This story has been updated.
DeKalb County, GA — The former chief operating officer of DeKalb County Schools in March filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the district, alleging he was terminated for asking questions about irregularities in the district’s finances.
Former COO Ben Estill was fired last summer. At the time, WSB-TV reported that Estill was the subject of an investigation by the district alleging Estill engaged in “unprofessional conduct,” that included harassment, creating a hostile work environment and bullying. He was also accused of drinking too much alcohol at a professional conference.
Estill’s lawsuit offers a different version of events and accuses former superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris of retaliating against him for raising his concerns about the district’s finances. His lawsuit references concerns about special purpose local option sales tax money spending that School Board member Anna Hill alluded to during a May 1 Dunwoody Homeowner’s Association meeting. Hill joined with DeKalb County School Board members Vicki Turner, Joyce Morley and Diijon DaCosta in firing Watson-Harris on April 26 and hiring interim Superintendent Dr. Vasanne Tinsley. Watson-Harris has said she was blindsided by the firing, but Hill told the Dunwoody group that Watson-Harris should have seen it coming.
Hill cited some issues she had with the administration, notably a $250 million variance between the district’s accounting system for sales tax money and a contractor’s,...
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