From Frank Sayles Jr. @ The Tifton Grapevine

Summary:

The Tift County Board of Education is facing questions about whether former Superintendent Natalie Gore will continue receiving compensation after her contract was abruptly terminated during a special meeting Wednesday. The issue has particular significance because the previous superintendent reportedly continued receiving payments for nine months after resigning. When the Tifton Grapevine asked whether Gore is receiving any further payments, whether she had been placed on leave before her termination, and whether a specific incident prompted the firing, school officials declined to answer directly.

Board Chairman Jonathan Jones referred the Grapevine to the district’s communications office, which initially said it was working on the information but later said the questions would need to be handled through Georgia’s open-records process. The district ultimately declined to answer the specific questions and instructed the Grapevine to request the relevant public documents instead. The Grapevine has now filed a formal Open Records request.

While personnel matters can legitimately require some privacy, the central question involves public money: Will taxpayers continue paying a superintendent whose contract was terminated? The Grapevine argues that residents should not have to navigate an Open Records request to get a straightforward answer about the expenditure of taxpayer funds and is calling for greater transparency from the Board of Education.