By Rebecca Gaunt

Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale made it clear he was not happy with the Cobb County Board of Commissioners during Thursday’s school board work session with regard to how many multifamily residential permits it has been approving.

“Without change, there is no denying we are going to be in a world of hurt pretty quick,” Ragsdale said.

Thursday’s comments echoed his words from a similar meeting one year ago, when he lamented the effect of apartments on the schools.

James Wilson, CEO of Education Planners, presented the annual demographics study update the school district uses for SPLOST project planning (special purpose local option sales tax). Data came from organizations such as the Atlanta Regional Commission, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Department of Public Health.

He shared data on how many multifamily building permits have been issued in metro counties since 2006. Cobb topped the list with 20,671. Following closely behind, DeKalb County had 20,396. Gwinnett was third with 11,134. Fulton followed with 10,464 and Forsyth with 7,421.

“I’m not sure how much we need to pull the big red switch for the alarm, but this is seemingly status quo now,” he said. “There is absolutely no attention paid when we have a representative at the [zoning] meetings…as you can see absolutely zero impact and zero attention and zero concern is being paid at the approval of developments.”

Ragsdale also posited that zoning the same land for single-family residential would be more beneficial to the district in terms of property taxes.

“This kind of approval for these types of developments is inviting and almost guaranteeing that transience is going to increase, and not only increase, but continuing to have a detrimental impact on school performance, whether perceived or real,” he said.

Another slide mapped out new apartment complexes since 2022, three of them clustered in Powder Springs. Those were of particular note in the conversation because McEachern High School had never had any apartments in its attendance zone until recently.

Wilson explained such data helps the district to anticipate which schools will likely need more resources or space in the near future.

“Everyone knows there is no more land for schools right now,” Ragsdale said.

He continued, “We have been trying to get across and conveyed to those who are making decisions how big of an impact this is, and again, it’s just being met with what seems to be a lack of care.”

According to Wilson, he sends a representative to every single commissioner meeting.

Wilson and Ragsdale also observed that the state formula relied on demographic data from 2012 to make projections for the schools’ needs. Wilson said his team visited every elementary school in the county in order to gather information on current classroom usage.

“We’re using more accurate numbers than the state,” Ragsdale said.

Wilson explained that growth is happening in pockets, whereas other areas may see decreases in enrollment.

Board member Leroy Tre’ Hutchins asked if the apartment data discerned between larger apartments intended for families and one-bedrooms intended for single people or couples.

Ragsdale responded that they have to anticipate what it may become, pointing to a Smyrna development that was intended for working adults, but where he now sees children’s bikes outside.

Wilson warned the district to expect a drop in 2025 FTE with a small dip in enrollment once the current senior class, and largest cohort of graduates this year.