This month, Cobb's enrollment clocked in at 106,053 students, 107 fewer students than August 2009.
Enrollment for MCS, however, rose by 399 students, from 6,942 students last year to 7,341 on the system's first day of classes, Aug. 12, said school board Chairman Randy Weiner.
State Senator-elect Lindsey Tippins (R-west Cobb), who served on the Cobb school board from 1997 to 2008, said the numbers don't surprise him.
"For the last 15 years, until October 2007, you were thriving on a construction-based economy and that has virtually stopped for the last three years, and so the growth that you saw prior to the fourth quarter '07, there's nothing to fuel that growth," Tippins said. "That's why you see a decrease in the student population overall."
Tippins recalled his years on the board from 1997 to 2002 as a time of great growth for the school system, with annual enrollment increases of between 2,500 and 3,000 students.
"You had a lot of growth. Probably by 2004, that increase dropped on down some as we weren't seeing as many new houses in Cobb as before because it was reaching saturation levels," he said.
Weiner said the 399 student increase for the much smaller Marietta system has to do with a number of factors, among them private school students returning to the system.
"We have more home school and private school kids coming back to the system and more neighborhood community members supporting their neighborhood schools," Weiner said.
For instance, the enrollment at Hickory Hills Elementary increased from about 350 last year to 400 this year, as parents were attracted by its new arts program, he said.
Even with the increase, 7,341 students is not a large number, Weiner acknowledged, but he said the public has to consider all the federal housing projects the Marietta Housing Authority has torn down in the last few years.
MHA razed the 100-unit, eight-acre Johnny Walker Homes on Powder Springs Street in 2004, followed by the 132-unit, 12-acre Clay Homes off Roswell Road near the Square, which is the site of the stalled Meeting Park development, in 2006. It razed the 10.5-acre, 125-unit Lyman Homes off Cherokee north of the Loop in 2007, and this year demolished the 125-unit, 13.5-acre Boston Homes on Howard Street, down the road from the Marietta School District's central office. And MHA just moved out the last of the tenants in the Preston Chase apartments on Franklin Road near Delk Road, where the city is planning to build a park.
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They say that next year will be worse, I imagine it will mean even lower numbers for Cobb.
I knew this was going to be a disaster at Campbell when Fred Sanderson's wunderkind Princepal Grant Rivera fired ( Rif'd) 10 of the 18 Math teachers last April. Including the only Black Male Math teacher at a school that is 40% black. All 10 rif's teachers had the same comment in their reviews " don't use technology", what in a school that is on the 2003 version of Power Point. I would rather my child learn Math without a calcultor or on a chalkboard than with a smart board, but learn math.
Yes, I have complained about this, why is my child, the kid who has been there from day one being moved. She is not the one who did the poor planning. Who on earth thought that only 1,000 students instead of 2,200 were going to come back. What kind of games are being played in Cobb County. Of Course, lets not forget, that a week after the jobs were reposted, surprise surprise there were 8 Math openings at South Cobb, Grant Rivera's Old School. The games that are played at the expense of our students and our great teachers.
We need teachers treated like professionals. It is simple we will move accross the River, Cobb is no longer known for great schools, it has fallen to the bottom of the heap. Lets just count the ways, Evolution stickers, balanced calander, illegal board meetings, ignoring parents, firing teachers, lack of parent input, unwillingness to raise tax to properly educate our students, difference between East and West Cobb Schools, the list goes on.
Awesome! Hey wait a second...
In both 07-08 and 09-10 there were ~3 choice students at HH. If the trend holds, it is quite possible that 40 students at HH are new to the school solely because they are zoned for the school.
I think it is great that HH has increased enrollment this year.
Question is: How many are there because of geography? How many are school choice?
Oh, and West Side is full (remember last years zoning scramble?). How many choice students are there as a second choice now?
After hearing for a year what great things are happening in the Marietta School district, I toured the schools and was impressed with the friendly staff and well behaved students.
I thought, if I make the switch to Marietta, how is the 6th grade Academy and MMS? I'm happy to say, they were great! MSGA looked so nice and seemed well run. Children were polite and happy. My children will be happy there too.