East Cobb schools including Walton, Pope, Lassiter and Wheeler stand to lose their share of $13 million in annual tax-collection fees as a lawsuit between Cobb County and the school district heads toward trial. But Board of Commissioners Chair Lisa Cupid said Wednesday, Aug. 5, she still believes mediation can resolve the $130 million dispute.
Cupid held a press conference in Marietta on the same day to push back on a separate controversy: allegations that she sought to take over the county's hiring process.
Hiring controversy
The hiring criticism centers on Ross Cavitt, the county's former spokesman, who has publicly warned that Cupid's involvement in filling leadership vacancies could politicize Cobb government. Cavitt previously flagged what he called "a troubling log jam" in filling several county leadership positions, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
Wednesday's press conference was Cupid's most direct public response to the criticism. The MDJ reported that she denied seeking to take over the process and addressed the allegations head-on.
The Board of Commissioners had voted in July on a proposal to set aside $60,000 for executive search firms to help recruit candidates for critical leadership positions that have gone unfilled under the county's traditional hiring process.
School tax mediation update
Cupid expressed confidence at the press conference that mediation with the school district will produce a resolution, even after court-ordered talks collapsed without a settlement on July 31.
The case heads to trial.
As we reported Aug. 4, the school district's $130 million lawsuit alleges the county has charged unlawful tax-collection fees since 2011. This fiscal year's fees total more than $13 million, which school officials say equals about 130 teachers' salaries and benefits.
Georgia law allows counties to withhold up to a 2.5% commission for collecting school taxes. Cobb has charged 1.6% for decades. A judge's restraining order keeps the fee at that rate while the lawsuit plays out in Cobb Superior Court.
After the July 31 mediation failed, the county issued a statement saying it "mediated in good faith" but could not reach a resolution. CBS Atlanta reported that John Floresta, the school district's chief strategy and accountability officer, responded the same day: "Taking even one dollar that taxpayers intended for students doesn't work for our Board or our Superintendent."
The Cobb County School District's next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20, where the lawsuit is expected to remain on the agenda.
