MARIETTA - Cobb school board Chairman Dr. John Abraham said he will ask board members to vote Wednesday on a number of recommendations for greater transparency in governance that the board's attorney recommended last month.

School board attorney Glenn Brock offered the suggestions following last month's Journal reports that the board has for years voted in closed-door meetings in violation of the Georgia Open Meetings Act.

Abraham clamped down on the executive session voting and discussions when he took over as chairman at the beginning of the year, disclosing to the Journal the extensive secret voting that occurred before he became chairman. He has, however, declined to acknowledge that they were in violation of the Open Meetings Act.

Brock's recommendations include:

n Abolishing set times for executive session at every meeting, calling for them only when absolutely necessary.

n Having the board vocally appoint staff changes that are higher than the rank of assistant principal, as well as their salary changes, rather than approving them buried in a personnel report.

n Conduct property purchases the way the Cobb Commission does; that is, have staff identify a proposed piece of land, lock the seller into a contract to avoid land speculation, and then list the proposal on the public meeting agenda, including the price, owner, closing date and location before the board votes on it. This way, the public has a chance to comment before money changes hands.

n Have the board vote on all school district administrative rule changes.

n Have Brock provide a legal update in public at the board meetings on new lawsuits.

n Place the board's meeting minutes from executive session on the district's Web site, with redactions where necessary.

n Lower the spending threshold in which staff is allowed to make purchases without board approval, which is set at $200,000.

Abraham said he supports all the recommendations except the last one, which he says might cause "micromanaging." However, he said he wants to hear from other board members how they feel about the suggestions before voting on them individually.

Vice Chairwoman Lynnda Crowder-Eagle said of Brock's proposals, "I think it does allow for greater transparency. I think it's a good thing."

The matter was not listed on the agenda when it was released Monday morning. District spokeswoman Allison Toller said Brock's recommendations will fall under "Board Business."

"Under 'Board Business,' Glenn Brock will present transparency recommendations that the board will discuss. Since these are procedural matters, a vote may not be necessary," she said.

Also Wednesday, Superintendent Fred Sanderson is scheduled to give an update on how his new school bus route changes have fared since school started Monday.

"I've heard good things," Crowder-Eagle.

Crowder-Eagle said she's received some e-mails from parents who want a different bus route, and the transportation department will review those requests over the next few weeks, with safety as the No. 1 priority.

"It's always a work in progress," she said, regarding bus routes at the beginning of each school year.

Sanderson is also scheduled to present the board with a plan on how to fill the hole caused by the latest state funding cuts.

"My sense is we'll look at cutting summer school," Abraham said.

Toller said since the Georgia Department of Education has widened the Criterion Referenced Competency Test window, Sanderson plans to host CRCT Remedial Summer School Grades 3,5,8 during the final weeks of the school year instead of the three weeks after the school year.

"We estimate costs for this to be $300,000 rather than the $1.8 million budgeted," she said.

Toller said Cobb will continue to host Georgia High School Graduation Test Summer School and the traditional tuition summer school program as in the past.

The board will also hammer out an agenda for its retreat this Saturday, to be conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the board's Glover Street offices. Among issues to be discussed at the retreat will be the merits of charter school districts and the state's IE2 program. Marietta City Schools is a charter system while the Gwinnett School District has partnered with the Georgia Department of Education to become an IE2 system. Both programs allow for flexibility from state rules and mandates in exchange for greater accountability.

Abraham said the board will also conduct a "self-evaluation" at Saturday's retreat, but that it may be done in executive session for greater candor among board members.

However, Crowder-Eagle said it makes no difference to her whether it's done in the public or in private.

Public comment begins at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the boardroom at 514 Glover St. in Marietta.