Cobb School Board Narrowly Approves Extending Ragsdale's Contract

MARIETTA, GA — Voting along party lines, the Cobb County Board of Education on Thursday narrowly approved extending Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s contract for three more years.

The seven-member board voted 4-3 in favor of the extension. Republicans Randy Scamihorn, David Chastain, David Banks and Brad Wheeler voted for it, and Democrats Charisse Davis, Jaha Howard and Leroy Tre’ Hutchins voted against it.

Cobb’s board of education is the only county entity that remained under Republican control after the Nov. 3 general election. Democrats took over other government agencies, reflecting the county’s changing demographics in recent years.

Ragsdale drew national attention in January when he and two board members declined to wear face coverings during a moment of silence honoring a Cobb teacher who had died of COVID-19. Wearing masks had been a last wish of Hendricks Elementary School art teacher Patrick Key, who died Christmas Day after more than a month in intensive care.

The mask incident happened at last month's school board meeting, when about 100 teachers and parents protested against Cobb County schools reopening.

Details of the contract extension are not yet available but would be written over the “next number of days and weeks,” according to Cobb schools spokesperson Nan Kiel, as reported by The Marietta Daily Journal.

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