James September-October 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 21
EARLIER THIS YEAR at the annual
School Superintendents Association conference, Cobb County
School Superintendent Chris Ragsdale was recognized as an “innovative leader and inspiring voice.” It
was quite a tribute to the work that
he and his staff have accomplished
over the ten years he has been at the
helm. And the association, it should
be noted, is widely recognized as the
“gold standard” support organization
for superintendents and education
leaders across our country’s 35,000
school districts.
Board of Education Chairman
Randy Scamihorn commented on this
assessment by Ragsdale’s national
peers. “In Cobb we are so fortunate,”
he said, “and I think some folks forget
how good we have it. During Superintendent Ragsdale’s tenure, which
includes “The Great Recession” and
a worldwide pandemic, our student
achievement has skyrocketed, our
employee satisfaction has become
the envy of the education industry
and our district has become a nationwide model of success.”
In a wide-ranging telephone
interview with this writer, the superintendent addressed all the work
done in Cobb by the Board and his
office that has led to high academic achievement in the 23rd largest
school district in the country.
How did Ragsdale get to this
point in his career? “I didn’t take
the standard path to becoming the
superintendent,” he told me. “I’ve
been in education for 32 years, but
my background is technology. My
bachelor’s degree is in information
systems, and I earned a master’s in
educational leadership from Kennesaw State University. So I had a
lot to prove when named interim
superintendent.” He explained his
core belief: “There are those who
teach, and those who serve those
who teach. And I’ve always been on
the side of those serving those who
teach. That’s my leadership style.”
As for his background, he got his
start in the Paulding County school
district where he was chief information officer. “I worked there 14 years
and came to Cobb in 2006 as chief
technology officer until 2014. Then I
became deputy superintendent, then
an interim superintendent and then
superintendent,” he said.
High Test Scores & Graduation Rates
Ragsdale underscored that, according to this year’s U.S. News and
World Report rankings which included
nearly 18,000 schools across the country, three Cobb schools were again in
the top 25 Georgia high, middle and
elementary schools. Of the 400-plus
high schools in Georgia, among the
top 25 are Walton, Lassiter and Pope.
“We consistently lead the state
on SAT and ACT scores,” he said.
“In the Milestones we rank in the
top category in every single subject
area in standards that are tested. I
couldn’t be prouder of our teachers
and principals with this record.” And
the graduation rate keeps climbing
and is among the best in the state.
He went on to emphasize,
though, that “the principal probably
has the most difficult job. Principals must create and maintain that
environment for learning. Yet we
see so any distractions coming at
us in schools that were unheard in
education just 10 or five years ago.
Also, there has never been a more
challenging and difficult time to be a
teacher than now. Teachers are subjected to so much undeserved stress
and targeting. We always say they
are not paid well for the job they do.
I can attest to that. That’s why one
of my goals, and one we have accomplished, is to become the highest
paid school district in Georgia.”
“Like in business,” he continued,
“you are competing for employees,
and you must have the best employees. I have been asked if learning
S E PT E M B E R/O C TO BER 2024
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