Our school board is responsible for overseeing the education of our children - yet a majority of the current board shifted power and responsibility to the superintendent and arrogantly ignores the desires of parents, teachers, and taxpayers.  I don't think there is any doubt that we need fresh leadership on the school board.

Accountability for your Tax Dollars

Every year the current board sets property tax rates just slightly short of the maximum rate allowed by Georgia law funding an $830,000,000.00 plus operating budget.  Additionally, the board collects a one-cent SPLOST tax on every dollar we spend in the county, raising additional construction funds for the school system.  The board says they have cut spending "to the bone", yet their policies and some of their decisions have resulted in spending going through the roof!  The majority of the board ignored the law and proper bid procedures when they tried to provide a laptop for every student and teacher.  They spend our "tax dollars" on lavish trips and $4,000.00-a-day consultants.  I will be a better steward of our tax dollars.

Leadership

Good leadership means more than having a direction to go in. That direction must be rooted in the people that make up Cobb County. First, we must have effective communication and community involvement during the decision making process. The school system affects everyone in Cobb County. I honestly believe that there are enough smart people in our schools, governments, businesses, local colleges, etc. to solve our toughest challenges. Second, we must be accessible to our citizens. We are their elected advocates. We should listen to and represent our constituents very well.

Carver Model

This model of policy governance (the policies which the board uses to make its decisions) has become symbolic of a school board abdicating its elected responsibilities to a fired superintendent. It is time to rescind the Carver Model and to take back accountability for Board responsibilities.

School Calendars

Our kids go to school 180 days or two 90-day semesters. If you start school in mid-August and simply take the traditional holidays, you can finish the semester just before Christmas. I think this makes sense. An earlier start date chips away at a family’s summer, and a later start creates an unnatural carry-over of the first semester into January. I do not support the concept of year-round school that our former superintendent promoted.

Taxes

I do not believe that that the school board should raise property taxes to balance the budget now or in the future. I do believe that SPLOST is essential and a fairer way to raise revenue. As long as our county continues to grow, we must continue to add new schools and renovate our existing ones. Our kids deserve a healthy learning environment.

Can a minister be a good leader on the school board?

I have spent much of my adult life listening to people’s needs and solving their financial, personal, and professional problems. The key is listening well and including everyone in the process. I have a passion for the study of good leadership, which is why I focused my doctoral studies in that area. In addition, it is why I founded the Institute for Young Leaders in 1990 to assist public schools in developing the leaders of tomorrow. The institute provides training classes, guest speakers, and leadership study trips to interested students.

Further, I agree that there must be a separation between the church and the state. One should not run the other. Our national and state legislative and judicial systems have and continue to define the boundaries between the two, and I am not out to challenge them. I look at it this way. Just as I have different roles and responsibilities as a community leader and a father, I would have different roles and responsibilities as a minister and school board member. As a member of the school board, I will be focused on meeting the educational needs of our children and will represent everyone in Post 6 regardless of religious faith.

Questions I wish we were discussing:

1. How can we better develop our children’s skills to compete in a global community? 
   Could we expand the very successful magnet program to lower grades?
   Could we teach foreign languages at all grade levels?
   How can we raise our student’s math and science skills to compete internationally?
   
2. How can we build better school facilities?
   We know land and construction are expensive in Cobb County.
   Could we be more efficient or creative in the way we design our schools?
   We know smaller classes create a better learning environment.
   Can we somehow achieve a smaller learning environment?
   
3. Why can’t we get our schools off the “needs improvement” list under No Child Left Behind?

Want to voice your concerns?  Please send me an email.

Dr. John Knox Crooks, D.Min