Cobb board to prepare for superintendent search

The first step for the school board would be to decide whether to do a national search, said board President Lynnda Crowder-Eagle.

The position will be posted on the county school system’s Web site, and the board will decide where else to post the opening. The board will also have to determine whether to hire a search firm.

Crowder-Eagle plans to distribute a questionnaire, provided by the board’s attorney, to board members Thursday night asking them to rank important qualities of a superintendent.

Sanderson was picked for the top school system post in 2006 to replace Joe Redden, who resigned after an unsuccessful and controversial attempt to provide laptops to Cobb middle and high school students.

The Cobb school system is the state’s second-largest school district, behind Gwinnett County, with an enrollment of about 106,000 students. It joins DeKalb County, which is also searching for a new superintendent. That county’s board fired Crawford Lewis in April. He has since been indicted on charges of running a criminal enterprise at the school system. A new superintendent is expected to be hired within the next 10 months.

Cobb has not determined a timeline for its search, Crowder-Eagle said.

Board members will also decide whether to reimburse -- fully or partially -- up to $24,428 in legal expenses incurred by their colleague John Crooks while he fought a failed recall vote earlier this year.

Crooks’ expenses stem from a push by a group of parents and residents in his district to recall the board member after he proposed and supported a vote on a 150-foot cell tower at Eastvalley Elementary School. Crooks placed the item on the board’s agenda in July 2009 without advance notice. Several parents filed suit against the school system, arguing that the board had violated the state open meetings laws, and began a recall effort.

Crooks fought the recall in court. In March, a judge deemed the effort was valid, but the recall group, led by Carrie Nicholas-Welkis, failed to obtain the 13,561 signatures needed, and the recall failed.

Calls to Crooks were not returned by press time.

“I think it’s a travesty if the board even considers paying for [Crooks’] legal fees,” Nicholas-Welkis said. Her group spent $6,000 on the recall. “The actions were his and his alone, and I think he needs to be held accountable for that.”

Under a district administrative rule, a reimbursement is allowed, said board attorney Glenn Brock. "If the board finds that he was acting within the scope of his duties, they could choose to reimburse all or part of the expenses," he said.

Crooks is not seeking re-election this year. Republicans James “Jim” Snell and Scott Sweeney are seeking their party’s nomination. They will face Democrat Ricky Welkis, Carrie Nicholas-Welkis' husband, in the general election in November.