Cobb County School Board extends superintendent contract, approves personnel and student-discipline actions, and opts out of HB 581

The Cobb County Board of Education on Feb. 13, 2025 approved a package of personnel and business items, including two student-discipline appeals, acceptance of the human-resources report, a three-year extension of Superintendent Ragsdale's contract and a resolution to opt out of the House Bill 581 process.

Board members voted unanimously on each recorded action. The votes were taken during the meeting's action-item portion after executive session.

Votes at a glance

- Student-discipline appeal 12: Motion to approve the student disciplinary hearing officer's decision carried 6-0. (Motion by Miss Davis; second by Mr. Scammerhorn.) Details of the underlying disciplinary decision were not specified in the public record.

- Student-discipline appeal 13: Motion to approve the student disciplinary hearing officer's decision carried 6-0. (Motion by Mr. Schumacher; second by Mr. Wheeler.) Details of the underlying disciplinary decision were not specified in the public record.

- Human resources/personnel report: The board accepted the personnel action report as presented. (Motion by Miss Davis; vote recorded as 6-0.) Keely Bowen, the district's chief human-resources officer, told the board the administration recommended approval of the employment actions discussed in executive session and that there were no principal-level or higher recommendations that day.

- Superintendent contract extension: The board voted to extend Superintendent Ragsdale's contract from Feb. 13, 2025, to Feb. 12, 2028. (Motion by Mr. Cristaduro; second by Mr. Wheeler; vote 6-0.)

- Consent agenda items: The board approved by unanimous consent the consent agenda, which included accepting the superintendent's recommendation to tear down school properties at Bells Ferry to build a new school, approving a guaranteed maximum price at Bells Ferry Elementary School, and authorizing renewal of a contract for portable classrooms. The chair stated the consent agenda passed "without objection." Specific contract numbers and dollar amounts were not specified in the oral record.

- Opt-out resolution for House Bill 581 process (agenda item 6): The board voted 6-0 to follow the superintendent's recommendation to opt out of the HB 581 process. Superintendent Ragsdale said he could not recommend any action that would reduce funding coming to the district and said implementation of HB 581 as presented would have reduced Cobb's funding by $43,000,000, a figure he cited during the hearing.

What the votes mean

Board members did not amend or debate the student-discipline officer decisions on the floor; motions approved the hearing officers' findings as presented. The personnel report acceptance and the superintendent contract extension are formal board actions that authorize the administration to carry out the recommended personnel and contractual terms; the transcript did not include contract salary or supplemental terms.

Several items (student appeal details, consent-agenda contract dollar amounts) were not described in the public spoken record and therefore are listed here as not specified.

Procedural notes

Board members called the roll and used raised-hand votes for recorded motions. Where the public record did not name every voting board member for a tally, the chair announced the numeric result (for example, "6-0").

Ending

The chair adjourned the meeting following the votes. The board's formal minutes and posted agenda materials may include additional documentation for each personnel action, student-discipline record and contract referenced during the meeting.