memorandum of understanding between the Cobb County and Fulton County school districts regarding Cobb students attending charter schools in Fulton.

The charters for schools such as Riverwood International Charter School and North Springs Charter High School in Sandy Springs allow students from outside Fulton to enroll as long as space is available.

The memorandum up for discussion, which involves the state's per-student funding following the students, has been amended to apply only to students currently attending a Fulton charter school.

“The first thing, kids were going to this school before the issue came up,” Morgan said. “We don’t need to fix something that isn’t broken. The state dollars follow the child, but the local dollars stay with us. I think it’s in our best interest to be in the people-serving business. These families have come forth to say, 'This is something we like, and it’s in the best interest of our children,' so I think we ought to do it.”

Morgan also said the board shouldn’t limit the memorandum to current students. He said the opportunity to attend an out-of-county charter school should be open to future students as well.

You can watch the meeting live online at http://www.cobbk12.org/board/video/ or on the school system's cable TV channel, Channel 24 on Comcast and Channel 97 on Charter. Agenda for the meeting can be found here.

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