'No Illegal or Unethical Conduct' Found in GCPS Land Probe

A third-party probe of Gwinnett County public schools found "no evidence of illegal or unethical conduct" in land deals from 1999-2009, Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks and Board Chairman Robert McClure said Thursday evening in a press conference in Suwanee.

The system received a full report earlier Thursday from former federal prosecutor Joe Whitley, who was commissioned in April to lead the invesigation. Wilbanks and the board acted after a series of articles in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that some developers made large, quick profits on some GCPS land acquisitions since 2004.

However, the board delayed again a formal vote Thursday on a new site-acquisition policy, to incorporate recommendations made in the report. The motion allows it to remain on the agenda "indefinitely."

The probe did find that there were "violations" by GCPS staff, and Wilbanks said that it was a "concern" and "one that we will address with staff."

"There was nothing in the report that surprised me," said McClure, who was briefed along with other board members by GCPS attorneys earlier in the week.

Wilbanks read an executive summary from Whitley that said that more than 175,000 documents were investigated, and that 53 people, 32 of them district staff, were interviewed in the probe. The report commended GCPS on "a commitment to openness" and "willingness to improve its land acquisition policy."

The investigator did not have subpoena power, Wilbanks said. Wilbanks and all board members were interviewed in the probe. Wilbanks said that some people mentioned in the AJC articles who lived out of state declined to be interviewed.

"The average person is prone to expect the worst," Wilbanks said. "We want to assure them publicly that we are trustworthy."

The violations mentioned in the report concerned improper appraisers used and some land purchases not being brought back to board members, Wilbanks said.

The probe period was chosen because no GCPS land deals have occurred since 2009, Wilbanks said; he added that no land deals are pending.

Wilbanks said the probe found that "no one" in GCPS divulged confidential info or "profited from or attempted to profit from" GCPS land sales.

The probe recommended 12 policy recommendations and six procedural improvements, the superintendent said.

The probe will cost the GCPS "hundreds of thousands" of dollars, McClure said, although the final figure has not been determined.

To view the full report delivered to the GCPS board Thursday, click here.