Wilbanks Says 'Things Going Well'

Gwinnett County Public Schools Supt./CEO J. Alvin Wilbanks reports biggest challenge continues to be balancing the budget. The board eliminated an $89-million shortfall and tentatively adopted FY2013 $1.7-billion budget.

  “For the most part, things are going well” in Gwinnett County Public Schools, Supt/CEO J. Alvin Wilbanks reported in his annual state of the schools address, “but we still have our challenges.” Wilbanks’ address was delivered during the District III Area Meeting of the Gwinnett Board of Education hosted Tuesday (April 17) night by Duluth High School in the theater. A reception in the lobby preceded the meeting. Dr. Mary Kay Murphy, who represents District III on the school board, presided over the meeting. Duluth Principal Jason Lane welcomed everyone. The Duluth HS Navy JROTC presented the colors, and students from Chattahoochee Elementary School led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Duluth HS Chorus performed “Seasons of Love,” which will …

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Ivy Prep Gets Tour From GOP Lawmakers

Peachtree Corners charter school among those that would benefit from the proposed state constitutional amendment.

Superintendent's Message Supports ESPLOST IV

Thanks to voter approval of ESPLOST I, II and III, Gwinnett school system was able "to manage the challenges of its dramatic growth in student enrollment, rather than being managed by it."

In 1996 the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation that was one of the most beneficial bills for public education ever to come out of the Gold Dome. Lawmakers approved calling for an amendment to the state’s Constitution that would allow school districts to seek approval to fund capital projects with sales taxes. The amendment passed statewide in November of 1996, and in March of 1997, Gwinnett County Public Schools took the special purpose local option sales tax, or SPLOST, to its citizens. It was approved by almost 72 percent! Since 1997, the Gwinnett education SPLOST has provided our students with thousands of classrooms and major technology improvements. Gwinnett voters extended the one-penny SPLOST in 2001 and 2006 by wide …

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Gwinnett Schools Receive Grant To Train Principals

GCPS selected to participate in Wallace Principal Pipeline initiative and receive $7.5 million to $12.5 million in grant money.

Gwinnett County Public Schools learned this week that the school district is one of six in the nation selected to participate in the Wallace Foundation’s Principal Pipeline initiative. Included in this initiative is between $7.5 million and $12.5 million in grant money the school district will receive over a five-year period. This money is to be used to develop, hire and support new school principals. Officials said they expect to receive $3.9 million of this money in the first year. The other five districts, which serve thousands of low-income students, selected to receive the initiative are: Charlotte-Mecklenburg in North Carolina; Hillsborough County (near Tampa) in Florida; New York City; and Prince George's County (near Washington, D.…

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School Board Adopts Tighter Land-Deals Policy

GCPS leaders OK new procedure after internal probe is completed.

The Gwinnett County school board has passed a new land-deals policy that was undertaken after an internal probe and some public controversy. At the August meeting, the board voted in a new policy that requires all site acquisitions to be brought before the board and opened to public comment. A series of articles in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported that the system paid inflated prices for land in four deals since 2004. Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks called the articles "misleading." After the reports, the system authorized former federal prosecutor Joe Whitley to conduct an internal audit of all system land purchases since 1999. That report, completed and released in July, showed some internal policy violations but no …

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Gwinnett Schools Change Board Meetings Policy

Public speaking now held after regular business on the agenda.

The Gwinnett County school board has adopted a new procedure that will affect when the public can speak during board meetings. Effective with the August meeting at Suwanee headquarters, people will not be able to address the board members until after regular business has been completed. As a matter of policy, the board allows members of the public to be on the official agenda to address board members. This change means comments that could pertain to items on that agenda will not be heard until after the board deals with agenda items. The school board also holds a public comments session before board meetings officially begin. These sessions now will be held 6:15-6:45 p.m. on board meeting days. Also at the August meeting, set for Thursday…

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

Superintendent, board discuss third-party investigation's findings Thursday.

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. 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." "…

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Gwinnett DA Won't Comment on GCPS Land Matters

Prosecutor had talked of possible investigation of land purchases.

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said Tuesday that he would not comment on any matter concerning a possible investigation of recent land purchases by the Gwinnett public school system. Porter, the county's top criminal prosecutor, had mentioned in April that he was considering launching his own probe or seeking a grand-jury investigation. Doing nothing was "not viable," Porter said then. "I was hoping the school system would open their own investigation, but it looks like they are not willing to do that." "I’m afraid I can’t discuss whether or not I am investigating a particular land purchase or purchases," he responded Tuesday in an email. "To publicly discuss any investigation or even acknowledge the existence of an …

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