FOIA Request to Georgia Highlands College regarding public university FY 2024 employee salaries on December 5, 2025.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted by Peach Tree Times to Georgia Highlands College seeking detailed records of employee compensation for the fiscal year 2024. The request was made under the Georgia Open Records Act § 50.18.70 et seq., with a preference for receiving the information in electronic format.
The request specifically asks for comprehensive data on all individuals employed by the university during Fiscal Year 2024, as defined by the institution’s fiscal, payroll, or HR systems. While many institutions define this fiscal year as spanning from September 2024 through July 2025, the requester has asked that if Georgia Highlands College uses different boundaries, they provide records based on their official definitions and indicate applicable date ranges in their response.
The data fields requested include: Fiscal Year, Employee Name, Employee Gender (if recorded), Employee Age or Year of Birth (if not exempt), Employee Date of Birth (if not exempt or limited to month/year), Employer Name, Employee Title or Position, Employee Department, Employee Hire Date, Employee Compensation Amount (base pay and any additional pay), Employee Compensation Type (e.g., salary, hourly, stipend, bonus), and Employment Type (full-time or part-time).
Peach Tree Times has acknowledged that not all fields may exist in every record but requests that all responsive records be produced regardless of field presence. In cases where parts of a record are deemed exempt from disclosure, they have requested that non-exempt portions be released in redacted form rather than withheld entirely.
As members of the media involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, Peach Tree Times emphasizes the importance of access to public records for fulfilling their professional responsibilities. They argue that such access is crucial for holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given their role in disseminating information, they have also requested a fee waiver as media professionals.
Additionally, it is noted that the requester is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy—a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
