Cobb County School Board member Scott Sweeney has stirred up controversy by writing an opinion piece in support of the Ed-SPLOST in the February edition of Around Walton magazine.

The piece, entitled, “Why You Should Vote to Continue Ed-SPLOST,” outlines Sweeney's thoughts on the sales tax benefiting education and cites examples of how previous SPLOST initiatives have benefitted local schools.

Schools in East Cobb like Wheeler High School and Sope Creek Elementary School have already seen improvements funded by SPLOST collections, and further SPLOSTs would help pay for renovations at Walton High School and the construction of a new middle school in East Cobb.

Sweeney, who represents a portion of East Cobb on the board, told the Maretta Daily Journal that although he wrote the body of the article, he did not write the headline that was used in the magazine.

“For several months, I’ve been asked to write and have written articles for Around Walton,” Sweeney wrote in an email to the MDJ earlier this week. “In the articles, I share my opinions, not those of the board.”

A representative of the Georgia Attorney General's office confirmed that Sweeney's opinion piece does not violate any codes of ethics.