School SPLOST IV List Totals $717M

The final consultant's report to the Cobb Board of Education is the basis for a possible referendum in early 2013.

The thick, heaving binders handed out to Cobb Board of Education members Wednesday detailing $717 million in school construction and improvement needs are also packed with wish lists more than double that dollar amount. A final presentation made to board members at a work session hammered down $2 billion in requests to match the anticipated revenue that would come from an extension of the current one-cent local option sales tax for the Cobb County School District that ends at the end of 2013. Whether that referendum is called is up to the school board, which is slated to hold public hearings this fall.  In the meantime, the 209-page "SPLOST IV notebook" (see the accompanying PDF) will be sent back out to Cobb school communities for …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Drivers Cited for Passing School Buses

Penalties range from a fine to a license suspension for passing school bus stop-arms.

Drivers Cited for Passing School Buses

Penalties range from a fine to a license suspension for passing school bus stop-arms.

Cobb County Police officers cited three drivers on the first day of school for not stopping for school bus stop-arms. Sgt. Dana Pierce said he didn't have any information on citations that might have been issued Tuesday and Wednesday. This comes a month after the Cobb County School Board approved an agreement with American Traffic Solutions to issue the citations for failing to stop for the arms, which are designed to protect students entering and leaving buses. The agreement allows ATS to collect $300 from first-time violators. According to an email from Cobb County Commissioner Helen Goreham, other penalties for stop-arm violations include a possible court appearance, a fine up to $1,000, six points on driving record and a license …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Cobb Schools OK Stop-Arm Fines

The measure, prompted by the tragic death of an East Cobb kindergartener, still needs Cobb commission approval.

A year after putting cameras on school buses to detect stop-arm violations, the Cobb Board of Education voted Thursday to put some more teeth into those preventative measures.  The board voted 7-0 to sign an agreement with American Traffic Solutions to issue citatations to those who avoid the bus stop-arms, which are designed to protect students entering and leaving buses.  Greater stop-arm enforcement was prompted by the 2009 death of 5-year-old Mountain View Elementary School student Karla Campos, who was struck by an elderly driver as she departed a bus. "It's taken a long time, but we're finally there," said Cobb school board member David Banks, who represents the Mountain View school community. "In her memory, this is her law." The …

• Photos (3)
• Videos (1)

PatchCast

PatchCast: Board tabs Hinojosa; School creates cleaner air; Tournament to bring Paulding dollars; Creative photography

Here's a roundup of the region's major developments for May 20.

    Family Ties Draw Hinojosa to Cobb – East Cobb Patch Dorsett Shoals Creates Cleaner Air – Douglasville Patch Softball Tourney to Bring Teams, Dollars Into Paulding – Dallas-Hiram Creative Play Inspires Fine Art Photographer’s Work – Marietta Patch      

• Videos (1)