ATLANTA (41NBC/WMGT) — The Georgia State Board of Education is holding a hearing Wednesday as it considers whether to recommend that Gov. Brian Kemp suspend all seven members of the Dublin City Board of Education. The Georgia Department of Education is seeking the suspension of Chair Mandy Smith, Vice Chair John Bell, Jeff Davis, Joanna Glover, Peggy Johnson, James Lanier and Kenny Walters. The board members oppose suspension, according to a 76-page statement of facts agreed to by both sides. The hearing began at 9 a.m. You can watch the hearing live here. Wednesday’s proceeding continues a hearing that began June 9. The State Board granted the Dublin board’s request to continue the case until August. The agenda includes jointly agreed facts, documentation and possible witnesses from both GaDOE and the Dublin City Board of Education. An executive session is also listed. The hearing is being held under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-73, which applies when a school district is placed at the accreditation level immediately preceding loss of accreditation. Under State Board rules, testimony must be taken publicly, but the State Board can deliberate in private. Any vote on whether to recommend suspension must be public and can take place after the hearing or at the board’s next regular meeting. The State Board must notify Kemp and the parties of its decision at the end of the hearing or within 15 days. If the State Board recommends suspension, Kemp can decide whether to suspend eligible members…
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