Expense Reports, Red Flags, and Missing Signatures: Inside GCPS’s Transparency Problem
A closer look at expense irregularities, new reporting forms, and why Gwinnett taxpayers deserve clearer answers.
On October 2, a Substack post titled “Tax Dollars on the Go in GCPS” highlighted an employee expense report containing several irregularities.
At the October 16 GCPS Business Meeting, a speaker raised the issue publicly. Here’s an excerpt from her remarks, beginning at the 52:48 mark:
“And now there’s a Substack circulating—with troubling details about a high-level GCPS employee’s expense account.
That individual appears to have approved two of their own reimbursements, charged travel insurance, and billed $946 for a family member’s airfare.
I’ve been told this is now ‘under investigation.’ But it was brought to your attention six weeks ago.”
It’s worth noting — not all expense reimbursements are improper. Six employee reports were reviewed out of roughly 1,129 staff members at the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Center (and about 14,000 GCPS employees total). Still, many “Chiefs” and “Executive Directors” have access to travel perks funded by taxpayers — making oversight essential.
Looking at the attached documentation, several inconsistencies stand out:
Page 1: An upgraded seat was approved by Dr. Watts to “ensure on-time arrival.”
Pages 2–3: Reimbursements from the traveling employee included an additional hotel night and room service — outside the official scope of the business trip.
Page 4: An upgraded hotel room was approved with no justification, and there’s no supporting documentation for reimbursement.
Page 5: Despite GCPS policy prohibiting upgraded seat charges or room upgrades, they were allowed — as was over $200 in travel insurance, without question.
The new Oracle Expense Report (PeopleSoft Expenses) form shown on page 6 & 7, introduced this year, is supposed to simplify reporting. Instead, it has created opacity.
One example:
A trip completed in June 2025 was requested for documentation in September 2025 — and the report still reads “Approval in Process.” There’s no visible record of who approved it, who reviewed it, or even an employee/supervisor signature (electronic or otherwise). Unless you’re a finance insider familiar with internal codes, accountability may be nonexistent. It must be noted, the reimbursement appears to have been issued June 25, 2025, while still noted “Approval in Process”.
By contrast, the older reimbursement form (page 8) was far more transparent. It clearly identified:
The employee that traveled
The employee that completed the form (usually an administrative assistant)
The supervisor that approved it
The finance officer that verified it
Even minor errors were corrected according to federal per diem guidelines — something that could be missing in the current system.
With recent financial controversies in Dublin City Schools and DeKalb County Schools, GCPS should be prioritizing clarity and accountability. Instead, it seems to have moved backward — spending taxpayer dollars to create a less transparent process that makes it harder to track how funds are used and who approves them.
Adrienne Simmons, Board Chair and District 4 representative, note in her closing remarks at the October 16 Business Meeting (1:37:15 mark) that they are making great improvements in transparency. Maybe so in some areas, but not with expense reports! These reports should be clear to anyone who wishes to view them per the Georgia Open Records Act.
Transparency isn’t just good practice — it’s a safeguard for the community’s trust.