A former Greene County special education director and her husband are accused of stealing approximately $50,000 in school grant funds. The case raises questions about financial controls, audits, grant oversight, and accountability in public education.
A former Georgia special education director and her husband are facing criminal charges after state investigators alleged they were involved in the theft of approximately $50,000 in grant funds belonging to a local school system.
On September 4, 2026, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of Kimberley Kerchelle Simmons, 52, and Eric Geroy Simmons, 58, both of Milledgeville.
Kimberley Simmons previously served as the Greene County Board of Education's Director of Special Education.
According to the GBI, Kimberley Simmons was charged with theft by taking and false statements, while Eric Simmons was charged with theft by taking. Investigators allege both were involved in the theft of approximately $50,000 in grant funds.
The investigation remains active, and neither defendant has been convicted.
The case raises a broader education-finance question that extends well beyond one Georgia district:
How are school systems supposed to prevent grant money from being improperly diverted in the first place?
Bottom Line
The GBI alleges that approximately $50,000 in Greene County Board of Education grant funds was stolen and that the district's former special education director and her husband were involved.
The Greene County Sheriff's Office requested the GBI investigation on July 24. Kimberley Simmons resigned from the district on September 2, and the arrests were announced two days later.
The charges remain allegations.
From an education-accountability perspective, the case highlights why school systems need clear approval processes, separation of financial duties, accurate documentation, supervisory review, regular audits, and systems capable of detecting unusual transactions before losses grow.
Editorial Note
This article discusses active criminal charges involving former Greene County Board of Education employee Kimberley Simmons and her husband, Eric Simmons.
The allegations described here come from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. An arrest or criminal charge is not a conviction, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until guilt is established through the judicial process.
New To Education has not independently reviewed the district's accounting records, grant documents, bank records, internal communications, or investigative evidence.
The GBI describes the approximately $50,000 as grant funds belonging to the Greene County Board of Education. Its public announcement does not identify the specific grant program or state whether the money came from federal, state, local, or private sources.
For that reason, this article does not assume that the allegedly stolen funds were specifically special-education or IDEA funds merely because Kimberley Simmons served as Director of Special Education.
This article is provided for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.
What Happened
According to the GBI, the Greene County Sheriff's Office requested state assistance on July 24, 2026, after allegations surfaced that Kimberley Simmons had stolen money from the Greene County Board of Education.
The GBI says its preliminary investigation indicates that Kimberley and Eric Simmons were both involved in the theft of approximately $50,000 in grant funds.
Kimberley Simmons was charged with theft by taking and false statements.
Eric Simmons was charged with theft by taking.
Both were booked into the Greene County Jail.
Kimberley Simmons resigned from the Greene County Board of Education on September 2, two days before the arrests were publicly announced.
The investigation remains active. The GBI says that once its investigation is complete, the case file will be provided to the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution.
Why the Special Education Connection Matters
Kimberley Simmons' former role makes the case particularly sensitive for an education audience.
Special-education departments can manage or influence significant public spending because districts must provide evaluations, individualized services, specialized staff, instructional supports, related services, transportation, and other resources for students with disabilities.
But the distinction between her job title and the source of the allegedly stolen money is important.
The GBI has identified the money only as grant funds.
It has not publicly said that the money came from IDEA or another special-education-specific program.
That means the responsible description is that a former special education director is accused of participating in the theft of district grant funds.
Anything more specific would go beyond what investigators have publicly established.
What the Criminal Charges Mean
Georgia's theft-by-taking statute generally applies when a person unlawfully takes or appropriates someone else's property with the intent to deprive the owner of it.
Kimberley Simmons also faces a false-statements charge.
Georgia law prohibits knowingly and willfully making materially false or fraudulent statements, concealing material facts, or using false documents in matters within the jurisdiction of state or local government.
Those laws explain the nature of the charges.
They do not establish that either defendant committed the alleged acts.
Prosecutors would still have to prove the required elements through the criminal process.
Why Grant Funding Requires Strong Internal Controls
Grant funding can create financial-management challenges that differ from ordinary operating expenses.
Grants often come with restrictions governing who may spend the money, what purchases are allowed, when funds may be used, what documentation must be maintained, and how expenditures must be reported.
That means a single transaction may pass through several layers of review.
A program administrator may approve the educational purpose. A finance office may verify that the expense is allowable. Purchasing staff may process the transaction. Supervisors may approve invoices. Auditors may later verify whether the expenditure was supported by proper documentation.
Problems become more likely when too much control is concentrated in one person or when approvals become routine rather than meaningful.
Strong internal controls are not about distrusting every employee.
They are about protecting employees, students, taxpayers, and the district itself.
Georgia Requires Annual School-System Audits
Georgia strengthened its school financial-oversight framework effective July 1, 2026.
Georgia Code Section 20-2-67 requires local school systems and state charter schools to provide for annual audits of their financial affairs and transactions.
The law also requires annual audit-readiness certifications and allows the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts to designate school systems as moderate-risk or high-risk when fiscal concerns warrant additional monitoring and intervention.
That creates an external layer of accountability beyond a district's own finance office.
Annual audits, however, usually look backward.
Internal controls are intended to prevent or identify problems much earlier.
What Strong Internal Controls Look Like
A well-designed financial system makes it difficult for one person to control an entire transaction from beginning to end.
The person requesting an expenditure ideally should not also be the only person approving it, issuing payment, reconciling the account, and confirming that the purchase was proper.
That principle is commonly called segregation of duties.
Districts can also use multiple approval levels, restricted purchasing authority, vendor verification, purchase orders, account reconciliations, documentation requirements, transaction limits, and periodic internal reviews.
Financial software can add another layer by flagging duplicate payments, unusual vendor changes, transactions outside normal spending patterns, missing documentation, or spending above established thresholds.
No system can guarantee that fraud will never occur.
The goal is to make improper activity harder to carry out and easier to detect.
Why Oversight Has to Be More Than Paperwork
Financial controls can exist on paper and still fail in practice.
A supervisor who approves transactions without reviewing supporting records is not providing meaningful oversight.
The same risk exists when employees bypass purchasing procedures, share passwords, use undocumented vendors, or routinely approve expenses after the fact.
For school leaders, financial management should therefore be treated as an operational responsibility rather than something handled exclusively by the finance department.
Principals, department directors, program coordinators, grant managers, and central-office leaders may all influence public spending.
That makes financial literacy part of educational leadership.
Why Resignation Does Not End an Investigation
Kimberley Simmons resigned from the Greene County Board of Education on September 2.
Her resignation did not end the criminal investigation.
That distinction matters.
An employment relationship and a criminal case are separate processes.
A resignation may end an individual's authority within a school system, but investigators can continue reviewing earlier financial records, transactions, communications, statements, or other evidence.
The same principle should apply to a district's internal review.
If financial irregularities are discovered, the school system may still need to determine how the activity occurred, whether additional money was affected, whether another agency must be notified, and whether financial controls need to change.
Understanding how a problem happened can be as important as determining who was responsible.
What This Means for School Boards and District Leaders
School boards ultimately oversee institutions responsible for substantial amounts of public money.
Board members do not need to personally inspect every invoice.
They do need to ensure that the district has competent financial leadership, clear purchasing rules, regular audits, transparent reporting, and a reliable process for addressing irregularities.
A district can have a balanced budget and still have weak internal controls.
The question is not simply whether spending stays within the approved budget.
It is also whether individual transactions were authorized, documented, allowable, and independently reviewed.
Employees who manage grants or purchasing authority also need to understand the rules attached to the money they control.
Accurate records, approved vendors, proper invoices, documented educational purposes, and clear approval procedures all matter.
So do safe ways for employees to report suspected financial misconduct.
The Bigger Picture
Public-school corruption cases can be particularly damaging because the money involved is intended to operate classrooms, pay educators, support students, purchase materials, and provide required services.
Even relatively small losses can undermine public trust.
That is especially true in smaller school systems, where $50,000 can represent a meaningful amount of instructional material, technology, transportation, staffing, or student support.
The Greene County case also arrives shortly after Georgia's updated school financial-oversight law took effect.
Whether those newer safeguards could have prevented the alleged conduct in this case cannot be determined from the public information currently available.
What they do show is that Georgia is placing greater emphasis on identifying financial irregularities before they grow into larger fiscal problems.
What Happens Next
The GBI says the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Investigators may continue reviewing financial records, grant documents, communications, transactions, or other evidence relevant to the case.
Once the investigation is complete, the GBI says its file will be submitted to the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office.
Additional information could clarify which grant funds were involved, how investigators believe the money was taken, how long the alleged conduct occurred, and whether any other individuals or transactions are part of the investigation.
Until those facts are publicly established, conclusions should remain limited to what investigators have actually announced.
Why This Matters
School financial oversight is easy to overlook when everything appears to be working.
Invoices get paid. Programs continue. Budgets are approved. Grant reports are submitted.
But financial controls matter most when someone attempts to bypass them.
Every district should operate on the assumption that safeguards are necessary even when employees are trusted.
That is not cynicism.
It is responsible public administration.
Accurate documentation protects honest employees. Independent approvals reduce mistakes. Audits protect taxpayers. Grant controls protect programs. Transparent reporting protects public confidence.
The allegations in Greene County have not been proven.
But the case provides a useful reminder that education accountability is not limited to curriculum, test scores, teacher performance, or student discipline.
It also means accounting for every public dollar entrusted to a school system.
Key Takeaways
- The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of Kimberley Simmons, 52, and Eric Simmons, 58, on September 4, 2026.
- Kimberley Simmons previously served as Director of Special Education for the Greene County Board of Education.
- The GBI alleges the couple was involved in the theft of approximately $50,000 in district grant funds.
- Kimberley Simmons was charged with theft by taking and false statements.
- Eric Simmons was charged with theft by taking.
- The Greene County Sheriff's Office requested the investigation on July 24, 2026.
- Kimberley Simmons resigned from the district on September 2.
- The investigation remains active, and neither defendant has been convicted.
- The GBI has not publicly identified the specific grant from which the money allegedly came.
- Georgia law requires annual school-system financial audits and establishes additional state oversight for systems showing significant fiscal concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have Kimberley or Eric Simmons been convicted?
No. They have been arrested and charged, but the allegations have not been proven in court.
Was the allegedly stolen money specifically special-education funding?
The GBI says approximately $50,000 in Greene County Board of Education grant funds was involved. It has not identified the specific grant program. Kimberley Simmons' position should therefore not be treated as proof that the money came from IDEA or another special-education program.
Why is Kimberley Simmons charged with false statements?
The GBI announced the charge but has not publicly detailed the specific statement or conduct underlying it. Georgia law generally prohibits knowingly making materially false or fraudulent statements in matters within the jurisdiction of state or local government.
Does Georgia audit local school districts?
Yes. Georgia Code Section 20-2-67 requires local school systems to provide for annual audits of their financial affairs and includes additional fiscal monitoring for systems identified as moderate-risk or high-risk.
Final Thoughts
Schools ask the public to trust them with two of a community's most valuable resources: its children and its money.
Protecting one requires protecting the other.
Funding intended for educational programs should be traceable from the moment it enters a district until the moment it is spent.
That requires clear approval chains, independent review, accurate documentation, strong grant management, trained employees, and a culture where financial questions are treated as responsible oversight rather than unnecessary bureaucracy.
The allegations involving Kimberley and Eric Simmons still have to be tested through the criminal justice system.
But regardless of the eventual outcome, the case leaves school systems with an important question:
If someone tried to improperly divert grant money tomorrow, how quickly would the district know?
That is the real test of financial accountability.
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NTE Coverage Standard
New To Education prioritizes primary law-enforcement statements, government records, court filings, statutes, audits, official datasets, and original documents when reporting on public corruption, educator misconduct, and school finance.
An allegation, arrest, criminal charge, indictment, conviction, administrative finding, and audit finding are not interchangeable.
In this case, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has announced criminal charges and described preliminary information indicating that approximately $50,000 in grant funds was allegedly stolen.
Those allegations have not been proven in court.
New To Education also does not assume that the allegedly stolen money was special-education funding merely because one defendant served as a special education director. The GBI has not publicly identified the specific grant program involved.
This article is provided for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.
Sources
Georgia Bureau of Investigation — September 4, 2026
The GBI's official announcement provides the primary account of the investigation, charges, alleged amount involved, resignation date, and current status of the case.
GBI Arrests Milledgeville Couple in a Theft Investigation
Georgia Code Section 20-2-67 — School Financial Oversight
The law requires annual audits of local school-system finances and provides for additional monitoring when significant fiscal concerns are identified.
Read Georgia Code Section 20-2-67
Georgia Code Section 16-8-2 — Theft by Taking
This provision defines Georgia's theft-by-taking offense.
Read Georgia Code Section 16-8-2
Georgia Code Section 16-10-20 — False Statements
This provision addresses knowingly false or fraudulent statements, concealment, and false documents in matters within the jurisdiction of Georgia state or local government.
