Dublin City Schools preparing for accreditation review

A school accreditation agency will visit Dublin City Schools later this month for a review triggered by the district’s financial crisis.

Cognia, the organization that issues the system’s accreditation, will send a team to Dublin on Feb. 23-25, during which time representatives will attend a school board meeting, interview individual board members and visit classrooms.

“This monitoring review is because of the deficit that we’re in,” interim Superintendent Marcee Pool told the City Board of Education at its meeting Monday night. “That’s just part of what Cognia does. They come monitor things you have going on in your system.”

The school system had until Wednesday to submit all requested documentation.

“We’re uploading all of our documents and all of the things they’re requesting,” Pool said.

Cognia contacted the schools in October about a then-approaching deadline for a “mid-cycle progress” required to keep its accreditation up-to-date. The agency noted in a letter to system officials that it was aware of the district’s deficit – initially estimated to exceed $13 million by fiscal year’s end – and that the Georgia Department of Education had placed the district on a “financial improvement plan.” 

As a result, it required district officials to “include a formal update on progress toward meeting the financial directives issued by the Georgia Department of Education, supported by relevant evidence demonstrating a commitment to transparency and improvement in financial practices.” 

At the same time, it also granted a temporary extension on outstanding invoice of $8,400. Cognia is also waiving costs for the upcoming monitoring review.

Also Monday, Pool told the board that property tax revenue has started to come in, which should allow the district to pay employees their “Lucky Loot” payments that have been withheld. The lump-sum portion of their salaries are usually paid in January.

“We have received enough tax revenue to pay the Lucky Loot in February,” Pool said. “It’s not a bonus. This is money that is owed to them.”

The school system has managed to cut the projected $13.4 million deficit by more than half. However, since September it has had to borrow its remaining monthly allotments of this year’s state funding to make ends meet, so the district must rely on local property taxes to fund the final four months of the school term.

In addition to money, the state has provided manpower in the form of financial consultants and other experts who have worked with school officials on finances. The district had been without a finance director since Chad McDaniel’s resignation in August, but last week the board hired two of the state consultants on a part-time, contracted basis – one to serve as chief financial officer until that position can be filled.

  Betty Corbitt, who retired as finance director from Jeff Davis County after 18 years and worked five years with the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts, will step into the finance director role.

“She’s going to be filling in the gap from now until we find a CFO,” Pool said in introducing Corbitt.

“I’m really glad to be here, and we’re going to do whatever we can to help this district get in a better financial position,” Corbitt said.

Corbitt and the other hired consultant, Joyce Davis, “come as a team,” Pool said. Davis will provide support in finances and in human resources.

She also lives in Jeff Davis County, where she was CTAE director for 20 years and director of federal programs for 15.

“They were here working with the (Georgia) DOE to get things cleaned up,” Pool said.

In other business, the school board:

• Voted to livestream its meetings on Facebook and YouTube. Newly elected member Jeff Davis asked at the board’s previous meeting that it consider the move, but it was not on Monday’s agenda. “We need to allow the public to see what we’re doing,” said Davis. “There needs to be a sense of urgency about that.”

Following an executive session, the board voted to amend the agenda to include a vote on livestreaming, and the measure passed 7-0.

• Approved a bid of $109,500 from Middle Georgia Mechanical to replace 10 water-source heat pumps at Dublin High School. The existing units are more than 16 years old, are difficult to find replacement parts for and use expensive, outdated refrigerant, plant operations director Andy Wright told the school board.

“They’re obsolete,” Wright said. “You can stop throwing money away on something that does not work.”

Middle Georgia was the lowest of four bids and the only area business to submit a proposal. 

“I would rather we go with a local vendor,” said board member James Lanier.

Pool said the units will be purchased from the ESPLOST (Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) account, which she said currently has a balance of about $2.8 million.

Proceeds from the penny sales tax can be used for capital projects, such as buildings and equipment, but cannot be used for operating expenses.