Residents at Cobb County school board meeting criticize communications spending and raise concerns about meals and bus safety
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Summary
Public commenters at the June 12 meeting criticized the district’s decision-making on summer meals and bus safety, accused the communications office of improper conduct, and urged the board to respond publicly; several speakers called for immediate fixes to restroom access for bus drivers.
At the June 12 Cobb County School District board meeting, public commenters accused district leaders of prioritizing a large communications staff over basic student and employee needs and pressed the board for on-the-record responses.
Jennifer Susco urged the board to explain "the reason for leaving kids hungry this summer offering no meal program" for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch and questioned "handing $1,000,000 to your already bloated ... communications team instead of using it toward aforementioned summer lunch and bus safety." She also asked why the district has not addressed bus mechanics’ pay and safety requests.
Melissa Martin said she spoke because the communications department was being recognized and accused the department of having "called us bad guys, accessed student data in an effort to intimidate them into not speaking at a board meeting, and joked about picking up students in line." She asked why board members had not publicly defended constituents and requested a public update on bus maintenance concerns raised two months earlier.
Reki May Parker described transportation staff concerns about restroom access, saying shops had closed restrooms at 05:15 and drivers arriving afterward "did not have access to the bathroom." Parker said an HR contact, Robert Reinerson, told drivers they risk termination if they relieve themselves in the parking lot, and asked the board to provide access or simple fixes such as a porta-potty.
Andrew Cole criticized district messaging about housing and enrollment as exclusionary and urged officials to engage residents in public forums, saying previous communications made some residents feel unwelcome.
The chair reminded attendees that public comment is not an interactive process and that board members do not respond during the public comment period. Several speakers specifically asked for public responses or action on bus safety and maintenance; the board did not provide a substantive reply during the public comment segment.