GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia lawmakers have significantly changed a bill that originally threatened to cut the pay of Gwinnett County School Board members, though the bill’s sponsor suggests the legislation could be revisited.
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House Bill 767 initially proposed reducing board members’ pay to $50 per meeting if they fired a superintendent without cause. The legislation followed January’s dismissal of Calvin Watts, the second superintendent terminated in four years, with taxpayers facing approximately $1.3 million in combined buyout costs for Watts and former superintendent Alvin Wilbanks.
The revised bill now removes all references to board member pay, focusing solely on ensuring board members can speak freely to the media.
State Rep. Dewey McClain (D-Lawrenceville) says he met with the board personally last week. He removed the pay-cut provision after also learning it would take immediate effect if passed.
“This was going to be effective right now and that was not the intention of the delegation, nor was it the intention of me,” McClain said.
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The Gwinnett County Board of Education is searching for a new superintendent. Superintendent Calvin Watts will step down April 1, when his termination takes effect.
McClain didn’t rule out revisiting the original legislation in the future.
“If we don’t realize what we are expecting to have, this is a two-year process, and so all we have to do is just add back to it.”
The bill drew mixed reactions from the community.
“This bill is totally unnecessary. It’s a distraction from the real education needs of our parents,” said community activist Marlynn Tillman.
Board member Dr. Tarece Johnson-Morgan criticized the proposal in writing, calling it an attempt to “scold and undermine Black women in leadership.”
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School board supporters mobilized quickly against the legislation.
“We were seeing it across social media. We were seeing people calling into their legislators,” said Allison Cundiff, Gwinnett County Association of Educators president.
Cundiff also raised concerns about the bill’s potential consequences: “If you had a superintendent who embezzled funds or committed a crime, the district would have to continue enduring under that superintendent because the Board would be penalized for removing them early.”
The media provision addresses a February incident when newly elected board member Steve Gasper was reprimanded by Board Chair Dr. Adrienne Simmons after speaking to Channel 2 Action News following Watts’ termination in January.
Simmons had informed Gasper that only the board chair was authorized to speak with the media.
Some education advocates believe legislators should redirect their focus.
“We have a lot of students who are in poverty and who really need extra support to still get their education,” Cundiff said.
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