April 24, 2025—The Cobb Schools Board of Education has approved a tentative Fiscal Year 2026 budget that reflects the District’s ongoing commitment to prioritizing teachers and maximizing classroom support. The proposed $1.86 billion budget underscores the superintendent’s long-standing focus on the classroom as the cornerstone of student success.
As part of the budget, all eligible employees will receive a step increase in their salary up to 4.6%. In addition, employees will benefit from a reduction of four contracted workdays, with no impact on classroom instruction.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale spoke directly about his budget recommendation, “For over a decade, you have heard me say teachers are the most important part of our district. There are two types of employees in Cobb: those who teach and those who support those who teach. As this budget is tighter than normal, we have prioritized teachers in how we serve those unique situations. Instead, during this year’s budget, those allotments will be prioritized for classroom positions. We are supporting each school’s unique situation by prioritizing teachers, as we have since I became superintendent.”
Cobb remains the leader in teacher pay across the state, reinforcing its reputation as a district that values teachers, with 94% of this year’s budget spent on educators. “Our teachers and students are at the heart of all our decisions,” said Board Chair David Chastain. “Our continued investment in teachers and programs like Georgia’s BEST is why our schools can deliver high-quality education at the lowest cost to the taxpayer.”
Prioritizing Safety
As part of its ongoing efforts to keep students and staff safe, the District continues to strengthen the Cobb Shield of protection. In fact, the FY2026 budget includes an average increase of approximately $21,000 per school in safety-related spending.
During the April Board meeting, the Board also voted to approve the purchase of Vapor Wake K-9 Officers, related training, accessories, and equipment. In partnership with Global K9, Vapor Wake protection canines are specially trained to detect person-borne explosives and firearms, adding an advanced layer of security to protect students and staff.
During the afternoon meeting, Superintendent Ragsdale updated the board about the District’s ongoing book review process. He announced that the book American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis must be removed due to its sexually explicit content. Cobb’s book review process reflects the District’s commitment to student safety. To keep the community updated, a complete list of removed titles is available here.
A Continued Focus on Safety and Teaching and Learning
Superintendent Ragsdale continued the meeting’s focus on safety by highlighting the proactive steps the District is taking to prevent disruptions and keep families informed through its partnership with the Servius Group.
“Our goal is not to punish but prevent. We are addressing issues before they become problems and problems before they become tragedies. We partnered with the Servius Group to do precisely that. This will hopefully allow us to identify and intervene before incidents occur,” Superintendent Ragsdale said. He also addressed why plans have changed for the educational sessions sponsored by the Servius Group. “Intentional disruption and acts of violence do not allow for effective communication with our families and have a significant impact on our entire county. As a result, we decided to postpone a series of educational seminars about school safety. The content from the first, initially scheduled for Monday, April 28, 2025, will be made available to all Cobb families and staff digitally.
This is not how I wanted to do this, and I know there are those who will try to say this is because we are afraid of talking about our plans. Not in the least. We are very proud that Cobb is leading again. But we are not about to risk those town halls becoming the circuses we're seeing around our state.” Just as the District is taking steps to protect students’ physical safety, Cobb leaders are also standing firm to protect Cobb classrooms.
“Cobb County parents want their kids to receive a nationally competitive education, preparing them for their future, not getting caught up in divisive nonsense. Four years ago, when it wasn't popular, our Board took a stand against racial indoctrination, intolerance, and unproductive division. At a time when it was politically unpopular, our Board saw the looming challenge of forcing our teachers to engage in racially divisive instruction and made the politically hard choice to put education - and our students – first,” Superintendent Ragsdale explained.
“Today, the majority of the nation has seemingly seen the challenges with teaching division instead of cohesion and has moved to halt those practices nationally. This week, the U.S. Department of Education required us to certify that we are not engaging in racially divisive teaching as a precondition of receiving federal funds. I signed it immediately.”
Two Legendary Coaches to Continue Serving Students
As he promised the Board last month, Superintendent Ragsdale updated the Board and announced that two of Cobb’s legendary coaches from Campbell High School, Coach Gwyn and Coach McClure, will return to continue their coaching legacy for their 40th year. Superintendent Ragsdale said, “I promised this Board I would look into what I believed was the questionable decision and process leading to Coach McClure and Coach Gwyn, two outstanding coaches, being non-renewed by Campbell High School. Tonight, I am pleased to report to the Board that we concluded that investigation, and based on the results, I recommended that Coach McClure and Coach Gwyn be offered contracts for rehire by the Cobb County School District for the school year 2025-2026. Both coaches accepted and signed their contracts. I am also pleased to report that the process leading to the recommendation for their non-renewal has also been examined - and it is my expectation it will not occur again.”
Board Recognitions
2024 – 2025 GHSA Boys Class 6A State Basketball Champions – Wheeler High School
2025 Math Counts Georgia State Competition Winner – Max Lin, Dodgen Middle School
2024 – 2025 Health Occupations Students of America – Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference – First Place Competition Clinical Laboratory Science – Estephanie Valenzuela, Cobb Innovation & Technology Academy
2025 SkillsUSA State Gold Award Winners for Career Pathway Showcase Business Management, Technology – Daliza Jimenez, Misa McFarlin, Asiah Coon, Wheeler High School
2025 SkillsUSA State Gold Award Winners for Career Pathway Showcase Health Science – Brooke Deng, David Mora, Avi Jaiswal, Wheeler High School
2025 SkillsUSA State Gold Award Winner Photography Category Gold Medal Winner – Julian Vergara, McEachern High School
2025 SkillsUSA State Gold Award Winner for Career Pathway Showcase Occupational Health and Safety – Emma Foxwell, Andrew Reida, Sean Brickmeier, Pope High School
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2025 SkillsUSA State Gold Award Winner for Career Pathway Showcase Promotional Bulletin Board – Caitlyn Suarez, Samantha Romano, and Gabrielle Lance, Pope High School
2025 SkillsUSA Gold Level Chapter Excellence – Pope High School Chapter
2025 SkillsUSA GA Advisor of the Year – Paige Welch, Pope High School
2024 – 2025 CCSD Elementary School Level Music Specialist of the Year – Tiphanie McClenton, Bryant Elementary School
2024 – 2025 CCSD Middle School Level Chorus Director of the Year – Marla Baldwin, Palmer Middle School
2024 – 2025 CCSD High School Level Chorus Director of the Year – Megan Schuitema, Harrison High School
2024 – 2025 CCSD Elementary School Level Visual Arts Specialist of the Year – Krista Lewis, Shallowford Falls Elementary School
2024 – 2025 CCSD Middle School Level Visual Arts Specialist of the Year – Kaitlin Jezequel, Dickerson Middle School
2024 – 2025 CCSD High School Level Visual Arts Specialist of the Year – Dr. Lisa Casey, Wheeler High School
2024 – 2025 CCSD Library Media Specialist of the Year – Susan Sharrow, Pope High School
