Dublin board members consider calling GBI about school finances

Editor’s note: The story has been updated with additional quotes and context.

Several members of the Dublin City Board of Education on Tuesday suggested calling in the GBI for a criminal investigation into the school system’s finances, but the board took no vote after emerging from a questionable closed session with “no recommendation” from Superintendent Fred Williams.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that not only were we misled, but we had information withheld from us and we were lied to by our finance department,” said board member James Lanier. “It didn’t just begin with our last finance director. There’s a pattern, one such as I feel there are sufficient issues to warrant a criminal investigation.

“We as board members deserve truthful answers, and the citizens and taxpayers certainly do. I hope this board votes to seek that legal assistance, if not I fully intend to do so individually.”

The board voted to go into executive session, claiming the discussion met the “litigation” exemption for legally closing a public meeting. When chairman Kenny Walters reconvened the open meeting, he announced the board would not vote on Lanier’s proposal because it received “no recommendation” from Superintendent Fred Williams. The board did not explain why it was relying on Williams as if it were a policy or personnel decision.

“The action that we took is if we find any inappropriate activities in our audit, in our financials, then we’ll take appropriate action,” said Walters, who clarified that the board took no vote during the closed session.

The state is already taking a close look at the system’s finances after learning in August that it owed more that $5 million to the State Health Benefits Plan and had not completed an audit in five years. The state also found the district had for months deducted from paychecks the employee contributions to the plan but had withheld those payments from the state.

Now state officials say the district is in even worse financial shape than first suspected, projecting the system will finish the current fiscal year with a $13.4 million cash flow shortage.

Several members of the board seemed to favor a criminal investigation. Amanda Smith said she “echoed” Lanier’s proposal to call in the GBI.

“To children, teachers and staff, I want to say how sorry I am about all this,” she said. “On top of the day-to-day tasks you’re all given, you now have the added stress of losing your jobs and being slandered on Facebook. Taxpayers, I am sorry. I am angry, mad and embarrassed. I base my decisions on the information that is given to me, an overall picture, not day-to-day finances. I now know that information was not correct.”

After she was elected in 2023, Smith said, she asked then-finance director Christi Thublin if her replacement-in-training, Chad McDaniel, was qualified. Thublin, who retired in 2024, said McDaniel was “beyond capable” because she had trained him for two years. McDaniel resigned last month.

“I now know that neither were capable,” Smith said.

Board member Peggy Johnson asked for a “degree of patience” and suggested waiting until more information was gathered, but some members said they had seen enough to merit calling for an investigation.

“We have to hold everyone accountable,” said member Regina McRae. “It’s one thing to have been misled and lied to, but we also have to ask ourselves the question of ‘how did those lies continue to be given?’ There’s accountability at all levels so I don’t think it’s wise to simply pick one person out. We need to be committed to going all the way to the top.”

Following the meeting, Lanier had a heated exchange with a resident who attempted to address the board.

“We don’t get to ask any questions? We just have to sit here and listen to y’all’s B.S.?” said Burt Evans.

“You don’t have to listen to anything. You can leave,” Lanier said. “You can hit the bricks. As a matter of fact I’ll ask the deputy to help you out.”

After the meeting, Evans said, “I just wanted to ask a couple of questions, and he said he’d get the deputy to escort me out.”

Lanier said later that he felt Evans was being confrontational. He said Evans and others are welcome to address the board, as long as they follow procedure and sign up at least 24 hours in advance to be heard during public comments.

Also Tuesday, Williams updated the board on developments with the system’s efforts to work with the state. He said the 2022 audit had been completed and the 2023 audit was almost done. Those audits are being done by a private firm. The state is conducting the audits for 2024 and 2025.

“2022 was a good audit?” board member John Bell asked.

“Yes,” said Williams.

Williams also provided the board with copies of a letter from state Rep. Matt Hatchett and state Sen. Larry Walker, sent Monday to State Auditor of Georgia Greg Griffin requesting a “special examination” into the system’s finances.

This step would be in addition to reviews already underway by the state.

“It might be as early as tomorrow or next week, but they will be coming down,” Williams said.