Dublin board says it was aware of litigation against finalist for school superintendent

The Dublin City Board of Education says it was aware of litigation filed against DeMarcos Holland, which was later dismissed, before choosing him as the top candidate to be Dublin’s new school superintendent.

The whistleblower lawsuit was filed in 2024 by the director of the Marietta City Schools’ Student Life Center claiming race discrimination by the Marietta district and Holland, its chief human resources officer. The lawsuit was dropped last November but refiled earlier this year, but with Holland no longer named as a defendant. 

The Dublin school board last week approved Holland as the sole finalist for the superintendent job.

“During the superintendent search process, the board was aware of Dr. Holland being named in the lawsuit, and information related to that lawsuit did not alter the board’s belief that Dr. Holland is the best candidate to lead Dublin City Schools,” board members said in a joint statement.

“Publicly available court records and media reports indicate that the federal lawsuit was jointly dismissed by the parties in November 2025. The dismissal did not include a finding of liability or wrongdoing by Dr. Holland or Marietta City Schools, and the case was not resolved through a trial or judgment on the merits.”

In the lawsuit, Marietta City Schools’ Student Life Center Director Sarah Barbour, who is white, alleged that Holland, who is black, falsely accused her of racism and retaliated against her after she acted as a whistleblower, accusing her predecessor at the Student Life Center of mismanaging a program. Barbour also claimed the Marietta Board of Education slashed her budget and programs because some members disagreed with her support of LGBTQ+ students. 

Holland was among 25 candidates who applied for Dublin’s superintendent’s position during a search led by the Georgia School Boards Association.

“Throughout the superintendent search process, the Georgia School Boards Association conducted a thorough review of candidate qualifications, experience, references and professional credentials,” Dublin board members said in their statement. “Dr. Holland brings more than two decades of educational leadership experience and was selected based on his demonstrated record of service, leadership and commitment to student success.”

A vote to hire Holland is expected in two weeks. State law requires that a finalist or finalists for the position must be announced at least 14 days before a vote on the hiring can be taken.

Former curriculum director Marcee Pool has served as interim superintendent since last September, when Superintendent Fred Williams stepped down to take an early retirement after the severity of the school district’s most recent financial troubles were revealed.

Holland will be tasked with turning around the struggling school system, which last fall was projected to end the current fiscal year with a $13 million deficit. The district has significantly reduced spending – and its deficit – through cuts that included mid-year terminations of several dozen teachers and other staffers, but still owes the state more than $5 million in overdue payments to the State Health Benefit Plan.