GBI: Dublin school investigation ‘active and ongoing’

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed this week that its nearly yearlong investigation into the Dublin City Schools financial crisis is “active and ongoing.”

Dublin District Attorney Harold McLendon requested the GBI investigation in January following a special state examination that confirmed the root causes of the unprecedented fiscal emergency – namely overspending and overhiring – while also identifying specific concerns that included late tax payments to the IRS, “abnormally” high credit card spending and unwarranted travel and expenditures. 

“We can confirm that the GBI was requested by the Dublin District Attorney’s Office to conduct a preliminary review related to the Dublin City School System. A preliminary review is conducted to determine if a criminal act has occurred. The investigation remains active and ongoing at this time,” said Sara R. Lue, the GBI’s director of Public & Governmental Affairs.

Local lawmakers requested the special examination after state officials discovered last August that the district owed $6 million in overdue payments to the State Health Benefit Plan and were headed for a projected $13.4 million budget deficit. The report cited wasteful spending and lax oversight for the cash shortage, noting that school system officials had used COVID funding to mask their money troubles.

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.

The controversy led to the ouster of two of the district’s top officials and the eventual suspension and removal of the school board’s members by Gov. Brian Kemp. Former Chief Financial Officer Chad McDaniel resigned last August, and School Superintendent Fred Williams took an early retirement last October.

The FBI also has confirmed its own investigation into the district’s finances.