Superintendent presents cabinet updates; board to consider contracts for teachers, remote instruction, paraprofessionals and facilities

Rockdale County — Superintendent Chester and cabinet members presented departmental updates and several staff‑recommended contracts the board will consider on next week’s consent agenda.

Chief Human Resources Officer Michelle Stevens described the district’s international recruitment partnerships, saying Rockdale currently works with Intellage (Stone Mountain) and Eduinfotech International Resources (EITIR, Conyers). “This is year four of our partnership with Intellage,” Stevens said, noting the district has 30 teachers from Intellage with a high retention rate and that EITIR currently supplies 10 teachers. Stevens told the board the superintendent will recommend approving Entourage to supply up to five additional hard‑to‑fill teaching positions (increasing Entourage‑supplied teachers from 36 to as many as 41). She said the district currently spends about $298,000 for 36 Entourage teachers and estimated the cost could rise to as much as $338,000 if five more are added.

Stevens said the superintendent will also recommend renewing EITIR to continue supplying hard‑to‑fill positions and noted the district hopes to add up to five EITIR teachers “not to exceed the budget of $132,500.”

On remote instruction, Stevens summarized the district’s fourth year using Elevate K12, a live teacher streaming service. She said principals who have used Elevate reported 100% support for retaining the option and presented a projected cost range of a minimum of $509,817 and a not‑to‑exceed figure of $835,917 for the upcoming year, depending on how many sections are used.

Stevens also recommended partnering with ESS Southeast to staff paraprofessionals for FY27, contingent on contract approval by the superintendent and general counsel. She said the district currently employs about 319 paraprofessionals and projected a total annual cost of $3,510,315 based on 110 paraprofessionals; staff described potential savings on health‑benefit exposure if the district contracts certain staffing functions to ESS.

Facilities staff recommended selecting DC Colors Inc. for interior and exterior repainting at Peeks Chapel Elementary School with a bid of $67,800 and recommended Electrical Contractor Inc. as the lowest bidder for replacing emergency generators at three schools at a bid of $150,149.71. Both recommendations were presented as contingent on superintendent and general counsel approval.

Superintendent Chester closed by noting recent student recognitions and district events; the board voted 6-0 to place the cabinet’s recommended action items on next week’s consent agenda for a formal vote.