Chairman Hatchett, President Pro Tempore Walker Urge Timely State Review of Dublin City Schools Accreditation Status

Lawmakers ask State Board to hold required hearing without further delay.

ATLANTA - House Appropriations Chairman Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin) and Senate President Pro Tempore Larry Walker III (R-Perry) have sent a joint letter to the Georgia State Board of Education requesting prompt action concerning the Dublin City School System's accreditation status.

The Cognia Global Commission placed Dublin City Schools on Accredited Under Conditions status on April 12, 2026. The designation is the accreditation level immediately preceding loss of accreditation and requires a hearing before the State Board of Education under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-73.

In their letter, Chairman Hatchett and President Pro Tempore Walker ask the State Board to conduct a thorough review of Cognia's decision and take action to restore effective governance, financial accountability and public confidence in Dublin City School System.

"The students, families, educators and taxpayers of Dublin deserve a school system that is focused on student success," said Chairman Hatchett. "During this year's legislative session, the General Assembly took meaningful steps to strengthen accountability in Georgia's public schools by passing House Bill 1164 and providing additional funding in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget to expand the Department of Audits and Accounts' ability to conduct public school audits. Those actions reflect our commitment to identifying problems sooner and ensuring school systems have the oversight necessary to protect students and taxpayers. The situation in Dublin City Schools demonstrates why our actions were so important. While we recognize that our current school board, under new leadership, is making progress to rectify this situation, there's still much more work ahead. Through this letter, we are urging the State Board of Education to move forward with its review without further delay and carefully consider every available option to restore effective governance and public confidence in the Dublin City School System."

"Dublin's students, parents and educators deserve stability and a school system fully focused on their success," said President Pro Tempore Walker. "Chairman Hatchett and I are asking the State Board to conduct a thorough hearing, consider the full record and take prompt action to ensure effective governance and restore public confidence. Dublin's families, educators and taxpayers should not have to wait any longer for this process to move forward."

The lawmakers emphasized that local control remains an important part of Georgia's public education system but must be accompanied by fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability.

The letter was also provided to Governor Brian Kemp.

The complete letter is attached here.

Representative Matt Hatchett represents the citizens of District 155, which includes Johnson and Laurens counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and currently serves as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He also serves on the Economic Development & Tourism, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications, Health, Rules, Rural Development committees and as an Ex-Officio member of the Ways & Means Committee. He also serves on the Special Committee on Resource Management.

Sen. Larry Walker III serves as President Pro Tempore of the Georgia Senate. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Pulaski, Treutlen and Wilcox counties, as well as a portion of Houston County. He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at [email protected].

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