LEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — The Lee County School District disputed what it called “false claims” circulating on social media and in other publications about Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Truitt’s salary, including allegations that she received a $70,000 raise and is seeking an additional $30,000.
Chris Cohilas, legal advisor for Lee County Schools, said the claims are without basis.
“The school superintendent has never received a $70,000 pay raise. That’s just literally false information,” Cohilas said.
Cohilas said Truitt was hired in 2023 and worked a 10-and-a-half-month year that year, meaning she did not receive the full value of her contract. He said she has received modest pay raises since then, consistent with her evaluations, performance and the marketplace.
“What is true is that her contracts have already been approved unanimously at public meetings every single year since 2023. And that’s information that is publicly available to anybody,” Cohilas said.
According to the Lee County Board of Education’s financial reports, Truitt’s salary for fiscal year 2025 was listed at approximately $264,000.
The district has also requested a retraction from a specific publication it identified as spreading false information, and Cohilas said the district will evaluate next steps if a response is not received.
According to financial reports from boards of education across the state, here is how superintendent salaries compared across several area districts in our area in 2025:
LEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — The Lee County School District disputed what it called “false claims” circulating on social media and in other publications about Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Truitt’s salar...