DA asks GBI to investigate Dublin City Schools

Dublin Circuit District Attorney Harold McLendon has requested a GBI Investigation into the Dublin City School District’s finances.

“The purpose of this request for investigation is to ensure an independent and thorough review of whether any criminal statutes have been violated and is made in service to the confidence of the people, who have made it clear they need answers,” McLendon said Tuesday.

According to a news release from the DA’S office, McLendon formally requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conduct an independent investigation “into financial irregularities associated with the Dublin City School District.” The request was made pursuant to Title 35, Chapter 3, of the Official Code of Georgia, which authorizes the GBI to investigate potential violations of Georgia law upon request of a prosecuting authority. The referral follows state oversight reviews, audit findings and publicly reported information indicating significant fiscal shortfalls and deficiencies in financial controls within the Dublin City School District. 

“According to information provided through state monitoring and audit processes, the Dublin City School District has reported unpaid employer obligations to the State Health Benefit Plan and projected budget deficits and negative cash balances in the magnitude of millions of dollars. These figures represent reported liabilities and projections and do not constitute findings of criminal conduct,” the DA’s said in the release.

“The district attorney’s office is not a law-enforcement investigative agency.  While it has limited authority to review and evaluate potential criminal violations, primary investigative responsibility rests with law-enforcement agencies such as local police, sheriffs, or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.  Because of the potential for criminal implication of public officials, DA McLendon has submitted this request for investigation to the GBI to preserve a conflict-free, independent investigation by an agency which also has specialized financial and technical investigative divisions suited to the task.”

On Monday, at the city school board’s first meeting of the year, four members – new chairman Amanda Smith, newly elected Jeff Davis and longtime members James Lanier and John Bell – all said they would support a criminal investigation .

“If there is anything that can be prosecuted, I will stand behind that to the last breath God gives me on this earth, that I will see those people who did that put into jailhouse. I don’t care who it is,” said Lanier.

Local lawmakers requested the special audit after state officials discovered in August  that the district owed $6 million in overdue payments to the State Health Benefit Plan and revealed a projected $13 million budget deficit. It confirmed the root causes –over hiring and overpaying employees, wasteful spending and lax oversight – but also identified specific concerns ranging from late tax payments to the IRS, “abnormally” high credit card spending and unwarranted travel and expenditures. 

The audit also pointed to instances of family members traveling on out-of-town leadership retreats at the system’s expense and undocumented payments to a local florist.

“I am interested, now that the state audit is done, in having law enforcement review the findings and determine whether any criminal activity occurred,” said Smith.

“There is a continuing demand, and rightly so, for accountability,” said Davis. “I will say this: Law enforcement is aware of our situation, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.”