Cobb County

Budget increase brings hundreds of new teachers to local counties

ATLANTA — Several major school districts return to school today, including Cobb, Bartow, Cherokee, Pickens and Morgan counties.

Henry County schools hired hundreds of new teachers this school year and increased salaries.

Teachers used to start out making $34,000 annually and now it’s up to $38,000 and thanks to a larger budget, everyone gets a 3 percent pay raise.

Henry County Superintendent Rodney Bowler greeted 450 new teachers this year.

Bowler said the expectations are high for his staff and he is excited about the new school year.

“Our teachers come in clearly understanding our mission, vision and beliefs each and every day,” Bowler said.

East Lake Elementary Principal Jennifer Laughridge has a new group of teachers starting their careers today.

“We have five new teachers this year,” she said.

Laughridge said that will make huge difference for the classroom.

“Our student teacher ratio is the lowest it’s been in several years,” she said.

Bowler credits hiring more teachers, better pay and a raise for all employees to a bigger budget.

“This year we got a $362 million budget which is the largest we ever had,” Laughridge said.

For East Lake Elementary that means they now have full-time art and music teachers.

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Cobb County hired more than 800 new teachers this year.

Cobb County will welcome 75,000 children as Georgia’s second largest school district begins the new year.

“The teachers are the most important employees we have.  They bring our district success, every bit of success that we have it because of the work teachers do,” Sprayberry School Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said.

That's why Cobb did something no other school district has done. They offered their teachers contracts back in February.

Ragsdale says that also gave them time to recruit and hire new teachers before other districts could.

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He says its part of their plan of one team, one goal for student success. A plan that also requires parental participation.

He wants parents to be full partners in their children's academic careers.

“We want our parents to wake up every day and want to send their children to no other place than the Cobb County School District.  That's what we want our parents to know, that regardless of what school they attend, they're going to get the best education that we can possibly provide,” Ragsdale said.

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