Hinojosa's Contract Extended Through 2014

With no discussion, the Cobb Board of Education voted Thursday night to extend the contract of Superintendent Michael Hinojosa through the end of calendar year 2014.

By a 5-2 vote, the board approved an extension -- which is not a renewal -- for Hinojosa, whose initial two-year contract was to have ended on June 30 of this year.

Board member Kathleen Angelucci tried inserting an amendment to delay the decision pending the results of surveys from staff, teachers and parents, but her motion gained the support of only one other colleague, David Banks.

They voted against the extension, with board chairman Randy Scamihorn, vice chairman Brad Wheeler and members Scott Sweeney, David Morgan and Tim Stultz voting in favor.

"I'm excited about it," Hinojosa said during a break in Thursday night's board meeting. "I think it's a very positive thing. I would have been glad with another year, but I'm delighted with a year and a half."

After the vote, Banks told Patch he opposed the extension because he questioned the direction of the school system under Hinojosa, who was the superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District when he was hired by the Cobb school board June 2011. 

Specifically, Banks questioned why Cobb County School District's $98 million reserve fund balance wasn't being utilized more "for educational reasons," including the retention of teachers.

"Is the school system better off now than it was when Dr. Hinojosa arrived? I don't know," Banks said, "but I don't see it."

Hinojosa arrived in Cobb at a fractious time, following the retirement of former Superintendent Fred Sanderson and with substantial turnover on the school board.

Hinojosa was the only finalist interviewed for the job. His hiring was approved by a 6-0 vote, with Banks absent from the meeting.

His contract includes a $237,000 annual salary, with bonuses, benefits and other incentives bringing his compensation package to $277,000.

Since Hinojosa's arrival, the school board continued to haggle over a school calendar controversy. He tried defusing the issue by forming an advisory committee that developed a number of proposals, then used a selection of its recommendations to craft a 2013-14 calendar that the board approved last October, with some modifications.

The district also is facing severe financial woes, with a projected $79.5 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2014.

For the current fiscal year, the school board balanced the budget by using $28 million in reserves and imposing, upon Hinojosa's recommendation, a three-day staff and teacher furlough that was later reduced to two.

Cobb voters are going to the polls between now and March 19 to decide on a proposed extension of the current Education SPLOST that would fund $717 million in school construction, maintenance and technology projects from 2014-2018.

In a district-prepared video shown at Thursday's meeting, Hinojosa explained how Cobb voters, parents and students have benefited from the penny sales tax, which was first approved in 1998 and has helped the district become debt-free.

Cobb test scores have increased modestly in the early stages of Hinojosa's tenure.

Hinojosa acknowledged the financial and academic challenges facing Cobb schools, but said that under his leadership, "I think we have been able to come in and steady the ship."