COBB COUNTY, Ga. — On Tuesday, the Cobb County Board of Education unanimously voted to cancel a $50 million multipurpose facility project it initially approved in March 2023.
“The economy has changed a lot in the last two years, and our financial decisions have to change with it,” Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said in a press release. “For the last five years, as we have been planning for the multipurpose center, the economy across the country was growing. Fast forward to the middle of 2024, and the economy has slowed to a crawl.”
But some community members, like Watching the Funds Cobb co-leader Stacy Efrat, felt the timing of the decision was odd.
"I thought it was very late. We have been asking for this to be halted for over a year. We've been speaking out almost every month at board meetings," Efrat told 11Alive. "It feels to me like they're changing their mind, maybe because elections are coming and four of the school board seats are up for election and it's not really good optics to be spending $50 million on an unnecessary project."
11Alive asked each school board member to explain their decision on Tuesday. Here's what they told us.
Randy Scamihorn - Post 1
"We're getting much less revenue than we have the last couple of years... We as a school board have no control over the economy. We have no control over the extreme inflation that we've been experiencing, or labor costs or construction costs. So it's not that we couldn't survive if we did build it, but we're employee oriented and our employees come first."
Becky Sayler - Post 2
"I voted against the project when it was originally introduced because I didn’t have enough information to demonstrate the need for it and the long-term financial feasibility of it. I’m relieved that the superintendent has now rescinded his recommendation to build the center and thrilled my fellow board members saw the wisdom of this."
Leroy Tre'Hutchins - Post 3
"I do think that in the future, this project should be revisited. But as of right now, I don't think that is necessarily the time or the place. We have school buildings that are in need of additional repairs and different things of that nature. I think that if we put our money in those priorities first, then we can revisit a project like this in the future."
David Chastain - Post 4
Chastain had not responded to 11Alive as of 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
David Banks - Post 5
Banks had not responded to 11Alive as of 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Nichelle Davis - Post 6
Davis had not responded to 11Alive as of 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday. She did not attend the special-called meeting and therefore did not vote.
Brad Wheeler - Post 7
"I voted for my community. Inflation is taking a toll everywhere. This protects our employees, students and community."