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UPDATED: GCPS Has Third-Party Report on Land Deals

School board will consider a revised policy at Thursday's board meeting.

Updated 12:16 p.m., July 21, 2011

The Gwinnett County school board again will consider a revised proposal for land acquisitions at its July board meeting Thursday in Suwanee. Also, the system has received the report from a third-party audit over land purchases that itcommissioned in April.

The system's recent land acquisitions came in for public controversy because of a series of articles in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Those articles reported that some Gwinnett land developers made large, quick profits -- as much as $1 million per day, in one case -- in land sales to GCPS since 2004.

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The revised policy was delayed from both the May and June board meetings. In June, board Chairman Robert McClure said he felt it best to delay the vote until a third-party GCPS investigation into land deals was complete.

Jorge Quintana, spokesperson for the GCPS, said Thursday afternoon that the system had received the report and would hold a news conference Thursday evening to give details. The probe by former federal prosecutor Joe Whitley was designed to cover all GCPS land acquisitions since 1999.

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Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks has called the AJC articles "misleading."

The new GCPS policy, among other things, would require that the entire board be notified of any land deals. Also, it would require that proposed acquisitions be posted on the GCPS website and be listed on the agenda for monthly meetings.

Just this week, the Gwinnett County Commissioners adopted a new land-acquisition policy for similar reasons. A Gwinnett grand jury probe over land deals led to the resignation of former Chairman Charles Bannister and the indictment of former Commissioner Kevin Kenerly, which since has been overturned.

Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “I applaud the Board for addressing these issues and taking action in direct response to past problems."

Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter noted that there is "some crossover" between developers in that probe and ones mentioned in the AJC articles. He has declined to comment on any possible investigation of the GCPS over the recent land sales.

Also Thursday, the GCPS board will consider a revised policy for public comments at meetings.

For the complete agenda, click here.


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