Cherokee County School Board Approves Budget, Grading Overhaul, Calendar Changes and New Leaders at April Meeting

In one of its most consequential sessions of the year, the Cherokee County School Board voted unanimously on a sweeping set of decisions at its April 23, 2026, regular meeting, approving a new budget, reshaping grading and promotion policies, adjusting school calendars, launching a middle school laptop program, and appointing new leaders at several campuses. Taken together, the decisions will touch nearly every family in one of Georgia's largest and fastest-growing school districts.

**A Budget That Holds the Line on Taxes While Investing in People**

The approved 2026-27 budget holds the millage rate at its current historically low level, a meaningful commitment in a county where rapid residential growth has kept pressure on public services. Eligible full-time and part-time employees will receive both salary longevity step increases and 3% raises. Pre-K teachers, long paid on a separate scale, will see their salaries aligned to the K-12 schedule for the first time.

Hourly pay increases are also coming for bus drivers, paraprofessionals in self-contained classrooms, and paraprofessional substitutes, roles that are often hard to fill and critical to the district's most vulnerable students. Five additional campus crossing guards will join those already provided by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, and four new custodians will be added across the district. Cybersecurity improvements are also funded, a reflection of the growing threat landscape facing public institutions.

Notably, cuts to central office budgets made last school year will remain in place. That discipline keeps more money flowing directly to classroom supplies and reduces both out-of-pocket costs for teachers and fees charged to families, a priority that resonates in a district where the teaching workforce has long shouldered expenses that arguably belong in an operating budget.

**Report Cards, Grades and Real Consequences for Students**

Perhaps the change families will feel most directly involves how student performance is measured and communicated. The board adopted a new policy, IHA, Grading Systems, that converts the Grade 3 standards-based report card to the numerical and letter grading system already used in Grades 4 through 12, beginning next school year. For parents who have found standards-based report cards difficult to interpret, the shift brings welcome clarity.

The policy also tightens guardrails around credit recovery for high school students, re-establishes summer school for middle and high schoolers, and introduces formal promotion criteria at both the elementary and middle school levels, restoring a clearer academic floor that had eroded in recent years. Printed report cards will return quarterly for elementary and middle school students and each semester for high schoolers.

Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison called the changes "really positive steps that parents have asked us for," noting that holding students to clear expectations prepares them for the workplace.

**Calendars Reshaped Around Teacher and Parent Feedback**

The board adjusted school calendars for both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years to carve out dedicated time for parent-teacher conferences, a change driven directly by feedback gathered through a districtwide personnel survey. The move signals a broader shift in how the district is using employee and community input to drive operational decisions, not just policy conversations.

For 2026-27, elementary schools will hold early release days Oct. 13-16 for parent-teacher conferences, following the previously announced Oct. 12 student holiday. All grade levels, elementary, middle and high school, will have early release days Jan. 28-29 for conferences. The 2027-28 calendar mirrors that structure, with elementary early release days Oct. 12-15 and all-grades early release days Jan. 27-28; the February break that year was also adjusted to align with Presidents Day. Families can expect advance communication on dismissal times and after-school program plans for each early release day.

"I hope our teachers are happy about this, it came right from the survey," board member Erin Ragsdale said.

**Laptops In, Personal Phones Out at Middle Schools**

Middle school students will navigate a significant technology shift next school year. A new board policy, IFB, Instructional Role of Student Learning Devices, launches a 1-to-1 assigned laptop model beginning with all middle schools in 2026-27. Students will no longer be permitted to bring their own laptops to school, and a checkout option will be available for home use.

The change arrives alongside a new state law eliminating middle school students' use of personal cell phones and other electronic devices during the school day and at school activities, extending to middle schools the same rules already in place for elementary students. The combination of a school-issued device and a phone-free environment reflects a deliberate effort to make technology a structured instructional tool rather than a source of distraction.

"This is a tool to be used in classrooms. We're not going to put kids in front of screens all day," Ragsdale said, noting that teachers themselves identified more classroom technology as their top need in the personnel survey.

**Strong Bond Ratings and a Retirement Worth Celebrating**

The board received encouraging financial news on its bond program. Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Owen reported that the district achieved favorable terms on its recent bond sale and generated savings for taxpayers by refunding 2018 bonds. Both Moody's and Standard & Poor's reaffirmed the district's credit ratings, Aa1 and AA, respectively, both with Stable outlooks, among the strongest in Georgia and a testament to years of disciplined financial management. Board member Kelly Poole noted the strong ratings continue to save taxpayers money through favorable interest rates.

Owen, who announced his retirement this fall after 25 years with CCSD and 40 years in education, received a standing ovation from the audience. Superintendent Dr. Mary Elizabeth Davis recognized him for building a statewide reputation for budget development, financial transparency and award-winning reporting. His departure will leave a significant void in a finance operation that has become a model for other Georgia districts.

**The New Cherokee High School and What Happens to the Old One**

The board also received an update on the transition to the new Cherokee High School replacement campus, set to open next school year, a project years in the making for a school that has long outgrown its current facilities. Administrative staff will begin relocating to the new campus in June, with remaining staff transferring in July and athletics relocation occurring across June and July.

The future of the existing CHS property carries its own significance for Canton residents. The current CHS North building is slated for renovation and reopening in August 2028 as Canton Elementary School, addressing capacity needs in that part of the county. The main CHS campus will be appraised and advertised for sale, with proceeds earmarked to support career readiness and other high school programs districtwide. Board Chair Janet Read Welch said she will invite the Canton city manager to speak at the May work session about traffic flow plans around the new campus, an acknowledgment that a school of Cherokee High's size reshapes the streets around it.

**New Leaders Named Across the District**

Several school and district leadership appointments round out the changes taking effect next school year. Kerri Schmitt, a 22-year educator currently serving as an assistant principal at Etowah High School who previously served at Knox ES STEM Academy and spent 15 years as a teacher and soccer coach at Creekview High School, will become principal of Holly Springs ES STEM Academy. Chris Wallace, a 20-year educator currently serving as the district's CTAE coordinator, will take over as supervisor for student athletics and activities. Jennifer Meschi, with 21 years of experience most recently as a technology contractor, will begin next month as supervisor for business information systems.

Eleven assistant principal appointments were also approved, including Jessica Gillespie moving from teacher on special assignment to assistant principal at Woodstock Middle School, and Lisa Darrow, instructional lead strategist at Woodstock MS, moving to assistant principal at Arnold Mill ES.

Student Advisor Olivia Kennison of River Ridge High School addressed the board, reporting on a work session the delegates held that afternoon with the district's Safety and Security division. "As a student, I am very proud of our safety and security infrastructure," Kennison said, noting the division's three pillars of prevention, preparedness and response, a reminder that the students most affected by these decisions are paying close attention.