Malinda Cobb, the current interim superintendent for Richmond County School System, has been named the new superintendent of the Richmond County School System.
The announcement came during the Richmond County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 12. Cobb, formerly the district’s associate superintendent, was installed as its interim superintendent in December after the resignation of Kenneth Bradshaw. She has been with the district since 2001 and held multiple positions, including teacher, principal, area assistant superintendent and associate superintendent.
The vote to hire Cobb over the other finalist, Keith Simmons, was 6 to 4.
Voting yes were President and District 1 Trustee Shawnda Stovall, Vice President and District 6 Trustee Ed Lowry, District 3 Trustee Walter Eubanks, District District 7 trustee Charlie Walker, District 8 Trustee Mary Jane Abbott and District 9 Trustee Venus Cain; voting against were District 5 Trustee Monique Braswell, District 4 Trustee Shontae Boyd, District 2 Trustee Charlie Hannah and District 10 Trustee Samantha Valentine.
According to board President Shawnda Stovall, some members faulted Cobb for unnamed problems associated with the administration, but said as interim superintendent, Cobb lacked the authority to make certain decisions on her own and would now that she has been awarded the position full-time, the board intends to “hold her feet to the fire.”
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“(Cobb) has been with this community since the beginning and she is proof you can start at the bottom as a teacher and move your way up to the top. She had the advantage as the interim, and showed she is creative and an innovative leader who isn’t afraid to step outside the box,” Stovall said.
Cobb signed her contract shortly after the vote and received a standing ovation from the crowd. The contract is effective immediately, although a salary will be decided at a later date, and the term runs through June of 2028.
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Millage rate
In a separate meeting, members of the school board heard from CFO Bobby Smith, who proposed the board accept a .41 millage rate increase, which the board unanimously, minus one, accepted on on the first reading. District 5 Trustee Monique Braswell cast the no vote.
If accepted at the final reading, the hike will bring the mil rate to 18.74, which is almost an entire percent under the state cap of 19.55.
For the average homeowner, this translates to an increase of $2.56 per month in property taxes for a single family home appraised at $200,000.
Meanwhile, this will give the board an estimated $141,132,749 in local taxes collected over the year and when combined with the state funding, total revenues are expected to be $366,387,4836 which is still under the expected expenditures of $378,387,423. The school system will use $12 million in surplus funding held over from last year to fill the gap, leaving the system with $55,877.85 at the end of the fiscal year.
According to Smith, the school system was receiving a $450,000 cut in Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding for the next year and is also bound to accept unfunded mandates from the state, such as the retirement plan and health insurance coverage, both of which are increasing.
“What we are seeing is an increase in costs, mandated costs that aren’t coming down for us, but we are also seeing a decrease in state funding. Retirement costs are going up, TRS contribution costs are increasing, heath insurance costs are increasing. To offset those mandated costs, we need a slight increase in the millage rate to maintain a healthy fund balance to make payroll,” Smith said.
The board must hold three public hearings on the millage rate before a final reading and vote which is scheduled for September 8.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and weekly columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
