Morgan Discusses Calendar Change and Superintendent Search at Town Hall Meeting

Recent actions by the Cobb County Board of Education have made some Cobb residents a bit anxious, and David Morgan who has represented Post 3 of the  since the start of 2009, was ready to face them at his town hall meeting on Saturday afternoon.

About three dozen people attended the event at the and questioned Morgan about this week'schanges in the school calendar, the proposed cell tower on school grounds and community partnerships. 

The board voted 4-3 Thursday to switch Cobb schools' balanced calendar, with a school start of Aug. 1, to a traditional one that starts on Aug. 15.

Several residents from all over the county were not happy with the change.

Theresa Baxter, who brought her middle-schooler with her, said she didn't understand why the county "did a survey, had more than 70 percent approval for a balanced calendar, and then went a different way, putting in a calendar with an Aug. 15 start date that has kids taking finals two days before Christmas." 

Morgan said politics prompted the change.

"You had three of my colleagues who campaigned on a later school start date, so they felt they had to vote that way," Morgan said.

He said he voted against the balanced calendar two years ago, but since seeing it in action, he supported it in the most recent vote.

The board member, who represents , and high schools, said that since the new calendar was approved, county residents will have to deal with it for another two years. 

Morgan said he's been very concerned about the board's lack of priorities when it comes to running the district. 

"You're currently searching for a new superintendent," he said. "What is the lack of priorities going to do for your search?"

He thinks the lack of candidates this time around is telling. 

"The last superintendent search, there were 50 applicants," he said. "This time, just 16. People are finding other places more inviting." 

Morgan pointed to the fact that Gwinnett County grabbed the lion's share of Race to the Top federal dollars, while Cobb County, second only to Gwinnett in size for Georgia districts, did not apply.

"There are board members who think everything's fine, while there are four-year differences in reading and math levels between schools," Morgan said.

Morgan is seeking community input on developing partnerships between the schools and groups like the Gates Foundation, the National Council on Teacher Quality, Teach for America and the New Teachers Project.  

He said he feels strongly that forced placements—where schools have to fill teaching slots with teachers in the system first—should be a thing of the past. He also wants to keep communication open with the community by establishing a community panel to give him input on issues before the board.